Dick (Bad Boys #1) Page 7

  Jenna shoots up from the little chair that the students sit on and begins to clap her hands deliriously. “Does this mean what I think it means? Are you finally going to leave that jerk?” she asks.

  “Jenna,” I whisper. “Would you keep your voice down? I swear, sometimes I feel like the walls in this school have ears.” I pause and take a breath since thinking the words and voicing them out loud are two separate things. “Yes, I’m thinking of a way to leave Blythe,” I confirm quietly.

  Jenna places her finger to her mouth and walks across the room on tiptoes, catching me strongly in a hug … or maybe a choke hold. “I’m so happy, friend,” she whispers in my ear, and I can see her eyes welling.

  This is a big moment. She has spent a good year speaking to me about my marriage, my self-esteem issues, my childhood issues, and the long list of other issues I have. It hasn’t been easy, but she has forced me to face a few truths that were hard to swallow, but I know will be good for me in the long run.

  We get through another day of kindergarten

  And no, I don’t think of Dick. I only daydream about him. Does that even count?

  Washington was intense and busy, and I am glad to be back in my hometown, even though I sometimes wish I could leave this busy city and buy a ranch with horses in a quiet town with no traffic. Financially, I can afford it. I just don’t want my children to be a great distance from their mother and have to deal with traveling back and forth. Nowadays, though, it seems like she cares less and less, and that in itself is worrisome.

  I’m also a lot more comfortable in a pair of blue jeans and my usual hoody, which I can’t pull off in Washington. It’s not the attire most billionaires subscribe to, but it’s who I am. You can take the boy out of Bed Stuy, but you can’t take Bed Stuy out of the boy. I enter the car waiting for me at the airport and head straight for the office. Along the way I send my ex a quick text, asking for permission to pick the kids up from school and have them sleepover. I missed my days and I hate to miss what’s mine. I never want them to feel like work comes first, even though I’m a man with many obligations.

  An hour later I’m at my desk. My secretary follows me into the office to update me on what I’ve missed.

  “Congratulations. You’re back.” Carter walks into my office without knocking, interrupting my update. Cocky bastard. He may own half this place, but I gave it to him. Ungrateful son of a bitch.

  “There’s something called knocking. Or better yet … you can call.” I glare at him, my tone serious and edgy. He has that effect on me.

  He laughs. “Yeah, yeah.” He waves me off. “So you want to tell me what this surprise trip to Washington was about?” he asks expectantly. Where I’m laid back in jeans and a T-shirt, Carter is decked out in a very expensive suit. He undoes the top button on his jacket and takes a seat in the chair in front of my desk. My secretary gives me a wary look before she excuses herself.

  “It’s none of your business,” I answer with a clipped tone and a smug look on my face.

  “It damn well is. I own half this company. Legally, you have to tell me,” he answers with the same smugness I’ve dished out. The only difference is I have a right to be smug. My first thought is to lunge across my desk and throttle him. Truth is I don’t need charges brought against me. I’ve already assaulted him once.

  “It really doesn’t have anything to do with you. I opened a new company. I’m allowed to do that. It’s not social media. Has nothing to do with social media. It’s going to be bigger and better than Socialite, but hey who the fuck cares!” I wave my hand at him as if he’s dust.

  “You really are a dick.” He stands up from the chair and buttons up his jacket. “We were best friends once, Dick. You could have at least had the courtesy to warn me. There have been paparazzi stationed outside the doors all day. Did you really want me to get ambushed with no answers?” he asks.

  For fucking real? “I’m not going to even offer you the courtesy of answering that question.”

  A look of remorse or maybe contempt washes over his face. You can never know what’s going on inside the head of a person with two faces. He nods his head and walks out the door. I’m finally able to get to work. I still built this company from the ground up, and I will ensure its success. I spend the rest of the morning in and out of meetings.

