A/N: I completely dropped the ball on this story, but a reader asked me to update. I only have this chapter and the next written, but I'll try to work on a conclusion soon. I love y'all if you're still here, two years later 💙
Recap: Preston went to Connecticut to work through rehab with his ex, Brayden's mother. While he was there, the married couple had a huge fight over something hurtful Preston said: they were a split family. Kayla was offended because she's cared for Brayden since he was an infant, so to her, she's the only mother he's known, and simply because their children would have two different mothers didn't mean they weren't one united family. After returning, Kayla and Preston announced to their family that she is pregnant. She and Preston have another argument, and we pick up here... enjoy!
Anthony
Kayla put her headphones in and took a deep breath as she pressed play on her music. She was in downtown L.A. preparing to take a run through the park. She needed to calm herself down. She had won her case, which helped lessen her irritation, but each time she got happy, she immediately got angry. She thought she was over the argument she and her husband had before she left home, but obviously she was not over it. He had been beyond silent and pushy since he got back to California.
She kept thinking about the infinite possibilities of what he was hiding. He had spent three weeks with his ex, the biological mother of his child, in rehab. It concerned her that whatever he was scared to tell had a lot to do with her. She just had a feeling that she would find out a secret involving Alexandria that he never told her. As much as it was eating away at her, Kayla tried to remember to stay calm both for herself and the baby. She knew Preston loved her, but love wasn't enough to make marriage work. It requires communication, trust, and commitment. Until that point, they had all those values as well as love and their marriage was incredible. But now they had hit a road block and both of them had to decide whether or not they would take a detour.
As Kayla began jogging, she thought back to the phone call again. She forgave him for it but it still bothered her, especially now that he was hiding something. It wasn't like her husband to not come telling her everything. Preston couldn't hold water if his life depended on it. That's why she was so concerned about whatever he wasn't telling her. They had a no secrets policy, and especially considering his track record of lying to her, this situation was rubbing her the wrong way.
However, she couldn't dwell on that. Regardless of what he was hiding, Preston was on a strict time line to tell her what it was by the end of the night, or else she'd be sleeping in a hotel room. A part of her felt she was going overboard, but she needed to know whether or not their relationship was in jeopardy. If he had kissed his ex, she could handle it. If he'd slept with her, she knew it would take awhile to forgive but they'd work through it. There was nothing Preston could have done that would make her want to leave him, which is why she didn't understand his silence. It was more irritating than angering. She had so much anxiety about what happened while he was gone, and that wasn't good for her pregnancy. So with that in mind, Kayla decided to pick up her speed and attempt to clear her mind for her midday run.
When she returned home, Kayla noticed no one was there. It was four in the afternoon, and Erica was meeting her soon for a chat. Kayla started putting away the few groceries she had bought for the house, and as she did so, she shot Preston a text reminding him to pick up their son and be home in enough time to explain himself. When he read the text and didn't respond, Kayla got even more worried. He was behaving so out of character that it was throwing her off. Now she really wasn't trusting him, and that was a space they hadn't been in since they got back together almost two years prior. It was nerve wrecking and simply made her anxious as hell. A few minutes later, the doorbell ring, shaking her from her thoughts, and Kayla rushed over to let her best friend in.
"Hi, baby," Erica greeted, kissing her friend's cheek.
"Hi—"
"I was talking to the belly. Let me see my god daughter," she cooed as Kayla rolled her eyes.
"Since yesterday all everyone is talking about is the baby," she laughed as she lifted up her shirt, revealing her baby bump.
"I cannot believe you're pregnant. You're pregnant!" She shouted happily, placing her hands on the bump. "This stage is so cute. You're throwing up and sleeping all the time. Later it gets nasty."
"Nastier than throwing up?"
"Swollen feet and hands, your armpits start sweating, you're constantly hot, you cry all the time... Man do I miss it," Erica chuckled as they walked into the kitchen.
"So are you and Samaad having anymore?" She asked, sliding her friend a glass of water.
