Who Gives this Bride? Read online

  Marc had pulled Alma away and demanded that she let him get her back to the hotel so she could sleep. When he knocked on her door at 10:30 she had panicked over checkout. That was when he let her know that he had booked her for another night and she wouldn’t check out until Monday morning. Thankfully she had already taken Monday and Tuesday off of work so she could recuperate from the weekend festivities. Staying at the hotel an extra night was a nice treat.

  “Thank you for coordinating the extra night’s stay. I really needed this. Just a bit more time to decompress.”

  “You know, part of this is selfishness on my part.” He smiled deviously at Alma.

  “Is it now,” she took a sip of her coffee and waited for him to explain.

  “Well, proposing to you was the best thing I’ve done all year and when we finally set a date and I lock you down, that will be the best decision of my life. Having said that, if I had a chance to do it all over again, I might have chosen a different way to propose.”

  “Really, I thought it was beautiful. It was so perfect and I can’t wait to tell my friends. It was so romantic,” Alma placed her hand on his and squeezed. “I wouldn’t have changed a thing.”

  “Well, there is one thing that I would have changed, and that’s the arrival Josiah. Not just that he showed up, I really didn’t care about that and it seemed to make Marissa extremely happy. It just seemed that the minute he appeared that you got swallowed up in all of the drama and mystery. You were almost too distracted to realize that we are getting married. Even now I think you’re already planning how you can unravel whatever secret you think he’s hiding.”

  “He is hiding something…” She started, but Marc held up his hand and cut her off.

  “That’s exactly the point. Enough talk about Josiah. I need some time with my fiancée. I need this time, this newness of it all, to be special. I want to talk about a wedding date and our honeymoon and everything in between. Not that we’ll solve all of it today, but can we just get lost in the idea of forever? Do you know what I mean?”

  Alma looked across the table at him and it seemed as though she could see into his very soul. Somehow she grasped exactly what he was saying. He had taken the vulnerable step of proposing and, even though she had gleefully said yes, she had been so distracted by everything else that happened afterward that it took a bit of the sparkle off of the special moment. He hadn’t said it directly, but she was pretty sure she had hurt his feelings and that was no way to start off the rest of their lives.

  She scooted her chair back and rose from her seat and walked over to him. He looked confused as she pulled him up from his chair and wrapped her arms around his neck. She was certain she had the attention of the entire restaurant, but she didn’t care.

  She looked into his big brown eyes and whispered, “I’m sorry for being distracted. Do you forgive me?” He nodded and began to pull away to sit back down, but she tightened her embrace.

  “You have my full attention Marcus Reginald Slade and I’m not going anywhere. You made my entire life with your proposal and I can’t wait to say I do and start forever and ever with you.” She leaned in to kiss him and he met her with his warm, soft lips. When the kiss broke they stared into each other’s eyes until she started to feel the heat rise in her cheeks.

  “You keep that up and we’ll be down at the courthouse tomorrow,” he whispered, causing Alma to blush and pull away to return back to her seat. He laughed, clearly impressed with his ability to throw her off her game.

  He returned to his seat and just looked at her.

  “You are so beautiful. We’ll have some pretty babies, how does four sound?” He winked at her.

  “Four..,” she choked on the coffee she had tried to go back to sipping.

  “You’re right, five.” He laughed and it was clear he was messing with her.

  “You need to stop,” she waved her hand at him and enjoyed the feeling of being in love.

  “Speaking of our future though,” Marc’s face was serious, “I’d like us to explore our past. Remember that show I was telling you about where they did african ancestral background searches using DNA?” Alma nodded. He had really gotten excited about that topic. He had tried to use government records like marriage, birth and death certificates to trace his ancestors, but had been frustrated when he lost the trail in the late 1800s. The idea of a DNA search to identify his ancestral heritage had excited him. Alma had to admit that she had been intrigued when she heard about the tests as well.

  “It would be good to have that historical reference so we can pass it along to our kids. I know you were one track minded with the whole Josiah paternity test thing, but it got me thinking that I’d like you and I to do one, so we can start our journey together with a knowledge of where we come from. Then we can pass that legacy and knowledge along to our children. If I get the test kits would you take it with me?” He looked expectantly at her and she knew how important this was to him. He had reached a place where he had begun to get frustrated when people of other ethnicities shared their heritage and knew intimate details about where they were from. He even refused to celebrate Kwanzaa because he couldn’t get past the fact that it was a made up holiday, regardless of the African influences on the celebration and the fact that it was becoming more and more accepted. Alma had identified with his frustration, probably moreso since she didn’t even know who her father was. A sense of knowing, belonging, was important to her.

  “I’d be happy to do that. I think it would provide some closure for me on that topic. It will be fun.”

  “I’m glad you agree. I’ve already ordered the kits. They will be here in a week or so,” he cast his eyes downward when he admitted he had already ordered the kits. Alma thought that was a bit presumptuous on his part since those kits weren’t cheap from what she had heard. She knew that he had always wanted to take the test so she wasn’t surprised that he asked. She did wonder why it had moved up in priority now that they were officially engaged. She shrugged it off and enjoyed the French toast she had ordered.

