A Daddy Thing

by Kendra Reeves

Genres: African American Urban; Contemporary Romance; Love Triangles

Synopsis

Engagement? Check.
Five-Year Plan? Check.
Buy a home? Check.
Plan wedding? Check.

Baby . . . ?

What happens between two men and one woman when one man never wanted to be a father, and the other one always has?

In love with her fiancé and the life planned out for her, things were going as planned for Rachel Hendricks. But that all changes when the plan throws a curveball. Letting her guard down landed her here, three years later, ready to live her life with the one man who swept her off her feet—until the unexpected shatters her picture-perfect world into pieces.  

Things couldn't be better for Erickk Martin. He has a career he loves and is engaged to the love of his life when he receives some unexpected good news. But Errick soon realizes some things are too good to be true. With news of a baby on the way, Errick makes a rash decision, changing everyone's future. Will it make things better or worse?

For Saxon Carmichael, an accidental meeting with a mystery woman leaves a lasting impression. He finds himself attracted to her, and he can't shake it. Determined to explore a love so strong that it is unbreakable, he goes after her. But, while fighting through the woman's barriers around her heart, can Saxton prove that he will love her and someone else's unborn child?

Release date: July 25, 2023

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 288

Sample

After pulling in the drive, I put the car in park and looked up at the house. My head dropped back against the headrest. Closing my eyes, I let out a deep sigh. For a moment, I let the dread I felt run through my body.

Shaking it off, I opened my eyes and thought about how hard it was going to be to get out of the car, go up the walk, take the three steps leading to the porch, and open the door that led into the house I loved. For the first time since we bought this house, I didn’t want to be home.

Another deep sigh escaped me. I didn’t know how I was going to tell him. Hell, I didn’t even know how it happened. Errick was determined to stick to our five-year plan, and my news would definitely be a shock.

I thought about our relationship. When we met three years ago, I never thought we would end up together.

On a beautiful summer day, the afternoon sun was streaming down from a clear blue sky with fat white clouds that drifted lazily across it. A light breeze blew, keeping the heat from being unbearable. Cane Ridge Park was busy with baseball and softball games, family and church picnics. Children’s laughter rang out across the park from the play areas.

My best friend, Rosie, and I were at one of the ball fields watching Rosie’s boyfriend play softball. The game was close, and we got into the spirit of the game, cheering, yelling, and rooting for his team to win.

After his team won the game, Pete met Rosie on the edge of the field, pulling her into his arms. Lifting her from her feet, he swung her around, making her squeal in delight. Another man stopped close to me, watching Pete and Rosie with a smile on his face. I looked him over while he was watching the couple. He was tall, taller than my five foot nine inches, with a smooth deep brown complexion, close-cut hair that was full of waves, a broad nose, big, dark eyes, and full lips that made naughty thoughts come to my mind.

Glancing away with a smirk on my lips, I couldn’t help but find this man sexy. He had broad shoulders and a tapered waist, and he was slightly bowlegged. His jersey clung to his chest where he sweat, his pants showing off his thick thighs to perfection. This man oozed sex appeal.

“Hi, I’m Errick Stewart,” he introduced himself, extending his hand.

“My bad, man.” Pete laughed, setting Rosie back on her feet. “This is my girl, Rosie, and her friend Rachel.”

“Rachel Hendricks.” I slipped my hand into his. I admired the way his muscles flexed just under all that smooth brown skin. Errick smiled at me, a beautiful white flash of perfect teeth I was sure an orthodontist was able to vacation from.

Pete and the rest of the team wanted to celebrate, so they went to their favorite sports bar for a few beers. Rosie talked me into joining them. Errick and I talked for a little while over beers before I said my good-byes, leaving them to their celebration.

After our initial introduction, I was surprised when Errick called me one afternoon about a week later.

“I hope you don’t mind. I got your number from Pete’s girl. I was calling to invite you to dinner.”

Oh, I did mind, and I would get with Rosie about giving my number out later. “That’s very sweet of you, but I don’t think so,” I declined politely.

“What about lunch?” he offered.

“Really, I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

Errick turned out to be very persistent. He began calling me almost every evening. Our conversations started out as polite inquiries into each other’s day. A little while later we became more comfortable with each other. We really got to know one another. I enjoyed talking to him, he made me laugh, and we talked about everything. Errick would often invite me to lunch, dinner, or drinks, but I always turned him down politely. I would be his friend, but I was looking for more than I thought he was willing to give.

