Lover's Island, page 30
“What does Nyimah’s daughter have to do with my daughter?” Nova asked, pressing. She asked a question that she already knew the answer to deep down inside. The guilty expression on Khiri’s face confirmed it. Cree had a child with Nyimah. She sucked in a sharp breath and clenched her teeth.
“I just want to know if Sanai is my daughter. If you’re so sure, why not get the DNA test to prove me wrong?”
Panic flooded her as she considered his words. Her nerves unraveled as she thought about the consequences of their secret coming to the light. She truly believed that Sanai belonged to Cree, but she couldn’t ignore the small possibility that Khiri could be her father. As selfish as it was, she couldn’t consent to anything that might jeopardize her daughter’s world as she knew it.
“I—I can’t. I have to go.” Nova brushed past Khiri, leaving him standing there with conflicting thoughts once again. She rushed away, dabbing at the corners of her eyes, looking down. She bumped into Scarlett, who sat on the stairs leading to the front door, holding a joint between her diamond-studded, stiletto-shaped nails. “Oh, Scarlett!” Nova gasped as she gripped her chest, glancing back casually. She cursed silently when she saw Khiri approaching the two of them with the box in his hands.
“What’s up, Scarlett?” Khiri greeted and opened the door and went into the house.
Nova gritted her teeth, waiting for the door to close before asking her next question. “How long have you been sitting out here, girl?” She plastered a smile on her face. On the outside she might have appeared calm, but on the inside, her entire body quaked. Maybe Scarlett didn’t hear anything, she thought.
“Long enough.” Scarlett blew out a cloud of smoke in Nova’s face. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she shook her head. She put the joint out against the stairs and flicked it on the ground near Nova’s feet. “I’ve been here long enough to know you were fucking my cousin.”
Nova swallowed hard, meeting Scarlett’s cold glare. Out of Cree’s sisters, she gave Nova the hardest time. Scarlett attempted to hide her distaste for Nova out of respect for her brother, biting her tongue on plenty of occasions. Now the contempt was written clearly across her face. “It was a long time ago. Your brother knows.”
Scarlett’s tongue clicked against her teeth as she stood. The red lipstick that stained her lips matched the short red hair on her head, styled in finger waves. “Oh yeah?” She stepped into Nova’s face, cornering her against Fabian’s Maybach. “Does he know that Sanai might not be his daughter?” she nearly growled.
Scoffing, Nova tried to find the words to answer Scarlett. “She is his daughter.”
“Bitch, you don’t know!” Scarlett yelled. She exhaled heavily and backpedaled away from Nova. Any second longer and she would’ve put her hands on her. “I’ll tell you what. I’m going to give you the chance to get to the bottom of this messy shit and tell my brother on your own, or I will.” She glared at Nova as her breaths became shallow. “Relax. You got time to figure out how you’ll tell him. No need to ruin Cree’s weekend.” Scarlett pointed her long fingers at Nova. “After all, he just proposed to Nyimah. They’ll be living on that engagement high for a few weeks.” A wide grin spread across her face.
Checkmate, she thought as she walked away from a seething Nova.
“Fuck!” Nova screamed when she was finally alone. The secret Scarlett held over her head made her feel safe talking to Nova in that manner. Had the circumstances been different, Nova would’ve checked the disrespect, but in this situation, she was wrong. So wrong.
Fourteen
Time seemed to fly after Cree’s proposal. Nyimah’s life changed in the blink of an eye. She not only returned from Lover’s Island engaged to the man she loved, but she returned as queen to an empire. The luxurious life that Cree lived automatically trickled down to her now. Anything she desired was at the tips of her fingers. All of that was the icing on the cake. Having Cree in her life, waking up to him and Ceraya every day, fulfilled her.
A month after leaving Lover’s Island, she packed up the condo in Atlanta and relocated to Fort Lauderdale. Cree had purchased a beautiful three-story home for them to settle into. Big enough to house all the babies they planned on having. He allowed Nyimah to decorate, while he financed the purchases. The only thing she missed was Aida being a call away. She remained in Atlanta since it was closer to the twins’ father. Nyimah had convinced Aida to move into her condo, which gave her peace of mind since Khiri lived next door.
