CHAPTER 4
The alarm buzzed. Zzzzz . . . zzzzz . . . zzzzz. Blaring. Unceasing.
Nicole could see herself, smashing it against a wall, but couldn’t move a muscle. Both her body and brain protested. I only went to sleep five minutes ago! I just need a few more minutes. She lay face down on her stomach not even having the strength to cover her ears. The only movement she could muster was to squeeze her already closed eyes tighter.
Then the side of her bed dipped. Davis sat down and shut off the alarm. He ran his hand lovingly down the length of her back, bent low and whispered into her ear. “It’s 6:00 a.m.? Are you getting up?”
Didn’t he sound refreshed? Nicole didn’t want to start the day off angry, but she was. She was pissed and exhausted—so tired—she wanted to pass out. Staying up half the night and into the early morning would do that to a person. She hadn’t been able to get DJ comfortable enough to go back to sleep until after 3:00 a.m. Nicole pushed the overwhelming desire to smack Davis upside the head out of her mind. Instead, she inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly before responding. “Yes. I need to be on the road by 8:00 a.m.” She didn’t ask if he was able to change his meeting time and didn’t give a shit about it. He was going to stay here with their kids.
He had been taking her for granted for far too long, and she was over it. They were going to have to address the elephant in all the rooms for the millionth and one time, but not this morning, now was not the time.
Nicole waited to hear his response, but there wasn’t one. After a moment, she rolled over onto her back, and when she opened her eyes, she did everything possible not to make eye contact with his. If Davis gazed into them, there would be no hiding her emotions—especially since her shade of red-hot anger would only become more apparent once she realized he was already dressed for work. It wasn’t that Nicole didn’t want to unload, but she needed to be in the right head space for her meeting. Having a knock down drag out fight with Davis, wasn’t the best way to get there. She sat up and moved to get out of the bed. Davis leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, and Nicole dodged his lips. “I need a shower.”
He grabbed hold of her wrist. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Your entire body is tense. That’s not usually what happens when I touch you. I thought everything was fine when we went to bed last night.”
“No. We called a truce, but everything wasn’t fine. Look, I can’t do this with you right now. I have a meeting to get ready for.”
His eyes flashed with anger. “I don’t give a damn about your meeting; I care about you and me! Let’s talk this out.”
Nicole snatched her wrist away from his grip. “And THAT is the problem! Everything is not always about YOU!” Her rage was bubbling just under the surface. She scooted off the bed and stalked toward the bathroom before she did something like release the full force of her anger. Only she couldn’t help herself. She stopped just outside the door and half-turned. She had to throw at least one parting shot since he seemed so utterly clueless. “I hope you are well rested considering it was your night to get up with DJ, never mind that I had to get up early too. He was up until 3 a.m.” Nicole walked into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.
Davis closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Damn. I messed up . . . again.
Ding dong. Ding Dong.
Davis carried Rayna on his shoulders as he made his way quickly down the spiraling staircase. Only one person would ring his doorbell like a crazy person this early. He made it to the bottom of the stairs with a giggling Rayna as he jogged over to open the door.
Rayna turned around, and her eyes grew wide. “Auntie!” Surprised, she reached out and threw tiny arms around her aunt’s neck.
“Good morning, darling.” Jane Chatham-Ross had arrived. She returned Rayna’s hug and winked at Davis over her shoulder.
He smiled. “Thanks for coming over on such short notice.”
Jane walked inside. “Now I know why you talked Russell into moving to this state and closer to you. Seriously, that’s what sisters are for. Just remember, it works two-ways, when I need a babysitter for the twins, I don’t want to hear any excuses.”
“I think I can handle that.”
“Good. Has Nicole left yet? I hope I didn’t miss her.”
“No. She’s still upstairs getting ready, and so is DJ. He hasn’t woken up yet. According to Nicole, he was up until about 3:00 a.m. this morning.”
“Poor guy. He’s still not feeling better?”
“No. I hate seeing him like this. I feel so helpless.”
“I know that feeling, but you and Nicole are doing the right thing by taking him back to the doctor. I’ll call you as soon as I’m done with his appointment. It’s probably just a horrible cold, and he’s teething, so don’t worry too much.”
They walked into the kitchen, and Rayna sat down in her chair. “Daddy, can you make pancakes?”
He frowned. “Sorry, Rayna. I wish I could, but I don’t have time. Otherwise, I will be late for a very important meeting.”
Her lips turned down. “Okay. I’ll just have cereal.”
Davis’s heart twisted. He promised himself that as soon as he took care of the nightmare he was embroiled in, he would spend the rest of his life making pancakes and whatever else Rayna wanted.
