Love Delivered (20 page)

“Thanks, hun,” she perked and began clicking her five inch heels on the marble floors in the direction of the bedrooms. Emily followed with her nose in the air, observing every detail of my home.

Wait!
I didn’t mean for them to travel through
my
place!

“Uhhhhh… How ‘bout you two go into the great room with the rest of the guests,” I heard Angela’s terse tenor from just behind me. My chest heaved in gratitude. “When Stent’s done dressing their son, he’ll be out to entertain you. It’s not quite three yet.”

“But…” immediately at a loss for words, Erika turned to face me for my objection.

However, I didn’t. “Yes, I think that would be best.” I raised my one brow to indicate my assertiveness.

With a moment of hesitation, Erika paused. Emily appeared lost in the detail of the crown-molding in my foyer. Then Erika took off with her sister in tow, but only a few steps before a trotting Jordan came down the hall, holding onto his father, who hovered above him. Jordan was giggling and gurgling his heart’s delight, but his dad wore the most discerning scowl.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he snarled.

I jumped in place at the language he took on in front of Jordan. Profanity wasn’t included in my daily dialect, I certainly didn’t use it around my son, and neither should Stenton. Still, I instinctively turned toward Erika to pick up on her maroon shade blush.

She flashed a pageant smile and quickly inserted, “I thought I’d start the clock on our date tonight.” Then she turned toward her sister and beamed, “Emily thought it would be cool to meet Jordan.”

Stenton gathered Jordan in his arms as he stood erect. His gaze traveled over to me and then back to Erika.

“E, this is a private, family function. My kid doesn’t do Hollywood—”

“I don’t have the crew with me!” Erika pushed out as she threw herself at Stenton. I knew she was referring to the camera crew that shadowed her everywhere.

“How did you even get this address?” he pressed on.

“Srey,” she answered, hesitantly.

I didn’t miss his grimace. Srey was Stenton’s new assistant. I knew everyone who had access to Stenton Rogers’ personal life had seemed to be in mine as well. I was lost, learning he didn’t even invite her. She’d bum-rushed my child’s birthday party. I was relieved. If Stenton had arranged this, it would be a new low for him. One I wouldn’t let slide. I couldn’t.

Stenton ambled over and murmured directly to me, “I had no idea she was coming. I didn’t even know she knew your name to ask for your address.”

But how could she not know my name!
screamed in my head. It seemed to me everyone knew Stenton Rogers’ baby’s mother’s name. My identity as the owner of the Stenton Rogers’ “favorite” bakery had been released less than a week after his surprise visit. To my detriment, I’d been graced that title by the media. Sadly, there was nothing I could do about it. They even knew my child’s birthdate. This was all because of his father’s wild and far-reaching popularity, something he’d garnered all on his own. But since dating Erika, his celebrity had turned a new corner. In my opinion, Erika’s presence in Stenton’s world turned his career from iconic to reality pop star, something that wasn’t admirable. It was far from the legacy he’d been building over the years.

“It’s fine!” I asserted, almost gleefully with a tight smile. “Erika and her family are a welcome addition here today. She’s your girlfriend; she should be here.”

Stenton studied my eyes for what seemed like forever. I didn’t fade my smile, didn’t crack under the pressure of his speculative gaze. I couldn’t. He didn’t want me. He’d made that clear long ago.

Finally, Stenton exhaled. Simultaneously, Tynisha, who had entered the foyer just when Stenton and Jordan did, grabbed an antsy Jordan from his father. This was the first time she and Angela joined forces. I was honored it was on my behalf. She and Alton must have arrived while I was getting dressed. Jordan had been making a fuss, indicating that he wanted to walk and Tynisha placed him down on the floor where he staggered towards the great room. After several steps, he stopped. His little head turned back in search of someone.

His marble eyes landed on his father and he yelped, “Da-Da, cummm!” and then giggled.

I watched as the lines around Stenton’s eyes transformed into a gleaming smoothness. His tall frame bounced toward his son, taking Jordan’s little hand and continued down the hall with him. Erika followed suit excitedly and Emily strolled behind her sister with palpable indifference.