Everything changed when Pete threw a birthday party for Rosie.

I arrived at the Inspiration of Life Center at Fountain Square, where the party was being held. Red balloons swayed in the breeze, indicating that this was the right place. All guests were asked to wear red—Rosie’s favorite color. I wore a long red halter sundress that cupped my full breasts, brushed over my full hips, and hit me just below the ankle. My hair was pulled away from my face with a silver barrette. A silver cuff on my right upper arm and large silver hoops were my only jewelry other than the silver toe ring on my right middle toe.

Rosie spotted me as soon as I came in. She met me at the door, hugging me.

“You look great, girl,” I told her.

“Uh-uh, chica. You trying to steal all my thunder up in here,” Rosie exclaimed, looking me over. “You are hot in that red dress!”

“Yes, you are.”

I heard the voice just before I felt the touch on my shoulder. Turning, I found Errick standing there smiling at me. That smile.

He handed Rosie a silver-wrapped package with a silver and red bow. “Hello, Rosie. Happy birthday.”

“Hi.” I blushed under his scrutinizing gaze.

From that moment on, Errick swept me off my feet. He kept me at his side all day, a perfect gentleman. We danced together, ate together, and talked late into the night, oblivious of the others at the party.

He didn’t give up after we said our good-byes that night. He began to pursue me with a vengeance. We saw each other almost daily for two months before we finally slept together. He’d planned the perfect seduction. He prepared dinner at his place, and we ate while watching a movie. Plenty of laughs and wine later, we ended up on the floor in front of his fireplace. It was some of the best sex of my life.

The next day, the nerves turned me into a mess. Errick could sense something was wrong with me. I finally told him about my uncertainty about our relationship. He assured me that he wanted to be with me, only me. We became exclusive that day. To prove his point, he took me to meet his family that weekend. His family was wonderful from the beginning. They embraced me, making me feel like a part of their family. I was glad that they accepted me. I’d lost my mother two years before, and being an only child, I felt somewhat like an orphan after she was gone.

We dated for eighteen months, and things were good between us. That Thanksgiving we were having dinner at his parents’ place. It was freezing cold outside, but the house was cozy. Errick’s brother, Jamie, and his sister, Aimee, were there with their significant others, and the house felt full. We were in front of the television, full and satisfied, watching one of the football games. Errick sat on the floor, his back resting against my legs. I was absently running my hands over his shoulders when he looked up at me. My heart skipped when he smiled at me. I loved this man.

“Will you marry me?”

My hand stopped in mid-stroke. I didn’t think I’d heard him correctly. “What?”

“Marry me?” Errick turned to face me.

This time there was no hesitation. “Yes!” I exclaimed.

That was one of the happiest times of my life. Six months after he proposed, we bought our first home and mapped out our five-year plan.

Opening my eyes, I looked at the house again. For the last four months, things had been going well. I taught at Blakemore Academy, where I’d been for the past five years. Errick had the opportunity for a promotion, a step in the right direction for his career. I didn’t want to stress him out any more than he already was.

Another sigh escaped me. I shook my head, the dread hitting me again as I thought about Errick’s anger after we had this conversation. Mommy, I wish you were here with me. Tell me what to do. Sending up a little prayer as I opened the door, I took a deep breath and tried to prepare myself for what was coming.

Standing at the kitchen counter, I reached for the cold bottle of beer sitting on the counter beside me. Taking a long swallow, I glanced out the window overlooking the backyard. Three trees provided plenty of shade in the summer, but they would soon turn gold, red, and orange and lose their leaves once fall settled in. I could hear the neighbors’ children laughing as they played behind the six-foot privacy fence that separated our yards.

After another long drink from the beer, I set it back down on the counter, then returned to chopping onions and bell peppers. I tossed them into the heated wok with freshly chopped garlic and sliced mushrooms, letting them sauté before I added thinly sliced beef. Stirring absently, I thought about my day.

After our usual Wednesday morning staff meeting, I was called in to the boss’s office. I didn’t know what to expect when the VP of design and development joined us. Taking the seat offered to me, I listened as they congratulated him on a job well done on the latest project. I was totally unprepared when they offered me a position in the Phoenix office—assistant director of design and development. This position and promotion were a dream come true and totally ahead of schedule of our five-year plan. This promotion included a substantial raise, a signing bonus, and moving expenses. At my hesitation, they threw in a company car to sweeten the deal. They urged me to think about it and let them know immediately as they wanted me in the Phoenix office within the month to learn the ropes from the retiring assistant director. After promising to think it over, I returned to my office, shut the door, and did a little victory dance. This promotion could mean everything to my career. Rachel and I could move to Phoenix, I could learn the ropes, Rachel could get a teaching position, and everything was falling into place.

