Chapter 6
Head pounding, Raven’s first thought upon awakening was her financial situation. It was never about the money for her, and despite her mom’s beliefs, Raven had leaked the wedding photos just to be an asshole. She wouldn’t dream of sharing Trinity’s pictures.
Steel rods for legs, she got up to start her morning process. All while brushing her teeth, Raven concentrated on not slinking back to bed and hiding beneath her feather duvet. After washing her face, Raven was moisturizing when she realized there were no cartoons blaring from downstairs. The faint scent of brown sugar pancakes meant that Annette must have taken Royael to the park across the street.
The doorbell chimed.
She grumbled, stepped back into the bedroom for fuzzy slippers, and then descended the steps.
“Open up, Raven. I spoke with Annette across the street. I know you in there.”
Back leaning against the door, Raven imagined the night before. Stephen had reminded her of what Liam used to be. My rock … She wished he hadn’t saved her.
The doorbell rang again. Biting her lip, Raven turned around, unlocked the bolt, and turned the knob. Stephen and rays of December sunlight entered the dark living room. Her eyes closed momentarily.
“Nice to see you, too.” He brushed past her and took a seat on the couch. “And you’re so very welcome. I was driving home from a twelve-hour shift when your friend called me yesterday. Now, who is he?”
“Hey, Steve. And if you gave me a damn chance, saying thank you would’ve been the next step.” She sank down into Grandpa Otis’s lazy boy.
“Don’t play with me, ReRe. Who is Liam?” When she rolled her eyes, he added, “I’m your friend. I thought we were going to sidestep our issues?”
We don’t have any issues. We’re BFFs. “Nobody important,” she said drily.
“Liam is Royael’s father, isn’t he? The man who made you empty inside. He’s the reason you think you can’t be loved. Then you go wasting time with William. Man, I still can’t wrap my head around y’all’s relationship.” He shook his head
“Stephen, please.” I don’t need the drama today. Her finger traced the cracks in Grandpa Otis’s leather chair, and she glanced at Stephen as he nodded his apology. Placing his hands behind his head, he leaned back and waited. She sighed, hoping she could trust the man.
Raven tugged her plump bottom lip through her teeth as she felt Stephen’s gaze piercing into her soul. Hands on the armrest, Grandpa’s chair gave her the comfort to tell him the truth. The whole truth.
***
Sitting on the side of Royael’s bed, Raven sang their special song. Her daughter’s eyes drooped, ready for a nap. She slowly stood and couldn’t stop herself from leaving a soft kiss on Royael’s forehead before tiptoeing toward the door. The soft voice calling her name made Raven turn back around. Lips pursed, she knelt back on the floor.
“Are you still sad?” Royael yawned.
“No, beautiful. How could I ever be sad? I am the luckiest woman in the world to be your mom,” Raven said, and she meant it. Knowing that Royael was a cranky little diva without her nap, she offered, “If you go to sleep now, I’ll take your picture later.”
“Okay, Mommy.” Royael yawned, amber eyes beginning to shade. “I have to do my job and make Mommy happy.”
Her daughter’s words moved her heart as Raven descended the stairs. She closed her eyes to quell the tears beginning to form. She stepped into the tiny kitchen where Annette was marinating pork chops.
“Thanks so much, Granny … for today.”
Placing the seasoning on the counter, Annette glanced into her glossed eyes. “Raven, this too shall pass.”
Raven nodded with a weak smile. They weren’t rather touchy-feely people. Usually working alongside each other in the kitchen was her granny’s favorite kind of quality time, but it seemed Annette had more to say.
“You check in with Dr. Stanton?”
Raven’s eyes brightened. If a person hadn’t known Annette when they crossed paths with her, they saw God in her. Regardless of how quickly they were introduced. Annette was one of those Southern Christians, where therapy clashed with their beliefs. When Raven began to see Dr. Stanton, Annette had gotten out the Bible.
