Personal Possessions (43 page)

I nodded my head and
grabbed her face and I barely touched my lips to hers.

“
I love you so much,
Ellie-bean; I won’t survive this time.”

As her lips touched mine,
Elle didn’t pull away, she stayed close to my face for a
moment.

“
Love you too,
babe.”

I felt my heart come back
to life with those four words. Maybe I wasn’t going down the same
path as my mom. Maybe I didn’t have to plead with someone to love
me.

We got through the first
signing. Elle and Sara did what they had to do and made sure that
all the paperwork ended up in the right boxes. We worked all
afternoon, it went smooth and quick, just like I knew it would with
Elle directing.

By 6:30 we both were
exhausted. Elle set up everything for the next couple of days the
same way and we went back to the hotel.

I grabbed a shower as Elle
ordered room service. I asked her to make sure to grab me some
beers and whatever she wanted to drink; she was going to need
something. I could tell Elle was nervous, what she had to be
nervous about…I had no idea. I was afraid of what she might
say.

“
I’m ready to
talk.”

I said as I opened up my
first beer.

Hesitantly, Elle shook her
head.

I grabbed the bottle of
beer as Elle grabbed her wine and glass and we went into the living
area.

I was done beating around
the bush, I was just going to tell her and get it over with…no more
secrets.

“I met Natasha two years
ago. She was a buyer in my company. She was blonde, blue-eyed;
extremely thin and a cutthroat bitch. She was the total opposite of
you in every shape and form. She would continually flirt with me or
ask me out. At first I ignored her; I’d push her away, but she was
persistent. So one night I had to go to a cocktail party so, I
asked her to come along, she agreed. We danced and drank with
others that we knew, but sometime during the night something
happened and we ended up sleeping together. After that, we went out
a couple of times, but nothing really became of us; because I
wouldn’t allow it…she wasn’t you.”

I took a swig of my beer
as I watched Elle pour herself another glass of wine.

“A year went by, we talked
and still worked together, but we never went out again. That was
until one night, after work… she asked me over to her house, she
was having a small get together and wanted me to come; I did. I’m
not gonna lie, Elle, I slept with women but my heart wasn’t in it.
I know it sounds harsh, but they were just a body on a cold night.
I never could make it anything more than that.”

I noticed the glass that
Elle had just filled was already gone and she was pouring another
glass.

“I went and ended up
spending the night with her just like the last time. I got up in
the morning and went home. Monday morning she showed up just like
normal. Nothing had changed…everything was the same as the last
time we had gotten together. Then a couple weeks go by and one
night after work. I stayed late… I had a meeting or something in
the morning… I can’t remember but for some reason, Tasha stayed
late too. Then, just as soon as everyone left the building, she
came into my office and told me that she was pregnant.”

Elle turned as white as a
ghost. I almost asked if she was ok, but then she took some deep
breaths and her color came back to normal…so I
continued.

“I didn’t have any
children and I felt bad for her, Elle. I didn’t want her raising a
baby….my baby, alone without me. I told her to move in with me, to
stop working. I wanted my child to be healthy. I explained to her,
I wasn’t a believer of marriage but if she wanted for her own
honor, she could tell people we were engaged. I swear; I had no
intention of ever marrying her Elle. Months went by… doctor’s
visits were made, I was never allowed to go to them, she said that
she wanted to wait til we could hear the heartbeat before I showed
up. Hell, I didn’t know anything about this, I just agreed. She
went out and bought herself a ring, and then began to start
pressuring me into getting married. We’d fight over it night after
night. Then about three months in, I came home early one day and
she was downing a bottle of wine. I confronted her on it, told her
I was no doctor but common sense tells ya not to drink when you’re
pregnant, that’s when she confessed it was all a lie.”

It was so hard to listen
to myself tell this story…the more I talked about it the madder I
became. Now she was going to be owner of my home and two million
dollars richer.

“
I told her that she
needed to be out by the end of the day, I didn’t care where she
went or what she did. I was done. She thought if she faked a
pregnancy, I’d marry her and she’d be able to get to my
money.”

She got to my money
alright.

“I’m so sorry, honey that
you had to go through that.”

“Elleny, I’m thirty-five
years old…I’m getting up there in age and I don’t have any
children. That just got me thinking.”

Suddenly, Elle ran from
the living room and into the bathroom. She threw her face into the
bowl where the whole bottle of wine came back up.

“Honey, are you
ok?”

I asked as I grabbed a
washrag and got it wet for her.

“Yeah, I think so, I just
think I had a busy day and I’m tired.”

Elle got up from the floor
and headed over to the sink to rinse her mouth out and brush her
teeth quickly. Turning around she hugged me.

“
I’m sorry, TJ…about not
letting you explain and for how she treated you.”

“It’s ok, it’s for the
best. I just wanted you to know the truth about what
happened.”

We decided to call it an
early night, so we finished up the kitchen and headed into
bed.

The next couple of days
flew by. That was because we were so busy. The signings were going
well. All the presentations were flawless and the contracts were
simple. Elle was doing what she needed to do so that when we moved
everything down to Richland, it would be arranged easily. Sara was
doing her filing every night. I think that was because she wanted
Elle gone, but what she didn’t know was that she was getting ready
to be gone.

Today was Wednesday and we
were scheduled to leave tomorrow evening on the company plane. Elle
decided to go home and video conference her kids, I still had stuff
to finish up, but seeing as this was our last night together…alone
I decided against it. We walked to the car and I drove us to the
hotel. I really wanted tonight to be special. I had planned eight
days and I enjoyed every single day of being with Elle. I decided
to take a shower as Elle ordered room service for us and video
conferenced her kids.