I left the office early, too excited to get any work done. I decided to surprise Rachel with dinner tonight. I would fix her favorites: beef stir-fry with sides and a cherry cheesecake for dessert. After stops at the grocery store and Rachel’s favorite bakery, I headed home floating on a cloud. If all stayed on track, Rachel and I would be married next year and start a family three years later. That would give her time to build up her teaching tenure, and she was talking about returning to school to get her master’s degree. This would be the perfect opportunity for her to do that.

Dinner was finished, and I was just setting everything on the table in warming bowls when I heard Rachel come in the front door. The sound of her heels on the hardwood floor was loud in the silence of the house. Something about the sound sent a shiver of uneasiness through me. I shook it off and smiled as she came into sight from the hallway. The love I felt every time I saw her filled my heart. This woman was made for me. She was beautiful to me, full-figured and curvy with smooth caramel skin and bright root beer eyes surrounded by long lashes, with dark brown hair that she wore long, hanging in curls to where it brushed the bottom of her shoulder blades. She moved toward me with a sensual grace she didn’t even seem to know she had.

“Hey, baby.” I pulled her into my arms. I loved the way she felt against me. Her body fit mine perfectly. I kissed her until both our hearts were racing. I wanted to forget dinner and take her straight upstairs, but she broke the kiss and looked in my eyes.

She laughed. “Wow! What did I do to deserve that homecoming?” Her cheeks flushed. I loved it when she was bashful with me.

Letting her go, I laughed with her. I watched her as she went to the sink to wash her hands. Then she moved to the table, lifting lids to peek at what I’d made. She looked at me when she saw beef stir-fry, fried rice, spring rolls, and crab wontons.

“What is all this?” she asked.

“Sit down.” I pulled out her chair for her.

Once she was settled, I crossed the room to the refrigerator to get her a glass of her favorite white wine and grab a beer for myself. I was going to wait until after we ate before telling her my news. After settling across from her at the table, I served us both. We made small talk while we ate. It was in the middle of me telling her my mom called and invited us to dinner later in the week that I realized she wasn’t eating. She was just pushing the food around on her plate. She hadn’t touched her wine either.

“Is everything okay with you?” I asked. I could tell she was bothered by something. It was obvious in her nervous gestures and bland answers.

When she looked up at me from her plate, she had tears swimming in her eyes. My heart lurched in my chest.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” I was out of my seat and at her side, kneeling beside her. The tears she was trying to contain spilled over the rim of her eyes and down her cheeks. “What is it? Babe . . .” Fear unfurled in my stomach as I watched her try to get herself together. I wanted to scream because crazy thoughts were running through my head. Was she sick? Dying? Was someone else dying? What the hell?

“I’m pregnant.”

Time stood still and sped up at the same time. I felt dizzy, like I was on the Whip ride at the fair, where you’re slung back and forth as you spin in a circle. Pregnant? She was pregnant. I wondered if I’d heard her correctly, but looking at her face, I knew I had. My mind raced at the thought. This couldn’t be happening. Not right now. I was just starting to move up in my career. The promotion? How could we relocate to Phoenix and start a family at the same time?

“What did you say?” I had to ask although I already knew.

“I’m pregnant.” She looked at me, eyes wet and begging for comfort and understanding.

I knew she wanted me to reassure her, to tell her that it was okay, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t tell her that everything was going to work out. I was stunned just hearing her say the words.

“I found out this afternoon. That’s why I was late coming in.”

I stood and began to pace across the expanse of the large kitchen. Moving back and forth across the cream-colored tiles, I was restless. My mind was clicking in a hundred different directions at once. I was trying to think things through as I said, “How did this happen?”

The sharp look she gave me as she rolled her eyes let me know she was hurt and upset by my reaction.

“You know what I mean. We’ve been so careful. We’re not ready for this. We can’t have children right now. We’re supposed to be concentrating on our careers. We want to travel. You want to go back to school. Having a baby will mess all that up.” I was sure that she would agree with me. Having a baby would not be the best thing for us right now.