The party commenced shortly after that quagmire. Excitable children and their anxious parents flooded the apartment. Games and dancing were soon underway. Laughter was shared, memories were made, and pictures were shot all afternoon. The photographer was great, capturing all moments ranging from pseudo-significant to precious incidences. The food was served with all fifteen children sitting at a long toddler table with their parents suspended above to assist with mealtime. I decided before the day of the party to forgo gift opening. Children couldn’t sit through an event like that. After a few more games once the kids were done eating, we sang happy birthday to an overwhelmed Jordan. Then there were more games.

Stenton couldn’t contain his merriment as he tried to keep up with Jordan around the colossal room. He never left Jordan’s side; Jordan wouldn’t have it. Jordan thoroughly enjoyed influencing his dad’s movements. And
I
couldn’t deter the camera. Every time I turned around, a flash was going off in my face. It was hard to follow my little man. I wasn’t the only one annoyed by the camera’s captivation.

At some point of the afternoon, I heard a ruckus coming from the far end of the great room. It was someone shouting and a baby crying. I ambled toward the chaos and saw Erika flipping out on the photographer.

“You keep taking shots of the birthday boy, his father and mother as if they’re a family. There are at least thirty other people here you can photo!” Erika exclaimed. “You’ve only taken one of me with the father. I am his girlfriend. We are an appropriate photo opp!”

“What the hell is going on here?” Stenton asked with Jordan just behind him, not being able to leave his father’s side for even a second.

“This idiot doesn’t know how to be all inclusive with his shots!” Erika shouted, her voice echoing off the high walls. “It makes me wonder if he’s working for TMZ!”

“Sir,” the short man of Indian descent with the most amazing shade of olive skin and jet-black silky, curly hair started his rebuttal in a defeated tone. “I’m only doing my—”

“It’s all good, Talan,” Stenton interrupted as he pulled out his wallet.

I noticed Jordan tapping at his father’s calf muscle, wanting to be picked up. I did the honors and he was not happy with it. He began getting fussy. With the lick of his fingers and wrinkled brows, Stenton silently counted out several crisp hundred dollar bills and dismissed, Talan.

“We still have the same timeline, right?”

Talan nodded firmly, “Yes, sir. We got some really good ones!” And he took off for the door.

Stenton turned to me and I saw the regret in his eyes. He went to kiss an ornery Jordan, who was beyond sleepy at this hour and whispered, “I’m sorry I have to do this, but I have to go. I’ll be by tomorrow to pick him up at the agreed upon time,” Stenton whispered at Jordan’s head, speaking discreetly to me.

He looked over to an expectant Erika, who appeared even more frustrated by her inability to ear hustle. She had some nerve ruining my child’s party. Jordan’s best friend, his father had to leave. Jordan reached for his dad.

Stenton turned toward Erika. His nose was flared and his face was tight. “Let’s go,” he growled.

Erika’s expression morphed into a pout before pivoting behind her to snatch her purse from the chaise she’d sat on nearly all afternoon, glared down at her sister and ordered through gritted teeth, “C’mon! We’re so out of here!”

As they walked off, Jordan sounded off, flailing in his arms and wailing. “Da-Da, cummmm! Da-Da, cummmmm!”

I had to constrain him after he almost fell out of my arms. Stenton never looked back as he trekked out of the room, with Erika, Emily and Alton in tow. I guess Alton wanted to be sure Stenton had a cool head before he left. I immediately excused myself to calm my child. That took a couple of hours. Jordan was so upset that he went to bed without his normal warm sippy cup of milk. He’d exhausted himself from crying. I guess sometime after we’d left the party, my mother took over, handing out favors and dismissing the guests. One by one, my mother, Angela, Ruth and Tynisha crept into Jordan’s room to say their goodnights as I soothed him to sleep in the rocking chair.