"We don't know. Christopher is just hitting six months, and Christiana is such a great big sister. We kinda like where our little family is. Maybe in a few years. What about you? I mean, I know you're just getting here, but what about the future?"
"We want more, we just don't know when. I want them back to back but Pres doesn't know."
"Speaking of, where is Preston?"
"Ask me if I know," Kayla sighed deeply.
"Wait, what?"
"This morning, we were in the middle of something and he just jumped out of bed. It was so weird because he's never refused anything like that, and it hurt my feelings. I was confused, but when I brought it up he just said he was busy and didn't have time to fool around. But like, how busy can you be and you just got back, you know? I just think he's hiding something from me which is completely out of character. I told him he had until the end of the day to tell me what's going on, otherwise he'd be in a world of trouble."
"Oh, wow. He doesn't keep secrets from you," Erica replied, shaking her head.
"I know! It is so weird to think he's hiding something."
"Maybe it's a good thing, like when he was moving the wedding to Tokyo."
"I don't think so. Honestly, I think his ex has a lot to do with it," she shrugged.
"Really? Alex?"
"Yeah. I mean, he was with her for twenty-one days working out their issues, and suddenly he comes back this weird? While he was there we had an argument about her and it was terrible. We didn't speak until he came back yesterday and I thought we were good, but apparently not. I just—"
Kayla was cut off by the sound of her phone. She looked down and saw Preston's picture pop up, irritated already. She rolled her eyes and slid her finger across the screen to answer.
"Hello?"
"Hi. Uhm..." trailed Preston. It sounded like he was driving. "Listen, I can't pick Brayden up today."
"What? Pres, he hasn't seen you in twenty-one—"
"I know the last time my son saw me, Kayla," he snapped back. "I know I didn't get to spend much time with him yesterday. I know that. Can you pick him up or not?"
"Yes, I will pick our son up. You know, you're being a real dick today," she mumbled as she heard him scoff.
"Yeah, and you're being much better—"
"I'm picking up our son, and I certainly didn't reject my wife this morning, so yeah I'm doing pretty okay!" Kayla yelled, hanging up the phone and slamming it on the county. "He's such a fucking dick!"
"Wait, wait," Erica said, rubbing her back. "Calm down. You have to stay calm."
"I know, I just..." she trailed, placing her head in her hands. "When he asked to go to Connecticut, I immediately said yes. It was for the better. I..."
"I know, honey," she cooed, pulling Kayla into her arms. "It's hard, I know. But you guys are in a weird space right now. It'll work itself out, you just have to work through it. Believe me, you'll get back to usual soon."
"Yeah, I hope so. If not, I'm staying at your place," she mumbled as they both chuckled.
"We'd be happy to have you, but I'd love for the godparents of my children, and the parents of my godchildren to stay married."
"Yeah, me too," she sighed as she picked up her keys and purse. "I have to go pick Bray up. You wanna come?"
"Sure, why not? My babies are gone until tomorrow night with Samaad's friends. I'll tag along."
"Let's go," Kayla said, walking through the door, hoping to return a still happily married woman.
***********
Kayla flinched as she heard a bump in the lower half of her home. She rubbed her eyes as she looked at the clock and noticed it was nearly four in the morning. She rose from her bed and turned on the light in her room before pulling on a robe and grabbing a nearby bat. Her husband wasn't home and she certainly wasn't going down without a fight. With her bat in tow, Kayla slowly crept down the stairs and tried to be as quiet as possible. Once she hit the last stair she could see around to the kitchen, and noticed there was a rather tall person moving around. She gasped before running towards whoever it was, prepared to swing her bat.
But the moment she got close enough to swing, the lights came on.
It was Preston.
"What the hell?!" Preston shouted as she swung and missed.
"Oh! Sorry!" She shrieked, jumping almost out of her skin from fear. "Sorry! I didn't know it was you."
"I can see that," he mumbled, turning back to the fridge as she put the bat down.
Kayla simply watched as he rummaged through their refrigerator looking for food. When he found the leftovers, he took out the containers and placed the food on his plate. She was quiet as she watched him then warm his food, grab a fork, and head for the living room. She followed him as he plopped on the couch and grabbed the remote before beginning to eat what was supposed to be dinner.
