TTW 3 ( Thicker Than Water 3 ) Page 2

  “Say Jayde, bitch…”

  Flatline.

  “Sean I’m having your baby. How is that not personal?”

  – Trinity, Still Thicker than Water

  -1-

  TTW3 – 9 months later…

  Act I

  “All rise fah Judge Mah-jorie! She gon’ entah tha courtrum…”

  Tatum took the deepest breath and stood slowly on shaky knees.

  “Da recess ovah, court resume,” the judge spat sharply, sauntering in.

  Tatum’s eyes stayed fixated on the large Jamaican woman as she waddled her way to her old wooden pedestal which overlooked the court room. The motions were as if this woman was the Lord herself and they were all sinners and saints, impatiently waiting to learn their destiny.

  “Ya be seated now,” the judge then ordered.

  Tatum took her seat again thinking of the irony. In some sense, that’s exactly what this was like. This woman held the key to the door that would unlock the rest of Tatum’s life. All with whatever words chose to fall from her lips.

  Stop it Tatum… this is not about you, she had to remind herself. This is about him…

  Shifting her eyes from the judge, Tatum shot them to that beautiful man of hers… to Respect… who was only a few rows ahead of her on what would be considered the plaintiff’s side of the courtroom. Tatum studied the back of him which was equally as mesmerizing as his front. His broad and masculine shoulders, his sexy dreads that he regularly wore pulled back, falling long and begging Tatum to run her fingers through them, the way he filled out his $4,500 Brionni suit so effortlessly, his laidback demeanor. His swag was inimitable, even as he sat awaiting his fate.

  Tatum knew he had to be on edge, there had to be some sense of urgency running through him, but he would and could never show it. She half-smiled at his strength. Yes, it was all about him.

  Feeling a set of eyes on her at that very moment, Tatum suddenly darted her gaze. And her. It’s about her, too, she reminded herself as well.

  She and Trinity made bold eye contact.

  “Mr. Knights…Ms. Bell,” the judge addressed Ree and then Trinity, who was forced to wrench her body forward and reluctantly transform her scowl at Tatum to a slight bashful smile toward Judge Marjorie.

  Tatum winced at the way Trinity had carried her aura since the moment this all began; as if she was more important than she actually was. Trinity sat with her long, tree bark complexioned legs crossed, hands resting lightly on her knees and her head high. As if she had been Ree’s wife of ten years, instead of his beck and call plaything for only one.

  “We now have de results of yah pah-ternity test. Ya ready ta ‘ear ‘em?” Judge Marjorie looked from Trinity to Ree, and couldn’t help the twinkle in her eyes as they landed and briefly rested on Respect. She could see why this woman so desperately wanted him to be the father of her child.

  Tatum’s stomach flipped repeatedly at the anticipation of the results. All the time she had been thinking of how unprofessional the court procedures in Jamaica had been compared to America, even down to the way they talked. She had been thinking of how hot it was in there, how not one single breeze had crept into the vast place and provided any kind of relief. How there were unbelievably no lights, only sunrays creeping through the dirty venetian blinds lightly illuminating the area. How the judge seemed to be so blasé, except for when admiring Ree, the officers seemed annoyed, the whole process just one big shenanigan. But now, she couldn’t think of any of that.

  “In the case of Sean Knights, Jr. …” Tatum fought against the sudden urge to vomit that always surfaced every time she heard the name Trinity chose to name her child.

  “Mr. Knights…”

  Tatum placed her hands together in a prayer fashion and pressed them firmly against her lips. Tears began to rim her eyes for reasons beyond her and the only thing that gave her the slightest sense of calm was Ree briefly turning to her and giving her a reassuring glance followed by a confident wink. One that said a thousand words, words that he had sang to Tatum repeatedly. Don’t worry, there’s no way that’s my child. We always used protection…there’s only one woman who was meant to bear my seed.

  “Mr. Knights… you are ninety-nine…point nine percent…”

  Tatum’s hands began to shake violently and she realized it was coming from within. Her insides were actually trembling. Please…please…

  “…the father.”

  Silence.

  “Ah.” A slight gasp escaped Tatum’s lips and tears fought brutally against her will not to cry. She stared at the judge… gawked, watched, waited for her to continue. To say it was a mistake. To say… anything.

  Tatum lowered her eyes to where Ree sat, a dumbfounded look adorning her pretty face. She watched as he gradually dropped his head in a slightly defeated manner. What could she say to him? What could he possibly say to her?

  She didn’t want to, but she had no choice but to look to Trinity who began to yell obnoxiously.

  “I told you, Sean! I told you! You only saw S.J. once! You weren’t even there when he was born! You weren’t even…” Trinity began to sob uncontrollably unable to finish her words, and as much as Tatum wanted to be upset about it, she couldn’t. Trinity had every right. She was no longer the hotel clerk that he had fucked in Jamaica while he and Tatum had been separated. She was the mother of his son. She had every…right.

