Chapter Nineteen

Bailey

In less than twenty-four hours our ship would dock in Mobile, Alabama, and I was trying not to panic about it as I got the kids ready for our last party on deck. Any minute now Arthur was going to knock on the door, and it might be the last night before everything changed. I was trying hard not to think about the fact that as soon as I returned home I would be faced with the issue of what to do about my living situation. At times, I thought of confiding in Arthur that I needed help, but it didn’t seem fair to him to involve him into such an ugly family drama, especially around the holiday season.

Mother had given me until the end of January to allow me to come up with a solution. She only did this because she didn’t believe I would be able to come out of the mess by then anyway, but I was determined to prove her wrong. I’d work myself to the bone if that was necessary for me to be able to afford a new place. I’d already gotten the idea out of my head that I would ever be able to pay her what was owed for the house. It was best for me to move to a less expensive neighborhood and try to get a job that could take care of the rent and the kids. When I thought about my options like that, it didn’t seem so scary after all. I felt I could handle that.

My only concern was that moving to a cheaper neighborhood might also mean finding someplace less savory for the kids to grow up. As soon as I got home, I would be checking property listings to find out what was available. If I worked twice what I used to I wouldn’t have the time to put into a relationship either.

“That’s it,” I announced, smoothing my hand down Gina’s sleek braid. “I’m going to brush my teeth. Get the door only if it’s Arthur, okay?”

“Okay,” she answered, but she was distracted with the Baby Alive doll Arthur had gifted her. I had no idea where he had found the doll, but apparently, there was a toy store somewhere on the ship. I had steered the kids clear from it because the shops on the ship tended to be quite expensive, and I didn’t want to disappoint them by telling them I couldn’t afford the toys they wanted.

In the bathroom, I brushed my teeth, noting that although worried, my eyes held a gleam.

After brushing my teeth, I pushed open the bathroom door and was about to call to the twins when their conversation drifted to me causing me to halt.

“Tell me. I’ll tell you my wish too,” Gina was saying to Reggie.

“You promise not to laugh?” he answered.

“Promise. What did you ask Santa for?”

“I asked him to let Arthur be our new daddy. That way, we’d have two daddies.”

“That’s what I also wished for!” Gina cried excitedly. “Arthur is great, and he buys us lots of gifts.”

“Yeah, plus Uncle Bailey is less sad when Arthur is around.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t have told each other our wish,” Gina said, her tone fretfully. “What if it won’t come true now?”

“But Santa says he’ll make my wish come true.”

Oh my God, they had said this to Arthur. I allowed the door to close once more so the kids didn’t realize I had overheard their conversation. I needed a minute to catch my breath and organize my thoughts. I had been curious as to what the kids had asked Arthur for, but I had tried to respect their privacy by not asking Arthur, and he hadn’t volunteered the information either. How could he have not said anything given the nature of the conversation? Instead, he acted like nothing had changed between us. How could I face him knowing what I did now? Good Lord, what if he thought I had set the kids up to this by putting ideas in their heads? I had no idea if I should pretend I didn’t know or if I should reassure Arthur that I wasn’t expecting declarations of love or a proposal of marriage. While that would be nice, I would rather that he did so in his own time. Not because he wanted to make the kids happy.

At the sound of knocking on the door, I summoned my best smile and left the bathroom. Gina and Reggie already had the door open.

“Hey, guys, you ready to go dancing?” Arthur asked.

I still couldn’t see him as he was standing in the threshold. It gave me some time to compose myself so I could act normal when we faced each other.

“Yes! I got my tutu on!” Gina cried. “I love dancing!”

She did, and if I had the money, I would have enrolled her in a dance class after pre-school, but we couldn’t afford it yet. For the hundredth time, I wished David hadn’t wasted his money sending me to Stonewell, but saved it for the kids. I knew he didn’t anticipate dying so he probably thought he could save more. At least the kids had been on a policy that would award them hundreds of thousands of dollars given their maturity at eighteen. Now if only I could get them to the age of eighteen.

“That’s a mighty fine tutu, Miss Regina,” Arthur commented, walking inside the cabin as Gina giggled at his antics. “And that’s a fancy outfit, Sir Reginald,” he said, giving Reggie a mock bow, which set him off laughing as well.

“Hey, you don’t look too bad yourself,” I stated, and all three pairs of eyes turned in my direction. I felt my cheeks heating as I thought that all three of them thought they were keeping a secret from me. Little did they know I had found out, and I had to pretend that I knew nothing about it.

