The Question (30 page)

The tears at the corner of her eyes made a slow track down her cheek. “Why didn’t you say so?”

“I knew how you felt about Greg. If I told you, it would have scared you away. I was willing to give you time to love me back.”

“You’re a very smart man.” She rose up for a kiss.

Much later, she asked, “Well?”

“Well, what?” His mouth traveled from her ear to her neck, stringing a line of kisses.

“Aren’t you going to ask if your plan worked?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?” She leaned her head to the side, silently encouraging him to kiss this side as well.

“I already know.” He paused to look at her.

“How?”

He nibbled on her left earlobe. “You talk in your sleep.”

Gail pulled her ear away from his mouth and glared at him. “I do not!”

He grinned wickedly. “Yes, you do.”

“You’re lying.”

“Honey, anything I want to know, all I have to do is wait until you’re asleep and ask, and I do mean anything.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Oh, really?” He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear. “Your favorite fantasy is to be tied up and blindfolded while your lover takes you over and over.”

“How…?” She jerked back so fast her head hit the door. “Oww!”

“Careful.” He rubbed the sore spot on her head. “In the room, under the bed, is another present. A private one, purchased just for our enjoyment. When your family leaves, we’ll try it out and see just how loudly I can make you scream.”

Someone banged on the door. Gail jumped forward and bumped her face against Rashid’s chin. “Y’all coming? Food’s getting cold.”

“We’d better go before Martha picks the lock and drags us out by our ears,” Rashid murmured dryly.

“I heard that!”

They both laughed as they joined the others.

Chapter Fifteen

“Ms. Gail, you need to check on your husband.” Carmelita met her at the door as soon as she entered the house.

“What’s wrong, Carmelita?” She’d never seen the housekeeper so agitated. She was twisting the apron into tight knots.

“This man, he come to the door and ask for the senor. I get the senor for him. This man, he makes the senor sign and hand him a letter. The senor, he read the letter and turn red. He so furious, he go into the study and slam the door. I no see him since.” Carmelita was so upset her English was slipping.

“How long ago was this?”

“An hour, maybe two.”

Gail set her shopping bags on the table. She’d left to take advantage of the after Christmas clearance sales. “Will you have Miguel take these to our room when he gets a chance?”

“Si, si, you go check on the senor.” She shooed her towards the study.

Gail lightly rapped on the door before sticking her head around the corner. “Rashid?”

“Look Lamont, just tell me how to proceed. You told me this divorce would stand in any court in America. How can she challenge it?  I don’t want to hear about unusual circumstances. I want answers. This is why I pay your firm’s outrageous fees.  Well, call me back when you do know something.” He slammed the phone down.

Gail flinched, surprised the phone was still in one piece. The last time he was this angry was when Crystal arrived unannounced. “Rashid? What’s going on?”

“This came while you were out. Read it.”

Gail took the papers from his hand and began to read. As she did, her knees weakened and she slowly sank into the one of the armchairs in front of his desk. “This is a Declaration of Intent. She’s challenging the divorce? On what grounds?”

“Keep reading. There’s more.”

Gail scanned the rest and sucked in a sharp breath. Crystal was suing for physical custody of the twins and requesting to be named custodial parent in the interim. She was accusing Rashid of breach of contract. According to the prenup, in case of divorce, Crystal would retain custody of any minor children. “Can she do this?”

“She’s trying.”

“What did your lawyer say?”

“That I needed to hire a good divorce attorney who was familiar with the appellate process. Under normal circumstances, this case would never get beyond the petition but he’s never heard of anything like this before. It just might intrigue the justice enough to allow it to be heard.”

“Did he recommend anyone?”

“Crystal already hired the best divorce attorney in town.”

“She might have the best divorce lawyer in town, but I know the best one in the country.”

“Greg.”

“Yes.”

“You think contacting him is wise, considering our history.”

“There’s no bad feeling between the two of you. He’s the one that told me to marry you, remember? Besides, this is just the kind of case he likes to sink his teeth into.” If anyone could keep them from losing the children, Greg could.

“Go ahead. Give him a call and see what he says.”

She dialed his cell phone.

“Gail, twice in one week? Miss me, baby?”

“Always.” It was the truth. She loved being with Rashid and the twins, but there was a piece of her heart with Greg’s name on it.

“Does your husband know you’re stalking me?”

“He’s standing right here.”

“Mmm, that’s interesting. What’s going on? I can hear from the tension in your voice that something’s happened.”

“Crystal hired a lawyer to overturn the divorce. She’s also suing for custody of the twins.”

“Who’d she get?”

“According to Rashid’s lawyer, the best divorce attorney in town.”

“Ronald Davis? He’s good. I’m better.”

“That’s why I’m calling.”

“Divorces obtained in Guam are legally sound. He won’t have an easy time of it. What grounds is he basing his plea on?”

“Crystal’s emotional instability.”

“He’s using an insanity plea?”

“Basically.” She read him the Declaration.

“Damn, that’s original. It might just work too. It’s different enough to get the case heard, out of curiosity if nothing else.”

“That’s what the lawyer said.” She nibbled on a fingernail.

“What is Rashid going to do?”

“His lawyer advised him to hire a good divorce lawyer. I reminded him that we knew the best one in the country.”

