When a Man Loves a Woman (Indigo) (3 page)

“You’re wrong, Honey.”

“Why can’t we just enjoy the feelings we have for each other without any commitments?”

“No,” he countered quickly, “I’m
not
going to settle for a casual affair.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re worthy of more, and we deserve better.”

Momentarily speechless, Vic took in a deep breath. Whatever response she’d expected, the one she’d just heard wasn’t it. “Baptiste, I’ve always been honest with you. I’ve told you a thousand times, I don’t do the love boat.”

Reaching out, he turned her around to face him. “Is that why you’re moving to Atlanta, because you’ve convinced yourself not to fall in love with me?”

“Boy, listen—”

“I’m not going to let it rest until you answer me.”

“Baptiste, I told you shortly after we met that I wasn’t going to let history repeat itself with you or any other man.”

“What did Ron do to hurt you so badly that you can’t learn to love again?”

Oblivious to where she stood, Vic recoiled, her hips colliding with the sink. For eight years, she’d been asked that very question more times than she cared to remember. Yet hearing it come from the man who stood in front of her packed the same force as a 200 mile-per-hour hurricane making landfall.

“I-I don’t want to talk about it,” Vic finally managed to say in a strangled voice.

At that moment, A.J. saw such profound pain surface in her eyes that he felt it, too. The question he’d just posed was the one he’d avoided asking for months. What could a man possibly do to cause a hurt so deep? He reached out and caressed her shoulders. “Honey, whatever Ron did, he was a fool.”

“Y-You don’t understand, Baptiste,” she cried out, lowering her head to hide her tears.

With his index finger, he tilted her chin up. “Baby, if you tell me, perhaps I would.”

“I-I can’t tell you,” she whispered, her words catching on a strangled sob.

“And I can’t help you if you don’t,” he whispered back.

She wiped the tears from her face with both hands and glanced up at him. Maybe, just maybe if he knew, he’d understand there was no way they could ever be together. “You can’t tell…”

“Tell what, baby?” He stroked his thumb along her brow, coaxing her into finishing her sentence. “Honey, I’m a lot of things, but I’d never share with anyone what you tell me in confidence. Understand?”

“H-He cheated on me…”

Finally, after ten, long agonizing months, he knew the cause of her hurt. He pulled her gently against his chest. “Honey, I’m sorry,” he uttered softly, cajoling her face into the space between his neck and shoulder. “Whoever the other woman was, she doesn’t measure up to you.”

Vic’s spine went rigid and she retreated to a private place inside where loneliness and pain resided, the place she never allowed anyone to enter.

The depth of the agony she’d borne alone made her pull back. She stared up blankly at him. Before her brain had time to consult with her mouth, she blurted out the rest of the secret she’d kept hidden for eight long years.

“It was a man.”

With that, she bolted from the room.

Chapter 3

Upstairs, Ray skidded up to the railing of the staircase. “
Mon frère
, T-One’s wheezing bad. Get up here.”

A.J. was just about to open the front door to see if Vic’s car was still parked in the driveway when he heard his youngest brother frantically call out to him. After the shocking revelation from Vic, it had taken a couple of moments for his brain to realize that she had disappeared from the bathroom. He turned around, his voice shaky. “Did you see which way Honey went?”

Ray shook his head. “Naw. What’s wrong?”

There was no way A.J. would ever reveal to a living soul what Vic had shared with him. “I-I just need to find her, that’s all.”

“Find her later. Upstairs.”

“T-One’s inhaler is in my medical bag in the cargo area.” A.J. stopped and hurriedly fished his keys out his pocket and tossed them to his brother while passing him on the staircase. Vic had probably headed straight to her condominium. He bolted up the remainder of the stairs two at a time. Once he made sure his daughter was okay, he’d head over there and wouldn’t leave until they’d talked things through.

* * *

Vic drove around and around Lake Merritt for what seemed like hours. After she’d rushed out of the bathroom, leaving a speechless Baptiste inside, she’d raced to her car and sped off.

