Tied To You Read online

  I rolled my eyes as I stood up, pausing only long enough to grab my termination letter and the severance check attached. They were fairly mine, but I wasn’t going to take anything else. “I really hope you’ll get over this bitterness, Nila, and accept I’m part of Mykael’s life now, and we’re having a baby together.” My tone was surprisingly gentle, and I realized I actually felt sorry for her.

  Her shortsightedness could end up costing her a close relationship with her son and would almost certainly keep her from enjoying the status of grandmother to our baby. I refused to have him or her exposed to a woman who considered the baby inferior. She wouldn’t hesitate to show that or take out her anger on our little one, so if she couldn’t accept me, she certainly wouldn’t have any role in my baby’s life.

  “I’m not done with you yet. I know what kind of girl you are, and you won’t hold him for long.”

  I gave her a small smile, but I knew it was a sad one. “I actually feel sorry for you.” Her eyes widened, and I was afraid she might have a heart attack right there.

  “Believe it or not, you’re actually quite a bit like my stepfather. He’s so blinded by his own ignorant hatreds that he refuses to see the possibilities in people. I’m sad that you’re the same way, but I’m grateful that Mykael managed not to embrace your ideals anymore than I did Wayne’s. I hope you change your mind and come around, but until you do so, I don’t want to see you again.”

  Without looking back at her, I turned and strode from the office. I heard her shriek my name as the door closed, and it surprised me. She’d seemed unlikely to lose control. I nodded to her secretary, who looked startled either by me leaving in one piece or by his boss’s outburst, and quickly made my way to the lift.

  Once inside the elevator, I considered stopping by Mykael’s office, but it would do no good. He was only a junior partner and couldn’t overrule his mother’s decision to fire me. Besides, the idea of continuing to work here under the hateful gaze of Nila Watts held no appeal at all. I’d rather do anything else than that.

  As I started to leave the building, pausing only long enough to grab my purse and jacket since I hadn’t brought anything else more personal in during my brief receptionist tenure, my feet automatically set off in the direction of my old apartment. I paused at the crosswalk, realizing I should turn the other way instead. At least if I was going back to Mykael’s place, that was.

  I’d already taken most of the things I wanted for my apartment last night, and movers were due to deal with the rest and put it in storage later in the week. I had also turned in my notice via a note in the office’s drop slot.

  Deciding his mother’s maneuver changed nothing, I turned around and walked back the direction toward his apartment instead. I made myself at home, because this was technically my home now, and waited for Mykael.

  I just hoped he supported my decision to have nothing to do with his mother until she changed her mind. That was the only thing I really feared. What if he couldn’t support that? I hoped it was a needless and baseless fear as I busied myself unpacking before eventually starting dinner as the day dwindled away.

  ***

  Mykael

  My mother often got to work early, so I ensured I was waiting in her office when she came in the next morning at seven a.m. Gabriella was at home in my bed, fast asleep, and knowing she was there soothed my anger a little. I had been shocked when I’d come home last night to discover what my mother had done, and I’d been more horrified than she had been when she’d told me my mother had expected her to abort our child and disappear.

  Gabriella had taken it with equanimity, either because she’d already been preparing herself for the possibility, or because she’d had all day to process it. I had been seriously angry and wanted to storm upstairs to her apartment, but Gabriella had distracted me with dinner and soothed me, making me promise to calm down before I did something I would regret.

  That she could still care enough to worry about my relationship with my mother after what my mother had done touched me in an unexpected way. Somehow, I had managed to calm down throughout the evening, but the first sight of my mother strolling into her office, and completely unaware of my presence, threatened to send me to that same rage-filled state as yesterday.

  I held tightly to the chair arms as I waited for her to turn from the coat rack and notice me sitting in front of her desk. She did a moment later, letting out a satisfying squeak of surprise as she clutched her heart. I glared at her.