  By noon, my secretary brings me lunch, a turkey breast sandwich on a ciabatta bun. As I take a break from work and bite into my sandwich, I think of Eden Jenkins. As I think of her feline eyes, a memory comes up in my mind and it finally hits me. I drop the sandwich and rub my temples. My past has come back to bite me in the ass big time since Eden told me about her own past. I hate that I’ve been wallowing in it, but I also realize it wasn’t healthy to completely block it out either. I tell myself that it can’t be her. I mean what are the chances? Her name no … it doesn’t make sense.

  The girl I’m thinking about was called Natalie Stillwater. I’m clearly delusional. Eden’s eyes come into my mind again and I think of Natalie. I’m not even sure why my mind makes the connection. Natalie had the most beautiful eyes. She was my neighbor back in Williamsburg. Jesus! I haven’t thought about her in years. We were raised across the hall from each other. We used to meet in the hall, where we talked and played card games for hours in the evenings. Our parents were never too interested in entertaining us or anything, so we kept each other company. Damn, I remember kissing her just before I left Williamsburg. She was my first real crush. Yeah, I made out with the other girls at school, thinking I was hot shit, but it was Natalie that held a special place for me. Fuck! How did I manage to block her out until now? I try not to think too much of it because I’m not that guy who cares and wants something more than just a fuck. I will my mind to stop thinking of Natalie. A part of me wants to go online and search for her, but what good would it do? Her life was just as pathetic as mine back then. I remember the day her mother left … I pause again and my heart sinks. The night I met Eden, she squinted her eyes at me, asking if she knew me. I sensed it wasn’t a regular come on. I think back to the night Eden revealed through her feverish state that her mother walked out on her. A shiver crawls over my skin as I feel like a bucket of cold water has been thrown on my head. It can’t be. Can it? Is Eden Natalie? I know my connections may be farfetched, but what if?

  After finishing my sandwich, I force my mind to focus on work, diving back into my afternoon tasks. I tell myself that I need to know the truth. Is she the girl from my past? Did she change her name? I could very easily hack into her private accounts and get my answers, but it doesn’t feel right to do so. My mind won’t let up, and I’m definitely intrigued.

  I send her a quick text, knowing I shouldn’t.

  I’m back. Just wanted to see how you and Grant are doing?

  I wait. No answer. She must be in the middle of a lesson or something. Sinking my teeth back into work thankfully takes my mind off her … for a while. My ex responded that I can have the kids tonight. Of course she did. She likes to have time for herself. I shoot Ma a quick text, telling her I have the kids. The rest of the afternoon flies by in a blur as I ensure everything is running as it should.

  By four o’clock I’m driving over to the school. The kids participate in a sport ball activity after school, which helps when I can’t rip myself away from work too early. As I’m driving, my phone beeps. I wait to reach the red light before I pick it up. I hate to see those assholes who text and drive. Ge got into a bad accident last month where his car was totaled because some motherfucker ran a red light while texting. He was in the hospital for a few days. It was a damn miracle he walked away from the accident almost unscathed. I was so worried for Ma that day. She had lost one son in the violence of Bed Stuy. I knew she would never recover from losing Ge.

  Thanks for asking. We are back to normal. Thanks for coming over with the medicine. E

  I read the text and when the light turns green, I place the phone on the console and weave my way through traffic, arrivin
g to the school just as the sport ball program is ending. From a distance, I see Eden watching Grant with a smile on her face. Hmm. Beautiful!

  She notices me when I enter the gym and briefly glances my way and then acts as if she doesn’t see me. It stings, but I understand. No being friendly with the player on school property. I remind myself that I’m not trying to get in her pants anyway.

  Waiting off to the side, I check my messages on my phone while the kids finish up. The truth is that her lack of acknowledgement stings for reasons I don’t understand.

  Still looking at my phone, I whisper, “Hey.”

  “Hey,” she whispers back, her attention still on Grant.

  “Glad to see you’re feeling better,” I say quietly, my focus now on my kids wrapping up their parachute time.

  “Thanks,” she answers curtly.

  “Do you want to take the kids to the zoo for a bit? We might as well enjoy the weather while we can,” I ask, wondering when the idea came in my head. Shit! I’m looking for a way to spend more time with her that is clearly out of a bedroom. What’s wrong with me?