Emotionally exhausted, she sat at a traffic light, waiting for it to turn green. With the radio turned off, a deafening silence engulfed her and magnified the raw emotions piercing her insides. A tear slipped down her check and she choked back a sob.

She’d been scared to get into a serious relationship because it meant putting her heart at risk again and possibly being subject to another man’s betrayal. She couldn’t go through another round of heartache, and especially not with Baptiste. She was half in love with him as it was. The more time they spent together, the more her thoughts gravitated to two-point-five
m
ore
kids, a house with a white picket fence, family discussions at dinnertime, and kiddie carpools from one activity to the next in the mommy mobile.

Memories of Ron’s infidelity with another man stabbed a deep hole in her heart and flooded her with so much pain that her stomach churned and she fought back the need to heave. Betrayal, not just by any man, but by her husband, and the hurt that followed were two things she’d never forget or forgive. Since then, she’d convinced herself it was better to walk away from love than relive that kind of pain again. Until tonight, she’d never revealed what she’d told Baptiste to a living soul. She firmly believed there were just some things you needed to keep between yourself and Jesus, and Ron’s affair with another man was one of them.

Another tear appeared, then another, followed by a gut-wrenching sob. She reached for a tissue and sat motionless with her head against the steering wheel until the sound of screeching rubber from behind forced her to look up into her rearview mirror.

“Oh, Jesus…” She frantically lifted her foot off the clutch and floored the accelerator as beaming headlights barreled toward her. It wasn’t fast enough. The impact from behind hurled her car into the middle of the intersection and, a split second later, there was a loud thud against her front bumper. She was so frightened that she screamed at the top of her voice.

Somehow, she stumbled from her car in time to catch a glimpse of the rear of the other car as it sped away. Her cracked headlight illuminated the figure sprawled on the pavement and she knelt, rolling the inert body over.

Recognizing the person, she opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out.

It was the last thing she remembered before everything went black.

* * *

“W-When I said what I said…I didn’t mean it…” Vic’s voice cracked and she wept hysterically outside the double doors leading to the trauma unit at Highland Hospital.

“Hush now, sweetheart.” Caitlyn gently wiped away the tears that ran down Vic’s face. “You’ve got to pull yourself together. A.J. is going to be just fine.”

The entire Baptiste family was assembled inside the waiting room, along with Vic and her parents, George Vincent and Louise Bennett, awaiting word on A.J.’s condition.

Louise walked up and wrapped an arm around Vic’s shoulder. “Come on, baby.” She walked them to a row of cushioned seats against the wall.

“Try and calm down, sweetheart.” George Vincent sat next to his daughter and patted her hands. “A.J. is going to be just fine.”

Vic heard her parents’ words of reassurance and stifled another sob. No matter what they or anyone said, she didn’t feel any better because it was her car that had crashed into Baptiste’s motorcycle. She didn’t bother to hide the tears rolling down her face anymore. From the moment she and Baptiste arrived by ambulance at the trauma unit, she’d been out of her mind with worry. He had drifted in and out of consciousness the entire ride. Even though Alta Bates-Summit Hospital was closer to the crash site, she and the paramedics had feared he’d sustained a major head injury and decided it was best to transport him to Highland, which housed the county’s designated trauma unit.

Vic looked between her mother and A.J.’s grandmother, Zamora Rousselle, whom everyone called Mama Z, and began to sob all over again.

Louise looked over at Mama Z, who was seated across from them, and mouthed, “You try.”

Mama Z swapped seats with Louise and gently turned Vic by the shoulders to face her. “Ya listen to me here, child. Since I knows ya, ain’t seen ya ’fraid of nothing. This here is no different. That man ya got in there needs ya to be strong. Hear me?”

Vic blinked back unshed tears and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

A.J.’s brothers, Marcel and Ray, walked up and squatted in front of Vic to lend their comfort.

“It was an accident.” Marcel reached out and folded Vic’s hand inside of his. “No one is blaming you.”

Vic was amazed at the understanding, compassion, and forgiveness Baptiste family showed even though they all knew the accident was her fault.

