Chapter 18
Gage opened the gate and walked into the courtyard Friday afternoon to find it ablaze with candles on every level surface. His concern about their living together was offset when Hannah had called to let him know the electrical components for the gates were defective and had to be replaced, which meant Tonya would have to stay with him for an extended period of time. He told his cousin’s wife that he would relay the information to Tonya and reassured Hannah that he did not have a problem with Tonya living with him.
He and Tonya had settled into a comfortable routine of alternating cooking for each other. She would surprise him with exotic dishes from Thailand and China. He had raved so much about her gai pajd bal ga-paw—a spicy basil chicken with pepper, onion, and chili paste—that she showed him step-by-step how to make the dish. In less than a week he had grown so used to coming home to find her that he couldn’t remember when she hadn’t been there. She shared his bed, and on occasion his shower. She loved sitting on the roof at night, because it had become her time to unwind and exhale.
Gage noticed there were times when she wasn’t very talkative, and he gave her the space she needed to be alone with her thoughts. They hadn’t made love since the first night, and again he decided not to pressure her, hoping whenever she was receptive she would let him know.
His gaze swept around the courtyard until he saw her sitting at a table set for two. She stood up, and his jaw dropped when he noticed her outfit. Black strappy stilettos, and a matching barely-there dress ending mid-thigh with a plunging neckline hugged her curvy body like a second skin.
He couldn’t stop staring at her slender legs in the heels as she came closer. There was enough light from the candles to illuminate her face. Aptly applied makeup accentuated her large eyes and lush mouth. She leaned into him, and he felt himself succumbing to the hypnotic scent of her perfume. Gage knew he would be able to pick her out in a dark room from among at least fifty other women.
“Welcome home, darling.”
Gage ran his tongue over his lower lip. “Thank you, my love.”
She stared up at him through her lashes. “I know we talked about going out this weekend, but would it bother you if we spent the entire weekend at home?”
“No . . . no . . . of course not.” He didn’t know why he was stuttering other than he was becoming more aroused with each passing minute.
“Since the weather is so nice, I thought we would begin with dinner under the stars. After that we can go inside for after-dinner drinks and dancing.”
Gage was so still he could’ve been a statue. “What are we doing after that?”
Tonya ran her tongue over her lips, bringing his gaze to linger on them. “Would you be opposed to sharing a bath?”
“No.”
She smiled. “After the bath we can go to bed and I’ll make love to you and then you can make love to me, and if we are not too exhausted we can sleep for a while and go for seconds. How does that sound to you?”
Gage nodded like a bobble-head doll. “I agree to all of the above.”
She took his hand. “Come inside and wash up. As soon as you’re ready I’ll bring out dinner.”
Gage didn’t know what brought on the change in her, but he wasn’t going to question it. He knew something had to have been bothering her when she shut down and shut him out. He walked into the house and was met with a variety of mouthwatering aromas. A wide grin split his face as he anticipated a night filled with seduction and romance. Turning back the cuffs of his shirt, he washed his hands in the bathroom off the kitchen.
“Can I help bring out anything?” There were a number of covered dishes lining the countertop.
Tonya pointed to an aluminum pan with a matching lid. “You can take that one.”
After two trips they were finally able to sit and eat. She removed all the lids to the dishes to reveal the Caribbean dishes she had promised him. Tonya pointed to each plate. “There’s roast chicken with a garlic rub, rice and pigeon peas, fried plantains with a dipping sauce, and the little turnovers are beef empanadas. And in keeping with the Spanish theme I decided sangría is an appropriate wine. Will you please pour the wine?”
Gage filled two red wineglasses and handed one to Tonya. He could not believe she had put the dinner together so quickly, unless she had left the restaurant early to come home and cook. “What are we toasting?”
“Love.”
He sat back in his chair. “Love?”
“Yes. Do you have any idea what this weekend is?”
Realization dawned when he smiled. “Of course. It’s Valentine’s Day weekend.”
Tonya inclined her head. “I couldn’t think of anything to buy you, so I decided to make a special dinner.”
“I don’t need anything, because everything I need is sitting across the table from me. However, I did buy something for you.”
