Dreams Do Come True (24 page)

Shontell watched Jesse and was glad that he was handcuffed. She remembered what Eric just told her about needing to have him sign the admission sheet. It was similar to a confession. But, because they were on the water, it was a different protocol. It would be just a formality, since he was definitely guilty. “If I agree to support you, will you sign this paper?” she asked him. She unfolded the sheet, and Jesse looked at her for a moment. He smiled a small crooked smile and turned to the guard. 

“Give me the paper. Shontell, I would do anything for you. If this means you’re going to leave Nico and be by my side, I will do this.” Shontell tried to keep a straight face, but it was hard to not show any emotion. She watched as the guard pushed the paper closer to him. Jesse started signing the paper they needed and slid it over to her.  She looked at it and then nodded. Standing, the guard took the paper and she backed to the door. She looked at Jesse. What she saw wasn’t the Jesse whom she had loved. She needed to get out of there. She had enough and walked to the door. She turned the knob and looked over her shoulder.

  “Jesse, God knew what he was doing when he took our baby away! I hope you rot in hell,” she told him quietly, wiping the tears away as she closed the door. She heard him yelling and screaming once he realized what she said to him. She didn't know why she told him. She wanted him to hurt like she did. She also did it for Ebony. No matter what she did, she didn’t deserve this. She went straight into Nico’s arms and cried. Nico held her, as he took the confession from the officer. The captain thanked her, and they exited his quarters.

Nico heard what she said, but he didn’t want to ask her about it. Baby? He put all that aside and held onto her. She needed him now more than anything else that was going on. He, along with the captain, Martin, Eric, and one other officer who served as witnesses, listened in on the whole conversation. He wanted to go in there and rip his heart out for the things he told Shontell. He knew that being an entertainer could be hard and finding love could be even harder. He saw that in Shontell immediately; he couldn’t hurt her. He saw just how much of a fool Jesse was for doing so. Jesse was wise enough, at some point, to know how good of a woman Shontell was. They walked back towards his suite, but ran into his parents who were coming to see him. They heard what had happened, and they wanted to check on his friend. 

“Son, there you are. We have been looking for you two. Are you all right, young lady?” Nico’s mother asked her. Shontell wiped her face and nodded yes. She was still too upset to talk.

“Nico, go inside and make some tea for Shontell. I am going to take her to clean up,” his mother told him. She gave him a look when she noticed he was about to protest.  

Shontell let Mrs. Baker lead her to her suite a few doors down. She sat down while his mother went into the bathroom. She came back into the room with a warm cloth and handed it to her.

“Shontell, my son told us what happened earlier today. I’m sorry about your friend. I wanted to take a moment to talk to you. I have never seen my son so happy with a woman until we met you. I know he said that you were friends, but I think it’s more than that.” Shontell was about to say something when Nico’s mother placed her hand up. 

“Let me finish, dear. Your friend, Sandy, gave me some details about your past. And don’t be mad at her. She just wanted to look out for you. But even though your past was bad, don’t let it control how you will do things in the future. One of the things that has kept me and Nico Sr. together was communication. That word means a lot to people in love. If you talk about everything…and I mean everything…you two will work out just fine. My son loves you. I can see it all over his face. I can tell you are good for him. This business can bring out the evil in people, which you know about first hand. Child, it can also bring out the best…if you let it. What I am trying to tell you is: even through the storm, you still need an umbrella. Let Nico be that umbrella for you. He can shield you from that storm, if you let him. Take what happened today and learn from it. All apples aren’t bad,” Mrs. Baker told her. Shontell listened to her, and knew she was right. She closed her chapter with Jesse when she closed that door. She would let Nico help her get through this storm.

“Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate your words of wisdom. I know my mother would have said something similar if she was here.” 

“I know she would have. Nico called your parents earlier because he saw they called you. He told them what happened, and my husband and I spoke to them as well. They raised a beautiful daughter.”  She blushed and hugged her.

“Thank you again. I guess I need to call my parents. Can you tell Nico I went to get my phone?”

“Sure, baby, I will tell him. See you in the morning,” Mrs. Baker told her, as she headed back to Nico’s room and she went to her room to get her phone. 