  She doesn’t turn her head to look at me. I’m thinking I just set myself up for rejection. It never happens and I don’t know how to swallow it.

  She whispers, “Sure.”

  I want to tell her it’s okay, that I understand, but then I realize she said yes and my chest expands. Get a grip! I warn myself. I really feel like beating myself on the chest like a gorilla, all proud.

  “I’ll meet you there. Please don’t talk to me here. As is, the mothers know you came over. I don’t need that kind of attention. I’m a respected teacher. I don’t want to fall into the category of one of your …” She pauses. I feel the sting again.

  A string of bad choices has given me a reputation. Not only at this school, but everywhere I go. Women watch as the media covers my life. I’m known to have a good time. I can’t blame her for my choices, but something about her makes me want to be a better man.

  “Sure, no problem,” I respond, while my eyes are trained on Jaden and Macy. The program ends. They both come running up to me. I tell myself that I just want to know if she’s the girl from my past. That’s all nothing more.

  “Daddy!” my kids scream out, and I scoop them up.

  “Hey, kiddos. How’ve you been?”

  “Good, Daddy,” they answer simultaneously. “We missed you,” Jaden says, giving me a hug. Macy gives me a hug too.

  “You guys want to go to the zoo?” I know they love the zoo. I try to have as much fun with them as possible. Give them experiences I never had. I also try to keep them out of the media. My divorce made the six o’clock news. It was hard to hide from the paparazzi back then. It’s still hard.

  We head out to the car and drive through traffic. I pop a DVD in to keep them occupied as we crawl at a turtle’s pace. I send Ma a quick text, letting her know we will be late for dinner. My phone beeps again. Ge’s name comes up, asking if I want to spar later on. Tae Kwon Do is such an important part of our lives. We both became black belts back in Bed Stuy, and we never gave it up. It was relaxing. It centered me. Ge became a cop. Being in good shape was part of the job description. With all the undercover work he does, it’s good he can defend himself when things turn bad once in a while.

  Definitely. Much later on …

  We finally pull into the parking lot at the zoo, and I wonder if Eden will show. I grab Macy’s stroller out of the trunk and put her inside. There’s a little standing plate on rollers, and Jaden hops on while I push them both toward the entrance. Eden is already here, waiting at the entrance with Grant. My blood begins to pump faster at the sight of her. When Grant spots Jaden, he runs toward him, screaming his name. Jaden hops off the little plate and meets him halfway.

  Eden eyes me nervously. “Hi,” she says, and it’s almost a whisper.

  “Hey,” I reply. It is kind of uncomfortable. “Glad the boys are happy with this plan.” I grin.

  “What about me, Daddy?” Macy looks up with a pout.

  “We can look at girl things together.” Eden crouches down to reassure her, and Macy smiles.

  I quickly buy tickets for all of us, and we make our way inside.

  “Daddy, look, it’s a hippopotamus.” Jaden runs off.

  “Jaden, stay close. You can’t be running off in here. It’s busy. There are strangers,” I holler.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Eden gazing at me intently as if enamored, or maybe revolted. Who knows? I’m hoping the former. As I push the stroller and we walk side by side, this whole scenario feels good. We arrive at the hippos.

  Macy looks up to me. “I want to walk, Daddy.”

  I lift her in my arms to see the hippos, and she points to them. Eden stands beside me, enjoying the view and talking to Macy. I need to somehow bring up Williamsburg and find out if the connection in my mind is substantiated. It’s been so long since I’ve seen Natalie. I assume I wouldn’t recognize her as a grown woman. I also don’t want to throw Eden off if she is Natalie and changed her name for some reason.

  “How was your day?” I ask, figuring it’s better to start with small talk. I place Macy down and she walks along with Grant and Jaden.

  She looks up to me. “The usual. You know Jaden is a very smart boy. We were doing some math today, and he can compute way beyond his age requirements.”

  “Really?” I smirk sardonically.