Her eyelids fluttered wildly. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”
“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that,” he stated emphatically. “I’ll give it to you after dinner.”
Gage bit into a flaky empanada, and the Latin spices in the beef filling tantalized his palate. He didn’t know how she did it, but Tonya was able to cook for two and not have any leftovers, prompting him to refer to her as the queen of tapas. Each dish was more spectacular than the last, and he found himself drinking more wine than usual.
“We came up with a final listing of songs and dances for the concert,” he said after draining his glass.
“When do you begin rehearsing?”
“We won’t start rehearsing until late March. Auditions begin next week and continue for the next two weeks.”
“What about the kids in the drama club? Do they get first choice?”
Gage nodded. “They’re already in, but we always try and give other students who haven’t joined a club the opportunity to become involved. And because some of the songs and dances are international, we’re trying to engage those students from the particular racial or ethnic groups.”
Tonya touched a napkin to the corners of her mouth. “When do you rehearse?”
“It’s always after classes. I’ll be coming home late at least three days a week. And the closer we get to performing, it may be five days and perhaps one weekend for a full dress rehearsal.”
“It sounds exciting.”
“It is for the students.”
“Please, Gage, don’t be modest. It has to be exciting for you, too.”
“I suppose so, because this is my first time chairing the concert, and my last year teaching.”
“What are you going to do once your residency ends?”
“Work at the restaurant so Eustace can take some time off. And don’t forget I still play at Jazzes.”
“So you’re not retiring?”
“I still have a few more years to work a nine-to-five before I kick back and put my feet up.”
Tonya touched the stud in her ear. “I sometimes think of what I’d do if I retired. I doubt if I’d travel as much as Paige and LeAnn. Hopefully, I’ll have at least one grandbaby to spoil by that time.”
“Is your daughter dating anyone?”
“I don’t know. Something keeps nagging at me that she is. I suppose she’ll tell me when the time comes, because I don’t want to be one of those nosy mothers who can’t stay out of their children’s lives.”
Gage smiled. “That means you won’t be a meddling mother-in-law.”
“Hopefully, I won’t.”
Resting an arm over the back of his chair, he studied her face in the lengthening shadows. “Mardi Gras is coming up in another three weeks, and the city will turn into one big bacchanal.”
“It’s not already?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “You have to experience Mardi Gras firsthand to get the full effect of folks acting like they’ve lost their minds.” Gage pushed back his chair and stood up. “Dinner was incredible.” He came around the table and pulled back her chair. “I’ll clear the table and bring everything inside. Go on, babe,” he urged when she didn’t move.
He stood motionlessly, watching the seductive sway of her hips and legs in the sexy heels. It was obvious Tonya was more than comfortable with her sexuality with the overt display of flesh in the revealing dress. He shook his head as if coming out of a trance and stacked plates and flatware to take inside.
* * *
Working quickly, Tonya rinsed and stacked pots and dishes in the dishwasher, and by the time Gage brought in the last plate she had finished cleaning up the kitchen. He had tuned the radio to a station playing romantic ballads. He extended his hand when she walked into the living room.
“May I have this dance?”
Smiling, she moved into his embrace. “But of course.” Her heels gave her a height advantage so that she didn’t have to lean back to stare up at Gage. “I love dancing with you,” she whispered against his warm throat.
“Maybe we should take ballroom dancing this summer with Hannah and St. John.”
“I don’t think I’m ready for that.” Tonya was able to follow Gage when he spun her around and around.
“Very nice,” he crooned.
“I have a wonderful leader.”
After a while, she lost herself in the music and in the man. Tonya knew she had been in a funk because it was the anniversary of her brother’s death, and she kept imagining that he was still alive and had made her an auntie. Ian had so much potential that she still couldn’t understand what made him choose the life that was destined to end tragically either by spending countless years in jail or by other dealers looking to take over his territory—or by an early death.
Dusk had descended on the city, and by the time they turned off the music and climbed the stairs to the second story, stars lit up the nighttime sky. Tonya walked into the bathroom, lit a half dozen votive candles, turned off the light, and then turned on the water in the Jacuzzi. A bottle of cognac and two aperitif glasses on a silver tray sat on the window ledge next to the tub.
