Imagined Love (26 page)

Landon looked at Marisol like she had two heads! “You can’t possibly be serious right now! How selfish and . . .”

“Just go be with Jade, baby,” Gabrielle urged. “I’ll take care of this and then I’ll meet you at the hospital, okay? Don’t worry about anything, just go be with Jade. I’ll call her mom.” Landon ran to get into the ambulance while Gabrielle escorted the two women out of her house. “Umm huh,” she grunted, as they complained about being inconvenienced and demanded some sort of compensation. Gabrielle called Willa before speeding towards the hospital.

“What are you doing here, baby girl?” Landon asked. “I’ve got everything under control. Just get some rest, okay?”

It had been four days since she was discharged from the hospital and he thought it was too soon for her to be out of bed. Jade explained that she was going crazy sitting in her apartment crying all day long. Physically she was fine so there was no reason she shouldn’t be at the office working. She needed to work just to take her mind off things. Gabrielle rubbed Landon’s shoulders as a way of telling him to back off and give Jade a break. Instead of fussing, he gave her a huge hug then filled her in on everything that was going on. Marisol was still being a pain but their other bride Rachel was a joy to work for. And Landon had set up a consultation with a potential new client named Alejandra who would be in later that afternoon. He talked as long as he could about the business but the conversation eventually made its way to what happened with Jade and the baby.

“Do you know I actually thought you were pulling an April Fools joke on me? But when I looked at you I knew you weren’t playing,” Landon said, sadly. “So why didn’t you tell me, baby girl?”

“I was embarrassed,” she said, bowing her head. “I had no business getting back involved with Richard. I was lonely, though, and I needed to feel like I belonged to somebody again. It was comforting to be with him even though we both knew things would fizzle out after a while. I thought we would have a few dates, a few nights together and then go our separate ways. When I ended up pregnant I didn’t know what the heck to do. That was the last thing I expected to happen and I felt like an idiot for trusting Richard and not protecting myself. And then when he abandoned me I felt even worse and the thought of having to tell you or anybody about him was mortifying and I couldn’t do it.

“I kept telling myself I wouldn’t have done it if Richard had told me the whole truth about the vasectomy. But it shouldn’t have mattered. I shouldn’t have been sleeping with him at all let alone unprotected,” Jade said, as her eyes began to water. “But to be honest, when I found out I was pregnant there was a part of me that hoped Richard really was the one. I wanted him to be, you know? People are always telling me how beautiful or smart or successful I am and don’t realize how incredibly lonely I am. And what no one seems to get is that I’d trade every thing I have for true love,” she said with tears falling down her face. “Anyway, you don’t know how badly I wanted to tell you, Landon. I just felt so stupid. You had given me all that praise for resisting Richard before and I thought you’d be ashamed of me for not resisting him this time.”

“Come on now, Jade, you know better than that. I might act crazy sometimes but I’ll always be there for you no matter what. After all the stupid stuff I’ve done I can’t believe you’d think I would judge or be ashamed of you. I might not agree with all your decisions but I’m always on your side. And true, you should’ve made sure to protect yourself, but Richard should have let you know there was a possibility this could happen.”

“Are you two for real? Even after all this you still believe this dude had a vasectomy?” Gabrielle asked, incredulously. “It seems to me it was just a line to get you into bed and then when Richard got you pregnant he came up with this stupid story to cover up his lies. I mean, come on y’all. What young man do you know that’s just gonna get a vasectomy? Men love their penises too much to volunteer to let someone cut on it!”

“And is that your professional opinion?” Landon sneered. “Who are you to say what someone will or won’t do? People have all kinds of reasons for doing things, Gabrielle! If the dude knew he didn’t want more kids then why wouldn’t he do it? I swear it’s a no-win situation. If Richard was out there making babies all over the place he’d get dogged for it. And now he’s gotta be a liar because you think men love their penises too much! I guess the reason they even have such a thing called a vasectomy is because men don’t get them, right?” he snapped.

“Damn, Landon, what’s wrong with you?” Gabrielle asked. She was confused and hurt by his reaction. Instead of arguing with him, Gabrielle chose to take a seat and focus the attention back on Jade. She and Landon would definitely have a conversation about it later, though.