“Marcel,” Vic’s voice trembled, “w-what if…”

Ray placed his hand on Vic’s shoulder. “Come on now, Honey. We ain’t even going there. He’ll be up and about in no time.
Mon frère
has you and the girls—”

“Oh, my God!” Vic’s gaze darted wildly around the room. “T-One a-and T-Two. Oh, God, where are they?”

Brie, A.J.’s oldest sister, answered. “Vic, they’re fine. They’re with Mrs. Bradford.”

Vic collapsed back against the seat, comforted with the knowledge that Taylor and Tyler were safe and being cared for by Marcel and Caitlyn’s nanny.

Vic wiped her face with both hands, then asked Baptiste’s father, Alcee, “Does Alex know?”

Alex Robinson, a close friend of the Baptiste family, had grown up with Marcel, A.J., and Ray, and was considered as much a part of the family if he’d been born a Baptiste.

Alcee Baptiste nodded. “Vic, he knows. Marcel called him as soon as we got here, and he’s on his way.”

“We got here as soon as we could.” Harrison Bennett, Vic’s oldest brother, rushed inside the waiting room with his younger brother, Lincoln, two steps behind.

Vic walked over to them, wrapping her arms tightly around their waists. “Thanks for coming.”

Harrison placed a kiss on his sister’s cheek, then his mother’s. “How’s he doing?”

“No word so far.” Louise glanced up at the emergency room physician, who worked at Highland Hospital, stroking the side of his face. “You look tired, son.”

“I am.” Harrison ran his hand across the stubble on his face. “Pulling sixteen hours will do that to you. Cates took over for me when I left, so A.J.’s in good hands.”

Lincoln, a federal prosecutor who’d just moved back to Oakland from Dallas, gently nudged his brother. “Does this Cates know his stuff?”

Harrison turned to his brother and nodded with confidence. “Absolutely. He’s one of the best.” He glanced back at Vic. “Have you been in yet?”

Vic grimaced. “Well…sort of.”

Puzzled by his sister’s evasive answer, Harrison was silent for a moment until A.J.’s middle sister, Moni, who stood nearby clarified Vic’s statement. “They threw Vic out.”

Lincoln chuckled. “Figures.” He frowned, rubbing at his chin, and gave his mother a puzzled look. “Wait a minute. Mom, you work in ER. Why aren’t you in there?”

Harrison wondered the same thing, too, and his gaze settled on their mother. “You’re the head ER nurse. Why aren’t you in there?”

Vic answered instead. “They threw Mom out first.”

Embarrassed, Harrison flung his head back and sighed. “Mom…”

Louise glanced at her children with a sheepish look. “Well, they weren’t moving fast enough for me.”

“Oh, Harrison,” Vic sobbed. Accepting the tissue Mama Z walked up and handed her, she dabbed at swollen, red eyes. “He’s got to be okay.”

Harrison took his sister’s hands inside his and squeezed them tightly. “He will, Vic, but you’ve got to pull yourself together and be strong for him, all right?”

Vic slowly nodded. “’Kay.” Blowing her nose softly, she pointed at the trauma unit doors. “Can you go and check on him for me?”

Leaning over, Harrison kissed his sister on the cheek. “I’m on my way.”

Lincoln frowned at what he saw when he brushed back a dread that had fallen over Vic’s forehead. “Have you gotten that checked out yet?”

Vic gently fingered the slight, tender bump and shook her head.

A few moments later, Zachary Tate, a lieutenant with the Oakland Police Department who was married to A.J.’s sister, Moni, walked into the waiting room. He spoke briefly with Marcel, Ray, and A.J.’s father, Alcee, for an update on his brother-in-law’s condition, and then headed straight toward Vic. “Baby Girl, I need to ask ya a few more questions about the accident.”

Vic’s heart accelerated to a frantic pace and her eyes grew wide with alarm. “Please, Zach, you gotta believe me. It was an accident. I swear to God, I-I didn’t mean to hit Baptiste.”

With every member of the Baptiste and Bennett family surrounding him, Zach nodded. “Calm down, now. I believe ya.” He walked Vic back over to the row of cushioned seats, letting her settle down first, then sat next to her. “But I don’t believe this accident involves just you and brother-in-law.”

