Coveted (28 page)

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” They were not going to get me to admit to anything. I was innocent until proven guilty.

“You know what’s funny Cee,” The officer that had been gaping at me all that time finally turned to look at his partner, “the neighbors across the street seem to remember a young woman fitting this description sitting outside a car parked out in front of their house earlier today.” Turning to stare back at me, “Now, I wonder if we were to look around some more, if we would find a car parked somewhere matching the description of the one they gave us.”

“I don’t care what you find; you don’t have proof of shit.” Taking his handcuffs out the Officer, named Cee put my hands behind my back and cuffed me. “You know, I’ve had about enough of your lip. Coming into this nice neighborhood and causing problems. We’re taking you to the station.”

And the last visual I had before heading to the station was that of Damir’s house getting smaller and smaller out the back seat of a squad car.

Naima 28

Since I was waiting for the final additions to be made on the condo that Kaden had bought the kids, and me I was still at my parent’s house for the time being.

There I was sitting next to my Dad, when the call came through that Emeri was in jail. Hearing jail put everyone in a chaotic drive. Daddy was the one on the phone with Emeri while Mom and I were trying to figure out what was going on. As soon as he hung up the phone, Mom and I were anxious to hear an explanation, but he grabbed his coat and left without so much as a word.

Daddy walked through the door with Emeri around two the next morning. Mom and I had waited up for them. Emeri didn’t say anything to anyone. She brushed by all of us with her head held high and retreated up the steps. I heard her room door close in the distance. I turned to look at Daddy. But Mommy beat me to the punch.

“Well, don’t just stand there. What is going on around here?”

Daddy just shook his head, “I guess this is pay back for not helping to raise her when she was younger. I have to raise her now.” I glanced over at my Mom. What in the world did that mean?

“Now Ken, will you just spit it out. It’s already after two in the morning. We need to get sleep at some point you know.”

Daddy hesitated, whipping his hand over his face. He looked as if he had aged twenty years in a couple hours.

“Emeri was arrested for;” he paused, “throwing a brick through Damir’s window. Unbeknownst to her, the brick hit a pregnant woman that was at Damir’s house and broke her nose.” I gasped as Daddy finished telling us what Emeri had been arrested for. The situation just didn’t make sense. Why would Emeri be throwing bricks through Damir’s window?

I could tell that Daddy was stressed. Mommy was doing her best to console him. I was just happy to see them even engaging in this much conversation. Since Emeri had showed up on our doorstep, it seemed like everything had gone amuck. I know it wasn’t her fault that she was born out of an affair Daddy was having. But the strain she was putting on this household was ridiculous. Since she’s been here, Mommy and Daddy haven’t been getting along all that great. I mean they talked periodically, but the chemistry was definitely off. Emeri met Damir and after that, he began acting funny and then broke it off with me. I arched an eyebrow. I wonder if she is the reason that Damir stopped wanting to see me. I remember that I had left them in the sunroom together while I tended to Kalani that day. What in the world had gone on in there? Maybe I should pay little Ms. Emeri a visit.

Leaving my parents to sort through their own thoughts, I took myself up the stairs to have a little chat with my baby sister.

Knocking on her door and then pushing it open without waiting for a response. I caught her in the act of changing clothes. She glared around at me.

“What the hell is the point of knocking if you are going to just open the damn door anyway?” she said in a terse tone.

“Don’t take that tone with me, and keep your voice down. My children are sleep.”

“Really Naima, I could give a damn about your kids right now ok.” She continued to change into her pajamas, “What do you want anyway? If you came in here to lecture me, you can just keep it aight. Kenneth said enough in the car on the way home. I don’t need your two cents added to it ok.”

“Too bad, because you’re going to get it little girl,” I was sick and tired of her haughty attitude. As if, we owed her something. Moving to stand directly in front of her so she would not be able to ignore me, I pushed her onto the bed. She jumped right back up.