  “…I loved you, Sean! S.J. loves you! He needs his father!” Trinity gobbled a dose of strength and continued her rant in her island-laced, broken English, as Ree seemed to be frozen. Sitting with his hands tented under his chin, deep thought, guilt, and absolute stun written all over him. “I told you!”

  Tatum looked up at her and suddenly felt insignificant. As a subconscious reminder, something she didn’t even realize she was doing, she began to twirl her huge engagement ring around her finger.

  I’m going to be his wife… But I’m going to be his wife.

  “Are you happy now?” Trinity questioned abruptly turning toward Tatum. Still numb from the results, Tatum was shocked by the question, unable to respond. “You happy you kept him from his son? I know you brainwashed him!” Tatum glared at Trinity through slit eyes. Speeding up in her twirling with her tight grip on her rock was the only thing that kept her from losing it. Trinity seemed to suddenly notice the motion.

  “Fuck that ring! I have his son!”

  Tatum’s natural instincts finally kicked in and she jumped up but suddenly the two officers who should have intervened in Trinity’s barrage of spewing words way before, finally began to escort Trinity out of the courtroom. Another held his hand out to subdue Tatum.

  “C’mon…yah gon’ have ta come wit’ us. Ya got ta go an get out of ‘ere,” the guard spoke to Trinity, grabbing hold of her fragile arm. As Tatum watched her be carried away, Trinity was still fixated on Ree and moving her mouth with insignificant words spewing out that Tatum couldn’t possibly hear. She was too zoned.

  Suddenly Trinity seemed prettier; her body seemed to fill out her skirt suit more than it had an hour ago, her long black curls seemed bouncier, her face livelier, she seemed more of a threat. Tatum knew it was her mind playing cruel tricks on her.

  Still holding onto her blank stare, Tatum slowly sat back down, not ready to walk to Ree yet. Why should she? He should come to her. He should comfort her.

  As if being in tune with her, Ree calmly rose from his chair and turned, pushing through the small barricade and slowly walking up on Tatum. He still held his same confidence and a demanding aura. But the blow he had just taken had definitely affected him, although not visible in his movements.

  “Come on, baby. Let’s go.”

  He placed his hand gently on her head and Tatum looked up at him in confusion. She wanted more. She wanted him to say more.

  Grabbing her small clutch that complimented her beige Ellen Tracy dress, Tatum stood and stepped out in front of him, trying to walk out of the dim courtroom as poised as she had walked in
.

  They made their way outside to the awaiting Maybach both looking like they’d stepped straight off the runway, but feeling like they’d stepped straight onto the highway… and had been hit by a tractor trailer.

  “Mr. Knights! Mr. Knights, can we get a pictcha, a pictcha!”

  A few local papers asked as soon as they stepped outside, as if this simple paternity hearing had been world news.

  “Ya gwan give us a dollah? Please!”

  “Me hungry…me want a water ice!”

  “Me want a water ice, too! A dollah for me too!”

  Some local kids begged, scattered around he and Tatum. Tatum had almost forgotten that in Kingston, Jamaica, they were different. They were royalty.

  Ree peeled off several twenties but posed for no pictures as he and Tatum slid into their awaiting ride.

  The gust of chill from the blasting air conditioning greeted them, seeming to provide a temporary relief from the sweltering heat.

  “Crush, take us back to the estate, man.”

  He gave the order as if the whole ordeal hadn’t taken place.

  Tatum’s body tensed.

  “But I thought we were going to the plane?” Her voice was weaker than usual, it’s spunk seeming to be sucked dry out of it.

  Ree looked to her and his gaze softened to a sympathetic one, one that said a million apologies. He couldn’t control the circumstances and he knew he’d hypothetically done nothing wrong, but he recognized it had to upset her. Reaching over, he grabbed her hand.

  “I know, Tatum. Look, I need you…I just need you to go without me. I’ll be right behind you in a few days.”

  Tatum didn’t like change. And for some reason, she felt like this was the beginning of a big one.

  Tatum and Ree had been through so much to be together; from the death of one of her best friend’s Kim, to the murder of her brother, to Ree going on the run from the Feds after her brother snitched on him, and finally them reuniting by fate in Jamaica, despite the fact that he had gotten involved with Trinity and evidently had gotten her pregnant. Tatum couldn’t take anymore hurdles, and definitely any changes.

  She placed her thumb and forefinger on her temples, feeling a headache coming on and she took a deep breath.

  “Okay so… why are you right behind me in a few days, Ree?”

  She couldn’t hide her irritation if she wanted to.

  Ree studied her briefly and then looked ahead, appearing to be choosing his words carefully although Tatum was aware that he knew exactly what he wanted to say. A man like Ree always knew what he wanted to say.

  “Look, I gotta go see him, Tatum. You should know that. And I have to figure out how I’m…how we are gonna work this shit out.”

