Marrying the Millionaire (39 page)

As sick as it may have sounded to
some, he actually felt sorry for Russell after reading the old
man’s words on paper. Still undecided about how he was going to
approach this Russell situation, he closed the diary and peered out
at the ocean.

Watching the waves crash up against
the sandy beach, he thought of Kayla. Out of anger, he had spoken
down to her last night. Had said something about her sucking his
dick. She’d slapped the hell out him for saying it, too. Kayla was
a feisty little something.

If he’d been in her shoes, perhaps he
would’ve done the same thing as her. Gazing out at the water,
things became clearer and clearer to Richmond about what he should
do regarding Kayla. Anxious to make a visit, he grabbed Russell’s
diary, strode inside the house, then grabbed his keys. Anxious to
make a house visit, he hastened out of the house.

Twenty-five minutes later, Richmond
pulled up at a set of apartments not far from the Tanger Outlet
Mall. After rechecking the apartment number that Don had sent to
him through a text message, cool as a cucumber, he clambered out of
his SUV, then marched up the pathway. Checking his surroundings,
Richmond’s knuckles rasped on the door of apartment number
31B.

“
Coming,” the voice on the
other side of the door shouted. A second later, the door swung
open, and there stood Carson Crawford…Kayla’s
ex-husband.

“
May I come in?” Richmond
asked.

“
Why are you here?” Carson
asked. Apparently, Russell hadn’t filled him in on what’d happened,
so Carson had no clue Richmond knew that he’d been fucking with his
woman’s intelligence.

“
I just wanted to talk with
you about Kayla and CJ real quick.” His demeanor remained
cool.

Grasping the door knob, Carson seemed
hesitant. “Come on in.”

Richmond stepped inside the small
apartment. As he watched Carson shut the door behind him, a greasy
bacon smell wafted up his nose. Disdain for Carson rose like smoke
inside Richmond as the jerk came to stand in front of
him.

Carson shrugged. “So what do you need
to speak with me about?”

Determined not to throw a punch,
Richmond cleared his throat. “I spoke with my father last night. He
told me he paid you to move here to pretend like you had an
interest in Kayla and CJ. You are a low down, greedy bastard,” he
snarled.

Carson’s hands flew up to his chest.
“Look, this was your father’s idea. Not mine. What man in his right
mind would turn down two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars?”

Richmond took a step forward. “Now
see, that’s your problem, Carson. You don’t know the difference
between a boy and a man. You don’t know the difference between a
dad and a father. Well, I’m here to school you today. A dad donates
sperm. A father gives sperm and takes care of his child. A boy
fucks a girl. A man fucks his lady. He makes love to his lady. And
a real man takes care of his woman, in every way possible. And you,
my dear brother…you’re neither a man nor a father. You’re a crock
of shit.”

Loathe laced Carson’s narrowed eyes.
“Get the fuck out of my house.”

“
I will. Right after I—”
Livid, Richmond punched Carson in the face, and his nose went
crooked. Eyes rolling, Carson stumbled backward. Gripping his nose,
blood oozed through his fingers. Carson swung a series of times,
hitting Richmond in the chest.

Wanting to see him go down, Richmond
jabbed Carson in the stomach, then his side. His chest. His jaw.
Carson’s eyes rolled then he dropped to the floor. Blocking his
face with his hands, he begged for Richmond to leave.

Glaring down at Carson, Richmond
snorted. Speaking through clenched teeth, Richmond decreed, “Pack
your things and get the hell out of town. Don’t ever come back. If
you do, I’ll make sure you vanish without a single trace. That’s
not a threat…it’s a fucking promise.”

Stalking toward the front door,
Richmond turned over Carson’s coffee table. Magazines, a cup of
coffee, and the remote went flying in the air.

KAYLA SAT ON THE COUCH
inside her dark living room, watching “Pretty Woman”. A blanket
across her lap, her feet propped up, she’d closed all the blinds
and had succumbed to misery. Staring at the television, she reached
into the bag in her lap and tossed a barbecue chip into her
mouth.
Richmond is never going to forgive
me. How could I have been so stupid? And Carson, uuugh. I can’t
stand him.

Crunching the salty chip, the sad knot
in her upper stomach hurt.

Richard Geer, playing Edward, said,
“I’ve never treated you like a prostitute.”

Julia Roberts, playing Vivian,
replied, “You just did.”

Kayla sniffled. “I know how you feel,
Vivian. My man treated me like a prostitute last night. He asked me
if I thought about telling him the truth before or after I sucked
his dick.” Frustrated, Kayla balled the empty potato chip bag and
tossed it on the table. She’d eaten the whole darn thing. Before
that, she’d had some ice cream. Earlier this morning, she’d
indulged in a jar of pickles. Now she had a craving for a fried
fish sandwich with some tartar sauce. All this stress had her
eating her butt off.

Right before Alana had left
to take CJ to Chuck E. Cheese, she’d asked Kayla if she was
pregnant, and she told her no.
I’m not
pregnant; just stressed. I always eat whenever I’m
stressed.

The doorbell rang. Nauseated, Kayla
pushed herself from the couch and headed for the door. When she
pulled it open, her heart flopped. Richmond stood on her porch,
looking sad as ever. Poor man had been through hell and
back.