“Don’t you ever touch me, you stupid bitch.” She yelled at the top of her damn lungs it seemed like. Breathing heavily she kept eyeing me, “you touch me again I swear, I will kill you.”

I backed off a little from that. Emeri looked possessed. Her eyes were flashing and she was huffing and puffing.

“Emeri you need to calm down and listen to somebody. You don’t know everything. You are one-step above being a child. Throwing temper tantrums and what not. Do you honestly think that is the way to get your point across? You want to be treated like an adult, then act like one.”

Emeri took a few breathes and looked like she was calming down and getting back into a rational thought process.

“Naima, what do you want?”

Since she wouldn’t sit on the bed, I sat down on the edge of the quilt my mom had made especially for her. “I was wondering when you and Damir became such “good” friends that you felt you had the right to go over his house throwing bricks through windows and breaking peoples noses.”

She held up her hand in protest, “First off, the nose breaking was not planned. It was something that just happened.” This girl was a trip.

“Emeri, that is irrelevant. What were you doing there in the first place?”

She looked me over, “I don’t owe you an explanation, aight.” And proceeded to turn the bedcover down on the other side of the bed.

I kept speaking as is she hadn’t spoken, “You do know I can call Damir and get the story right? I just thought with us being
sisters
and all and you having the possibility of going to jail that you might need an ally somewhere.” She took a deep breath, “You want to know the reason I was at Damir’s house. Fine. I am in love with him. Neither you nor that pregnant bitch deserves him. He is everything to me.”

My mouth dropped open. I was shocked by her response. “How can you possible love someone you don’t know?” She smirked at me, “I do know him. I know how he feels when he gets hard, and how it feels to have him cream all over my mouth.”

I wanted to smack the taste out of Emeri’s mouth as she continued on her malicious rant, “Do you want to know where I tasted him? It was right here, the first day I met him when you went to tend to Kalani. Let that be a lesson for you. Never leave your man unattended, you’re not the only attractive woman walking around you know.”

If I hadn’t been so mad at Damir for giving in to this little tramp, I probably would have jumped on her. But the fact remains that he had cut me off anyway. So why fight over a man that wasn’t mine? After being married to Kaden for so many years, there was no fight left in me for that type of mess. At least I wasn’t the one walking around acting like a raving lunatic throwing bricks through windows and breaking noses.

Getting off the bed, I turned to look back at her as I was walked to the door, “You know what’s the sad part Emeri, you’re actually proud of that.” Shutting the door behind me, I proceeded to my room to sort through my own thoughts.

Naima 29

It is the eve before Damir’s birthday party and I for one was glad. I am just ready to be done with this whole ordeal and move on with my life. Ever since Emeri had gone to jail, I was without an assistant at the office. As far as I was concerned, she could not be trusted. My mom was finally on my side and understood where I was coming from. Emeri was out of control. My dad had recommended she go to counseling, because the girl obviously had some issues she needed to deal with. He even offered to go with her but of course little Ms. Know it all had refused.

I could not understand that girl to save my life. I had always wanted a sister, obviously, I have to be more careful what I wish for or maybe I don’t know the right things to wish for. Either way her coming to find us had created hell on earth for everyone. Part of me felt sorry for Damir and Amber. I mean Amber didn’t ask to have her nose broken and going into her seventh month of pregnancy she wasn’t allowed to take any pain medication, I can imagine the healing process for her had to be something serious. However, a separate part of me couldn’t help thinking he brought this situation on himself. It serves him right to have released the crazy in Emeri. He should never have allowed her to give him a damn blowjob in my parent’s house. Men, always thinking with their little head instead of the brains God gave them.

The only reason I was even still working on his little party is that I was happy that he did not sue me. With Emeri working for Exclusively Divine Events for that one day, he could have said almost anything that would have had the company or my family in court. He and Amber were still pressing charges on Emeri but that could not be avoided, wrong was wrong and Emeri had definitely been wrong.

Looking over the files on my desk, I was happy that Camille had stepped her game up and done such a good job organizing everything before she left. I missed her now that she was gone. She really did do a lot around here. I would make it a point to send her a graduation gift.