"So you're just not going to say anything about coming in at four in the morning?" Kayla asked as she leaned against the wall.
"I'm grown," he shrugged as her heart sank.
"Excuse me?"
"Kayla, please. I'm watching—"
"I don't give two shits about what you're watching, Preston! I'm your wife!" She barked back, turning the TV off as his eyes snapped up to her.
"I said I'm grown. That's why I was out," he replied harshly. "Turn the TV back on."
"You know what," she began as she walked toward him, snatching his plate away.
"What the hell?!"
"I cooked this meal and bought the ingredients. Since I'm grown, I get to decide who is and who isn't affected by my actions," she shrugged sarcastically as she tossed the plate onto the floor, watching it shatter.
"You're gonna wake Brayden up—"
"Oh, now you care about Brayden?! You know what, Preston, you're being a prick of a husband and father. How dare you come back home after almost a month of being away and not spend time with your family. I don't know what the hell is going on but you have less than ten seconds to explain to me where the hell you were and why you're acting like this before I take myself and our child elsewhere," she threatened.
"I said I'm grown—"
"Okay," she nodded, walking toward the steps. "Be grown and damn lonely."
Kayla had never packed a bag so fast in her life. She'd had it with his incredibly irregular behavior. He wasn't drunk or high, so she knew he hadn't relapsed. Something was seriously wrong with him, but if he didn't want her to help, she wouldn't. After she finished packing her stuff, she went to Brayden's room and packed a bag for him as well before gently picking him up out of bed. She carried him and their things down to the first floor and set them at the door before using her phone to immediately book a hotel room a few miles away. When that was finished, she grabbed her keys and opened the door.
"You're being over dramatic," Preston grunted, coming out from the living room to see his wife preparing to leave.
"Great, then in that case being gone for a few weeks would—"
"You're not leaving, Kayla," he grunted, stepping in front of her.
"Move."
"Stop this. You're being irrational—"
"Oh now we care about rationality?!" She snapped back, startling their little boy.
Brayden began crying as his mom held him. She bounced him on her hip, but nothing could get him to stop. He was tired and all the sudden there was yelling. He didn't understand.
"Shh... Hush, baby," she cooed, kissing the top of his head. He wrapped his arms around her neck and slowly fell asleep again.
"You're staying," Preston all but growled as she scoffed.
"I'm grown. I'm leaving. Call me when you're ready to be an adult," she all but spat back as she lifted her things and headed out the door.
***********************************
Preston was losing his mind. It was day six and he hadn't heard a word from either his wife or their son. She sent him two pictures of Brayden playing so he knew their son was okay, but other than that, there was silence. He was growing increasingly nervous about their whereabouts, if they were okay, if they had enough clothes. He knew they had probably come home at least once since Kayla left, but it was never when he was there.
As he stood in his office, thinking about the argument, Preston's hands started shaking. He tried to still them but he just couldn't. He kept thinking about the stupid things he said to her, the way he refused to answer her questions. He really had no reason to act that way except for the fact he was hiding the biggest screw up he'd ever made in their entire relationship. It was either tell her what he had done and was still doing, or wait until he was finished and then reconcile with her. His hope was that eventually the entire thing would blow over and they could move on back to the amazing relationship they had throughout the first part of their marriage, but it wasn't that easy. He'd called Kayla multiple times just to hear her voice from fake numbers, but eventually she stopped answering and thought it was a hacker. She changed her number and Preston didn't even know what it was. That's why he was terrified.
A few minutes later, someone knocked on Preston's office door, and he stilled his hands. He looked up to see his assistant and nodded for him to come in. Theo thought his boss was being incredibly strange the last few days but he wasn't sure what was wrong with him. He would come in, rush to his office, and spend most of the day pacing back and forth and making private phone calls to a random number. He didn't get it, however, he was hoping that what he had in store would help his boss feel better.
"What's up, Theo?" Preston asked, bouncing his leg up and down.