She walked into the room, and Sandy and Eric were in the sitting area.

“Hey, you guys. I will be out of here in a hot second. I just need my phone,” she told them. Sandy came over to her and hugged her, and she felt her best friend’s pain.

“How did it go?” 

“Well, it went bad. We have a lot to talk about later. I am going to stay in Nico’s room. I will see you at breakfast in the morning, okay?” They agreed and she told Eric goodbye, as she grabbed some clothes and her phone. She decided to go into their private rehearsal area and make her call. Her mother cried throughout the entire call. Since her mother and Ebony’s mother were good friends, she had been with her since she had received the news. It didn’t matter what Ebony had done; she didn’t deserve to lose her life over it. She ended the call with her parents and sat at the piano bench. She tapped on the keys and sighed. It was so true that everything was a lesson. We were always being tested. Jesse tried to control her life, even when he wasn’t a part of it. Even when he didn’t realize he had that control, she had given it to him by not allowing herself to heal and move on from the hurt he had caused her. She sat up straight and began to play the piano.  Before she knew it, she was singing.  “
Listen, to the song here in my heart, a melody I start but can't complete. Listen, to the sound from deep within, it’s only beginning. To find release
…” She belted out the song with all the emotion she had left. She never even heard Nico come in, as he sat there and let her sing. When she finished, she sat there and was startled by his clapping. 

After his parents left his room, he went to look for Shontell. He went to her room and was surprised when Sandy said that she had been there and left. He didn’t know where she could have gone. He was walking towards Felecia and David’s room when he heard music. It was just after midnight. He opened the door and heard Shontell singing and playing. He didn’t want to startle her, so he sat down and just listened as the lyrics requested. Her voice was so beautiful and strong. He wondered why she had never pursued singing professionally. When she was done, he wiped the tears that he hadn’t known fell and clapped. He walked towards the front, and he got himself together before he reached her.  “That was beautiful,” he told her

“I didn’t know you came in here. Thank you,” she told him, as she felt nervous.

“I was looking for you and heard the music. I came in here to see what it was and saw you. I didn’t want to startle you, so I just let you finish. I know sometimes that music is just what is needed,” he told her. Nico sat next to her on the piano bench, and she scooted over.

“Yeah, when I was younger…whenever I was mad, hurt, or upset…I would just go in my room. I would light some candles and just sing until my throat hurt. It was my way of gaining my sanity back.” 

“Yes, so I see. You know, you have a gift.” Shontell hunched her shoulders at his comment.

“No, I know I have a voice. I never considered my voice or singing a gift. It always caused me more trouble than help with other people.”

“But Shontell, you do things with your voice just like you do with your heart. You make people feel something.”

“Nico, I like singing. That’s why I sing mostly in church and for fun. I couldn’t do what you do. I respect your talent and your career. But that business isn’t for me.” Nico understood what she meant, so he let it go. 

“Come on, your tea is getting cold,” he told her, reaching out for her hand. She took his hand, and they walked back to the room together.

Shontell and Nico came into the dining area. The captain closed off the area where the stabbing had happened, and she was glad. She wouldn’t be able to eat there. They only had six more hours of cruise time remaining. The group had one more concert left, and it was a private show for some contest winners. Felecia came over and gave her a hug.

“How you holding up?” she asked her.

“Thanks to Nico, a lot better than I could be.”

“Yes, he does care a whole lot about you. So what are you going to do when they go overseas next week?”

“Heal the best way I can. I think Ebony’s funeral will be at the end of the week. After that, I will just try to continue with as much normalcy as possible,” she told her. 

“Well, please make sure you keep in touch. I won’t be joining them.”

“Really, and why is that?”

“Doctor’s orders,” she said, smiling.

“Doctor’s orders? Does that mean what I think it means?” she asked her, excited about the news. 

“Yeah, it does. We found out last night. I was so upset about what happened, I got sick. The doctor came and then he told us. We were both caught off guard. But, we are happy and, outside of our parents, you’re the only other person that knows.” The ladies hugged again, as she promised to keep the secret. They talked all morning until Sandy joined them, and she filled them both in on what happened with Jesse and the conversation she had with Nico’s mother. They all spent the rest of the day together. She needed their company, and they were all smiling by the end of the day. It was the first time she felt normal since Ebony’s death. 