When I surfaced from Jordan’s room after he’d passed out, I noticed my kitchen was squeaky clean, the food was put away and the order in the great room had been restored. I trudged into the pantry to the wine cellar and pulled out a bottle of Merlot. Not long ago, I drank socially, rarely alone. I’d only kept wine in stock because the apartment came with this particular amenity. However, my preference for wine had increased and taste had broadened. Tonight, it was a much needed necessity. I drank the entire bottle while poring over business plans for a possible second bakery and then a bath. When I realized the bottle was empty, the levy broke and I cried into my pillow where no one could hear my sobs but God himself.

~~~~~~~~~~

May 2010

~
Stenton
~

“So it’s over?”

I nodded.

“But I told you I wasn’t seeing Shirez months ago. And I’ve apologized for your son’s party a hundred times. It’s just hard knowing you have this secret life from me. Why have you never introduced me to your son?”

That question halted my gaze of her naked hourglass frame. She’d come to my Agoura Hills rental I’d had since we’d been dating, clandestinely with the agenda of sex. I guessed she’d shed her clothing somewhere between the front door and the deck off of my master suite. I arched a brow.

“Didn’t I tell you when we started this shit I’m a private man with a child who I try to protect by not having my shit archived on the Internet for when he’s old enough to surmise what type of person his old man was?”

“Yeah, but—”

“But yet, without fail, you’ve breached my privacy. All your pictures from our dates, the tweet of my new tattoo, your fucking Shirez on my watch, and then finally you running up in my seed’s party uninvited? What the fuck, E?”

Erika looked startled.

“What the hell did you think would happen?”

With tears falling from her chocolate orbs, she asserted, “Since we’ve started seeing each other, I’ve opened up to you, waited on you to open up to me. Yeah, I like sharing my life with the world. I’m in love…sue me! But you’ve never been in this with me. You aren’t in love with me. You talk about family, your son, your need for privacy, but you’ve never let me or my family into your circle.”

“My family wants privacy, too.”

“Who are your family?” she screamed. “They’re like mythic. I’ve never met them. For all I know they were at that party, but you didn’t take me around the room. You didn’t even formally introduce me to Jordan. I only know him through social media. Why am I not good enough to meet him?” Erika broke for a breath. She’d really gotten upset in no time. “What if we were to make it to marriage? How would I have connected with him?”

I shook my head. “That’s not what this has been about. I told you the day I formally agreed to this that it wouldn’t lead to anything serious. I don’t need a step mother for my son. This was only supposed to be about us having fun, getting to know each other.”

“Yeah, only you never did the second part.” She stomped off the patio, leaving me alone.

I turned back to the open air, resting my hands on the railing of the veranda. “I guess I didn’t,” I uttered into the open air.

That fact didn’t feel as good as the relief from our stressful affair. 

~~~~~~~~~~

June 2010

~
Stenton
~

Because of my demanding schedule, it was hard for me to see Ezra regularly until the season broke. Deferring the sessions was probably the reason it took so long for me to break from my depression.
Yup!
StentRo was seeing a goddamn shrink.

Ezra was about my age, give a year or two. He was a well-traveled and educated man, having studied at Oxford. After getting to know him, I quickly understood why Sarah thought he’d be a good match for me. Although he was the son of a pastor with a mega organization, Ezra was charting his own path, working as an engineer while counseling part time. It was a mismatch, but that was him; a misfit. And when I learned he was a member of the BDSM community—a little known fact that my beloved Sarah had no clue of—my trust for him had increased tenfold. But this was not an overnight process.

That season didn’t end well. I’d isolated myself from my teammates and coaches. The only thing that kept me at bay with the bosses of the league was my documented therapy enrollment. I didn’t vacation that year at all. Didn’t see the need of it since not having Zoey to send away zapped the thrill of traveling. I wouldn’t have been able to “pop up” on her under the guise of seeing Jordan. What a joke that had been each year. Sometimes I’d wondered if she really believed me. Even that was difficult because I hadn’t been able to touch her because I’d been sleeping with Erika and would never disrespect Zoey in that manner.