Blindsided (Indigo Love Spectrum) Read online

  “I don’t need to do a paternity test. I can count and I’ve seen her. I’ve also been added to her birth certificate. There’s no question of her paternity.”

  “Norris, you have a lot of money. Maybe her mother is . . .”

  “Her mother is a doctor. A happily married doctor, married to another doctor, who doesn’t want or need my money.”

  “You obviously underestimate the power of money. Being a doctor can’t compare to your wealth. You can’t be that blind.”

  “I’m not blind at all.” Norris walked to his desk and retrieved Reese’s picture. “Look at her.” He thrust the picture into his mother’s hand. “This is your granddaughter. Your beautiful granddaughter. She’s Katsoros, your family, our family, through and through. You might not want to see it, but the proof is right there.”

  His mother’s gaze stayed on the picture. Tears filled her gray eyes. An unexpected pang of emotion pricked Norris’s heart as he watched his mother’s tears. Was this the breakthrough he’d hoped for in her? “Mom?” he said. “Are you all right?”

  Genevieve reached into her purse and pulled out a lacy handkerchief, dabbing at her misty eyes. “How can I be all right? Pay the woman off, Norris. Your life doesn’t have to be ruined by a mistake. The world won’t have to know about this.”

  Norris wanted to kick himself. Once again he wanted to expect the best from his mother, and like every other time, he got the worst. He picked up Reese’s picture and pointed to the door. “I want you to leave.”

  “We need to discuss how to handle this.”

  “We have nothing to discuss.”

  “Norris, I really think . . .”

  Genevieve stopped talking when Reese walked into the room.

  “Sorry,” Reese said, tugging on a gray T-shirt that almost totally covered red and black plaid shorts. “I thought Ryan and Lara were still here.” Norris watched as his daughter waved at the woman she didn’t know was her grandmother. “Hi.”

  Genevieve’s angry face became the picture of pleasantness. “Hello, dear, how are you?” she said warmly.

  Norris eyeballed his mother suspiciously. Genevieve’s cordial greeting and bright smile worried him more than her unexplained suggestion on how to deal with his “mistake.” What the hell is she up to?

  “I’m fine, thank you,” Reese answered.

  Norris cleared his throat. “You need something, Reese?” he asked, more than ready to get her away from his unpredictable mother.

  “I got a little hungry. I thought I’d have some cereal.” Reese pulled her dark mane of curls behind her ears, glancing from Genevieve to Norris. “Why do I feel like I’ve walked in on something?”

  Norris glared at his mother. Reese had definitely walked in on something. Something his daughter might be better off not being exposed to.

  Reese continued to stare. Her eyes widened with realization. “Oh, wait a minute. Is this . . . is this your mother?”

  Norris nodded grudgingly. “Yes.”

  “You weren’t going to tell me?”

  Norris had no idea how to answer that question. He wanted Reese to know her family, but more often than not his mother didn’t feel like family.

  “You weren’t, were you?” She shook her head. Her humorless chuckle pierced his heart. “I don’t warrant an introduction to my own grandmother. You’re more disappointed in me than I thought.”

  Norris looked at his mother. The makings of a smile tugged at her lips. The heat of rising anger burned his face. She wanted this. Norris turned to his daughter. “Look, Reese . . .”

  “Forget it. I’m hip to what’s going on here. I’ll go back to my room. I see it’s where you prefer me.” She stormed off.

  “Reese!” Norris started after her.

  “Let her go, son.”

  Seconds later Reese’s door slammed.

  He turned angry eyes to his mother. “Did you see the look on her face? She thinks I’m ashamed of her.”

  Genevieve nodded. “Appears so. It’s for the best, really.”

  “Best? So, that explains the sweetness and light show.” Norris rubbed his face, not knowing if he felt more angry or frustrated. “You pretend to be some kind old lady for Reese, instead of presenting yourself as the barracuda I know you to be, so I look like the bad guy who’s too ashamed to introduce my daughter to her nice grandmother, when all I’m trying to do is protect her.” Norris dropped to the couch. “I’ve been bending over backwards to get close to her, and look what you’ve done.”