"Your sister is here, sir. She wanted me to see if you were busy before she came in with lunch," he nodded as Preston smiled gently.
"Sure, yeah. Send her in here."
Heather smiled as she saw her brother from the outside of the glass office. She was carrying a bag from Antonio's Deli, the best place for sub sandwiches in L.A. Theo held the door open for her and she grinned at him before stepping into the office. She set the lunch down, then pressed the button on Preston's desk that dropped the black shades around the glass and tuned on a light in the transparent office. When that was finished, she closed and locked the door, prepared to give her brother a tongue lashing for the ages.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Heather growled lowly as Preston widened his eyes. He never heard her talk like that.
"W-what?" Preston stuttered.
"Your wife has been at my house with your child, and she won't stop crying. When I didn't hear from her a few days ago, I thought it was strange, and decided to pop up at your house. When I got there, she was leaving with bags of clothes. I asked why, she didn't want to tell me, but eventually she broke down and wouldn't stop crying. She hasn't been to work in almost a week, Preston. She pushed back all of her cases. The doctor called and said she could find out the sex of the baby today, and she's terrified she has to go alone. She refused to come stay with me, but eventually I wore her down, and now she's sleeping at my place in the guest bedroom. Let me break this down for you..." Heather said, leaning closer to him as he sat in his large mahogany chair.
"You better make this shit work. Kayla has given her whole life to you and here you are treating her as if she's replaceable. Let me tell you something: she's not. You get one shot with her, one chance. You can't screw this up, Preston. You can't. So, I suggest to you get your ass up and get your wife back!" she snapped at him, slapping her hand on the table and making him jump.
"Heather, you have no clue what's going on," he shook his head, looking away from her.
"Then tell me."
"It's... Fuck," he cursed as he looked down at the floor.
"If you can't tell me or Kayla, then you don't need to be doing whatever it is you're doing. So I suggest you stop it—"
"I'm helping Alex's brother," he finally admitted as her jaw dropped.
"What?!"
"He called me one time while I was in Connecticut, we got to talking, and... He's back in my life. I-I don't know if I want him to be or not, but he is. He called me one night and he's in some serious trouble, as in gambling. He owes so many people so much money that he's become paranoid that someone is looking to kill him. We decided he'd go to rehab, but the next opening isn't for another week. He has no idea that I'm married, in fact he wants me and his sister to get married, and I don't know why I haven't told him the truth but... The night Kay left, I came in at four in the morning because I went to get him from the casino. He'd spent about two grand and was racking up a higher debt. I took him to his place, got him some clothes, and I put him in a hotel. But he left the hotel and went back to the casino. I went to get him again, and I snuck him inside the house in the basement where he sleeps. I can't tell Kayla because we had a huge fight while I was gone about Alex, and... It's too much to explain, but essentially I made a comment about us being a split family. She made it very clear that we're not split, that she's Brayden's mother one hundred percent, and that I need to let Alex go. I want to, I really do, it's just... When I was strung out on drugs, Anthony was the person that came to get me. Before Kayla came along, he'd tried twice to get me and his sister sober. We were like brothers. I can't just push him aside—"
"That isn't an excuse as to why he doesn't know you're married to someone else. Does he not see the news?"
"He doesn't watch TV or have a phone because he thinks people are trying to kill him through them. He's mentally unstable."
"And he hasn't seen pictures of you guys around the house?"
"He can't leave the basement, and if he does, we leave together. You can't unlock it from the inside, I bring him food, and he has access to a bathroom and as many board games and books he wants to. It's like I'm running a rehab in my basement until he can go," he explained as Heather nodded.
"You need to tell her. I'm sure she won't penalize you for helping someone, but she will be upset that you didn't just tell her. You have to be as committed as she is. You have to let her know she's your everything and you can't hide anything from her," she pressed as he sighed.
"Okay. Okay," he nodded. "Where is she now?"
"She went to her office to try and get work done. Bray is with mom and dad."
"Do they know?"
"No, she's kept it a secret from everyone. I suggest you go now. Where's Anthony?"
