Thank you all so much for your support. It means a lot.:)
(Reed)
From my lawn chair, in the backyard, I studied Winnie who was sitting in a rocker glider with Faith. She was dressed in a pair of old faded jeans and an oversized white blouse. Her hair was in a ponytail and her feet were bare. She looked like a girl and not a woman. I watched mesmerized as she laughed at something Faith had said.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" Carter said, taking a seat in the chair beside me. "We're lucky they chose us."
"Yes, we are." I took a drink of coke and returned the can to the cup holder on my chair. "I pray they never come to their senses and realize we're not worthy of them."
"Amen to that, brother." He sipped at his coke. "So how are things going between you and Winifred?"
I smiled crookedly. "Things couldn't be better. I have to pinch myself sometimes to convince myself it's real - that she's real. I feel like I'm dreaming and any minute now I'm going to wake up and realize none of it is real."
"If this is all a dream I pray to God I never wake up," Carter said.
"Ditto."
"How's the family?" he asked after a few minutes spent in silence.
"They're-" I hesitated. Telling him they were fine would be lying to him and I had done enough of that. It was time to come clean. He deserved the truth. They both did. "Follow me." I stood and moved toward Winnie and Faith. "Sorry to interrupt, ladies, but there's something I need to say." I cleared my throat. "It's about my brother."
"Carter." Winnie rose from the glider. "Why don't you take my seat?"
"What's going on?" Faith asked, frowning.
"Patience, please." I waited until Carter settled next to Faith before I spoke again. "I've been lying to you both about Mark. He's not living in London." I felt Winnie slip her hand into mine. The contact gave me the courage to keep going. "He's in prison, serving a life sentence for murdering a man and his pregnant wife."
"Oh, God." Faith hugged her belly.
"Easy, sweetheart." Carter slipped his arm around her and placed his hand on her belly. "Damn, Reed. You could've been a little more delicate in how you put it."
"I'm sorry," I muttered.
"How-how did he kill them?" Faith croaked her face white as a sheet.
"You don't need to know," Carter told her.
"Tell me," she demanded. "Please."
"They were shot to death." I ran a hand through my hair and grimaced. "First him and then her."
"How far along was she?" she asked.
I took a deep breath and tried to recall what I had read on the police report. "She was seven - almost eight months."
"Were they able to save the b-baby?" Faith asked.
I couldn't bring myself to tell her that the woman had been shot twice in the stomach. It would've been too much information . . . information that a pregnant woman didn't need to know. It was best for her sake if I kept my answer short and to the point. "No."
"I - I think I'm going to be sick." She struggled to stand.
"Here, sweetheart." Carter helped her up and over to the side of the house.
My stomach in knots, I turned away. Winnie moved her hand over my back. "I should not have told her."
"She wanted to know, Reed," she pointed out. "You didn't do anything wrong. I'm going to get Faith a glass of water and some tissues. Can I get you anything?"
"No, thank you."
Carter brought Faith back, a few minutes later, and sat her down in the glider. Winnie handed her a wad of tissues to blow her nose with and a glass of water so she could rinse out her mouth. I stood by quietly and waited for someone to say something. It was Faith who finally broke the silence.
"Why did you lie to us about Mark?"
"Because I was ashamed of him and what he had done," I confessed. "He's like the family's dirty little secret. I wanted to keep it buried." I passed a hand over my face and sighed. "I'm sorry I lied to you both."
"I don't blame you, man," Carter said. "If it were me I wouldn't want anyone to know either."
"I guess I can understand why you kept quiet about it." Faith looked up at me. "Anything else you're keeping from us, Drummond?"
"No." I smiled weakly. "No more skeletons."
I was packing my suitcase that evening when my cell phone rang. Tossing a shirt on the bed, I stepped to the nightstand and grabbed the ringing phone. "Hello."
"Are you enjoying your visit with Carter and Faith?"
"What do you want, Mark?" I growled.
"Is that anyway to speak to your brother?" he said. "I called to see how you're doing and you-"
"No, you didn't." I perched on the side of the bed. "You called because you want something. So cut the crap and get to the point."
"I want to see you," Mark stated. "We have to talk and I don't want to do it over the phone. Come to the prison tomorrow night."
"I have plans," I informed him.
"Cancel them," he uttered coldly. "Whatever you have planned it's not important. I want you at the prison eight o'clock sharp. If you don't show up there will be hell to pay. In case it slipped your mind, I know people that can do some nasty things. Now you have a nice evening. Give our Winifred my love."
"She's mine," I snarled.
"Jealousy doesn't suit you, big brother," Mark said. "See you tomorrow night."
I ended the call and threw the cell phone on the nightstand.
"Careful," Winnie said, entering the bedroom. "You don't want to break that."
"I don't care." I held out my hand. "Come here." She crossed the room and took my hand. I urged her to stand between my legs, pulled her head down, and captured her mouth with mine. I kissed her long and deeply, my hunger fueled by Mark's claim that Winnie not only belonged to me, but to him too. My possessive side was roaring that she belonged to me and no one else.
When the need for air was strong, I tore my mouth from hers and buried my face against her heaving belly. She slowly combed her fingers through my hair. I took several deep breaths and leaned my head back to gaze up at her. Her face was flushed and her lips were swollen from the kiss. She was beautiful.
"I don't know what possessed you to kiss me like that, but feel free to do it more often," she whispered.
I chuckled softly. "I'll see what I can do."
As Winnie continued to run her fingers in my hair, she studied my face. "Is something wrong?" she inquired softly. "The way you threw your phone down leads me to believe you just received some bad news."
"It was nothing," I lied. I did not intend to tell her about the phone call from Mark. She didn't need to be dragged into the family drama. "It was a business call. Something's come up. We're going to have to skip the charity event tomorrow night."
Her fingers stilled. "We have to go, Reed."
"No, we don't," I said. "I'll make sure to send Mr. Pratt a check."
"You don't understand." Winnie sat down next to me. "You have to be there."
"Why?" I asked.
"I can't say," she mumbled, averting her eyes.
Something was up. "Winnie, what are you hiding?"
"N-nothing," she stuttered.
"Liar." I grasped her chin gently in my hand and turned her face toward me. "What's going on?"
Winnie sighed heavily. "It's supposed to be a surprise."
"Spill it, Monroe," I ordered her.
"Fine," she snapped. "Mr. Pratt had a plaque made for you to honor you for your contribution to cancer research. I'm supposed to present it to you at the event."
"But you hate public speaking," I said.
"I know, but I was going to endure it for you," Winnie murmured.
My heart skipping a beat, I caressed her cheek with the back of my hand. "Thank you, Winnie," I said hoarsely. "It means a lot to me that you were willing to step outside your comfort zone for me."
"Well, I wouldn't do it for anyone else." She shrugged her shoulders. "I'll call Mr. Pratt tomorrow and tell him something important came up and we can't make it. I'll let him know you're going to be sending him a check."
"If you want to go I don't mind you-"
"If you're not going then neither am I." Winnie smiled at me. "It's okay. If truth were told, I'm glad you can't make it. You saved me from making a fool of myself in front of a roomful of people." She kissed my hand. "I owe you one."
"You could never make a fool of yourself, Winnie." I pressed my lips to her temple. "Never."
"Sweet talker." She gave me a quick kiss and then slid off the bed. "If you'll excuse me I have a date with Jack. I promised him I would play a video game with him."
"I'll come watch when I get done packing." Winnie left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.