She returned to the bedroom to find Gage shedding his clothes. And it wasn’t for the first time that she marveled at the perfection of his lean, muscled physique. Their eyes met when she slipped out of her shoes and shimmied out of the dress. She recognized lust in his gaze when she stood there wearing nothing but a pair of black bikini panties. Hooking her thumbs in the waistband, she slid them down her thighs and legs without bending her knees, and stepped out of them.
Turning on her heel, she strolled into the bathroom, giving him an unobstructed view of her naked body. She smiled hearing his intake of breath.
She stepped into the warm water and sat down, sighing as the pulsing jets massaged her body. Minutes later Gage joined her, his thick, heavy sex swaying between his thighs. Sit down! the silent voice in her head screamed. Him standing over her, semi-erect, was so erotic she feared she’d reach over and caress him.
Gage finally settled in the tub and filled the tiny glasses with the amber liquid. He touched his glass to hers. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” she repeated. She sipped the liquor, staring at Gage over the rim as heat warmed her throat and settled in her chest.
He took both glasses and set them on the ledge, and then reached for her and settled her over his thighs. An audible gasp echoed in the bathroom when she felt his erection filling every inch of her vagina. Curving her arms around his neck for support, Tonya began moving over his penis. It began with a slow up-and-down motion, and then increased to frenzied rocking, and Gage’s upward thrusting splashed water over the sides of the tub and onto the terracotta floor.
Without warning, he reversed their positions, supporting her body, and his lower body pumped with the velocity of a piston as he wordlessly communicated his masculine dominance over her.
“Marry me,” he gasped, his breath hot and heavy in her ear.
Shaking her head, Tonya swallowed to relieve the dryness in her throat from breathing through her mouth. “No, Gage. I can’t.”
“Marry me!” he repeated.
“No!”
“Please marry me,” he intoned, the supplication becoming a litany, which rang in her ear like a chant.
“I can’t,” she cried out at the same time she felt the walls of her vagina contract. There was one contraction, and then another, and they kept coming as her moans of erotic pleasure became unrestrained screams of ecstasy as she stiffened with the explosive rush of orgasmic fulfillment sweeping through her. The screams subsided to surrendering moans of physical satiation as she closed her eyes and registered the rush of Gage’s release bathing her throbbing flesh.
Tears leaked from under her lids. Gage Toussaint possessed the power to assuage her physical need for him, but unknowingly he also had the power to tear her soul apart. She prayed he would not ask her to marry him again, because at that very moment she would have consented. Tonya loved Gage with all of her heart, but not enough to marry him. One marriage in her lifetime was enough.
She refused to look at him when she reached for a cloth from a stack on the ledge and drew it over her body and between her legs. She climbed out of the tub and picked up a towel off the low stool and wrapped it around her body. Walking on bare feet, Tonya entered the bedroom and slipped into bed. She was falling asleep when she felt the warmth of Gage’s body as he pressed his chest to her back.
“I’m sorry, Gage.”
He kissed the nape of her neck. “It’s okay, babe. I should be the one apologizing for pressuring you to live with me and for wanting to marry you.”
She turned to face him but couldn’t make out his features in the darkened room. “I do love you, but I’m not ready. And I don’t know when I’ll be ready.”
“Hush, sweets. I’m not going anywhere, so whenever you’re ready let me know. I promise not to ask you again.”
Tonya placed her fingers over his mouth before her mouth replaced her fingers. “I love you. Why I don’t know. The list is so long I wouldn’t be able to come up with enough words to describe how you make me feel.”
He nuzzled her ear. “Knowing you love me is enough.”
“For how long, Gage?”
“Until forever.”
She repeated the two words in her head until she fell asleep. And when she woke the next morning to rain pelting the windows, she was alone in bed and there was a square gaily wrapped box on the pillow next to hers. Pushing into sitting position, she carefully removed the paper to reveal a navy blue velvet case. Instinct indicated it was a piece of jewelry—but what?
