Our Wicked Lies by Gledé Kabongo (story read aloud TXT) 📗

the pregnancy. He couldn’t do that. So, how was this going to work? Two separate families and never the two shall meet? That was a fool’s errand.

The fallout would be far-reaching. It would devastate his daughters—Lily, who was a Daddy’s girl and who wanted to be a lawyer like him, and his sweet, quiet Marston, who was so much like her mother. How would he find the courage to tell them that they had a new sibling? And what about the rest of his family? His sisters, Summer and Dana, who adored Alicia. Ella Scott Gray, the kind, dignified, loving woman he was proud to call Mamma. He would lose her respect.

But what terrified him most of all was the thought of losing Alicia and the family they’d built together. They were about to have a son who would carry on the family name before he was so cruelly snatched away when Alicia suffered the miscarriage. The news that he got another woman pregnant would break her.

He’d met Alicia Thomas, the girl with a smile that could light up the night sky, twenty-two years ago at a Boston restaurant. Eliot was in his mid-twenties, fresh out of Harvard Law, and a newly minted associate at Tillerson Brenner. His childhood best friend, Sam Robinson, had come for a visit, and together with a couple of young lawyers from the firm, they’d headed to a casual dining spot in the city after a long day.

When she’d arrived at their table to take their drinks order, Eliot had noticed her smile right away, and then her shyness, intoxicating as it was.

“When does your shift end?” he had asked.

She’d gaped at him, as if no one had posed that question to her before and she didn’t know what to make of it.

“See, now you scared her,” Sam said. “Way to go, Eliot.”

“Sorry if I came on too strong,” he said with a smile. “I thought I would ask you first before the other guys in here get the same idea. What’s your name?”

She hesitated. Then, in a light pleasant voice, she said, “I’m Alicia.” She pointed to the nametag he’d pretended he hadn’t seen.

“Well, Alicia, it’s nice to meet you.”

He kept his eyes fastened on her. The poor girl was so flustered her hand shook when she wrote their orders on the notepad. After she took off, his friend razzed him.

“She’s too good for you, Eliot,” Sam said. “Too sweet and innocent. Did you see how quickly she wanted to get away from you?”

They had all thought it was funny and had a big laugh at his expense, but she’d intrigued him. Though Alicia was shy, he’d observed a sadness in her eyes. He wanted to learn who or what had put it there. He’d resolved to show up at the restaurant the same time, every evening, hoping to run into her until he gathered up enough courage to ask for her phone number.

She had stirred something in him he couldn’t explain. The more he learned about her, the more he knew she was the one. The realization had stealthily crept up on him and then whacked him over the head. Until that moment, he had no desire to be tied down. He was young and had his entire life ahead of him. At the time, he’d thought he would be in his early thirties, at least, before he considered marriage.

Yet, two years later, on his twenty-seventh birthday, he and Alicia were married in a lavish ceremony at an antebellum mansion in his hometown of Atlanta.

“Eliot, are you with me?” Erica asked.

“Sorry? Yes, sure.” He stepped out of his perfect past, back to his messy present.

“Why are you worried about Alicia tracking you down at work? She’s not that kind of wife.”

His phone buzzed. When he looked at the screen, his stomach roiled. Then with shaky fingers, he declined the call. “I’m not worried. She had a minor emergency the other day and couldn’t reach me, that’s all.”

“I would tell you right away if she called. She’s so thoughtful. I still can’t believe she baked me that birthday cake and brought it into the office.”

“That’s my Alicia. Sweet and thoughtful.”

His phone buzzed again.

He ignored it a second time.

“Someone wants you.” Erica raised an eyebrow. “I’ll leave you to it,” she said, heading back to her desk.

Nathan: Tell her or I will!

Eliot needed time alone to sort his thoughts. He put his phone on his desk, leaving the message unanswered, and moved to the window, both hands in his pockets, and looked out at Faneuil Hall Marketplace—a Boston landmark set around a cobblestone promenade. The bustling crowds enjoyed music, entertainment, and the convenience of multiple shops, restaurants, and pubs.

He would not panic. It was more important than ever that he maintained control over his emotions. This was a test. Faith wanted to see how far she could push him. If she insisted on this little game of hers, he would simply checkmate her. He would make sure she lost everything.

CHAPTER 24

“Marston, baby, tell me what’s going on.”

“Lily told you, didn’t she?”

Alicia smiled. “Yes, she did. Yesterday. I’m glad she said something, though. She’s worried about you. So am I.”

“I told her it was no big deal. She has such a big mouth.”

Alicia had knocked gently on Marston’s door and joined her eldest daughter in her bedroom. It would be easier for her to confide in her mother if she were in her own space. The room perfectly suited her personality: mellow, simple and elegant. The décor and beddings were various shades of buttercup yellow, purple, and lavender. A few photos lined the walls—mostly of the family and a few with Marston with her teammates from the track team. A large bookshelf containing classics and modern books in various genres dominated the room.

“Come sit next to me,” Alicia said. She patted a spot on the small sofa near the window.

Marston silently complied.

“Lily said there was more to the story