Garrett shook his head back and forth. “You fell for that bullshit?”
“I think he’s telling the truth.”
He laughed sarcastically. “Right because Raymond always tells the truth and would never betray me. The next time I see him, it will be in a courtroom. We filed a counterclaim, and I’m not withdrawing my petition.”
“Would it hurt you to hear him out?”
Garrett dropped his arms and moved away from Imani. “We’re talking about Raymond. Shannon already told me that he knows my investigators pulled up some damaging information about him. He’s playing you.”
“I get it. Raymond is a douche. However, I think he’s for real this time. If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for Garrett Jr. Consider this . . . what do you plan to do when Garrett wants to know more about Shannon and Raymond? They are his birthparents. At some point, he’ll want to know. I understand you’re pissed, but you just talked with Shannon. Why not Raymond? It can’t hurt.”
Garrett was getting angrier by the second. Imani had just accused him of not taking her side, and now she’s standing before him advocating for Raymond? He wasn’t trying to hear it. “How I deal with Shannon and Raymond is honestly none of your business.”
Imani blinked twice. She was a little shocked. “Garrett, you married me thinking I’d be a good mother to your son. Are you honestly telling me this is none of my business?”
His face was a hardened mask. “I won’t ask you again to stay out of it.”
Imani was angry, but mostly she was hurt. “I’ve come to love that little boy. He owns a piece of my heart. I want to make sure that whatever plans you’ve come up with are good for him too, not just you.”
Garrett took a seat at his desk. Imani couldn’t miss the edge to his voice. “I’ve got a lot of paperwork to get through and a meeting coming up shortly.”
She was attempting to control her anger too. “Growing up, family always came before work or anything else, Garrett. You can’t just end this conversation because you said so and you don’t want to hear what I’ve got to say.”
He looked up from his paperwork, eyes stormy like the sea. Garrett wasn’t quite sure what made him angrier; the fact that if it were up to him, he would never tell his son about Raymond and Shannon, or that Raymond had gone near Imani and she seemed to be taking his side. His insecurities were taking hold.
“The decisions I make are worth millions of dollars. I have plenty of issues that need my attention, and I don’t have time for your temper tantrums. We can finish this conversation when I get home. Until then,” Garrett pointed towards the exit. “Close the door on your way out.” He paused before seeming to remember one more thing. “Oh . . . and stay the hell away from Raymond!”
He looked back down at the paperwork in front of him. Imani had been effectively dismissed.
Chapter 23
Imani came home after more than what would be considered a stressful day and decided a nice long soak was in order. She needed to talk out her feelings with someone and called her sister, Aaliyah.
The phone rang several times, and Imani thought it was going to go to voicemail. Then, huffing and puffing, Aaliyah answered, “Hello.”
“Hey, did I catch you at a bad time?”
“If you mean, feeding the baby with one hand and trying to fold laundry with the other then, yes.”
“I can call you back.”
“That’s alright. It’s as good a time as any. Since your niece was born, all I seem to do is multi-task.”
“I can’t wait to get back down there again to see her. Chloe was so little right after she was born.”
“She’s not so little now. This little mama eats up where she’s going. Anyway, what’s up? I can hear something’s wrong in your voice.”
“Am I that transparent?”
Rocking Chloe, Aaliyah sat down on her bed. “Yes. What did Garrett do?”
Imani smacked the bath water with her hand. “Ugggggh! He’s so frustrating! I don’t know what to do about him. The man is one mass of contradictions.”
“Am I to assume you wanted something, and he said no?”
“No, Aaliyah. I’m serious. It really isn’t about me. It’s about us as a family. He’s having a hard time grasping what that means. For the record, I know I didn’t birth Garrett Jr., but I couldn’t love that little boy more than if he’d come from my own body. His father, on the other hand, is a giant asshole. He won’t listen to me.”
“No offense, Imani, but didn’t you get married to help him gain custody of Garrett Jr.? It might take him a bit more time for him to accept your marriage is the real deal.”
Her words hurt. Imani had fallen in love with Garrett and hoped he’d felt the same way. At times, it seemed like he had, but today wasn’t one of those days. “That might have been true in the beginning, but I thought things had changed between us. Dubai was supposed to be a new beginning.”
“What happened?”
“I met his ex, Shannon, today at his office, all five feet nine inches of her. After she had tossed her glossy red hair in my direction, that chick tried to flex her muscles. I wanted her to know I wasn’t the one.