“Man, I bet he freaked out when you got pregnant,” Landon stated.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” Jade said, dryly. “She wasn’t all that interested in what Richard felt.

“What did he say when you told him what happened?”

“I didn’t,” she said, hunching her shoulders. “He wasn’t concerned about the baby before so why should I waste my time trying to contact him now? I’m sure he’ll figure it out. Richard didn’t want another child and now he doesn’t have to worry about it. “It’s gone and . . .” Jade burst into tears.

“Oh, honey,” Gabrielle cooed as she cuddled her. “I’m so sorry.”

Landon left the living room not wanting them to see him cry. He was heartbroken over the baby but more so because Jade kept it from him. He understood her reason, but it still hurt. However, Landon knew he had no right to be upset. There was something he’d kept hidden from her too.

“Oh, great,” Jade mumbled a few days later when she pulled into her apartment complex and saw Richard waiting at her front door. He was the last person in the world she wanted to see.

“Hey, Mommy,” he smiled brightly.

Jade slapped Richard’s hand away when he tried to touch her stomach. He looked confused as if he couldn’t understand why she was responding so hostilely towards him.

“What do you want, Richard?” Jade snorted.

“I wanna talk to you about us and the baby and our . . .”

“There is no baby and definitely no us, so there’s nothing to talk about. Excuse me,” she said, pushing him aside to unlock the door.

“What do you mean there’s no baby, Jade? Jade!” he shouted, forcing his way inside. “What happened to the baby?”

“What difference does it make, Richard? The baby’s gone, just like you wanted! So you no longer have to ignore my calls or pretend you’re not home. And you surely don’t have to stand here acting like you gave a damn about me or the baby because you already proved you didn’t,” Jade snapped, in response to his tears. “You got what you wanted so just leave it at that.”

“Stop saying I got what I wanted! It’s not like that, Jade, and you know it!”

“No, what I know is . . . never mind. It doesn’t matter. Just go, Richard. There’s nothing left for us to say.”

“Why wouldn’t you tell me, Jade? Do you really hate me that much?” he asked, genuinely hurt. “I had a right to know because it was my baby too. And regardless of what you think, I did care about both of you. I just handled things badly and I’m so sorry, Jade. I swear I am,” Richard said, as tears streamed down his cheeks. “Just because I’m older doesn’t mean I automatically know how to handle every situation. I’m human and I make mistakes too, baby. I had the vasectomy because I didn’t want more kids and that’s all I was thinking about. I was angry, Jade. I was mad the procedure didn’t work. I was mad that you weren’t on the pill and that you actually planned to have the baby. All I thought about was me and I blamed you when it was my own fault. But I’m so sorry I treated you that way because you didn’t deserve it. And I’m sorry I made you go through this alone. I should’ve been there for you, no matter what,” Richard said.

“But I desperately need you to know that even though I acted stupid initially, I wouldn’t have continued to be. I had every intention of being here for you and the baby.” Richard pulled a ring box out of his pocket and held it out to her. “I hope you’ll let me keep that promise to you. Please, Jade,” he said when she refused to take the box.

Jade just stood there staring at him. “I’m not sure what you expect from me, Richard. You show up with a promise ring and all your explanations and apologies expecting what? Am I just supposed to forget that you abandoned me when I needed you most?”

“No, Jade, I’m just trying . . .”

“Well, I haven’t forgotten and I never will,” she said, as her tears fell. “You showed me what kind of man you really are and it’s not the kind I want in my life. So goodbye, Richard Sullivan,” Jade said then opened the door for him to leave. “I honestly hope I never see you again.”

On May 13th, the day before Mother’s Day, Willa and Gabrielle took Jade out for a day of beauty. She had been working really hard at the gym to get rid of the ten pounds gained during her pregnancy and subsequent depression. A makeover was definitely in order. Jade had her long, thick dark brown hair trimmed and dyed chestnut with golden highlights. That only seemed to intensify her hazel eyes and for the first time in months, she felt pretty.

Tamara joined them for manicures and pedicures before they all went to lunch. The conversation kept finding its way back to Jade dating again but she wasn’t interested. With her track record of choosing the wrong men, she was in no rush to meet any. Jade just wanted to put the past few months behind her and start over fresh. So she spent the remainder of spring and the entire summer learning to be okay on her own.