I had just called the last vendor on the list. Everything was confirmed and ready for Damir’s birthday party tomorrow evening, which was taking place at the Newsuem on Pennsylvania Ave in DC. I had chosen the venue myself because it was absolutely fabulous.

Engrossed in my own thoughts I barely heard the knock at my office door. Not really feeling like company, but since I was at work and I didn’t really have a choice, I yelled, “Come in.”

In walked Kaden looking like a kid standing in front of a candy store.

“What are you doing here?” He walked over to me and bent down on one knee. My mind was reeling, what in the hell was he about to do? Watching as he pulled out a ring box, I didn’t know what to do. I just knew this was not a proposal. We were still married as it was.

“Kaden, wh--”

“Shh,” he said reaching for my hand and bringing it to his lips to lay a kiss, “I want you to stop talking and listen, just this once.” And for once, he would have his way, I was speechless.

“I’ve been thinking about the rest of my life and how I want to spend it,” Pausing to look up at me with those green eyes that I love to love and love to hate, “and I’ve come to the conclusion that I want you or no life at all.” Pulling the ring out of the box and holding it up to face me, “this is a promise ring that I had melted down and made from the chain I bought with my first check from the NFL.” I tried to blink back the tears. He loved that chain. It was his “I have arrived” memento.

Trying hard to swallow past the lump in my throat as he slide the ring on my right hand. I whispered, “I can’t believe you melted down your chain. You love that chain.”

“Not more than I love you. I needed something to show you I was serious and if I had to let go of my chain to do that, then it was well worth it.” Still on bended knee, “I’m asking for an opportunity to take you for a ride and get some ice cream, maybe take a stroll through the park.”

I smiled through my tears at that. “No sir, I remember the last time we went for a ride and were supposed to stop for ice cream. Do you remember that?”

He laughed as he slowly got to his feet, “Yeah, we came back with a baby instead.”

“Exactly, so you can understand my apprehension then?”

“A little, but I don’t think you should let that hold you back from taking the chance of a lifetime.”

“Oh, so now this is my chance of a lifetime is it?” I did his usual MO and raised an eyebrow, “and what am I taking a chance on?”

He raised his eyebrow in return and I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. “You’d be taking a chance on happiness, with me. I’m ready to be the man you need me to be. I’ve never loved anyone else and I never will, there is only room for one in my heart and unfortunately for everyone else,” he said pulling me into his arms and whispering the rest in my ear, “you already occupy the space and I have no intention of letting you check out anytime soon.”

I closed my eyes and enjoyed the smell and feel of him. He smelled like Ralph Lauren’s Polo Black cologne. He knows how much I love that scent. I know he wore it just for me. My heart began to soften a little. Could I risk letting Kaden back into my heart and my life? No matter how you twisted it and turned the situation, the fact remained that he had slept with Haven. He had gotten lucky by Kaven not being his, but that was still a sore topic with me. I pulled out of his embrace.

“Kaden, I want to believe you. But you slept with my best friend on numerous occasions. How do you expect me to up and forget that?” He pulled me back into him with a quickness.

“I don’t expect you to forget, I’m asking you to forgive me.”

“And you don’t seem to think that you are asking a lot of me?”

“I know I am asking a lot, but think about the rewards if you were to forgive me,” he began to softly kiss the side of my neck. He was playing unfairly. He knew how much I loved kisses on my neck. “I would be able to take care of you like I always wanted, “his kisses began to move down my throat, “I can give you more babies, I know you want at least two more.” He slowly slide the strap of my dress down my arm as he bared my breast, “I could make you let go of the old sad memories, so we can make new, happier ones,” I sucked in my breath as his tongue flicked across my nipple. “The four of us could be a family again, and go to church, take family trips, whatever you want, wherever you want, however, you want.” My soft moan could be heard echoing through the office as he took my whole breast into his mouth. “All you have to do is agree to forever, so I can love you the way that you know only I can.”