“It doesn’t have to,” Rachel said in a small voice, looking at me with sad eyes.

Turning to her, I said, “You’re right. It doesn’t have to.”

Rachel smiled the first real smile she’d given me since our kiss when she came in.

“How far along are you?”

“Nine weeks.”

I began to pace again, thinking. Nine weeks didn’t give us much time. “Okay, tomorrow morning we’ll call your doctor’s office and make an appointment.”

“Oh, Errick!” She smiled harder. “I’ve already made an appointment.” She sounded relieved. This time her smile touched her red-rimmed, glassy eyes as she gazed at me.

“Okay, good.” I nodded. “What day? I’ll request a couple of days off so I can be here with you. I don’t want you overdoing anything while you’re recuperating.”

When Rachel’s gaze met mine this time, her eyes flashed with hurt and anger. “Recuperating?”

“Yes.” I was confused by her expression. “I thought you made an appointment to take care of it.” As soon as the words left my mouth and registered in her brain, I could see her expression change. We were definitely not thinking the same thing at all.

Jumping to her feet, she got in my face. Her anger was so intense I could feel the heat coming off of her. “Take care of it? You cannot be serious! Errick, this is our child!”

“No.” I was trying to keep my cool because her screaming at me was pissing me off. We had our arguments, but we tried to keep them low-key even when we were at our most heated. “This is a mistake. An inconvenience. We can’t have a baby right now, you know that. We agreed to wait. Having a baby right now will mess up all our plans.”

Anger began to pump through me, making my stomach churn. Surely Rachel knew that having a baby right now was the wrong thing to do. We had so much more to accomplish. We both loved our careers and worked to get as far as we had. A baby would only be in the way. After all, we were only a year into our five-year plan, a plan we’d mapped out together.

“Errick.” Her face and demeanor softened. She looked at me with big, sad eyes. Her voice was low. “You can’t mean that. We are not some young, inexperienced kids who messed up. We were careful, but it still happened. We are going to have a baby.”

Shaking my head, I refused to be swayed. Rachel had to understand I would not agree to this. Everything we’d been working toward would be thrown away by having a baby right now. “Rachel, how can you do this? You agreed we would wait. That it would be in our best interest not to have children yet! Now you want to change it up, change the game plan. How is that fair to me? To us? You know how strongly I feel about this. The only thing to do is take care of it.”

Her tears had no effect on me, and the anger I felt was fanning higher and higher. The more she tried to talk to me, reason with me, and get me to see things her way, the more I knew that her having an abortion was the best thing for the both of us. There was no way I was ready to be a father.

Dinner, dessert, the promotion and move to Phoenix, a night of making love and making plans were all forgotten while we spent the better part of the night arguing about the situation.

“Errick, please don’t be like this. We’ve talked about this. We talked about having children when we get married. Let’s just go get married. We don’t have to have a wedding. Your parents will understand once we explain it to them. This doesn’t have to be the end of the world.”

“But it is the end of the world!” I shouted at her. I was so tired of her trying to convince me to see this her way. “It’s the end of the world as we know it. We were planning to go to Barbados for Christmas, remember? How are you going to travel if you’re pregnant? What about the trip to Paris you want to take?”

“Oh, please! Pregnant women travel every day! If the doctor says it’s okay, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“What about all the other things we planned to do? Where does a child fit into all that?” I was pacing again because I felt like if I stood still, I would explode.

Rachel approached me. She stepped in front of me, stopping my back-and-forth movement. Laying a hand on my chest, she looked at me. “A baby can fit in anywhere if you make the room. You know that. What is it that’s scaring you?”

I stood there as anger coursed through my veins. I moved away from her because I was so mad I didn’t want her close to me. “I am not scared. I just want you to live up to the agreement we made. We said we weren’t going to have children soon. You were okay with that. Now you want to turn our lives upside down?”

I kept turning it over and over in my mind. Rachel had gotten pregnant even though we both agreed to wait. Now she was trying her best to talk me into something I couldn’t agree with. How could she hurt me like this? I loved this woman. I loved her, but how could I trust her after this? It was totally selfish of her not to take what I wanted into consideration. It wasn’t like she was asking for my input on the situation. She seemed to have made up her mind.

Needing to get away, to think about all this, I turned and left her standing in the middle of the kitchen floor. I needed to put some space between us so I could calm down. I went upstairs, and I threw a few things in a bag and stormed out. . .