Nico and the rest of the members said goodbye to every last cruise guest. After three hours, the ship was empty. He went back to his room. He opened his bedroom door and, on his bed, lay a dozen roses. He smiled. He had never been given flowers by a woman. There also was a framed picture of him and Shontell and a note: 
A small token to thank you for loving me, and for being by my side through my storms. Loving you, Shontell

Shontell, Sandy, and Felecia had all gone to an early dinner with his parents and David’s mother. He would see her before they left for the airport in the morning. He gathered his things, and he heard a knock on the door.

He opened it, and Dennis walked into his room. “Hey man, are you ready?”

“Yeah, I was just gathering my small bag,” he told him, as Dennis eyed the roses.  “Those for Shontell?” he asked.

“Nope. In fact, they are
from
Shontell. They were on my bed when I got back, with this and a note,” he said showing him the framed picture. Dennis was quiet, and he just sat in the chair waiting for Nico.

“Dennis, I think it’s a good idea if you see a professional in regards to your personal issues dealing with women and these separation issues,” Nico told him, giving him a soft but serious look. He waited for him to explode on the comment, but he didn’t. He thought maybe he was growing.

“A therapist?” he asked finally, with a shocked, sad look on his face.

“Yes, a therapist. It’s not a bad thing. In fact, I think it would help more than hurt. Just think about it,” he told his friend. Checking the suite to make sure nothing was left behind, they walked out. Nico was upset to learn that the media had caught wind of what happened on the boat. Someone leaked the story, and Shontell was hysterical. She didn’t want the media in her face. Martin found a way to get them to the car unnoticed. Nico, Shontell, and his parents rode in the town car in silence. Shontell sat next to his mother, and he couldn’t see her eyes through the sunglasses she had on. Arriving at the airport, she stepped out of the car and helped Bethany out. Nico watched the interaction between his mother and Shontell. Shaking his dad’s hand, he waited for them to finish. Nate, who wasn’t joining them, had gone ahead with the band members. 

“Remember what I told you, dear, sunshine is coming,” she told her, as they hugged. She turned to her son and hugged him. “Take care of her and you,” she told him. They both waved as they entered the airport. Seated back inside of the car, Shontell lay her head on his shoulder. They were supposed to be heading to the cruise wrap-up party. Nico kissed her hair. 

“Do you mind if we go back to the hotel? I don’t think I am up for the party this evening,” Shontell said, as she glanced up at him,

“Of course. I am sure everyone will understand our absence,” Nico told her, as he redirected Brian. He then texted Martin and also Sandy for Shontell.

Dennis overheard John say that Nico and Shontell wouldn’t be coming to the wrap-up. He went and grabbed a drink from the bartender, as he tried not to watch Sandy dancing with the man she had been with during the cruise and Indiana. He sat in the corner and wanted to be mad at Sandy, but he knew he had lost her fairly. He got what he deserved. He thought back to what Nico said in his room. He envied his friend. He had found love. No one deserved it more than he did. He thought about Jesse and all that had happened. What had happened to him to make him snap? None of them would ever know. The captain let him speak to him before he was taken off the boat that morning. Jesse looked like he had aged ten years overnight. Jesse wouldn’t say much, outside of apologizing for his actions. “You know, I still don’t understand what happened with Jesse,” Dennis said.

“Love can make you do the craziest thing. So when you find it, bro, don’t do what I did. Treasure it, if she is what you want,” he told him, as he kept shaking his head.

He didn’t reply to his words. Jesse was going to be tried in Miami. They said the case was simple. He closed his eyes as he felt his heart tighten when Sandy kissed that guy. David walked back up to him and looked in the direction his brother was looking. “Man you can’t touch her with a ten-foot pole. You messed that up. You may as well get over it,” he told him. David pulled out a business card from his suit pocket. “Nico mentioned you might not be ready for this, but here’s a referral just in case,” he said. Dennis took the card from his hand and read it. Was he ready to work on his problems? Setting his glass down, he knew he was. He pulled his phone out and dialed the number. Walking into a room, he waited for the call to be answered.