“Flattery will get you everything. Hand Rashid the phone and go play with the babies or something. I want some privacy.”

“Aye, aye, sir.” She saluted, even though she knew he couldn’t see her.

She handed Rashid the phone. “He told me to get lost. He wants to speak with you man-to-man.”

His mouth smiled but his eyes were wary. “Don’t go far.”

She kissed him lightly on the cheek and left the room. Left to her own devices, she would only sit and brood. She went to the nursery and played with the twins until Rashid came and found her some time later.

She followed him into their bedroom. “What did he say?”

“He’ll do it if I let him have three nights with you alone.”

“What?” Her eyes bugged out and her mouth dropped open.

“Is that what because he asked, or because I agreed?”

Gail’s mouth moved but nothing came out.

“Just kidding. His professional interest is peaked. He’s going to talk to the Partners. He thinks he can persuade them to let him take the case.”

“Did he say anything about the children? Will we have to give them to Crystal?”

“She can’t touch the twins. They’re ours.”

“But you promised them to her in the prenup. Not only that, but courts usually favor the mother. If she gets a sympathetic enough judge, he may just give them to her, despite what she did.”

He stared at her, the expression on his face revealing his indecision. Finally, he held out his hand. “Come with me.”

He pulled her out of the room and back down to the study. “Sit.”

He went to the wall and opened the safe hidden behind their family portrait. There he pulled out a folder and brought it to her. “Open it.”

The file labeled “Personal Documents.”  On the top was their marriage license. Underneath were two birth certificates belonging to the twins. “What am I looking for?”

“Read them. You’ll know when you find it.”

As she scanned the certificates, her eyes drew to the mother’s name.

Gail Marie Henderson

She looked up at him with the documents gripped tightly in one hand. “I don’t understand. This has me listed as their mother. The lawyer’s were supposed to fix this.”

“You are their mother. Why change the truth?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I did. More than once.”

“I thought you meant biologically. You knew that. I didn’t know you meant legally as well.” She was trying to let this surprising turn of events sink in when an unsettling thought crossed her mind. “You mean I’ve been being nice to Crystal all this time and I didn’t have to be?”

“Why is that?” He took the folder from her and placed it back into the safe.

She shrugged. “I didn’t want her making trouble for you with the babies.”

“Communication. So very important in a marriage.” He tsked at her. “Next time, talk to me.”

She was trying to come up with a zinger of a reply when Rashid sank to his knees in front of her and placed his hands on her thighs, distracting her. “I’m going to ask you a question, and I want total honesty,” he stated.

“Sounds serious.”

“It is.”

She took a deep breath. “I’m ready. Lay it on me.”

“Now that you know the babies have always been yours, do you wish you would have made a different decision?”

“Are you asking if I regret marrying you? No. Why?” Where was this coming from?

“If Greg takes my case, he’ll be around…a lot. It wasn’t that long ago that you were willing to give up everything for him. I need to know if I should be concerned about my wife spending time with her former fiancé.”

She sat quietly for a moment before responding. “I love Greg. That hasn’t changed and I’m sure if I didn’t have the twins I would be happily married to him right now.” Then she cupped his face and leaned forward until their noses touched. “But, I wouldn’t trade you for anything or anyone in the world. I’m glad I misunderstood about the children. It was the push I needed to do what I wanted to do anyway.”

“Are you saying that if I had gotten to you first, you would have told Greg no?”

She pulled back. “No, that’s not what I’m trying to say. When you were in Guam, my mother said I was using Greg as a buffer to keep you from getting too close. I scoffed at the time but she may have been right. I was probably in love with you and didn’t know it. All the signs were there, but I refused to see them. My mind just couldn’t handle my being in love with my best friend’s husband. It was difficult enough just admitting to the attraction I felt for you.”

“Felt?” His hands slid up her thighs to the waistband of her pants, undid the button and pulled down the zipper.

“Feel?”

“I’m trying to.” He peeled off her pants and underwear.

She grinned. “Well, you’re not trying hard enough. I can’t feel a thing.”

He undid his jeans and pushed them down his thighs. “I’m just getting started.”

“Have you always been such a slow starter?”

“I believe firmly that if I take my time, I’ll do it right.” He spread her legs and slid a finger inside. It came away wet. He slid it back inside. “Can you feel me now?”

“No.”

He slid in two fingers. “Can you feel me now?”

Her grip on the arms of the chair tightened as she forced herself to remain still. “Not a thing.”

He added a third finger. “What about now?”

“Umm, not really. Don’t you have anything bigger?”

“Let me check and see.” He felt around his pelvis. “Found something. Is this big enough?”

She tilted her head to the side and studied it. “I don’t know. Looks kind of small.”

He thrust into her. “Small? Does this feel small?”

“Must…have…been…the…angle,” she gasped.

“So?”

“What?”

“Can you?”

“Can…I…what?”

“Can…you…feel…me…NOW?”

“ARRGH!!!!!”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

* * * *

Two weeks later, Gail and Rashid stood in the crowded airport waiting for Greg to debark. Gail bobbed up and down, searching through the swarming mass for a glimpse of him as Rashid watched; a feeling of dread in his stomach. Suddenly, she lit up like a Christmas tree and a big, welcoming grin covered her face. She started to run forward then visibly checked herself.