Raven slowly nodded. “Yeah …”
“Go rest, ReRe,” Annette said, aware that her granddaughter needed a moment. Raven’s suffering from PTSD was still a touchy subject. Annette gave a wry smile and wagged a finger. “And don’t you be leaving any more of your coffee shop tips in the cookie jar. I went to sneak my weekly Madeleine cookie a little while ago, and only thing there was the little bit of money you have after those darn pageants. So, no need wasting it on a fat old bitty like me. If I was going to take those diabetes pills …”
“Then you’d buy them yourself,” Raven huffed. But you can’t afford to pay for the prescription. “All right, Granny, I won’t do it anymore.”
Before Raven could cuddle into the worn lazy boy, the doorbell rang again. She went to answer it. Composed, she opened the door to Sharon. Is this be-truthful-to-a-friend-day?
“You look like a hot mess.” Sharon sat on the same spot Stephen had claimed a few hours ago.
Raven looked down at her comfy slippers. She also had on her hoodie and sweat pants. “Well, thanks, Sharon. You’re killing it as always.”
“Damn straight.” Sharon grinned. Not necessarily a looker, she accessorized to a T. Sharon rummaged through her snakeskin purse and smacked a business magazine down on the coffee table.
Raven legs went momentarily weak as she took a seat next to her friend. Magazines were scary, horrid monsters. Familiar hazel eyes stared at her. Liam Lemaître was on the cover. Her gaze traveled over a royal-blue, tailored suit, cufflinks twinkling with diamonds. Handsome. Muscular arms folded. Confident. Blond hair tousled in a manner which made him him. Charismatic. Chin high, perfect lips curved into a smile. Arrogant.
“Read it,” Sharon said. When Raven didn’t make a move to take the magazine, Sharon snatched opened it to a page that already had an ear-fold. “Jonathan Liam Delacroix Lemaître Junior—Good God, how many names does this asshole need! Anyway, and I quote, ‘Legacy to the golden umbrella, Delacroix Corporation … Opens Delacroix Hotel USA corporate branch … new sky-rise in Dallas … multibillion dollar mogul, his grandfather Pierre Delacroix has handed him the key to the Delacroix Hotel kingdom!’” Sharon paused. “Must I continue?”
“Sharon, just go home and take that with you.” Raven stood up. “We can get together some other time. But don’t come back with that.”
“Girl, sit! You ruined our usual Thursday happy hour with that foolishness. We’re gonna get his slimy ass.”
“Do you not recall how I just got accused by my own mother of ‘pimping’ out my baby half-sister? Selling baby photos for a fucking paycheck. How low should I feel for some foul crap I would never do?”
“I’m not even going to get on the subject of Char. Taking the wedding pictures was … Well, we just knew each other from college. I never would have really spoken to you if you hadn’t taken those pictures, because your too fucking introverted, so oh well. Now back to you, when is the last time you smiled? And I don’t mean because you forced me to tag along to one of those damn Kevin Hart movies.”
Raven willed herself to smirk at the joke, to come alive as far as a facial expression, but it was no use.
“The reason you smile isn’t even five feet tall.”
Raven thought about her baby girl.
“Yeah, The Diva makes you smile.”
It was all true. There were only two reasons for Raven to smile. One involved a wide, stiff, exaggerated grin when Royael was on a pageant stage. Raven always modeled a hard grin as a reminder for her daughter. The other times were the real deal, when her child won Natural or Glitz, or anytime Royael smiled.
“You’re going to tell Liam that you know somebody who works for Scandalous. Liam can confirm it’s me.” Sharon pointed to herself. “However, he won’t know that I already know about his family secrets. He’ll give you enough money to pay for your school, Royael’s school—hell, enough for her to attend college, Annette’s bills. Whatever you need, and honey, y’all do need.”
“What if he doesn’t give in?” Raven’s eyes flitted to their scrawny Christmas tree and the few gifts underneath. And despite promising not to help Annette pay for any more medication, that was a request Raven had no intention of keeping.
“What if, what if, what if! He’s rich. The affluent only recognize reputation. If it gets out that Liam Lemaître had a baby with his half-sister, it would be the talk of the town. I mean, all the way from the US of A to France. So it would behoove him to act like he got sense!”