  “This way she can go back to her family—her own kind—and not have any residual feelings where you’re concerned. It will be a clean break.”

  “I don’t want any clean break! She’s my daughter, and I love her. And her kind is us, whether you like it or not!”

  “I don’t like it!”

  “You’ve made that crystal clear.” He pointed to the door. “I suggest you leave before I say something no son should say to his mother.”

  Genevieve picked up her purse and turned to him when she reached the door. “Think about what I said. I’ll set up a nice trust fund for the girl, she’ll never want for anything, and . . .”

  “Mother!”

  “Fine, fine, but this problem must be dealt with.”

  Norris looked toward the hallway when the door closed behind his mother. How could trying to do the right thing for his daughter always turn out so wrong? He drew a breath and walked to her room. “Reese?” he said, knocking on her door.

  “Leave me alone.”

  “I thought you were hungry.”

  “I lost my appetite.”

  He twisted the knob. Locked. “Look, honey, I want to . . .”

  “I’m not your honey and I don’t want your explanations. I may be black, but I’m not stupid.”

  Norris flinched. “Reese, do not do that to me. You know me better than that.”

  “Do I?”

  “You know you do. Open the door so we can talk.”

  “There’s nothing more to talk about, Norris. I’m through with this bonding crap. We tried it, and it didn’t work. As soon as Dahlia is back from Atlanta, I will be out of your hair, and you can continue to keep your dark child a dark secret from your family.”

  “Reese, it’s not what you think.” He knocked on the door. “Reese?”

  Loud music smothered his words, making it clear she had little use for anything he had to say. Norris pressed his forehead to the door. He needed to see Dahlia.

  He pulled out his cell phone and returned to the quiet of the living room. “Hi, Agnes, it’s me. I need a favor.”

  Chapter 19

  Dahlia entered her nephew’s room in the NICU to find her father sitting in a rocker near the incubator staring down at his youngest grandchild. Dahlia touched her father’s shoulder and gazed at the tiny, wrinkled little baby with tubes running from his little body to the machines all around him.

  “How is he?” she asked.

  “He’s doing okay. He’s a little fighter,” Wilson said.

  “He’s so tiny, Daddy.” Dahlia dragged over the other rocking chair and sat next to her father. “I know Mama is upset with me, but you have to know I never—I never wanted this,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion.

  Wilson closed his hand around hers. “I know, Dahlia. I know. And so does your mother. She’s upset, but she knows you would never wish your sister any harm. She’s with Leslie now.”

  “I know. I just left the ICU. I stayed in the observation room. I don’t think Mama even knew I was there.”

  “She’s very worried.”

  “What are the doctors saying?”

  “They feared she might have had a stroke, but the tests show she didn’t. Which is good. Her body is tired. They hope maybe in a few days she’ll wake up. ”

  “And if she doesn’t?”

  “We’re not claiming that. Prayer works, and God will answer our prayers.”

  Dahlia nodded. “You’re right. He will.”

&n
bsp; “You know, times like this allow you to do a lot of reflecting. This situation is bad, but I can’t . . .” Wilson stopped talking and shook his head. “No.”

  “What is it, Daddy?”

  “I can’t help but wonder if somehow–-somehow Leslie brought this on herself. Is that mean for me to say? I’m her father.”

  “Can’t be mean if it’s true. Daddy, I want Leslie and this precious baby to be okay, and I pray for that every day. I have since I heard about this pregnancy. But I can’t pretend this is easy for me, or say I didn’t think these difficulties were a result of the bed she made when she got into mine with my husband. And as angry as I am with her, and I’m angry and disappointed, I don’t hate her, and I don’t want her to die.”

  Wilson brushed away Dahlia’s tears. “I’m sorry, Dahlia.”

  She sniffled. “Why are you apologizing?”

  “Because I’ve not been very understanding of your feelings, and neither has your mother.” Wilson squeezed Dahlia’s hands between his. “We always tried to stay out of personal grievances with you kids, but this thing with Jonah—we shouldn’t have stayed quiet. And we definitely shouldn’t have expected you to fall into line and move on like it was nothing. Maybe if we had dealt with this as a family two years ago, this wouldn’t be happening now.”