“Well, I had to clean up since I’m going to be in the company of three of the most beautiful people in that room,” Arthur remarked, walking over to me.

I tilted my head in anticipation of his kiss, which landed briefly on my mouth.

“You kiss Uncle Bailey a lot!” Reggie remarked. “Why?”

Arthur looked as startled as me at the question. “You don’t like to see me kiss Uncle Bailey?” he asked.

“I think it’s yucky,” Gina stated. “Ricky tried to kiss my cheek at school, but I kicked him in the shin.”

“Well, when you’re grown up and you love someone, it’s hard not to kiss them,” Arthur replied, gazing into my eyes.

My mouth fell open at his confession. I was moved speechless at the way he casually dropped it into the conversation like it was every day he confessed to loving me. I wanted to respond, but I was afraid if I tried to speak, only gibberish would come out.

“Mommy and Daddy loved each other,” Gina said. “They kissed a lot.”

I cleared my throat to distract them, thinking they would get all teary, but other than a sad expression, there was no waterworks this time.

“Shouldn’t we get out of here if we want to get to that party?” I asked them. “It’s time for dancing. We can talk later.” I ensured I was looking directly at Arthur when I said this. Later we would discuss his confession. I also felt perhaps I should tell him the full story of my past. Since he loved me, it would hardly matter that I had once been a street kid, owned by a pimp and sold to wealthy men in Birmingham who fancied an hour or more with me.

The party was being held on the fourth deck. Since the elevators were busy and we were only one deck below, we took the stairs. The party was already in full swing. Everyone seemed to have abandoned the other areas of the ship to spend the last night on board the ship together. The party was kid friendly with lots of retro music playing and fun songs for dancing. There were games for families to get involved in, and while we didn't participate, we watched, and it was a great experience. Being at that party together, I couldn’t stop thinking about what the kids had wished for. If only their Christmas wish would come true. I could definitely see us together as a family. For a man who didn’t have prior experience with kids, Arthur handled himself well with the twins. He was a considerate lover, the chemistry between us sizzled hotter than the devil’s toenails, and he’d confessed to loving me.

We took part in the chain dances at the party, we danced together, and the kids enjoyed themselves. I smiled watching the three people who held my heart and created a snapshot in my mind of all of us. When I remembered my phone, I grabbed it from my pocket, and we took several pictures to keep as memories. At one point when I paused, leaving all three of them to continue, I sent a couple to Ollie for him to see how happy I was.

“Who’re you texting?” Arthur asked, approaching me from behind so suddenly that I startled. I glanced over to where the kids were dancing with some other kids whose parents hovered close by as well.

“Just my friend Ollie,” I replied. “Showing him how much of a good time we’re having.”

“That guy you thought you loved?”

I stared at him in surprise because I didn’t expect him to remember that. Had he been thinking about it all this time? I wished I hadn’t mentioned it to him.

“It was a silly crush back at Stonewell University,” I answered. “I never stood a chance with him given he was already in love with someone else. That’s fine though because I would have missed out on more exciting adventures. We’re just friends and, I think you’d like him if you met him.”

“Hmm.” He frowned at me. “I’m going to get something to drink and for the kids too. They’re going to be thirsty after all this dancing. Do you want anything?”

“A bottle of water would be fine,” I answered.

He nodded, his eyes thoughtful as he walked away. I groaned, feeling like I had just bungled that opportunity to get him to understand my relationship with Ollie. According to Ollie, he hadn’t needed to explain in depth to Drew. Drew trusted him and believed in what they shared. However, Drew and Arthur were two different men. Given the history of Arthur’s relationships, and the little time we had spent together, he wasn’t bound to understand. Drew had waited almost two years to start a relationship with Ollie.

I spotted Emily in the crowd dancing, and I waved to her. She waved back with a smile, seeming happier than she had been in a while. I expected to see her male friend with her although she had claimed they were no longer in a relationship. As far as I could see however, she was dancing alone.

“This is so much fun!” she cried, dancing her way over to me.

I grinned at her. “Yes, it is. Wanna dance?”

“Isn’t Arthur here with you?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, but he’s gone to get us something to drink. Come on. We can have at least one dance before he comes back.”

“You sure he won’t mind?”

“It’s just a dance, Em,” I said on a laugh. “Plus, I’m gay. What’s there for him to think about us dancing together?”