Nicole spent way too much time in the shower trying to wake up. After, a superhuman effort, she finally managed to get dressed. Her butt was dragging so badly that she needed coffee or something to get her through the morning. Then Nicole remembered. I think there’s Vivarin in the bathroom.
She rushed to the medicine cabinet, and just as she thought, there was a brand-new box winking at her. Nicole didn’t like to take them, but over the past few months, they had been a lifesaver. She popped the pill into her mouth, turned the water on in the sink, and cupped her hands together as she drank thirstily to swallow the pill down. Nicole hoped it kicked in fast.
She made her way back to the bedroom, looked around to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, then scooped up her shoes, and ran out of the room. Nicole made it downstairs and was hopping on one foot as she attempted to put on her heels. She could hear voices in the kitchen and stopped short when she spotted Jane.
She smiled warmly. “Hey! I thought I heard you.” She slipped on her other shoe then walked over and hugged her tightly. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh. Didn’t Davis tell you? I’m taking DJ to the doctor.”
There was a hint of guilt on his face. “I called Jane late last night. I couldn’t change my meeting time, so she agreed to take DJ for us. I was going to tell you this morning . . .” He wanted to say—but you were too busy losing your shit. “I didn’t get the chance.”
The temperature in the kitchen increased a hundred degrees. Nicole’s eyes blazed as she turned them onto Davis. “Un-be-lievable!”
“Do you really want to do this in front of Rayna and Jane?” His voice was clipped. Davis wanted to keep their issues private, but apparently, Nicole didn’t care.
Jane looked confused as her eyes darted between them. “I-I’m . . . is everything alright?”
Davis responded first. “Everything is fine.”
Nicole walked over to Rayna and kissed her. “Mommy will see you after school.” She turned around. “Everything is not fine.” She grabbed her keys from off the hook on the wall and stormed out.
After she’d gone, Jane turned to Davis with her hands on her hips. “What did you do?”
Frustrated, he sighed. “Apparently, not enough. Whatever I do is never enough, and when I make a little mistake, Nicole blows it all out of proportion.”
Jane turned to Rayna. “Sweetheart? Can you run upstairs and check on DJ for me?”
Rayna nodded and quickly left the table to do as she was asked.
Jane turned accusatory eyes on Davis. “You and Nicole have been strained for months now. I don’t like the direction things are moving. Have you talked to her?”
Davis poured two cups of coffee and handed one to her. “We talk all the time. I just can’t get her to understand that I’m working my ass off because I have to, not because I want to be away from my family. I get it. She’s exhausted feeling like she has to do everything on her own, but what am I supposed to do?”
“Well, she does! Nicole has a job. Granted she works from home most of the time, but she still has a job. I’m a stay at home mom, and even though the twins are nine, they are still a handful. I can’t imagine working, taking care of them, and being active on the board for the Angel Foundation. Why the hell won’t you just hire a nanny?”
Frustrated, Davis raked his fingers through his hair. “She’s dead set against having help thanks to being raised in foster care. She thinks that if I don’t spend time with her and the kids that I don’t love them, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m doing the best I can.”
“You are both stretched way too thin.” Jane pressed her lips together into a firm line. “I know you love your family, but today’s a big day for her. The board is requesting money for that foster-care facility.”
“Shit. I forgot about that.” Davis ran a hand down his face. “Look, I know that Nicole has a lot on her plate, but I’m providing for our family! She has no idea the kind of pressure I’m under trying to keep them living in the life they’ve grown accustomed to.”
Jane placed a soothing hand on Davis’s shoulder. “I’m not trying to be insensitive here, but Nicole is not your ex, Anne. Allowing your company to consume you was partly to blame for ruining that marriage. Don’t make the same mistakes. You must talk to her. I mean really talk to her.”
“I’ve tried.”
“Let me clarify. You have to be honest with Nicole.”
“What am I supposed to say? That the nightmare from the fiasco with the Liberation of Shebet isn’t completely over? That the network that almost killed her is fucking with my business?! She would freak out. Or do I tell her that I’m working day and night to keep our good old US Government from freezing all of my assets?”
“Yes. Tell her. All of it. She loves you. Do you really think Nicole gives a shit about the money, the houses, or the cars?”
“I promised myself, that my family would have everything.”
“See, that’s the problem. To Nicole, you and the kids are everything.”
Jane could tell that she had given Davis a lot to think about. She understood the root of his anxiety. But somewhere along the way, Davis forgot that material things were never more important than the people you love. Even if he thought what he was doing was for the right reasons, he was screwing things up. She gave him a small smile. “You better get going, or you’ll be late, and all of this madness this morning would be for nothing. I’ll get DJ ready and call you when the appointment is over.”
Davis nodded. He heard every word Jane had said, but she was wrong about telling Nicole everything. It was his job to protect her, and that’s what he planned to do.