  There was a hint of anxiety in her expression, but it faded quickly enough to one of pleasant neutrality. “What brings you here so early, my son?”

  I shook my head at her attempt at willful obliviousness. “What do you think brought me here, Mother?”

  She let out a careless laugh as she moved around the desk to take up her leather throne, sitting down with an air of no guilt and no concern. And clearly no compassion. “I can’t imagine what brings you in so early. Does this have something to do with the Wilkins case? That’s the one you’re working on now, isn’t it?”

  I shook my head. “Actually, it has to do with the fact that you tried to get my girlfriend to abort our baby yesterday.”

  Her eyes widened, and she did a good imitation of someone who was hearing something shocking for the first time. “That’s outrageous. I would never—”

  I scowled at her. “Don’t even try it, Mother. I believe her one hundred percent. I saw the termination letter and the severance check.”

  She blinked at me, her expression revealing nothing. “It’s improper for you to be involved with her. You can’t be screwing the receptionist, and if you insist on maintaining an inappropriate relationship, we can’t have it plainly displayed for the entire company and clients. Therefore, I had to let her go.”

  I snorted. “Yeah, okay, whatever. But what you didn’t have to do was try to give her a boatload of money to have an abortion and disappear. I knew you would be difficult and disapprove, but it never occurred to me that you would actually try to get her to kill our baby.”

  Her lips tightened, but she shrugged a shoulder. “I still have no idea what you’re going on about, darling. Are you sure she’s not making up tales to cause trouble between us?”

  I crossed my arms over my chest, refusing to even entertain the idea. I’d seen the letter last night, and I remembered the look of regret on Gabriella’s face when she had told me about the incident. She’d looked fearful, perhaps even a little panicked, when she realized she hadn’t brought any proof of what my mother expected her to do.

  I was certain she’d thought I wouldn’t believe her, but I had. My mother could be cold and ruthless, and she hadn’t hesitated to unleash that side of herself on the woman I loved. She wasn’t going to talk her way out of this. “Drop the pretense, Mother. I know you offered her money, but I can’t understand why you would want her to kill your grandchild.”

  Her expression turned angry, her eyes even colder. “That thing is not my grandchild. She’s a Chastain, and you know what they’ve done to your sister. I won’t acknowledge her or that thing.”

  Her words made me seriously angry, and I couldn’t hold back the urge to slam my fist onto her desk. The wood reverberated in the sudden silence as we stared at each other, perhaps both shocked by my outburst. My temper was usually cooler and calmer, more glacial like hers. I leaned forward slightly, keeping my voice low and steady. “That thing is my son or daughter, and Gabriella will be my wife, if she’ll have me. I want you to stay away from her and our child.”

  She scowled at me, shaking her head. “If you marry that girl, you’ll derail all chances of a bright future. No one will support you. People admire you as a black man entering politics with a strong conscience and strong family values. You’ll throw all that away by getting married outside your race to a white girl whose stepfather is in the opposite political party.”

  It was tempting to hit the desk again, but it had done nothing besides make my hand sting. Instead, I
took a few deep breaths and focused on maintaining control. “As I’ve told you many times, I have no interest in politics. Even if I did, and I knew for sure that marrying Gabriella would ruin all prospects for me, I’d do it in a heartbeat anyway. I want her and I love her. She’s having my baby, and if you can’t accept that, there’s nothing else to say.”

  My mother, stubborn to the end, shook her head. “I can only hope you come to your senses before you actually make it official. At the very least, let me draw up a prenuptial agreement for you.”

  I sighed heavily. “Open the folder on your desk, Mother.” I had to admit I enjoyed that part, re-creating a touch of the scene she had thrust upon Gabriella yesterday. I watched with anticipation as she opened the folder, suddenly gasping in horror as she read the words. She shook her head, looking up at me as she said, “No, you can’t do this.”