  He sounded exasperated.

  Tatum understood, she really did. But could she help the fact that it sickened her? And for a man that always seemed to be so right, he had one thing majorly, drastically wrong.

  “Well then I guess we’ll both go back in a few days. Because I’m staying, too.” Tatum would be damned if she left him on this island with his new baby mama.

  Ree knew where it was coming from. He had heard Trinity’s slick comments. Had he not been so self-consumed in his sudden shocking reality, he would have responded to them.

  “Tatum…you know you have nothing to worry about. Nothing,” he repeated with certainty.

  “And I thought you had a fitting for your dress tomorrow. You know Sasha’s there waiting for you so you two can do all of that women stuff you’ve been running up the phone bills talking about.”

  He tried to add a little humor as he pinched her chin with a chuckle but Tatum didn’t break a smile. She stared him unblinkingly in the eyes.

  “Oh, that can wait, Ree…the wedding shit can wait. As a matter of fact, the wedding can wait,” she added turning her gaze to the window glumly so he wouldn’t see the tears if they decided to fall. The beauty of sunny Jamaica as it all whizzed by did little to lift Tatum’s solemn mood.

  Ree wasted no time addressing the comment.

  “You wanna tell me what that’s supposed to mean?”

  Tatum took a deep breath and shrugged, saying words more brave than she actually felt.

  “Well, maybe we should… just postpone it. Given the circumstances,” she added lowly.

  Ree stared at her long and hard before replying.

  “And what’s that gonna do? Look at me.” He lightly grabbed her face and turned it to him. Tatum relunctatantly met his gaze with her own doe shaped, beautiful, and watery big brown eyes. He asked it again. “What’s gonna change, Tatum?”

  When she didn’t answer, he continued. “Six months from now…a year from now, five years from now, it’s still gonna be the same circumstances.”

  Tatum hated his rational way of thinking sometimes. It angered her that he was trying to act like there wasn’t a big pink elephant in the Maybach.

  “Yeah, the same circumstances but time to think,” she replied. “Think about if I’m even the one you need to be marrying.”

  “Are you serious?” he asked her in disbelief.

  “Ree, you…you didn’t know that S.J. was your baby when you asked me to marry you in that hotel room. You didn’t know that Trinity was telling the truth!” She could feel herself becoming upset and feel her cheeks becoming hot, the burning from a cry itching in her throat. “I just want you to be truthful with what you feel. I can handle it…just don’t leave me in the dark.”

  “Tatum…”

  Ree tried to grab her and pull her close to him, but he could feel her resistance.

  “No…”

  “No? What you mean…come here?” She was throwing up a wall at a time when they needed to be connected.

  “Are you for real?” Tatum questioned in disbelief. “It’s your baby, Ree!” She screamed suddenly as if reminding him of the past hour and a half. It felt good to finally get that out.

  “I thought there was no way that was your baby?” She asked with pain all in her voice.

  “And I thought you told me you would be fine even if it was,” he calmly reminded.

  Ree looked down at her and their faces were inches apart. Tatum studied him, feeling beyond emotional. He was so handsome, so captivating. A thought of he and Trinity conceiving Sean Jr. entered her mind. She had to divert her gaze at the thought.

  “Tatum, listen. Who cares if I didn’t know Trinity was carrying my baby or not. I knew that I wanted to marry you… right? Ain’t that the reason I put that ring on your finger?” He asked her as if she already knew the answer.

  “If I wanted to marry Trinity, I would’ve put it on hers. Don’t ever question that.”

  He then brought his hand up to her flawless brown face and brushed his fingertips across her cheek. “A baby won’t change how I feel about her, and it definitely won’t change how I feel about you. I just need to know that what we have is strong enough to get through this.”

  Tatum stared up at him.

  “I love you, Ree. I really do,” she admitted softly.

  “And you know I love you more,” he reminded her before meeting her lips with his. He wouldn’t let her say another word.

  When the kiss broke, Tatum realized they were already at the estate. Ree didn’t move though. He continued to stare at her with his piercing brown eyes and then he spoke in his low Jamaican-laced voice.

  “C’mon, let’s go inside. I’ll have Rose make us some lunch...and we can talk some more if you want.”

  Rose was the live-in keeper of the estate who had been taking care of it while Ree and Tatum divided their time between Jamaica and the States.

  As Crush walked around and opened the door, the couple stepped out of the car, Tatum first of course, and planted their feet onto their vast property.

  “Thanks, Crush,” Tatum spoke as he closed the door behind them. She had grown fond of the big guy who had been Ree’s good friend for many years and recently had turned into their driver and her occasional bodyguard. Ev
er since he escorted Tatum to the hospital in Atlanta the night Aubrey was poisoned, they had begun to form a bond of friendship built on very few words. She knew he had to be genuine for Ree to trust him the way he did. And his nature reminded Tatum as one of a giant teddy bear.