“You ready?” Cree leaned against the frame of the bathroom door, admiring Nyimah. She hovered over the vanity, applying Fenty lip gloss to her plump lips. Her natural hair cascaded down her back in large curls. He loved everything about the view, even down to the way baby hairs curled softly against her temples. Walking behind her, Cree nestled his chin into her neck and wrapped his arms around her waist. His hands dropped to her stomach, and he cupped it. “What’s up, son?”
Nyimah smiled gently as she placed her hands over Cree’s. Their love had grown within her womb for a second time. This time around, Cree insisted she carried a baby boy. “I’m ready.” She spun around and stroked Cree’s chin. The past six months were the best she’d had since Asun died. Cree assured that all her needs were met and kept her full on his loving. The accommodations her new lifestyle offered allowed Nyimah to partake in what most would consider a soft life. She didn’t have to lift a finger if she didn’t want to. Her man made sure of that. However, she couldn’t stray from her passion for doing hair. She had been working on opening her own salon in Miami, with Cree’s help. The grand opening was set for the top of the New Year, which was only a few weeks away.
“Did your mom need me to bring Ceraya any clothes?” she asked Cree. Ceraya had spent the past two nights with her grandparents. Although Nyimah had yet to get used to being away from her baby, she was grateful for the village Cree’s family offered. For so long, she had been disconnected from that feeling. The wholeness of a family’s love.
Kissing the inside of her wrist, Cree shook his head. “Ceraya’s had a closet full of clothes there since my mother found out about her.” They made their way outside ,where Cree’s Range Rover waited. He opened the passenger door for Nyimah and shut it when she was safely tucked inside.
Half an hour later, they were entering Loveleen’s home. It was the Baptistes’ first event of the holiday season and the first time Nyimah would be under one roof with all his family members. She had to admit the idea was daunting, but Cree had assured her that they would all be on their best behavior.
“Hey, son.” Loveleen greeted Cree with a kiss to the cheek. “Nyimah! Hi, baby. Don’t you look beautiful.” She embraced her, rocking side to side, before beaming with pride. “Y’all look good together!”
Nyimah blushed as they released the embrace and entered the home. “Hey, Ms. Loveleen.” She had nothing but love and respect for her. Loveleen had welcomed Nyimah with open arms when they were properly introduced, and they’d grown close over the months.
“Everyone’s already seated. That hyper little girl of y’all’s fell asleep about twenty minutes ago with Sanai. They played themselves out,” Loveleen explained as she led them into the dining room.
“There they are!” Marguerite exclaimed when the trio filed in. She rose from her seat and extended her arms out toward Cree.
Scanning the room, Nyimah saw a table filled with more food than she could choose from. Familiar faces sat at the table, like Khiri and his parents, Scarlett, Pierre, Elissia, Nova, and Fabian. A few unfamiliar faces were seated there as well.
Cree held Nyimah’s hand as he walked around the table to greet his grandmother. “Ma Marguerite, you looking good, lady.” He enveloped her petite body before pecking her forehead. “Nyimah, this is my grandmother, Marguerite Baptiste, and my grandfather, Randall. Ma, this is Nyimah Deveraux, soon to be Baptiste.”
“A pleasure to finally meet you, Nyimah. I’ve heard so much about you. I’m looking forward to getting to know you.” Marguerite smiled as she held Nyimah’s hand.
After they exchanged greetings, Nyimah followed Cree to their seats. Ironically enough, Nyimah sat directly across from Nova, with Loveleen seated to the right of her at the head of the table, Fabian to her right. Scarlett was to the left of Cree, with Pierre sitting next to her, and Elissia was to his left. Khiri sat across from Scarlett, stroking his chin, with his parents to his right. An older man who sat between Nova and Khiri began grilling Cree.
“Is that . . . ?” Nyimah whispered in Cree’s ear.
“Nova’s father,” he responded lowly while staring back at the man. Jonas Saint had exchanged more than a few unfriendly words with Cree after they called off the engagement. He blamed Cree for “ruining” his daughter’s reputation.
Loveleen tapped a spoon against the outside of her glass as she stood. “I want to thank everyone for taking the time to be here. God has brought many blessings to our family in the past year, and I’m glad we can celebrate together. Only person missing is my baby girl Angel. As some of y’all know, she’s finishing up exams.” She sat the spoon on the table and placed her hand on Fabian’s shoulder. “Baby, can you bless the food?”