  “No, Daddy, we can’t do what if. We can only go by what is. Right now, we have to think about Leslie and her baby.”

  “We can think about you, too. You look tired, Dahlia. When was the last time you had some sleep?”

  “I caught a few Z’s in the waiting area,” she said, stifling a yawn.

  “Not nearly enough of them. Go to your hotel and rest up. I’ll call you if there’s any change.”

  “Daddy, I want to . . .”

  “Shhh. Don’t argue with me. I’ll call you.”

  “Fine.” Dahlia smiled. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so daddy’s girlish, so certain her daddy would make everything okay for everyone. “I’ll get some sleep.”

  “Come here.” Wilson opened his arms, bringing Dahlia into a tight embrace she readily returned. “I love you, sweetheart. I don’t say it enough, but I don’t want you to forget that.”

  “I know, Daddy. I love you, too.”

  He kissed her cheek. “You go on now.”

  Dahlia walked out the door, smiling broadly. For the first time in days, she didn’t feel weighed down around her family. She drew a deep, cleansing breath. What the . . . She sniffed the air. Why did she smell Norris?

  Like a trained bloodhound, she set out to find out. Then just as quickly stopped. Even with countless millions, Norris didn’t have a lockdown on cologne, just one on her heart. She decided to call. Maybe things with Reese had turned a corner the way they had with her and her father.

  Dahlia reached in her purse for her cell phone as she walked toward the elevator. Rest would come a lot easier after she talked to Norris. She activated the speed dial and stepped into the empty car.

  Moments before the doors closed completely, she heard a ringing phone and saw a hand and leg spread the doors apart. In the next second, Norris slipped into the elevator, looking like a slice of heaven in a soft yellow shirt and dark slacks. She couldn’t believe her eyes. “Norris.”

  He showed her his phone, smiling. “You rang?”

  * * *

  After getting an earful from Diana on how foolish she was behaving and listening to her friend’s steadfast refusal to bring over a burger and fries, Reese tossed her cell to the bed and stared at the door. She couldn’t avoid Norris forever, and he had left her alone as she’d asked. She sighed. If listening to whatever explanation he offered meant she could get something to eat, she’d have to listen.

  Reese hopped off the bed and walked into the living room, surprised to find her surrogate grandmother, and not her infuriating father, on the couch poring over some papers. “What’s up, Agnes?”

  “You, finally,” Agnes said, straightening the papers on the coffee table. “I understand you were under the weather.”

  “I’m better now. Is Norris around?”

  “No, he’s not.”

  Reese frowned. “You’re not babysitting, are you?”

  “Aren’t you the first to remind Norris you aren’t a baby?”

  “That’s the problem, Agnes. I have to keep reminding him. Did he call you over to watch me?”

  “No, he called me over to let you know he had to go out of town to take care of some unexpected business. Since you were under a self-imposed lockdown, he didn’t want you to wonder where he was. That’s why I’m here. And now that you know, I’m going to go back to the office for a while.”

  Reese watched as Agnes gathered files from the coffee table. “You’re really leaving?”

  Agnes nodded. “I’m really leaving.”

  “And you’re not coming back?”

  “Not unless you want me to. Why?”

  “Norris is leaving me alone?”

  “He shouldn’t be gone too much longer. I expect he’ll be back early evening. Eight at the latest.” Agnes pressed her hand to Reese’s cheeks. “He trusts you.”

  Reese dropped to the couch, shoulders slumped. Norris continued to confuse her.

  Agnes sat beside her. “What’s going on in your head?”

  “I don’t know. Norris is so hard to read. One minute I think he’s a cool guy, and the next . . . . . .on’t know what to think.” Reese groaned. “He makes me crazy.”

  Agnes laughed. “That’s what fathers do,” she said, pushing the hair from Reese’s shoulders. “He was a little upset when he asked me to come over. Want to talk about it?”

