Michael rolls his eyes as he turns his head, and I believe I hear him suck his teeth. He’s struggling with his emotions.
“I hate to admit it, but yes. I don’t know about your connection; I wasn’t there when your…affair started. But I do know about your chemistry. All these years, you coming around stealing goo-goo looks at her every time you get a chance. Her, always looking glum when you leave family events. You, always showing for those very events, and even coordinating some. I know you love my wife, but every vacation or holiday retreat hasn’t been for Sarah Barrett…or at least not only for her. It’s because you’re crazy about that little girl of mine. I get it. But what are you gonna do about it now that it’s hit the fan?” He leans back in his seat with arched brows and an expectant expression. “You were so big and bad, barging into my home seven years ago, giving your word that you would take care of her. Now that she has a need just as fundamental as the fancy mortgage note you pay on, what you gon’ do? My child needs caring for, Rogers. Are you gonna keep your word as you assured or are you going to drop the ball?”
The proverbial ball…
My forehead wrinkles. “Does Bernard know you’re here with what I presume to be your agenda?”
Michael has always been a proponent of Zoey’s relationship with Bernard. His disdain for me over the years has been distinct, too. I’d be remiss to not address this haunting fact.
He waves his hand, brushing off the notion. “Oh, Bernard ain’t fit to marry my daughter. He ain’t fit to marry at all. He knows nothing about caring for a woman. He’s too concerned with trying to be the next Deitrick Haddon. Too concerned with flamboyance and…having proprietary rights over her rather than honing in on Zoey’s needs. Truth be told, you staying away all these years has played into that. The support you’ve provided her makes her more desirable in his eyes. It makes her a trophy to him. You so busy all these years with your head in the sky, you ain’t been paying attention to a * cat wearing a bear’s mask, shaking down your tree.”
The fuck?
I’m rendered speechless. How do you come back from that? If I’m real with myself, I’ll admit to never viewing Bernard as enough of a threat because he was in a completely different lane from me. He was lame. I’d never considered if he could take care of Zoey and Jordan because since falling in love with her, I’d made caring for her my charge, and there’s no question of what I’d do for my son. Maybe my arrogance has made me blind to the possibility of him actually pulling off marrying Zoey.
Just to think, all of this shit could’ve been settled four years ago when I was prepared to call off the Giving Zoey Time to Grow Mission. Had I not allowed Erika’s trickery to derail our trajectory, we could have been together today, avoiding all of this bullshit that has literally made me sick all these years. Zoey could be my wife. That could’ve been me rubbing on her dimpled ass earlier.
Fuck my life!
I sit back in my seat, still unable to meet Michael’s challenging glare. I nod. Too many thoughts—and fears of losing—running through my mind.
~~~~~~~~~~
Then
January 2010
~Zoey~
“All right, gang, I think that’s all for tonight,” Dr. Phelps called our dismissal. “Next time, let’s consider Ms. Barrett’s passion, even if not her audacious ambition. She articulated a captivating pitch, but with less thought out details. Let that be our starting point,” He snorted. “…just not the destination in organizing venture capital funds.”