Fabian gave a quick prayer before everyone dug into the food. As they passed savory dishes around the table, Cree made Nyimah a plate to introduce her to some of his favorite Haitian specialties.
“So, Nyimah, how did you and my nephew meet?” Nadia asked. All eyes turned to Nyimah.
She took a sip of water before answering. “We met on vacation in Las Vegas.” She glanced at Cree, and he nodded for her to continue. “We were both locked in after that.”
“Like love at first sight?” Scarlett questioned.
Nyimah looked up from her plate and met Nova’s cold glare. The two had never exchanged words with each other, but she felt the iciness rising off Nova. She didn’t like Nyimah, obviously. I haven’t done anything to this woman. “You can say that.”
“Now look at the two of you. Happily engaged and waiting to welcome baby number two. What a love story,” Marguerite commented, winking at Nyimah.
“Indeed,” Nadia added. “But before being engaged to Cree, my son brought you around. I assumed you were dating. Was that the case?” She meant no harm by her questions, but she was genuinely curious. Khiri didn’t talk about those types of things with her.
The table grew silent. Cree and Khiri moved to answer simultaneously, but they closed their mouths awkwardly when their gazes met.
“Nadia,” Bashir said sternly. He knew how messy his wife could be at times.
Shrugging her shoulders, Nadia patted her chest twice. “What? I’m just asking what everyone wants to know.”
“No, it’s okay,” Nyimah began, and all eyes turned to her once again. “Cree and I lost contact after I found out I was pregnant. I left my hometown and moved to Atlanta, where I met Khiri.” She gave Khiri a grateful smile. “We became friends shortly after. I never knew about his relation to Cree until—” She stopped herself and glanced briefly at Nova, who rolled her eyes slyly. They didn’t need a replay of the engagement party. “I must say you’ve done a great job at raising him. Khiri is someone I’m glad to call my friend.”
Nadia blushed at the comment, waving her off modestly. Nyimah had won her over that quickly. “Well, thank you, sweetie.”
Cree squeezed her hand under the table. It was his silent signal to let her know that she had performed well under pressure.
“Cree, when is the wedding?” Randall inquired.
Jonas hit his china plate with his fork, making a loud sound, as he cut his steak with more aggression than was warranted.
Nyimah ate forkfuls of oxtail and caught Loveleen shooting Nova’s father a lethal glare out of the side of her eye. Fabian whispered something in Loveleen’s ear, and she looked at him, replacing the glare with a loving grin. The tension in the room could have been cut with a butcher knife as thick as it was. Nyimah glanced at Cree, who appeared unbothered. He was so damn fine.
Cree took a sip of his water before answering. “We’re aiming for late spring. Right after the baby is born.”
“Do you know what you’re having yet, Nyimah?” Elissia asked, peering down the table.
Nyimah swallowed and shook her head. “We’re waiting until the delivery to find out.”
“I think it’s a boy,” Pierre chimed in. “I got five bands on it.”
“Double it up, because I think she’s having a girl,” Scarlett said, betting her brother.
The table erupted into a friendly debate over the gender of the baby Nyimah carried. Somehow the bet reached twenty-five thousand dollars, and Nyimah chuckled to herself. These folks crazy as hell.
“This is ridiculous,” Jonas muttered, sucking his teeth.
Nova shook her head. “Dad, don’t,” she warned in a low voice.
“Got something to say, Jonas?” Cree asked, placing his fork in the front of him.
A silence fell over the room, and it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Instantly, the tension returned.
“Matter of fact . . . I do have something to say, since it seems like no one else here wants to speak on it.” Jonas threw his napkin on the table and narrowed his eyes at Cree. “You expect us to sit here and go along with this charade with this woman?” Jonas paused as he turned his nose up at Nyimah. “You’ve ruined my daughter’s reputation by agreeing to marry a woman we know nothing about,” he spat.
Nyimah felt Cree tense beside her. She moved to speak, but Nova beat her to it. “This is not the place, Dad.”