  I just grinned at her. “I already have. I’m going to sell my share of the firm to Alan Bristol, which will give him a controlling share, if I’m not mistaken? I’ve turned in my notice with HR, and I’ll soon be leaving the practice. I’ve never enjoyed corporate law, so I’m going to do something I want to do.”

  She glared at me, her rage bubbling to the surface. “Fine, waste your life. Throw away everything on some white girl and a kid that probably isn’t even yours. You’re nothing but trash if you do this, and I won’t acknowledge you or forgive you. You’d better not expect any kind of financial support from me.”

  I enjoyed winking at her. “That’s okay, Mother. I’ll be just fine on my own without anyone else’s money.” As I stood up from the chair, realizing I might never be in this office again, I almost laughed like a loon.

  I felt surprisingly free and liberated, and I realized just how much the path I had chosen had weighed on me. From the time I was little, my mother had spelled out the expectations before me, that I would apply myself diligently to get good grades, graduate as quickly as possible, and complete law school at the top of my class. Then I would join her firm and work my way up to taking over for her someday.

  I couldn’t believe how easily I’d fallen in line without ever questioning what she had set for me. It wasn’t until I had met Gabriella and started reevaluating what I had and what I wanted that I’d realized the law firm and the partnership weren’t even on the list.

  With a bounce in my step and a jaunty wave to my mother, I strode to the office door. I paused before opening it, turning to look at her once more with a stern expression. “I meant what I said. Stay away from Gabriella and our baby. She has nothing to do with the Chastains, and Wayne Chastain’s sins aren’t hers.”

  My mother glared at me, but her voice was cool and composed when she said, “I don’t just hate her because she’s a Chastain. You’ve given me plenty of reason to hate her all on her own.”

  I compressed my lips to keep from saying something angry, knowing if I betrayed any other reaction besides absolute calm, it would please my mother’s sadistic side. “Hate her all you want as long as you stay away from her. Goodbye, Mother.” She didn’t speak again, and neither did I as I let myself out of the office and headed toward the elevator to go down a few floors to my own.

  I had a case to finish and some work to wrap up, but I expected to be out of the law firm by the end of the month. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to do yet, having made the spur-of-the-moment decision that I was handing in my notice depending on my mother’s reaction this morning as I had walked to the office. Now, endless possibilities lay before me, and I sorted through them as I went about my daily work.

  I already knew I didn’t want to join another large law firm devoted to corporate law. Nor did I want to be a public defender or a defense attorney. The ideas made my stomach my skin crawl. I didn’t want to interact with the worst dregs of society, even if they were entitled to legal representation. That was their right, but it wasn’t going to come for me. Nor did I want to prosecute people with the broken justice system we had.

  Midmorning, I had an idea and put in a call to an old friend from law school. Haley was happy to hear from me, and when she heard I was looking for a job, she practically hired me over the phone. I promised I would stop by for a proper interview later in the week, but we both knew it was just a formality. Thanks to a generous grant she’d recently received, she had the budget to hire help, and I had the desire to work in her pro bono family law office.

  I was completely optimistic about where my life was going, and though I was saddened by my mother’s truculence, I couldn’t allow it to sway me from the relationship I was building with Gabriella. I certainly couldn’t allow it to detract me from being the father my child deserved. I hoped she would come around, but if she didn’t, we would still be just fine without her.

  Chapter Seven

  Gabriella

  I was ready in a fancy dress when Mykael came home that evening. He had texted me at one o’clock asking me to dress up in something nice to celebrate. I didn’t know what we were celebrating, but I was happy to have an excuse to wear the ivory evening gown I had purchased during my maternity shopping. I was also happy to do anything that would please him, so I was beautifully made up and waiting for him when the door opened.

  He must have shaved and freshened up at the office, because he looked just as good as he did right out of the shower. I moved to greet him, and we exchanged a long kiss before he set down his briefcase to wrap me tighter in his arms. There were a few more kisses, and I’d have to touch up my lipstick, but I didn’t care.