  “He didn’t tell you?”

  “No.”

  “His mother was here.”

  Agnes pursed her lips. “I see.”

  “I know he’s not close to his folks, and he doesn’t see his siblings as often as he’d like, but they’re my family. My grandmother was here, and he didn’t introduce me to her.”

  “Did he tell you why?”

  “I didn’t give him a chance. What could he say?”

  “I’m sure he has his reasons for what he did.”

  “Humph. I know he does. That’s the problem.”

  “I would suggest you not read into things. Norris loves you. I can say that without hesitation. You remember that, and don’t let anything cloud what you know is true, okay?”

  “You sound like everybody else.”

  “Everybody?”

  “The Andrews, Diana, Dahlia. Everybody.”

  “There you go. We can’t all be wrong,” Agnes said with a smile. “You need anything before I leave?”

  “No. I’ll reheat the lasagna Mrs. Castanza made yesterday. Her cooking is one of the best things about coming over here.”

  “That’s progress. It means something besides her cooking makes being here enjoyable.”

  Reese lowered her gaze. Cold busted.

  Agnes smiled. “Call me if you need anything, and you can always reach Norris on his cell phone.”

  “Thanks for coming by, Agnes.”

  “No problem. You take care.”

  Reese looked around the living room, taking in all the quiet. Even after his reaction at the mall, Norris actually trusted her alone in his place. And he’d said he loved her. Maybe he was meeting her halfway after all.

  * * *

  Dahlia led Norris to her room at the hotel. “I can’t get over you being here,” she said.

  Norris grabbed her hand as she inserted the key card. “I know we wanted a quiet place to talk, but how wise is this?” he said, not trusting himself to be alone with her in a hotel room.

  She smiled. “You want to go down to the lounge?”

  “I don’t, but . . .”

  “We’re just going to talk, Norris.”

  His gaze swept over her. Dahlia looked absolutely breathtaking in a tangerine-colored halter shirt and white slacks. The vibrant orange shade contrasted beautifully with her rich brow
n skin. His lips ached to kiss hers, and trail along those beautiful shoulders and so many other places. It had been so long since he’d been with her, and never had that reality been more obvious than at this moment.

  “Talking might be the plan, but things can change.”

  “Only if we both want them to.” She tilted her head, smiling. “At present, we both want to talk, right?” Norris nodded and smiled. “Right.” He’d been strong so far, and he would continue. He couldn’t allow his carnal urges to get him off his plan. Heart before body. Heart before body.

  Dahlia opened the door. Though strengthened from his personal pep talk, Norris sighed in relief to see she had a suite, with the door leading to the bedroom closed. There was no point in tempting temptation.

  “It was good to see you smiling,” Norris said, sitting on the couch. “Considering how upset and tired you sounded yesterday, I didn’t expect a smile today.”

  “I had a talk with my father. An unexpected but really good talk.”

  “I’m glad one father and daughter had a good talk today.”

  “So, a spat with Reese brought you here?”

  “I was concerned about you, too.”

  Dahlia gave his hand a little shake. “You don’t need to be. I’m a lot better than I thought I would be. How are you?”

  “I . . . I’m great. Fantastic at being a failure as a father. Reese thinks I’m Attila the Hun.”

  “You know she doesn’t think that.”

  “She’s probably thinking something worse. My mother came by my place today, just as Ryan and Lara were leaving.”

  “You didn’t go to work today?”

  “No. Reese wasn’t feeling well, girl stuff, so I asked Lara to come by. Mom learned I was home when she called the office, and decided to drop by to bend my ear about my ‘mistake,’ ” he said making air quotes, “and how to fix it.”

  “Oh, no,” Dahlia groaned.

  “Oh, yes. After Ryan and Lara left, Reese walked in, felt the tension, and realized whom she’d walked in on. I didn’t want to subject her to my mother. I don’t know that I would’ve never introduced them, but I didn’t want to today. Reese took my lack of acknowledgement to mean I was ashamed of her. I tried to explain, but she blasted her music and completely tuned me out. She hates me, Dahlia.”