Jonas sucked his teeth. “Quiet, Zenova! You’ve let them run over you long enough. I didn’t raise you to be a doormat.” His words silenced her, and she sank into her seat, embarrassed. He focused again on Cree. “You don’t have anything to say?”
“I think you should choose your words very carefully when it comes to me and mine.”
Jonas laughed. “You discard my baby girl like she’s trash and expect me to accept it. She deserved better, Cree.” He shook his head and gazed at Nova. “Don’t you agree?” he demanded.
“I think we all agree to change the subject,” Nadia stated.
“Yes, Auntie, I agree,” Elissia added, glancing at her food awkwardly.
“I don’t.” Scarlett’s voice cut through the air. “No disrespect, Mr. Saint, but while you’re coming at my brother, you need to be asking why your daughter wasn’t married to Cree sooner. They were broken up for years before he met Nyimah.” She rolled her neck. She didn’t like how the man addressed the situation, like Cree automatically had to be wrong and Nova was innocent. “Maybe your daughter was the problem.”
Oh shit, Nyimah thought, knowing exactly what Scarlett was getting at.
All eyes shifted between Scarlett and Nova, who sat as quiet as a mouse.
“What are you saying, Scarlett?” Loveleen asked.
“Yes, what are you saying?” Jonas added.
Cree locked eyes with Khiri, confirming they both had guessed what Scarlett was hinting at. Cree didn’t know how or when she came into that knowledge, though. “Not the time or the place,” he warned his sister.
“It is, though, brother,” Scarlett countered sadly. She took no pleasure in what she was about to do, but not saying anything had the potential to hurt their family more in the long run. “You want to tell them, or should I?” Scarlett glared at Nova.
Crossing her arms, Nova leaned back in the chair as tears burned in her eyes. “Oh please, be my guest,” she responded sarcastically. Her secrets were about to be revealed, and still, she found it too hard to speak the words.
Tutting, Scarlett threw her hands in the air, as if to say, “Fuck it.” “Nova slept with Tic, I mean Khiri,” she blurted out.
Chatter rose around the table.
“What!” Loveleen and Nadia said simultaneously.
“Oh shit,” Pierre mumbled under his breath. He figured Nova cheating was the reason Cree had left her, but he never would’ve guessed it was with his cousin.
Scarlett shot Cree a regretful look. “I know you knew, Cree, but there’s something else you should know.”
Nyimah held her breath, watching Scarlett’s head swivel between Nova, Cree, and Khiri.
“Sanai might not be yours!” Nova shouted quickly, with closed eyes.
“Nova!” Jonas snapped sharply, stunned by the revelation.
Cree shot Nova a deadly look. “Come again?” He must’ve heard her incorrectly. Surely, Nova wouldn’t keep something like that from him for years.
“Sanai . . . may be Khiri’s daughter,” Nova said quietly.
“Tic!” Nadia exclaimed. “Did you know about this?”
Khiri inhaled deeply, ready to receive the backlash for his part in this mess. He hated how everything had come out, but it was bound to happen sooner or later. “I didn’t suspect it until the day of Unc’s birthday party last year. Nova denied it.” He shrugged.
Everyone at the table began talking over each other, arguing. Nyimah glanced at Cree and caressed his cheek. He sat silently, eyebrows furrowing, staring at Nova, who avoided his gaze. Nyimah couldn’t imagine what he was feeling. From the day they met, Cree had expressed how much he loved his daughter. She had witnessed how affectionate he was with Sanai. This news had the potential to shatter him. On the other hand, Nyimah sympathized with Khiri too. To possibly have a child who thought of you as a cousin all their life was crazy. If Sanai turned out to be his biological daughter, it meant he’d been robbed of the most precious years of her life as a father. She had never expected Scarlett to drop this bomb.
Fabian banged his hand on the table and rose to his feet. “That’s enough! This is for Cree, Nova, and Khiri to figure out right now.”
“But, Dad,” Scarlett interjected.
Fabian held up one hand, and Scarlett shut her mouth. “You’ve done enough, Scarlett. I don’t want to repeat myself. We will not turn this dinner into a circus.” Nothing more needed to be said. He sat down and grabbed Loveleen’s hand, then kissed it. She had a lot to say, but she’d listen to her husband for now.