"He's in the art room here, locked in with food."
"Well, get him and go get your wife. Introduce them. Make it better," she instructed. "Or I will personally kill you for screwing up the best thing that's ever happened to you."
"Alright. I'm going to get my wife."
**********************
"Your Honor, thank you so much for taking this meeting. I just wanted to go over the agreement proposed to you from my client and I," Kayla said, shuffling around a stack of papers as she sat in Judge Scott's chambers.
"Counselor Knight, are you alright?" Judge Scott asked as Kayla looked away. "Kayla, stop. Sit down. What's going on?"
"I'm okay, really," she nodded, still looking through the papers for the right one.
"No, Kayla, you're not. Listen, you interned with me for three years before moving here full time. I know you, I know when you're off your game, which isn't often. So what's wrong? Talk to an old friend," Judge Scott said, offering a seat to her mentee.
"Okay," Kayla sighed as she sat down. "I just... You know I got married about four months ago, and now I'm pregnant. I find out the sex of the baby today, but my husband and I are having a huge fight and I haven't seen him in six days. I miss him, I miss being around him. He hasn't even seen our son since I left and Bray keeps asking about his daddy. I left because he's holding a secret from me, and during the time he's held it, he's been extremely mean and rude. He came home at four in the morning and wouldn't tell me where he was. I'm not afraid he cheated on me, but he used to have a drug problem, and I'm just praying he didn't go back. I'm just stressed out with everything and I don't want it to hurt the baby," Kayla sighed heavily as she looked at her wedding ring.
"Well, Sweetie," sighed Judge Scott. "Marriage the first year is the hardest. You're still trying to figure out what's different than dating, the communication grows, and it's hard to compromise. You and Preston have been together for quite awhile so it might seem like marriage isn't all that different than dating, but it is. In marriage, each partner has to go out of their way to work things out, no matter how tough it gets. And I know—"
"Judge, I'm sorry to bother you," whispered an intern. "You have a guest here to see you. His name is Preston Knight, the Olympic—"
"Mrs. Knight's husband, yes. Tell him she's coming right out," she winked at Kayla as she widened her eyes.
"I don't want to see him!" She whispered harshly as her mentor chuckled.
"Yes you do. You miss him! You said so yourself. And now he's here to see you because he misses you too. Look, it's not always going to be sunny skies and roses. This one seems like his fault, I'll give you that, but make room in your heart to forgive and move on. Talk through it, allow him to apologize, and be honest with him. Go on, darling. Let me know how it goes," she nodded. "And as for the agreement, I'll sign whatever you put in front of me. I trust you. Oh, and by the way, you are one kickass lawyer. I can't wait to see you in my seat one day."
"Thank you. Love you!" Kayla called as she gathered her things and prepared to leave the judge's chambers.
"Love you, too, sweetheart. Tell your mom I said hello."
And with that, Kayla closed the door behind her, prepared to meet her husband. The moment she stepped out, she lifted her eyes to see a taller dark skinned man, and then her husband standing there with flowers and a huge teddy bear. She couldn't help the smile that came over her, but then she wiped it away the moment she saw him looking. She didn't want to give in too easily.
"Hi," Preston sighed as he stood almost toe to toe with his wife. He missed seeing her beautiful face.
"Hi," she sighed back, feeling the same way.
"I uhm... The things I said to you last week were completely out of line. And you were right. I was hiding something. Uhm..." he trailed, looking behind him. "This is Anthony. He is Alexandria's brother. And before you ask questions, let me just tell you that Ant and I have known each other for about three years. I met him when Alex and I were together, and he was instantly like a brother to me. He tried to get me and his sister off of drugs, but we never listened. Anyway, when Alex and I split he was still there for me, pushing me to go get clean. I never listened and we stopped talking. Fast forward to when I was in Connecticut. He contacted me again and we started talking more. He got addicted to gambling and I was telling him he needed to get clean like I did. I didn't tell him how, I just told him I was. Anyway, he called me last week and asked for some help, and I decided to do it. He's like my brother, Kay. We've been through a lot together. But the one thing I have done wrong is not tell him about you. He thought that his sister and I are getting married until today, and that's disrespectful to you. I wanted to apologize and tell you how sorry I am for putting someone else ahead of my wife. I should have never done anything without talking to you first, and I am truly sorry for the way I spoke to you. With that being said," he paused, signaling Anthony over.
