The Secret I Tried to Keep

Chapter 29

Domino barked before he came running up to us. I chuckled and rubbed his back as he wagged his tail happily and leaned against me. Presley took Domino for a walk while we were at the appointment and just brought him back here afterwards. I was excited to show her the pictures from our appointment.

"Hey, Domi. Did you have a good time?" I cooed at him as he demanded my attention. Zane taught him to stop jumping on me, claiming it would hurt the baby as I got bigger. My small baby bump was noticeable in my white blouse today. Ever since I came out at school, I started wearing maternity clothes that accentuated my small bump. I wasn't proud of it at first, but I wasn't hiding it anymore. This was my baby. Zane may have been a mistake at first, but my baby wasn't. Presley came from around the corner, but she didn't look like her normal bubbly self. She looked worried...

Presley was never worried, or if she was, she kept it inside and wore a smile outwardly. Something was definitely wrong.

"Presley... what's wrong?" I asked hesitantly as I pulled her into my side for a hug. Her eyes went to Zane but his hard glare was focused straight behind me.

"Dad," he gritted through his teeth. Looking behind me, I was met with a graying man in a three piece suit. He was wearing black slacks, a gray button up shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows and the first few buttons undone, and a black tie that hung around his neck untied.

"Zane," the man said, his voice void of any emotion. His peppering hair was slicked back and his voice was deep and gravely, like he was a smoker. He stuck his hands in his pockets as he finally squared his body towards us and looked up. His eyes were a cold and empty emerald color.

"We need to talk son," the man said. His demeanor was all business. Zane nodded once and locked his jaw as his father turned and left the room. Zane sighed and turned to us.

"Presley, take Dria home," he said. I shook my head.

"That's not happening, " I said stubbornly. Zane looked frustrated but I knew it wasn't geared towards me. Zane didn't talk about his father much, but from what I gathered, he hated the man but used his money.

"Chandria, it's better if you're not around for whatever is about to happen. Where my father is involved, I guarantee that it'll be ugly," he argued.

"I'm not leaving you to deal with this on your own... either of you," I argued. Zane groaned and looked like he had an internal battle with himself before he sighed in defeat.

"There's no way I'm going to with this one, huh?" he asked knowingly. I shook my head in agreement. "Fine, fine, just... stay with Presley, please," he gave in. I squeezed his hand in mine gently.

"I will," I said softly for confirmation. Zane squeezed my hand back before he turned to Presley.

"Courtney?" he asked simply. Presley rolled her eyes as her frustration only grew.

"In the living room with the little devil," Presley said bitterly. I could tell she didn't like the people in the living room either before we even saw them. Zane kissed me gently before he left after his father. Presley led me into the living room. There was a woman sitting on the couch trying to wrangle in a hyper toddler. The TV droned on in the background. This must have been Courtney and the little devil. Courtney, the woman, stood and smiled as she offered me her hand, letting go of the toddler in the process. The toddler ran off, laughing.

"Hi, I'm Courtney, Michael's wife," she introduced herself, sounding like a true Southern Bell. Her blonde hair was styled to perfection as it sat in a French roll. Her chest was perfectly balanced as she was squeezed into a blue Prada dress. Her makeup looked like it was applied professionally and generously. Overall, she looked way too young to be married to a man who was probably nearing his mid-50s. And she didn't look like a mother either. I shook her perfectly manicured hand and gave a polite smile.

"Dria," I replied. She caught the little boy by the arm as he shot by and turned him to face me.

"And this is Michael Jr.. Can you say hi, baby?" she asked him. He stuck out his tongue and blew air through it to make a farting noise before he squirmed away and began chasing Domino around the house.

"Horsey!" he screamed before he disappeared after a very surprised Domino. Courtney chuckled in embarrassment and shrugged.

"He had a little sugar earlier, but he's also only three years old. You'll understand when you have children of your own," she explained. I subconsciously rubbed a hand over my stomach and her eyes followed the movement. "Which will be sooner than you think. How far along are you?" Courtney asked. Presley was holding onto my other arm still.

"12 weeks," I answered.

"Oh, here, sit down dear. Presley, will you be a doll and grab us some water?" she said like it was her home. I was starting to think that her smile was all an act. Presley smiled tightly as I sat across from Courtney.

"Sure thing... dear," Presley smiled sarcastically before she disappeared into the kitchen.

"So... you're married to Zane's father," I said, trying to fill the awkward silence. She nodded as Presley came back and handed us each a water bottle.

"Yes, we got married a few years ago after Michael's late wife died of cancer," she said like it was nothing. I choked slightly on my water as Presley held my hand and squeezed it. I could tell this was definitely a sore subject for her. I knew Zane's mom died but I wasn't sure of what.

"I haven't seen you around before," I said politely. She chuckled and set her water down as I set mine down as well.

"Oh, we don't live here. We live at Michael's other home in Beverly Hills," she explained.

"That's almost an 8 hour drive from here," I noted. She shrugged with a smile.

"We fly to visit. It's doesn't take as long," she said. Presley's grip tightened on my hand again. Domino came running in and jumped on the couch as he tried to hide behind Presley and I. Michael Jr. ran in and start crawling onto me to get to Domino. Presley peeled him off of me immediately and put him in Courtney's lap before he could step on my stomach. Domino whimpered before he growled at Courtney and Michael Jr.. Almost as if he were trying to tell on them.

"Control your child," Presley glared at Courtney. Courtney didn't glare back, but she held a tight smile.

"I was just about to take Jr. to the park anyway," she lied before she stood with the screaming toddler and left out the front door. Presley and I released a sigh of relief simultaneously. I grabbed and gulped my water down.