  “Yes, he is very bright.” She smiles softly.

  “He must take after me. I was quite the math genius,” I reply, knowing it sounds a little cocky, but I’m in a playful mood.

  She lifts a brow up as if she doesn’t believe me. That’s when it hits me; she remembers me, or else she wouldn’t have that reaction. Natalie tutored me in eighth grade math for a full year after school because I pretended to fail in order to get my father’s attention. My plan didn’t work out, and Ma went to my teacher who assigned Natalie to help me. The funny part was that I was better at math than Natalie was. She would make mistakes, and I wouldn’t say anything to her. I liked being with her. She smelled like peaches and innocence and … holy hell, my stomach bottoms out as I look over to Eden. She should not be having the reaction that she is. She should be confirming my brilliance. I’ve been called a computer prodigy on more than one media outlet and clearly math would be involved in the algorithms. Her cynicism is unsubstantiated.

  “You know me,” I say with a leveled voice. It isn’t a question. This is not how I planned on confirming my suspicion, but I’ve learned that life happens the way it wants to.

  Her eyes widen, as if she’s startled, and then they narrow assessing me. “Yes. I was your neighbor.” She pauses.

  “Natalie?” I ask and her eyes turn round. “I’m sorry I don’t …”

  She cuts me off. “It’s okay. It’s Eden now. It was Natalie Eden Stillwater. Now it’s just Eden,” she explains, but it isn’t much of an explanation.

  My heart rate accelerates. Peaches…I’ve found Peaches. It was my nickname for her, back in the day. She smelled like peaches and tasted like sweetness. I always called her Peaches when we were alone, like it was our little intimate secret.

  “If I remember correctly, you were more than my neighbor. We were close friends … I uh…” I cough into my hand because this conversation has gone from uncomfortable into awkward very quickly.

  Her cheeks flush. “I was your math tutor.”

  The flush in her cheeks tells me that it wasn’t math she was interested in during those sessions and my feelings meet hers.

  “I know for a fact you didn’t do well in math.” She nods her head and pushes out her lower lip. She’s so damn cute and beautiful and kind … shit! Get a hold of yourself, Dick!

  I smile mischievously. “I didn’t remember you at first.”

  “I know,” she confirms. “The night of the gala dinner, I thought I knew you, but it took some time for me to jog my own memory. I remembered later on.”

  I bite my lower li
p. I probably shouldn’t tell her how I figured it out.

  “Well?” she asks, waiting. I think she wants to know when I remembered. The kids walk away from the hippos, and Eden and I walk after them.

  “Giraffes, Daddy,” Jaden yells out. We stop at the giraffes. This never gets old.

  “Honestly?” I squint.

  “I would expect nothing else,” she answers unequivocally.

  “I don’t know. I guess it was a bunch of things, starting when you told me about your mother leaving. It kind of rocked me to hear you talk about your past. It caused my own mind to dredge up things I had long buried away.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t meant to cause you pain.” Her bottom lip sticks out. Those plump lips … I want to reach over and claim them all over again. She was just a kid back then, but damn did she taste good.

  “Honestly, when I left Williamsburg, I kind of cleared my mind of everything and everyone. I was pissed I had to leave my friends and school behind. I couldn’t believe my father up and left me like that. It was rough.” I pause. What I want to tell her is that I didn’t know how I was going to survive without her beautiful smile and our nightly talks. I don’t say that though. I’m not that guy anymore. I’m definitely not a romantic.

  “I always wondered what happened to you. I woke up one morning and you were gone. The apartment was empty. Some old woman moved in after you. When you told me about Bed Stuy, the other night, I finally understood.” Her mouth turns into a frown. Jesus! Peaches. My Peaches. Only she isn’t mine, and I’m not that guy, I repeat in my head.

  “Why the name change?” I ask, hoping I’m not pushing it. Back in the day, we shared all our secrets. Now we’re two strangers.

  “That’s not a story for the zoo,” she answers. Her eyes look sad as she stares straight ahead at the kids, who have stopped to take a look at the panda bears.