Marrying the Millionaire (31 page)

Nodding, Isabelle placed her mouth
over his ear and whispered, “I wished for Santa to make Kayla my
mommy.”

Richmond’s heart squeezed hard inside
his chest.

BUBBLING WITH JOY ON THE inside,
Kayla’s eyes roamed over the quaint family room at the oceanfront
beach home she’d soon move in with Richmond. Standing in the center
of the room with a dirty rag hanging over her shoulder, dust on her
face, and her hair tangled in a crazy mess, she’d cleaned the house
from top to bottom today. Glad about how the renovations were
coming along, she loved the look of the off-white wooden floors
she’d had installed. The renovations were moving at a quick pace,
making Kayla very happy. If things went as planned, maybe they’d be
moved in by Christmas.

Definitely before the New
Year.
Kayla looked out the window and
fixated her gaze on the ocean. Grey clouds floated in the sky over
the dull blue sea. Waves crashed along the edges of the soft sand.
A white sailboat cruised the waters in the far distance.
Playing house, Richmond’s never going to marry
you
, her conscious warned inside her head.
Bottom lip folding under from her negative thoughts, Kayla turned
from the window and made her way into the kitchen.

The beach theme throughout the house
seemed to come together perfectly with the help of her interior
decorator. Grey painted walls, stone white glass cabinets in the
kitchen, and light blue sofas in the family room, she could live
here forever, and hopefully she would.

Wanting to touch up the stove just a
little bit more, she grabbed the oven cleaner, a small bucket of
water, and a clean rag. Lowering the latch, she got down on her
knees and sprayed the oven cleaner inside the stove. Circling the
rag on the bottom of the oven, she heard the sliding glass door
open.

“
Mommy!” CJ screamed. “Look
what I got!” Kayla stood to see what all the ruckus was about. As
Richmond closed the sliding glass door, CJ and Isabelle were
running up to her, carrying pails and shovels in their hands. “We
found seashells, Mommy!”

“
You did?” Kayla wiped her
flat dirty hands on her worn jeans. She peered down at CJ’s pail,
loaded with beautiful seashells. “Wow. Looks like you both found a
lot.”

Isabelle extended her pail towards
Kayla’s face. “I found some, too, Mommy!”

Oh geez. She called me
Mommy
. As Kayla’s eyes met with
Richmond’s, she felt a shock run through her. Unsure of how to
respond, she chose her words carefully.

Not wanting to hurt Isabelle’s
feelings, Kayla stooped down in front of her and cupped her tiny
little shoulders. “Isabelle, I’m not so sure if you should call me
Mommy, sweetheart.”

Isabelle’s head tilted. “But I want
you to be my mommy.”

Brushing her long, curly hair, Kayla’s
heart turned to mush. She and this darling little girl shared a
strong, special bond. She loved Isabelle like a daughter, so she
definitely understood where the precocious kid was coming from. “I
know you want me to be your mommy, Isabelle. But it’s important
that you remember you already have a mommy. Your mother is in
Heaven, and she loves you.”

Isabelle nodded. “I know. My mommy
told me so when she came to see me in my dream. I think my real
mommy likes you. Can we go play with the seashells?”

Not sure how to respond, Kayla rose to
her feet. Thank God Isabelle had changed the subject, because she
didn’t know if she was doing a good job at trying to explain things
to her. “Sure. CJ, don’t forget your father is coming to pick you
up soon, so don’t get dirty.”

“
Yay! My daddy is coming to
get me.” CJ was ecstatic about seeing his father,
Carson.

As soon as Isabelle and CJ left the
kitchen to go inside the garage, Kayla breathed out a deep breath.
A despondent look took over Richmond’s features. “I’m so proud of
the way you handled Isabelle.”

Kayla rubbed her arms. “I didn’t know
what to say.”

“
Me either. But I can
assure you…your answer was way better than the one I probably
would’ve given.”

Skeptical to ask Richmond about
Salina, Kayla nibbled her bottom lip. “There’s something I want to
ask you, but I don’t want you to get mad at me for
asking.”

“
I don’t want you to ever
fear asking me something. You may not like my answer, but I want
you to be comfortable with coming to me about anything that
concerns you. We’re about to move in together, share a life
together. Communication is key in having a successful
relationship.”

“
So I can ask you
anything?”

“
Yes. Anything.”

Broaching a subject about Salina may
make him sad. Knowing this, she grabbed his hand and led him to
sofa. Sitting next to him, she grabbed both of his hands and linked
her eyes with his. “I wanted to ask you about Salina.”

Richmond’s eyes turned dark and
insolent from the mere mention of Salina’s name. “What is it you
want to know about Salina?”

“
When I look at Isabelle,
she looks so much like the lady in the picture on her dresser. I
guess I’m wondering if they had similar personalities?”

Richmond snarled. “No! Isabelle is
nothing like her mother. She’s a good person.”

Was Salina a bad person? He
seems like he despises her.
Speaking with
Richmond about his deceased wife, Kayla suddenly felt like she was
entering dangerous territory. Like she was stepping on eggshells
that’d break any minute now, placing her in a world of trouble, and
a difficult situation.

Skating on thin ice, Kayla pushed to
learn more about Salina. Maybe if she learned more about Salina,
it’d answer some of the questions she had. Like why was there a
syringe and picture of her inside the safe inside her grandfather’s
closet? “Okay. So are you saying Salina was a bad
person?”

Richmond’s weight shifted on the sofa.
“Let’s just say she wasn’t the woman I thought she was.”

“
Forgive me if I’m wrong,
Richmond, but it seems like you’re mad at her, and I can’t help but
wonder why. What did she do to make you feel the way you do? What
did Salina do to hurt you?”

