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Jules’s heart pounded in his chest. A sinking feeling slammed into his gut. He wanted so badly to be a daddy—one day. He just took it for granted that he always would be. He’d been so great with Amber in the past and now?
Even if they got back together she could not have a biological child with him. Yeah, it was a blessing that she was pregnant. It just wasn’t his child. He drew in a deep breath and tried to hide the hurt and pain circulating in his blood. The sheer disappointment with himself not listening to his grandfather in the past. He should have acted faster with Amber. If only he had been ready then to make a commitment to her.
Maybe then, before Jules’s accident, they would have been married and had a family. But man, it sucked to be wrong. He was typically never wrong about anything. But he looked around and saw how happy Antonio was with Lucy and their little guy Alexander and how Lucas and Maxine had a pretty little girl Mary-Louise. Zack and Blue had Jefferson, and Carl and Venus just gave birth to their second son, Christopher, who was only a couple months old.
Of course, Amber, who was also a friend of Venus, visited the estate in the last week to see Venus and the baby and no doubt got to talking about Amber staying at one of Jules’s spare condo suites. Yeah, it was hard to keep a secret around the Romero estate, or Romero city, as the land their grandfather owned that happened to be a huge chunk of the city of Mayberry Hill was often dubbed. Jules shouldn’t be that surprised that rumors flew fast to his grandfather’s ears about Jules and Amber.
Jules shoved his hands in his pockets and proceeded to leave the study before his emotions got the best of him. He knew his family was only trying to be their usual playful selves but it wasn’t helping. Turmoil raged through him.
“What’s wrong, my boy?” Toni called out.
“Nothing, Gramps. I’m just heading out for a little fresh air. I’ll be back. Got to make a quick call,” he told them.
When he walked out at the front grand marble entrance, he made his way down the stone pathway through the front garden and who did he see coming up the pathway? Carl.
“Well, Mr. Mayor. What brings you to this humble part of town? Where’s Venus?”
“Venus is at a hair appointment.”
“Oh, cool. Listen, Carl. I’m glad we’re meeting out here. I need to ask you something.”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“I see how you get along with Tristan, even though he’s…well, you know, not your biological son.”
“Yeah?”
“Well, do you feel any different about…?”
“What exactly are you trying to say, Jules?”
Jules drew in a deep breath. He really didn’t want to tell anyone. But he had to open up to Carl. He just had to.
“If I tell you something, you’ve got to swear you won’t mention a thing. Not even to Gramps. I don’t want him getting all worried.”
“You know I’m good to go, bro.”
He told Carl about the results of the accident.
“Man, why didn’t you say anything before? Jules, I’m real sorry.”
“Hey, it’s nothing to be sorry about. It is what it is. And besides, nothing’s set in stone yet.”
“Man, that really sucks! But you’ve had a few girlfriends since the accident,” Carl noted.
“Oh yeah. My sex life hasn’t been altered after the accident. Oh, I’ve got no trouble fulfilling the lovely ladies in that department!” Jules grinned. “Amber and I broke up long before that accident but I’ve dated since then. You know that.”
And it was true. Jules had no trouble securing hot dates and a mutually fulfilling sex life with whoever was his current girlfriend. Of course, Amber was the only “girlfriend” he hadn’t slept with even though they were friends long before they officially dated briefly.
Jules and his brothers often spoke frankly about sex, their sex lives and all kinds of stuff so this conversation was no different.
“Well, that’s good to hear. So what’s troubling you, then?”
“Well, the girls I dated since the accident understood I wasn’t the marrying type and they were okay with it. As was I.”
“But Amber is the one you think you want to spend the rest of your life with?” Carl tried to clarify.
“Correction. I don’t think I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I know I do. I’ve just been a bit distant around her, intimacy wise. God, she turns me on and I know she feels the same way about me, but in her condition, I just want to give her space.”
“Well, I can tell you hormones can get real crazy for some pregnant women.”