  * * * * *

  Monday morning Alma checked out of the hotel feeling refreshed and energized. Before she left her room she had called and left a message for Luke Manning, he was a criminal and civil attorney and she knew he had software that could help her track Mr. Josiah Carter and get the real scoop. The receptionist had promised to give him the message.

  Not more than thirty minutes later her phone rang and she picked up.

  “Hello,” she said timidly, not recognizing the number.

  “Why hello stranger. It’s been way too long since we last spoke.” His voice was smooth like whipped butter.

  “Hi Luke, it has been a minute.” It had actually been just over three years since she had last heard his voice, not including the cheesy legal commercials that she stumbled across from time to time.

  “So, Shirley let me know that you may need my help in a professional capacity? I hope we’re talking civil side.” He hesitated, waiting for her to offer an explanation.

  “No, no, oh no, not like that,” she stuttered when she realized that he was assuming she had legal troubles and potentially criminal ones. “No, I just remembered you talking about this software that you had that could track down almost anyone and gave you all kinds of information. Marissa’s father, or at least he’s claiming to be her father, has made a reappearance and I want to make sure that he is who he says he is and I remembered you had that software so I was hoping that you could help me..” she realized that she was rambling and quickly stopped herself. “I’m sorry, did you get any of that?”

  “I did, I actually got all of that and I would be happy to help you. When can you come by the office?” He was perfectly calm and it helped to ease her nerves.

  “I can come by now,” she quickly looked down at herself and wished she hadn’t spoken so quickly. She was wearing the sweats and tennis shoes that Marc had picked up for her so she could enjoy the extra night in the hotel.

  �
��Well, I’m still wrapping up a few things here in court,” she heard some conversation behind him and realized that he had probably stepped into one of the back hallways the attorneys and court personnel often traversed. “How about 12:30? They’ll break for lunch and I’ll grab us both a bite to eat. We can go over everything when you get here. Sound good?”

  “Yes, that sounds perfect. I’ll see you then.” She hung up the phone and looked down at herself again. She felt a bit guilty. She knew she needed to change, but as she looked at the clothes her wonderful fiancée had brought her she wondered if her need to change had anything to do with the fact that Luke was her ex-boyfriend.

  * * * * *

  Alma sat in the waiting room since Luke had not gotten back from court yet, at least not according to his receptionist. The young woman was quite attractive and not at all what she expected from someone named Shirley.

  Alma had decided to dress professionally in slacks and a modest top. She had even added a summer sweater to make sure that professional couldn’t be misconstrued in any way as provocative.

  “Hey, sorry I’m late,” Luke walked into the office and the energy in the room changed. The receptionist perked up and Alma even caught herself smiling as she stood. He was just as striking as she remembered. He was tall and his presence was commanding. The charcoal grey suit did nothing, but enhance that. He smiled back at Alma and leaned in for a hug.

  “Alma, you look lovely as ever,” he complimented her easily. “Hey Shirley, I’m going to meet with Miss Gibson. I’ll grab my messages when we wrap up.”

  He gestured for Alma to follow him and she did, noting the scowl that Shirley made no attempt to cloak.

  Alma had been in his office numerous times. He had gone into practice for himself years earlier and learned very quickly that being your own boss could often mean working extra hard just to keep the lights on and pay the rent, but not yet enough to pay yourself. Alma had brought him many a dinner as he burned the midnight oil. He was well on the other side of struggle now and she noticed that he had upgraded most of the furniture and accessories in the office.

  “Have a seat. I picked up some Chinese food. It was quick and I knew you liked it. It should still be hot,” he placed the bag on the conference table and Alma opened it up and took each of the containers out and set them on the table.

  “Singapore chow mei fun, right?” He had taken off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and come over to join her.

  “Yes, that’s right,” Alma tried not to look surprised that he still remembered after all these years.

  The two dug into the meal and it wasn’t long before they were chatting like old friends. Alma caught Luke up on her mom’s passing. He expressed his condolences and admitted that he had heard and had even attended the services.

  “I was a coward though. I saw that you and Marissa were leaning on each other and your boyfriend was there. I didn’t want to introduce any potential drama. I did sign the guest book because I wanted you to know that I did care. Your mom was a good woman.”

  Alma felt the tear roll down before she realized it. She wiped it away quickly, but Luke caught the emotion and handed her a napkin. “Thank you, thank you for being there. It means a lot to know you were there.”

  “So now little Marissa’s married,” Luke gave her a quick escape by changing the topic.

  “Yes, she is. Still on her honeymoon even, St. Kitts.” Alma quickly summarized Josiah’s appearance.

  “And now you want to know who this Josiah is. I got you. So I can’t just use this software to spy on people. I need to have a legitimate reason for searching. Let me get you to fill this out with your info and we’ll just call this a paternity search. How does that sound?”