“
Richmond.” She said his
name in a whispering tone.

The brown in his eyes looked like a
cold wave. “We need to talk.”

I agree.
“Come in.” Kayla felt awkward as she closed the
door behind Richmond.

His eyes lingered over her face as he
belatedly said, “It’s so dark in here.”

“
Would you like for me to
open the blinds?” His presence gave her a sense of
peace.

Glancing around the dim room, he
shoved his hands inside his pockets. “No. The darkness doesn’t
bother me. But being at odds with you does.”

Kayla folded her arms beneath her
breasts. “I’m so sorry about not telling you the truth.” She’d
cried so hard last night after she’d left his home, she couldn’t
cry anymore, even if her life depended on it.

His brown eyes were unreadable and as
flat as stone. “I believe you’re sorry. After thinking long and
hard about what happened, I don’t blame you for not telling me. If
I were in your shoes, I may have done the same thing. But Kay.”
Hearing her name roll sensually from his tongue, she gloried
briefly. “If we’re going to get married, you can’t keep things from
me. Even if you think it’ll hurt me, you have to tell me. I have to
be able to trust you.”

Did he just say they were still
getting married? Her insides jumped with joy. “I promise, I’ll
never keep anything from you again. You can trust me,
Richmond.”

Richmond’s eyes bore into her. “Don’t
you have something else to tell me?”

Kayla was confused. “No.”

Richmond tilted his head. “Kay. I know
you’re pregnant.”

“
What? Well, if I’m
pregnant, you’re telling me something I don’t know.”

As his eyes fell to her stomach, he
clenched her waist. “So you haven’t taken a pregnancy test?” he
asked on the lift of his eyes to her face.

Kayla shrugged dismissively. “No, why
would I take a pregnancy test unless I think I’m pregnant? What
makes you think I’m pregnant?”

“
I’ve kissed and licked
your stomach enough times to know when it’s changing.”

“
Maybe I’m just getting
fat.”

Richmond chuckled. “No, sweetheart,
you’re not getting fat. You’re getting thicker. And I love a woman
with some meat on her bones. I love you, Kay.” Richmond reached in
his pocket, pulled out the diamond ring he’d given her, and slid it
on her finger. “Don’t ever give the ring back to me
again.”

“
And if I do?”

Lust enlightened his eyes. “I’m going
to spank you.”

Kayla’s lip curved into a big grin.
She slid the ring off her finger, yanked on the top of his jeans,
and dropped the ring inside his underwear. “Before you can spank
me, you’ll have to catch me first!” Giggling, she took off running.
“I love when you spank me!”

“
Come back here, you sexy
woman!” Chortling, Richmond ran down the hallway after
Kayla.

Reaching Kayla’s bedroom, Richmond
yanked her jeans and underwear down her legs, threw her across his
lap, and wore her little fanny out with his bare hand. The whole
time he spanked her butt, she writhed and snickered. “Do it harder!
Harder!” Her legs kicked wildly.

“
Stop spanking my
mommy!”

Kayla’s head flung up between her
shoulders to find CJ standing in the doorway with a disgruntled
look on his face. She gasped. Richmond panicked. He jumped to his
feet, causing her to fall to the floor flat on her face.

CJ ran up to Richmond and punched him
in the stomach, then stomped on his foot. “Leave my mommy alone!”
CJ demanded.

Kayla had never been so embarrassed in
her life. Where was Alana? she thought, quickly pulling up her
jeans. Heat gathered in her cheeks. Oh God, how did she explain
this to him? “CJ, Richmond and I were just playing a fun little
game.”

CJ folded his arms across his chest.
“I don’t like that game, Mommy.”

Kayla gently put her hand on CJ’s
shoulder. “Okay. Well, Mommy won’t play that game anymore. Now tell
Richmond you’re sorry.”

CJ’s bottom lip poked out. “I’m sorry,
Richmond.”

Richmond ruffled his head. “That’s
okay, sport. Don’t feel bad. Would you like to make it up to
me?”

CJ nodded, then shrugged. “But I don’t
know how.”

“
I do. You can make it up
by being in your mommy’s and my wedding. We’re getting married,
sport.”

CJ’s eyes brightened. “Am I getting a
daddy for Christmas?”

“
Yes, CJ. You’re getting a
father for Christmas.”

CJ’s squeals filled the
room.

WEDDING ATTENDEES PACKED THE ELEGANT
ballroom at Balfour Resort & Hotel, overlooking the glistening
blue ocean. Shimmering chandeliers sparkled from the tall ceilings.
Going with a Christmas theme, white tulips sprouted from red,
glittery vases. The wicks of red candles danced brightly on the
tables covered with white tablecloths.

Cameras snapped photo after
photo of Richmond and Kayla as they stood on the dance floor
dancing to the tune
“All of Me”
by John Legend. Everything turned out
spectacular, Kayla thought, having married the man of her dreams a
short while ago.

With her arms twined around his neck
and his arms draped around her waist, Kayla silently thanked God
for blessing her with a wonderful husband like Richmond. How’d she
gotten so lucky?