Blake stayed with his sister for over two hours. When he finally got home, the living room door opened as he got out of the car. Jayce burst out, screaming, Daddy! daddy! And ran up to him. “My son!” He scooped up his little boy in his arms and swung him up in the air several times. “Is your mom back?” He asked when he finally put the giggling little boy down on his feet.“No,” Jayce said and took the hand his father held out to him.“Maybe she went to see Grandma and Grandpa,” Blake told the boy as they walked together into the house. “Okay, daddy.”“Welcome, Mr. Carter,” the nanny who was coming down from the stairs greeted him.“How are you, Emily?”“I'm fine sir,” the middle-aged woman replied and looked at Jayce, saying, “Jayce, it's time to take a bath.”The boy looked up into his father's face and said he wanted to stay longer with him.“You know what?” Blake kissed the top of his head. “I will have my bath while you have yours too and we can play games later after that. Do
Jake opened his eyes the following morning with a start before dawn. He sat up in his bed and parted the window blind. It was still dark outside. He stood up and picked up the pack of cigarettes from his nightstand. Jake brought out one and lit it. He took a long drag, walking out to the small porch outside his room. He sat on the wicker chair and took another drag of his cigarette. Stacy was still in confusion about what had happened the day before with Stacy. He never planned to tell her he loved her. But there was no taking it back after it came out of his mouth, especially when she started asking questions. Of all the reactions he was expecting from Stacy, anger was none of them. It surprised him that she got angry with him. He called her twice after she left him in his office but she declined both. So he let her be for the night. That was the very first time his girl would be angry with him in eleven years. The very first time she would refuse to talk to him. He felt so mad at
"Connie,” Blake slid the plastic folder to the lady sitting across from him in his office. “You know, a lot has changed over the years. My father is not the only one who calls the shots in the business anymore.”“What do you mean?” Connie pushed forward in her seat, placing an elbow on the edge of Blake's desk. “So you will not help me? Is that what you are saying?”He gave her a frustrated sigh. “Are you saying I will get the contract?” Her eyes brightened up. “if I do that?”“No, Connie, don't misunderstand me,” he darted a hard look at her. “If you write your proposal properly, I will submit it to the board who will deliberate on it as they will do to the several proposals that others have submitted. And if they find your proposal good enough, they will give you the contract.”“In other words, you are not going to at least put in a nice word for me?”“No, I won't,” he told her. “I hope you can still remember what happened when I stuck out my neck four years ago for you?”She got a
“Mom, are you going to stay home with me again?” Jayce asked his mother sweetly two days after Jake blurted out that he loved her. “Yes, baby,” Stacy said, putting a plate of pancakes in front of him. “ She decided to make breakfast for her son and husband this morning, not wanting to just lay down in bed.“Mama is staying home with you. Do you like that?”“Yes,” Jayce nodded, smiling. “Will Dada stay too?”“No, honey. Dada has to go to work.”“I heard some people talking about Dada,” Blake walked into the kitchen smiling, already dressed for work. “Good morning Dada,” the little boy's face lit up as he greeted his father.“Good morning sunshine,” Blake bent down and kissed the top of Jayce's head. “Did you sleep well?”“Yes, dada!”“That's good,” he moved to Stacy, who was setting a place for him at the top of the table. “Good morning dear,” he pecked her on the cheek.“Good morning,” she tried to force herself to smile. “Don't tell me you are not going into the office again toda
“I miss you so much, sweetie,” Grant smiled and winked as if Tasha could see him through the phone. “It’s not the same with you not being here.”“I miss you too,” he heard her voice loud and clear from the other end. And it sent currents of excitement down his spine. “Remember, you are the one who encouraged me to stay for the wedding. I would have just returned to Berkeley tomorrow.”“I know,” he rubbed his chest. “Don't worry, I will cope and I will be here for you whenever you come back. It's good for you to socialize, you know.”“Well,” she groaned into the phone. “If you say so.”“How about Tyson, I hope he's enjoying his summer very well over there?”“Tyson is fine,” she told him. “He's already registered for swimming class. He did the beginner’s class last summer, now he's in the intermediate class.”“Wow, that's very fantastic,” Grant remarked, feeling so much love for Tyson as if he was his own. “I love how active the boy is.”“Yeah,” Tasha laughed from the other end. “Yes,
"Travis Franklin!” She squealed. “What…is this you?”“Yes, it's me in flesh and blood.”They both burst into laughter. “What are you doing here?” He asked, giving her a once over. “I came to get my dad’s prescriptions from the pharmacy.”“You too, what are you doing here?”“I came to get some yarn,” she looked back at Melissa’s shop. "It's good to see you again!" He gave her a half hug. "Yes, it's good to see you again," Tasha said with a smile as they pulled apart. “How many years has it been now?” Travis asked as both of them leaned against her car. “I'm sure we last saw each other five years ago at our twentieth reunion, right?”“Yeah, I think you.”"Wow!" He said. "You haven't changed a bit! You are still as beautiful as ever, Tash.”"I can say the same thing about you too," she grinned. He was so handsome. Though he'd added some weight, he was still very good-looking. “You are in town for the summer, right?” Tasha asked, looking up into his eyes fondly. “Yes, something li
Travis stood still with a hand in his pocket, watching her car until he couldn't see it anymore. He walked to where he parked his car in front of the pharmacy. When he got to his dad's house about twenty-something minutes later, his older brother, Tony, was already there, having finished his shift at Sandville General. Tony was at the kitchen table eating. He and his wife, Rosie, were medical doctors. He was going to stay over at their father's until Rosie finishes her own duty at night and they would leave for their house with their kids. The brothers greeted each other briefly and Travis went to give their father the drugs he bought for him. Travis went outside to sit on the porch after that. His kids and Travis’s kids, who had been with their grandpa since morning, were running around happily in the garden. He wondered for the umpteenth time since Tasha drove away what his life would have been if he started that relationship with her years ago and they eventually got married. “
Brushing her bangs from her forehead, Tasha climbed into the back of the ride, waiting for her at the parking lot of the Oakland airport. It was Saturday midday; she had just returned from Sandville. She had taken the first flight at 6:30 am so she could arrive very early to surprise Grant, who thought she would return on Monday. “You can start the ride,” she said to the driver and relaxed back into the seat. “Yes, ma'am,” the driver said and pulled out of the parking lot to begin the brief journey to Berkeley.Tasha shifted forward and brought out her phone from her bag. She called her mom to let her know she had already landed. She returned her phone to her bag after her call and leaned her head against the car window with a little smile spreading on her lips. She had missed Grant so much, every fiber of her being wanted to be with him now.Being away for these past few days had made her realize how much she had fallen for him and wanted to be with him. The desire for a man which