“I know. Anyway, I just feel that because of what the doc said-”
“So doc thinks you’ll be shooting blanks or something?”
Jules shrugged. “Everything’s good with me; you know I’m healthy as an ox. But yeah, there’s a possibility I may not be able to get Amber pregnant if our relationship progresses into more and it pisses me off. I mean, we’ve gotten really close like old times this past month and a half. It’s like we reconnected all over again as if we’d never been out of touch. There’s something between us. I really want to make this work for us but…I think she’d like to have more kids. She didn’t say as such, but I got the feeling.”
“I know what you mean. But you know sometimes doctors can be wrong, right? I mean, everything’s good with you, right?”
“Yeah. I wouldn’t even know I might not have kids if he hadn’t told me.”
“I really think he’s wrong. But if it’s any consolation, it doesn’t matter anyway. Family is family. And blood doesn’t make you family.”
“Amen to that.”
“Besides, you know I love Tristan as my own.”
“I know.”
“Well, one day he asked me about his real father and asked how I can be a father.”
“What did you tell him?”
“Well, I told him in the best way I could a preschooler, that there are all kinds of daddies.”
“Good.”
“Truth is, Jules, we both know that blood is thicker than water.”
“I know.”
“But love is thicker than blood.”
“So true, man.” Jules nodded in agreement. His brother Carl inherited their grandfather’s sense of wisdom and sage advice. No wonder Carl won the mayoral election. He’d always been one heck of a talker. “You’re right. There are people who would do things for you that your own family wouldn’t and vice versa. Blood doesn’t make a family. You know if Amber does give us a second chance, I would love to be daddy to her child. But there’s so much about her she won’t let me in on.”
“Like what?”
“Well, she doesn’t want to talk about the baby’s father. All I know is that his name is Rex.”
Carl had a look of shock on his face. “Why not?”
Jules recalled all too well that Carl had been through a similar experience when Venus didn’t want to let on to Tristan’s real daddy’s identity. Carl rubbed his forehead. “I hope the dude is not some drug cartel or something akin,” Carl said.
Jules chuckled. “Very funny. With a name like Rex? I don’t think so, bro. He’s just not around. Besides, she said not putting a father’s name on the birth certificate will mean her child will be deprived of a father, as she was. She didn’t want her child suffering the same sort of stigma or embarrassment in showing her birth certificate with that omitted information.”
“I see.”
Carl had already heard about the scars that Amber was left with emotionally and physically. It was no longer a secret. Amber told Venus and became more open about it and started to wear more comfortable clothing for the weather, revealing some skin appropriately instead of wearing thick sweaters and covering every inch of her body in hot temperatures.
“Listen, I’m going to pick up Amber. She’s at an appointment.”
“You guys really do look good together, Jules. I really hope you guys hit it off again and walk down that aisle. I was feeling the same way you were at one point. I thought marriage would really tie me down but having Venus at my side day and night and enjoying her company and love is amazing. And as Gramps would say…”
“I know, I know…It’s better to marry than to burn with passion.” Jules grinned and rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Whatever.”
“Good luck, man.”
“Thanks. Oh, and, Carl?”
“Yeah?” Carl said, turning to face Jules.
“Listen, you know I need to check out a few things regarding that accident that happened to Amber a long time ago. You know, when her folks were killed.”
“Yeah?”
“Well, I want to get our boys on the case, too. She just told me the cops reopened the investigation after all these years. I just want to make sure Amber will be protected at all costs.”
“Sure. We can get our guys on the job.”
“Thanks. She keeps having nightmares about the past and I’m concerned. Her aunt’s a real charmer. And I don’t mean literally. But there are a lot of things going on I don’t like. I’m pretty sure Mavis’s constant bickering at Amber has contributed to Amber’s self-esteem issues over the years. But if Amber is going to be part of my future I want to make sure she’ll be always safe—from whatever it is she’s running or whomever she’s afraid of.”