"Hi," Anthony grinned. "I hear you are Preston's wife, and the woman that helped him get clean. Thank you so much. This is my brother, and I am grateful to anyone who helped along his journey. I think it was stupid for him to lie, but it was because he didn't want to hurt your feelings, especially after that phone call a couple weeks ago. Don't take it so hard on my man, okay? He's sorry. He practically cried the whole way over here."
"Shut up," Preston chuckled, meeting his wife's eyes again. "I love you, Kayla. I love my son. I love my family. It would mean the world to me if you and Bray came back home. Please. I'm begging you."
Kayla was quiet for a moment as she looked at her kryptonite. He had the ability to make her so weak and she hated it but loved it all at the same time. She took a deep breath and stared at him for a few more moments before she looked away.
"Say something," Preston pushed, lifting her head to see her eyes again.
"I... Preston, you have to understand the gravity of what happened. You realize that you lied to me, over and over again, right?"
"Yes, but—"
"And it's not your first time. That's the issue here, Preston, it isn't your first time lying to me."
"And I realize that, but baby I—"
"If I would've kept something like that from you for this long, what would you have done?"
"I-I would've freaked."
"Exactly. And here you are asking me to forgive you after all of this."
"Well when you say it like that..." he trailed.
"Exactly again."
"I miss you, Kayla, and you miss me too. I promise I'll work on it and I won't lie to you—"
"You said that last time. You understand why your words have no clout right now, right? Why I'm upset?"
"You have every right to be upset, but I have every right to fight for you. I can't sleep at night knowing you're somewhere without me. Please, baby, I'm begging you. Please," he pleaded as she took a deep breath.
"You can come to this appointment because it's our baby. But after that we need to have a serious conversation about this issue. Do you get how much you hurt me?"
"I do, and I'm incredibly trashy for that. You deserve better than what I have been as a husband the last week. We'll have this conversation and work through it. I swear."
"But after this... I-I don't know where we stand."
"Let me take you home. Please? We don't even have to sleep in the room together, I just wanna hold you and touch your belly and kiss you. And then I want to sleep in the same bed—"
"But you said—"
"I know, but you're so amazing
and I can't imagine not being beside the love of my life and talking until we pass out. I can't do it anymore. Six days is six days too long," he cooed, placing his hands on her waist.
"Preston..." she trailed as he smiled widely before pulling her into his arms, hugging her tightly. Eventually she gave in and hugged him back just as tight.
"I love you so much. I'm sorry for keeping things from you. It won't happen again, I can't promise you enough," he whispered, his heart racing as she hugged him close.
"I missed you," Kayla whispered, squeezing. "I'll come home. But Preston, seriously..."
"I know, baby. I'll change for you."
"Ugh," she groaned, rubbing her thumb on his cheek. "I love you... and that's the part that sucks."
"It sucks?" He whispered, making her giggle. "I love you. I'm sorry, okay?"
"Yeah, I know," she sighed before pulling away to look at his violet eyes. "You drive me insane."
"I know. I drive myself insane," he huffed. "Can I kiss you?"
"One."
Preston grinned as he leaned close to her face and watched as she laughed before he placed his lips on hers. He smiled as she kissed him back, and before the kiss got too deep, she pulled back.
"Down, boy," she smirked as he chuckled. "Let's go. I'm gonna be late."
"Can I come along?"
"Sure," Kayla shrugged.
"Cool. Let's go, baby."
"I'll bet two hundred it's a girl—"
"No betting!" Both Preston and Kayla shouted.
"Okay, okay," Anthony chuckled as they all left for their appointment.
A/N: Comment and let me know how you guys have been! And let me know if you like the chapter. I love you guys!!
~CasuallyMe