  She nodded and quickly completed her contact information. She noticed that the consultation fee was listed as $275, but he had marked through it. She had no doubt that he had done that for her benefit. He wanted her to know the value of the time he was volunteering to her cause.

  He fired up his laptop as she finished up the form.

  “So let’s see what we can dig up.” He asked her a few questions and then began to type in name and locations and even typed Marissa’s name and then her mother’s. Marissa’s birth certificate popped up and there sat his name. Luke pulled his birthday from the certificate and then ran several more queries.

  “Hmmm, that can’t be right,” he furrowed his brow and then continued to type, looking for more information.

  “Well…” he looked down at his notes and compared the dates to the document on the screen. He shook his head again and then continued to type in a different tab.

  “I don’t know what to say, but I’m pretty sure that whoever showed up at Marissa’s party is not Josiah Carter,” he spoke slowly still looking at the screen.

  “How can you tell? What does it say?” Alma moved closer to try to read the screen.

  “Well, it says that Josiah Carter is deceased,” he turned the screen at an angle so she could read it.

  Alma looked at the screen and sure enough his name was listed as deceased. There was even an obituary in a separate tab.

  “I will print this for you. You will want to ask him about this. Maybe there’s some explanation.” Luke clicked a key and the printer came to life. He got up to retrieve the papers. Alma knew he was avoiding the awkwardness. What on earth was she going to tell her sister? Better yet, who in the Sam Hill was this lying rascal?

  * * * * *

  Alma called Marc and got his voicemail. She left a simple message letting him know that she had found out something important about Josiah and told him he would have to come over to her apartment later to hear about it face to face. Alma drove home in a daze trying to figure out what to do next. Should she call Marissa? No, she was still on her honeymoon and there was no need to interrupt her wedded bliss. Besides this wasn’t the type of news that you told someone over the phone. She wanted to make sure that she could sit across from Marissa and console her as needed. She thought about confiding in Aunt Faye for all of two seconds and then shot that down as a horrible idea. Aunt Faye would not only tell everyone who would listen, she was subject to text Marissa with the news. No, Aunt Faye would find out in due time with everyone else. Alma’s girlfriends were at work. The thought popped in her head and she knew right away that that was who she would call. She pulled the scrap paper from her purse and typed the number into her phone.

  “Hello,” the raspy voice on the other end answered.

  “Hello Josiah, this is Alma. I was hoping that you were available for a chat.”

  “I’d be happy to chat, but today is not a good day for me. Can we set a time to talk tomorrow?” The man’s voice sounded weak over the phone.

  Alma suggested late morning coffee and he agreed. Before she could say any more he excused himself.

  “I look forward to talking to you too,” she lied as she hung up.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “So how did you find all of this out so quickly?” Marc asked the magical question. Alma had summed up the alarming events of the day and it only made sense that he would want to know how her sleuthing skills had become so enhanced when she had barely been able to dredge up a single fact the entire weekend.

  The two had eaten the spaghetti she had prepared and were now sitting on the couch. Alma had her legs stretched across his lap with her back leaning on the arm rest.

  “Well, my friend has access to this system that you can use to find people. Once you type in Josiah’s birthday, which we found on Marissa’s birth certificate, you can literally follow him through his life. It’s like you get to see the different apartments he lives in, what cities he moved to, it even shows you potential relatives. It was pretty nifty.”

  “That’s cool. What friend was this that helped you?” Marc inquired delving down into the one fact that she wasn’t eager to share.

  “Luke, you know him, I remembered he had to use this system to be able to track down addresses so he could send
the sheriff to serve papers and such.” She said his name nonchalantly and hoped that Marc wouldn’t camp out on this topic. She really wanted to talk about Josiah and how she was going to confront him in the morning.

  “Luke, is this the same Luke the lawyer, the ex-boyfriend.” He sat up in the couch causing her to adjust and move her feet.

  “It’s the same Luke, but it was very professional, nothing to worry about.”

  “Are you kidding me,” Marc looked at her with total indignation.

  Alma rubbed her face with the palms of her hands. She could already tell that this was going to be a long night.

  “Marc, it was innocent. Nothing more than a consultation in his office and then I left. That was it.”

  “You know what, I think I’m going to call it a night.” Marc stood quickly and grabbed his phone and keys off the table.

  Alma jumped up and grabbed his arm in a feeble attempt to restrain him.

  “Marc, don’t be like that. It was nothing, I promise.” She tried to catch his eye, but when he turned to face her she wished she hadn’t.

  “Nothing, nothing right. This is the same Luke that treated you like crap during your entire relationship, right. The one that played you for a fool and cheated on you numerous times. The same Luke that hit on Marissa. The same Luke that went to your family reunion and slept with your cousin, the same cousin that you still don’t talk to, to this very day. That’s the Luke we’re talking about right? The same Luke that, after all of the terrible things he did, you kept dating until he finally decided to break up with you right? The Luke that made the beginning of our relationship a living hell because I had to spend the first several months convincing you that I wasn’t some jack off like him. That’s the Luke that you went to and sat in his office and no doubt grinned and carried on.”