Vic stared, confused. As far as she knew, only two cars were involved, hers and the one that hit her. “So, what are you saying, Zach?”

Zach leaned forward and placed his elbows atop his knees. “Baby Girl, there was another car that got broadsided less than a mile from where y’all were hit. No witnesses actually saw either crash, but from the evidence we’ve been able to gather, we suspect the same car’s involved.”

“Oh, Jesus.” Vic wrung her hands together. “Who was in the first car? W-Were they hurt?”

Zach cleared his throat. “I understand it was a young family. The mother and father came out with a few scratches, but their daughter…well, uh…she’s in critical condition.” He paused for a second. “Baby Girl, she might not make it.”

Vic covered her face with both hands and sobbed. After gaining her composure, she became blistering mad. “Whoever was in the car that hit me and the first car didn’t stop and try to help any of us!”

Zach released a weary sigh. “Listen, I know how ya feel, but I promise ya…and brother-in-law, I’ma find the bastard who did this.”

Vic nodded.

“Baby Girl, this might not be a simple case of hit-and-run anymore. We might be looking at vehicular manslaughter or homicide, depending on how things turn out.” Zach reached inside his suit coat and pulled out a notepad and pen. “Is there anything—
anything—
ya recall that ya didn’t tell the officers at the scene?”

Vic shook her head vigorously, even though it throbbed. “No. I told them everything I remembered.”

Zach flipped his notepad shut and placed a soft kiss against Vic’s cheek. “I want ya to take it easy, hear me? If ya think of somethin’ else, let me know. Okay?”

Vic nodded and reached over to squeeze Zach’s hand.

A few moments later, Alex Robinson, a close friend of the Baptiste family, walked into the waiting room. He spoke to Marcel, Ray, and Alcee first, then squatted in front of Vic. “Hi there. How you holding up?”

Vic answered by bursting into tears.

Alex pulled a clean handkerchief from his back pocket. “The man in there is my brother,” he declared proudly, wiping Vic’s face, “and he would kill me if I didn’t take care of his lady in his absence.”

Vic offered a weak smile when Alex finished. “Thank you.”

The next ten minutes passed in absolute silence, and the agonizing wait rattled Vic’s nerves. She noticed her brother Lincoln inconspicuously beckon Marcel, Ray, Alex, Zach, and Alcee outside into the hallway. She couldn’t help noticing the stoic expression on his face. After a few seconds, a frightening thought crossed her mind. What if Harrison had shared something awful with Lincoln about Baptiste’s condition on the drive over to the hospital and they’d decided to conceal it in an effort to protect her? She didn’t want to eavesdrop, but if there was something terrible going on with him, she needed to know. She eased over to the doorway, being careful to remain out of view, and listened.

“I
never
thought I’d live to see the day those two weren’t battling with each other,” Marcel said.

Alcee released a half chuckle. “Well, you know what they say. The Lord works in mysterious ways.”

Marcel glanced over at Lincoln, Alex, and Ray. “How in the world did they end up crashing into each other anyway?” Marcel asked.

“Ain’t got the faintest idea.” Ray shrugged. “All I know is the last time I saw
mon frère
, he was in a panic to find Honey.”

“Why?” Lincoln questioned. “They’re always fighting.”

Zach nodded. “Yeah. Did somethin’ really bad happen this time?”

“Beats me,” Ray responded. “Now I wish I had let him bolt on out the door when I first saw him.”

Marcel frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“Timing,
mon frère,
timing,” Ray offered. “If I’d let him go then, he wouldn’t be banged up now.”

Vic placed her hand against her stomach as tears streaked down her face. Oh, God, if Baptiste hadn’t tried to go after her, he wouldn’t be lying on a gurney in the emergency room. With her back to the wall, she squeezed her eyes shut and offered up a prayer on his behalf. Suddenly, she heard the familiar sound of the double doors to the trauma unit open, and her eyes flew open. “Edmond!” She bolted toward him and shook him hard by the shoulders. “How’s Baptiste?”