She finally opened the top and gasped. Resting on a bed of white silk was a diamond bangle. The blue-white stones shimmered like stars. After two attempts, Tonya managed to open the double safety catch and slip it on her left wrist. The weight indicated it was more than gold. Perhaps even platinum.
Scrambling out of bed, she raced into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. Removing the kimono from a wall hook, she slipped it over her head. She entered the bedroom at the same time Gage strolled in carrying two trays.
“I’d hoped to surprise you with breakfast in bed.”
“You have,” she said, smiling. “With breakfast and with the bracelet.” Tonya held up her left arm. “Thank you. It’s beautiful.”
“You’re welcome. Now get back into bed so we can eat together.”
She smoothed down the sheet and climbed back into bed, taking the tray from Gage and placing it across her lap. He had prepared a light, fluffy omelet, home fries, toast, and a cup of fresh fruit. “This smells wonderful.”
He got into bed next to her. “Bon appétit.”
“Thank you.” Tonya bit into the omelet filled with green onions and Gruyère. “You’re going to spoil me where I’d want breakfast in bed every morning.”
Gage ruffled her short hair. “That can be easily arranged.”
“Breakfast or spoiling?”
“Both.”
“I’m glad you suggested staying in this weekend,” Gage said after a comfortable silence. “I know I promised my mother I’d come up to Lafayette to see her, but right now I’m not up to driving more than a hundred fifty miles in the rain.”
Tonya’s fork stopped in midair when she stared at him. “You canceled seeing your mother to be with me?”
“It’s not that.”
“What is it, Gage? I don’t want your mother angry with me because—”
“Stop it, Tonya. My not seeing my mother has nothing to do with you. I didn’t make a firm commitment to see her; otherwise she would’ve called and read me the riot act.”
“I’m sorry I overreacted.”
“You’re entitled to overreact every once in a while.”
“Why, thank you, sir.”
He ran a finger down the length of her short nose. “You’re welcome, madam.”
* * *
Tonya sat on the window seat in the garret, staring at the rain sluicing down the glass. She and Gage had shared a shower, splashing each other like little kids before she begged him to stop. She’d retreated to the attic when Gage had to return several phone calls; she didn’t want him to think she was eavesdropping on his conversations.
She heard his footsteps coming up the stairs and turned away from the window. The expression on his face was one she would never forget: fear. “What is it?”
“It’s Wesley.”
Tonya stood up. “What about him?”
“The police just called to say someone found him in an alley beaten so badly he’s barely alive.”
Tonya was galvanized into action. “I’m coming with you.”
She didn’t remember putting on her running shoes or grabbing a poncho from the closet. What she did remember was Gage speeding and running red lights to get to the municipal hospital. It appeared that the natural color had drained out of his face, while a muscle twitched nervously in his jaw. As soon as they arrived at the hospital, she took his keys. She wasn’t going to allow him to drive like that again and wrap the Audi around a pole.
She felt helpless, impotent—as helpless as she’d felt when she pleaded with her brother to give up selling and using drugs. But all of her pleas had fallen on deaf ears. Ian had claimed he was in too deep and didn’t know how or want to get out.
She sat in the hospital waiting area for family members while Gage spoke to someone at the nurses’ station. He was gone for so long Tonya thought he’d forgotten she had come with him.
She popped up when he walked into the room. It was as if he’d aged overnight. “How is he?”
He shook his head. “Not good. Whoever beat him wanted him dead. They’ve got him hooked up to a machine monitoring his vitals, and they’re also trying to flush drugs out of his system. The doctor said he shot up with a lethal cocktail of heroin, crack, and another drug whose name I can’t recall.”
Tonya rested a hand on his arm. “I thought he lived in Baton Rouge.”
“That’s what I thought.” He ran a hand over his face. “Now that he’s here, I can keep an eye on him. I don’t know where he got the drugs, but once they release him I’m bringing him home with me—that is if you don’t mind him living with us.”
Tonya looked at Gage as if he’d lost his mind. “It has nothing to do with whether I mind, Gage. The boy’s your son, and it is your responsibility to make sure he gets help and stays clean.”
He pulled her into the circle of his arms. “Thank you. That’s really a load off my mind.”