Standing in the hot water
of the shower, I got to thinking that I had never seen Elle’s kids.
I wondered if they looked like their mother, at least I hoped that
they did. I imagined what our children would look like if we ever
did have kids together. I started picturing my daughter looking
just like Elle and my son looking just like me. It was almost
bittersweet.

I finished up my shower
and put on some sweats and a t-shirt. I wanted to be comfortable
but yet, something with easy access…I never knew how greedy Elle
was going to get. I spritzed myself with cologne, grabbed my beer
off of the dresser and headed out the bedroom door.

I wanted to be quiet so I
didn’t disturb their conversation.

“…
Yes, I’m done now so all
I have to do is take my paperwork up to the courthouse to hand in
and I’m freed from all this.”

“That’s good, there’s my
handsome boy…how was your day…did you have practice?”

“Yeah…I did, it was good.
Did Harlee tell you about Uncle Kevin?”

I peeked around the pillar
that was in back of Elle so that I could see on the screen but yet,
they couldn’t see me. The view that I got was like looking into a
mirror.

Her son was a spitting
image of me.

I was shocked by the image
on the screen, I dropped my beer bottle to the floor. How was that
possible, how could Elle and Bear’s son look just like
me.

“
Ahhhh”

I heard Elle’s voice but I
couldn’t see anything but the image that was burned into my
brain.

“JoJo, I’ll call you
back.”

“TJ…I can…“

“Who the fuck was that,
Elleny?”

I could hear the panic in
my own voice.

“I can explain,
Trevor.”

“Who the fuck was
that!!!”

I screamed. I screamed so
loud my whole body shook. Something wasn’t right here and I was
getting to the bottom of this right…fucking…now.

“
They’re my kids,
Trevor.”

Yeah…no shit, I think we
have concluded that information. She was fucking hiding something
from me and I was hoping and praying it wasn’t what I thought it
was.

“The twins.”

The oldest ones. I wanted
to make sure I was correct on who was who. Elle just nodded. She
was crying…this was so not a good fucking sign.

“Bear’s set of
twins…right?”

I asked as I waited for
the head nod. I prayed for the head nod…the head was not
nodding.

“
I asked you a
question….Bear’s the father of your set of
twins….right?”

This time I asked slower,
thinking maybe she didn’t understand what I was asking her. Still,
no head nod.

I wanted answer. I was
sick of playing the silent game with her. So, this time when I
asked, I went up to her, putting my hands on her shoulders and
shook her as I yelled.

“
Who’s the father of your
son and daughter, Elleny?”

“
You are!!! They’re yours,
Trevor!!!”

Elle screamed
back.

I couldn’t breathe. I had
a set of twins that I knew nothing about. I couldn’t even think
straight. I had a set of twins I knew nothing about. I had to take
a step back. I couldn’t even walk straight. I had a set of twins I
knew nothing about.

“How….old?”

I couldn’t take my eyes
off of that computer. I saw my son…My son. I didn’t know what to
do, fall to the floor and cry like a baby, scream in Elle’s face
for hiding something that important or run to the computer and call
them back so I can look at them again.

“Seventeen”

Elle whispered, she knew
she was on thin ice with me. I closed my eyes. I knew the exact
moment they were conceived. The senior trip to the lake.

“The lake.”

I couldn’t believe the
nightmare that I had just walked into. I didn’t even know what to
do or say. I was totally blindsided by this.

“I want to know now what
the fuck you were thinking, Elleny.”

“The weekend of our going
away party, I ended up in the hospital remember?”

I nodded once, Elle
continued on.

“You interrupted a
conversation between Rachel, Me and Bear.”

I didn’t nod this time so
she didn’t stop.

“
I had just found out I
was pregnant, that’s why I was so sick, I didn’t plan on anyone
finding out, I was just going to leave town and move away, but then
Bear and Rachel walked in and a nurse said something. I made them
promise not to tell you. I knew you’d throw away your scholarship
and then I kept picturing you resenting me for making you give up
everything. So Bear made me a deal, he’d marry me and raise the
baby as his own, if I gave up full contact with you. What we
weren’t counting on were two babies. A boy and a girl. I ended up
having them alone. Bear never showed up to the hospital, so when
the lady came to fill out the birth certificate I didn’t put any
father’s name on it. They have his last name but he’s not their
legal father.”

As soon as she stopped I
put my head in my hands and lowered my elbows to my
knees.

“Names.”

She wouldn’t answer
me.

“Elleny!”

I yelled louder from under
my hands.

“JoJo’s name is Jordan
Taylor Jackson.”

I had to make myself drag
in breath at her confession. I couldn’t believe what my ears were
hearing. I had a son and a daughter. I missed their whole lives. I
was crushed. Hearing my daughter’s name I put the letters
together.

I couldn’t help but
chuckle at her using my initials in my daughter’s name.

“My initials.”

“
Elle…”

“His name is Luc,
Trevor.”

Right now, I was the last
man she wanted to lie to anymore. I was not in the mood for this
shit right now. I stood up so that she could understand the depth
of my anger.

“Don’t you bullshit
me…tell me his name!”

I howled as I looked down
at Elle on the floor.

“Dylan Lucas
Jackson”

Elle whispered, trying not
to allow me to hear. I heard…I heard every fucking syllable of the
name that I was supposed to name my son. How fucking dare
her!!!