Shadows of annoyance crossed his face.
“It’s private.”

“
Okay. So she did hurt
you?”

He gave her a black, layered look.
“I’m sorry. We can talk about anything except for Salina. What she
did to me is unforgiveable. I’ll never forgive her for
it.”

“
What did she do?” Kayla
pressed.

Richmond bolted from the couch. “I
said drop it, Kay! Just drop it!” His face looked as if it were
caving in.

Ding dong. Ding
dong.
The newly installed doorbell chimed.
Kayla put a hand to Richmond’s arm. “I’m sorry if I upset you. I
won’t ever ask you about Salina again. But if you ever need or want
to talk about her, just know I’m here for you.”

The hard lines in Richmond’s face
disappeared. “I know, my love. Sorry for snapping at you. Maybe I
can make it up to you later.”

Ding dong. Ding
dong.

Wanting to ease the tension that’d
brewed between them, Kayla teased him. “I have the perfect present
in mind for you to say you’re sorry with.”

“
What?”

“
This!” Kayla grabbed his
shaft and squeezed.

Richmond chuckled. “You can always get
that. Think of something better.”

She pecked his lips. “Trust me.
There’s nothing better than making love with you.” Bedazzling him
with a smile, she turned and headed for the door.

“
You’re my kind of woman!”
he shouted after her, heading to the garage to get the
kids.

Bracing herself, Kayla grasped the
door knob and pulled open the door. Carson stood on the porch
wearing a white collared Polo shirt and a pair of khaki pants.
“Come in.” Still hesitant about letting him take CJ off by himself,
she stepped to the side.

Carson’s eyes stretched wide as he
stepped inside her home. “Is this where you’re going to be
moving?”

“
Yes. It’s still not
finished yet, but hopefully it will be soon.” Closing the door,
Kayla tried not to think negative about Carson. But with everything
he’d put her through, how could she not? It just seemed like…out of
the blue, he wanted to start doing right by her and CJ. Was it
possible that he’d changed? Or was it that he didn’t want her, but
didn’t want anyone else to have her either? Knowing Carson the way
she did, it was the latter, she thought, entering CJ’s soon-to-be
bedroom.

Richmond handed Kayla CJ’s backpack.
Using a washrag, he then wiped CJ’s face and hands. “Are you ready
to go with your father?” Richmond asked CJ.

Uncertainty showed on CJ’s face,
especially in his eyes. “I don’t want to go no more.”

Kayla caressed his back, trying to
comfort him. “Ah, CJ. Your father is so happy about spending time
with you. The two of you will have so much fun. Let’s not keep him
waiting.” She grabbed CJ’s hand and headed out of the
room.

Richmond, Kayla, Isabelle, and CJ
entered the living room looking like a loveable family. Richmond
and Carson nodded at one another, but neither of them bothered to
open their mouths to speak, causing Kayla to feel extremely
uncomfortable.

With CJ standing by her side, Kayla
handed Carson CJ’s bag, then she bent down and kissed CJ’s cheek.
“Please have him back by seven. He has school tomorrow.”

“
School? Where does he go
to school?” Carson asked.

“
He’s home-schooled. I
teach him.”

Carson smiled down at CJ, then ruffled
the hair on top of his head. “Are you ready to go have some fun,
CJ?”

CJ pouted. “I don’t want to go with
you.”

“
Why not?” Carson
responded.

CJ shrugged. “Because I don’t know
you. I want to stay here and play with Isabelle.”

Carson picked CJ up, and what in the
world did he do that for? CJ hollered at the top of his lungs.
Wriggling and writhing in Carson’s arms, CJ extended his arms
towards Richmond. “I don’t want to go! I don’t want to
go!”

Tears welled in Kayla’s eyes. Seeing
how frightened CJ was, her heart broke. “But CJ, you said earlier
you wanted your father to come get you.”

Then Isabelle started screaming,
“Don’t take him! He’s scared!”

When CJ reached for Richmond for the
fifth time, Richmond finally took him from Carson, and then he
picked up Isabelle, too. Carson’s facial expression remained
intact, which really made her feel as if he’d changed. Now cradled
inside Richmond’s arms, both CJ and Isabelle stopped
crying.

“
I have an idea,” Carson
said. “How about we all go out to dinner, including you, Richmond.
My treat.”

But he’s too broke to pay
me my child support.

Richmond’s eyes assessed Carson
sharply. “I can’t. I’m busy. But I think you should go,
Kay.”

Kayla detected a sense of approval in
Richmond’s tone a few seconds ago. “Are you sure you don’t
mind?”

“
I’m positive. CJ needs to
get comfortable with him first before he goes off with him by
himself. Would you like for your mother to go with you, CJ?”
Richmond asked, wiping his wet eyes with the pad of his
thumb.

CJ nodded. “Yes. Mommy, come with me,
please?”

“
I didn’t bring any extra
clothes over here, so we’re going to have to go to the park or
something. Give me a few minutes to at least comb my hair,
though.”

AFTER ALL THAT TALK ABOUT how he had
wanted to spend time with his father, Kayla couldn’t believe the
way CJ had showed out on Carson. Now as she sat on the bench at the
park down the street from SugarKanes, watching them throw the
Frisbee, she was glad the two of them were getting better
acquainted. Although Richmond was a great man, CJ needed to know
his real father. Just like Isabelle needed to always remember her
real mother.

CJ tossed the Frisbee to Carson, then
ran and hopped on the swing. After pushing him a few times, CJ
decided he wanted to go play on the sliding board. He slid over and
over down that darn sliding board.