She wanted to ask him if he really thought she was that callous and would tell him his son couldn’t live with them. “How long do they plan to keep him?”
“I don’t know. Remember, Tonya, this is not Wesley’s first rodeo, but if I have anything to do with it it’s going to be his last. There’s no way I’m going to send him back to his mother after this.” A blood-curdling scream reverberated out in the hall, followed by a woman calling Wesley’s name. “Shit! That must be Winifred.”
Tonya followed Gage to the hallway, stunned to find a woman clawing at Gage as he tried dislodging himself from her. She had to assume the woman and Gage were around the same age, but his son’s mother looked old enough to have been Gage’s mother. Her face was sallow and pockmarked, body emaciated, and when she opened her mouth, she was missing several teeth. It didn’t take the IQ of a genius to know the woman was abusing meth.
Tonya felt like she was witnessing a brutal assault captured by police or closed circuit cameras when Gage grabbed the woman’s upper arms and shook her as if she were a rag doll. Winifred was screaming that he was killing her, and Gage retaliated with, “He can’t get clean if you’re on the shit, too!”
“Let her go, Gage, before you break her arms,” Tonya pleaded as hospital staff and patients came out of their rooms to witness the fracas.
Winifred’s cloudy blue-gray eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want you anywhere near my son. Yes, Gage, my son. I told him the truth when he was fifteen when he asked about you; I told him I didn’t know who his father was, because I wanted him to hate you just like you hated me for being what you wanted me to be.” Spittle had formed at the corners of her mouth.
A member of hospital security arrived, and Gage told him he didn’t want Winifred anywhere near his son.
“For the last time, he’s not your son!” she screamed.
“I may not have fathered him, but it is my name on his birth certificate, and legally that makes him my son.”
Tonya backed away as if they were carrying a communicable disease. She did not want to believe Gage had asked her to marry him, yet did not trust her enough to tell her about his son’s paternity, even though he knew the boy wasn’t his biological son. Did he believe she would think him a fool for claiming a child belonging to another man? That he’d loved Winifred so much he didn’t care if she’d cheated on him with other men?
The questions bombarded her as she left the hospital and sat in his car in the parking lot. What if she had consented to marry him? Would he have hidden the truth from her, or would he have been forthcoming because she said yes?
She punched the start-engine button when he opened the passenger-side door and got in. “How did it go?”
“I don’t want to talk about it!”
“You have to talk about, Gage.”
“No, I don’t, because it’s none of your business.”
“You’re right,” she mumbled under her breath. “It is none of my business.” As she drove, she acted as if she didn’t have a care in the world, while her insides were churning like a whirlpool. Tonya parked the car and went inside the house.
She went into the bedroom, retrieved one of her bags from the closet, and opening and closing drawers, filled the bag with enough clothes to last at least four days.
Gage was sitting on the sofa when she came down the stairs, and she knew she would never forget the haunted look in his eyes. She left the set of keys to the condo on the dining table and walked out of the house.
* * *
Gage watched Tonya walk out of the house and out of his life. He wanted to go after her, but his mind was in so much turmoil he wasn’t able to form a coherent thought. It had been years since he last saw Winifred, and it only took one glance to know why Wesley wasn’t able to stay clean.
At twenty Wesley was no longer a minor, but he was the only father the boy had ever known. And despite Winifred’s claim he was not his biological father, Wesley’s birth certificate indicated legally he was. He picked up his cell phone and placed a call to his attorney’s office, leaving a voice mail message that it was an emergency.
He knew he had treated Tonya unfairly when he told her that what went on between him and his ex was none of her business, but he didn’t want to involve her in the ugliness that had begun to plague him within days of exchanging vows with a woman he never should’ve married.
He tapped Tonya’s number, and the call went directly to voice mail. He left a message for her to return his call. Gage knew his life was in crisis: Wesley was in critical condition from a vicious beating, while he’d practically assaulted his ex after her insane display, and the woman he loved beyond description had walked out on him.
Four hours later he called Tonya again, nearly pleading with her to call him. Panicking, Gage called local hotels and motels asking for her, but with no success. He decided to wait until Sunday to contact her again. After a good night’s sleep he prayed things would be better.