Jade was nearing the corner of Dyer and Alvarado Boulevard when the Quik Stop sign caught her eye. Suddenly she began to crave one of infamous Icee mixtures and decided to get one. As soon as Jade pulled into the parking lot memories of Mr. Phillips and all the times they’d spent together came rushing back to her mind. She cautioned herself not to start crying before walking inside. Like she’d done a hundred times before, Jade went straight for a bag of salt and vinegar chips and an Almond Joy. Thankfully nothing much had changed about the store so she found what she wanted with no problem. She was heading towards the Icee machine when the man behind the counter stopped her dead in her tracks! Jade dropped everything in her hands and stood there staring at him.

“Hooty who,” he mumbled then smiled at her.

His smile was magical and it made Jade’s heart melt! What the hell is wrong with me, she thought before bending over to retrieve her things. Jade blushed once she stood up and realized the guy was still staring at her. The customer he was supposed to be waiting on had to call him a few times to get his attention.

“Hi,” Jade said, as she placed her snacks on the counter. She was too nervous to trust herself to make an Icee. The last thing she needed was to drop it and make a mess all over the store.

“Hey, how you doing?” he said much louder than either of them expected. Jade burst out laughing. “Sorry about that. I guess I’m gonna have to pay to get your hearing checked, huh? Geez,” he mumbled, unsure of what was wrong with him. “I don’t normally blow out people’s eardrums when I speak. Just in case you were wondering. I’m Pierce by the way,” he said, extending his hand to her.

“Huh,” Jade yelled, acting as if she were hard of hearing.

“Ah, that’s cold,” Pierce laughed loudly.

She laughed too then reached out to shake his hand. “I’m Jade.” She felt like electricity was pulsing through her body when she touched Pierce and they both had wide-eyed expressions on their faces. “So, uh, what was that you said earlier?”

Pierce gazed into her eyes as he caressed her hand in both of his. What Jade was feeling was unlike anything she’d ever felt before and it terrified her! Yet, she couldn’t seem to pull away. She was entranced by him, all 6’4” and 250 pounds of him. Pierce’s muscular body was incredible! And his skin was so smooth that it reminded Jade of creamy caramel. He had the perfect sized kissable lips. However, what she found most intriguing about Pierce was his eyes. They were the deepest, darkest shade of brown she’d ever seen. In fact, they almost looked black which only complimented his silky, jet black hair and neatly trimmed goatee. He was gorgeous and Jade felt magnetically attracted to him. And it seemed from the way Pierce refused to let go of her hand that he felt something similar.

“Oh, you mean hooty who? That’s just something my boys and I say when we’re excited or see something that looks really good to us,” he smiled.

Jade blushed. “So . . . uh, do you live in California? Oh, umm, no, I mean are you originally from here?” she stammered. Do you live in California, she thought then burst out laughing again. “I swear I’m not normally this stupid. I’m just really nervous around you for some reason.”

“I know what you mean. I’m usually real cool and debonair but I laid eyes on you and now I’m in here talking all loud and fidgeting like a teenage boy. But I guess I’m jetlagged from all that commuting I have to do since I don’t live here in California,” Pierce laughed loudly.

“Ha, ha,” Jade laughed.

The banter between them was interrupted by a heavy steam of customers demanding Pierce’s attention. His clerk had called in sick again and forced him to cover the shift. All he wanted to do, however, was continue talking to the beautiful woman who had him mesmerized. Pierce hadn’t been able to learn much about Jade in the thirty minutes she’d been in the store and he knew he needed to do something before she left.

“I really wanna be able to sit and talk with you but that’s obviously not gonna happen in here,” Pierce said when the crowd died down a bit. “So I was wondering if you’d go out with me. We can have dinner tomorrow night if that’s cool with you.”

“Yeah, that’s cool with me! Let me give you my number,” Jade smiled, as she reached inside her purse for a business card. As usual she couldn’t find on and ended up writing her phone number on a scrap piece of paper. “Oh, here,” she said, handing Pierce a five dollar bill to pay for her snacks.

“Don’t worry about that. It’s on me. I figure it’s the least I can do for causing you permanent hearing loss,” he laughed then reached for her hand again. “I look forward to tomorrow and . . .” Pierce trailed off and quickly let go of Jade’s hand. He looked wide-eyed and panicked.