  A few moments later, he lifted his head and asked me, “Are you ready?”

  I nodded, looking down at my dress as I took a step back. “Will this work for what you have in mind?” It was a sleeveless tube dress basically, falling from one shoulder to my ankles, but with ruches on the sides to allow expansion for my burgeoning tummy. The draped asymmetrical neck gave it a touch of elegance to balance the sexiness from the one-shoulder design, though the fabric was simple with only a few sequins scattered about to give it a hint eveningwear.

  He nodded his appreciation. “That will do for all kinds of things—the kind of things that leave us sweaty and exhausted.” The hunger gradually faded from his eyes as he clearly made an effort to get hold of himself. “It’ll also do for dinner too. You look gorgeous.”

  I felt gorgeous as I took his arm, and we left the apartment. My skin was glowing, and I had felt good all day. I knew I’d have to look for a job tomorrow or the next day, but I’d spent the day just lying around getting used to his place and figuring out what I might want to do next. I was hoping to find something I could do from home, at least until the baby came, but I would focus on that tomorrow. Today had been for me, and tonight was for us.

  When we arrived at the restaurant, I admired the elegant interior. I’d never been to this particular establishment before, and it was the perfect place to celebrate, though I still didn’t know what we were celebrating. I waited until we were seated at our table before I asked him. “So what’s the good news?”

  He gave me an enigmatic smile and said, “Wait until we have a drink to toast with, and I’ll tell you.”

  I nodded, wishing I could have a glass of champagne too. When the sommelier came to the table, I was touched by Mykael ordering a bottle of nonalcoholic sparkling cider for our celebration. If the wine steward thought it was an odd request, he made no comment. Soon, he returned with our bottle and offered us both a glass before setting it in a bucket of ice, as though it were the finest Dom Pérignon and required careful preservation.

  “Now tell me,” I said, almost bouncing in my seat. The anticipation was killing me.

  He grinned at me as he lifted his glass, saying, “To big changes, my love.”

  I touched my glass to his even as my heart stuttered at the endearment. Did it mean something more, or was it just a sweet way to address me? I knew I wanted it to mean something significant, but I was afraid to hope for that, especially this soon in our relationship. Instead, I sip
ped the sparkling cider that was surprisingly good, and waited for him to expound. When he didn’t, I asked, “What kind of changes?”

  He leaned closer, taking my hands in his after we had both set down our flutes. “I turned in my notice today at my mother’s law firm and connected with a friend who runs a pro bono family law service instead. I’m going to start working for her as soon as I extricate myself from Bristol, Williams & Watts.”

  It was a surprising turn of events, but I didn’t care as long as he was happy. I squeezed his hands before lifting one to my mouth to kiss the back of it. “You seem so animated about it. I think it’ll be a good change for you.” My excitement faded as I realized this probably had something to do with the meeting yesterday between myself and Nila. I frowned him. “Is this because of what your mother did? I don’t want to drive a wedge between the two of you.”

  Mykael shook his head at me. “She’s the one doing that, Gabriella. I couldn’t stay there after what she had done or tried to do. I feel so free now, and I don’t regret leaving. I only regret not doing it sooner.”

  I nibbled on my lower lip, torn between urging him to make up with his mother and gleefully embracing his sacrifice. My intent had been to avoid Nila, and to shield our child from her, but I had never wanted Mykael to feel like he couldn’t be involved in his mother’s life or have something to do with her just because I was avoiding her until and unless she stopped hating me so blatantly. “You didn’t destroy your relationship with her, did you?”

  Mykael shrugged, looking unconcerned. “I doubt it’s destroyed, though it’s badly damaged, but that isn’t your fault. This is solely on my mother and her inability to recognize you make me happy. If she can’t accept the woman I love, she can’t accept me either.”

  I stilled at the words, maintaining a death grip on his hands as I looked at him uncertainly. “Do you mean that?”