Could This Be Love Page 4

  Grabbing a plate and beginning to fill it, Raven said, “Your father is no longer a client of mine and you know that.”

  Following suit, Marcus picked up a plate and said, “Yes, but I still don’t understand why you dropped me at the same time you dropped my father from your client roster.”

  As they sat down across from each other, Raven put her cards on the table. “Okay, I was wrong for not communicating with you concerning my reasons for ending our relationship.”

  “Finally, she admits it.”

  Putting her fork down, Raven glared at him. “Are you going to be obnoxious or are you going to let me finish.”

  Lifting his hands, he leaned back. “You have the floor. Please, enlighten me.”

  “The thing is,” she began, “our families are very different. My parents believe in traditional family values, morality and God’s absolute right to dictate what morality is. But your parents seem to believe anything goes and sway whichever way the polls go. I couldn’t subject a child of mine to that.”

  “What’s so horrible about being a part of my family?” He held up a hand. “Okay, I know something happened between you and my father, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a good guy. And don’t ask me to feel some type of way about being his son, because I’m grateful that Senator Michael Allen is my father. I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today if not for him.”

  “But where are you?” Raven leaned forward as she said, “My dad used to tell me that if a man didn’t have God, he didn’t have much.”

  “And what makes you think that we don’t have God?” Marcus asked. His tone indicated that he was very offended by her comment. “Before my mom died we all attended church twice a week. My family loved God and my mom wanted nothing more than to please Him. But after she died so suddenly, I guess we just fell off of our routine and then my dad married Liza. I was only twelve when they married and I was at the age where I didn’t want to sit in church for hours on end anymore, so it didn’t bother me that Liza never attended church, but I will admit that as I got older I began to miss it. My pastor said that I was drawn back to church because my mother raised me to appreciate the presence of God, so don’t tell me about my morals and values.”

  She wanted to ask why he had slept with her if he was so moral and wanting to please God, but then she would have to answer the same question.

  “I’m not perfect, Raven. I don’t attend church as much as I should, and I’ve been so busy working that I haven’t even thought about Bible study lately. But no matter what you think, I do love God and would support your need to instill Christian values in our child.”

  Well, the boy just said a mouthful. Raven had nothing else to do but to admit, “Your father told me about your mother. She was the reason I took him on as a client.” She didn’t add that she’d later found his father and step-mother to be frauds. Raven had never told Marcus about that last conversation she’d had with his father while she was still working for the man.

  Raven believed in holding the confidence of her clients, even the ones she totally disagreed with, so she couldn’t even warn Marcus about what his father was up to. Since Marcus would soon be the father of her child, all Raven could hope was that Marcus would be able to stand against all the demonic forces that were sure to be coming at him. Then she had a thought… wouldn’t the father of her child be able to stand against his parents’ ungodly crusade even better if she was by his side?

  “So, you really don’t want me to have an abortion?”

  Putting his napkin down, Marcus said, “Raven, I have a pro-life platform, that’s non-negotiable for me. I believe every life is important and especially any life I had anything to do with creating.”

  “And you were serious when you asked me to marry you?”

  “As serious as a governor in need of a wife.”

  “Now we get to it. The only reason you want to marry me is to keep that governor’s title. How romantic.”

  Raven was shaking her head as Marcus put his hands over hers. “I’m not going to lie to you, hon. Having a baby without being married could derail my next campaign. But I wouldn’t marry you just for political reasons. I felt something when we were together. I believe I could love you, if you’d just give me the chance.”

  His words felt honest and pure. Although she had fallen for him the week after they met, Raven was grateful that he didn’t claim to be head over heels in love because she would have thought he was lying. A man like Marcus who could have any woman he wanted wouldn’t just fall all over himself for a girl like her. She was the always-a-bridesmaid-never-a-bride kind of girl. Now she felt like the most popular boy in school was asking her to the prom.

  Things like this didn’t happen to Raven… they happened to her younger sister, Renee, who had walked down the aisle two years ago. Raven, of course, had been Renee’s bridesmaid. Just once, she’d like for someone to be her bridesmaid and take unreasonable requests from her. Could this work between her and Marcus? “I’m just not sure if your family would allow us to be a family. I don’t agree with anything your father stands for.”

  “Despite what you think, my father doesn’t run my life. I know what I want, and it’s you… you and my baby. So, what do you say? Is it going to be marriage or single parenthood for the both of us?”

  Single parenthood didn’t sound like much fun, but neither did coming up missing, as the women in the Allen circle tended to do. Unless her radar was completely off, Raven didn’t believe that Marcus had anything to do with the disappearance of his father’s mistress. But she also wanted to make sure that Britney was okay before she said ‘I do’.

  “I have two requests.”

  “For the future Mrs. Allen, ask whatever you want. I can’t move heaven, but I can sure enough shake this earth until it releases your heart’s desire.”

  See, this was why she’d lost her head and slept with a man she wasn’t married to. Marcus opened his mouth and her knees buckled. The man was too smooth for his own good. Ignoring the butterflies in her stomach, she said, “The first thing I need is for you to come back to the house and talk to my parents with me.”

  “Done. What else?”

  “I need you to take me to Britney. I promised her mother that I would find her daughter. I at least need to be able to tell Judge Hartman that Britney is okay.”

  He leaned back in his seat. Stared at her for a moment, then asked, “Non-negotiable?”

  She nodded, “Non-negotiable.”

  Clasping his hands together, he said, “I’ll tell you what. You do this press conference with me so that we can announce our engagement and then I’ll take you to see Britney.”

  “Why can’t we go see Britney first?”

  “I have to be back home in the morning for a press conference that’s already been scheduled. I’m the new governor, remember?”

  “How could I forget?” She took a sip of water.

  “So, I figured I could bring you to the press conference with me. Since this is my first press conference as governor, it would be the perfect time to also announce my engagement. I doubt that we’ll have very many people wondering about why we decided to get engaged if we bunch everything into one press conference.”

  Made sense to her. “Okay, but I don’t want your parents knowing anything about our engagement until after we make the announcement.”

  He held out his hand. “Deal.” They shook on it and then left the restaurant to go and take care of Raven’s first request.

  ***

  “Are you sure about this?” Carmella asked as she, Raven and Nia sat in the family room, while Ramsey and Marcus were discussing this marriage and baby thing in the study.

  “I think so. I mean, it’s better than being a single mom.”

  “I did that for several years and let me tell you, I am thrilled to be engaged to your brother,” Nia admitted. “He is the love of my life and I no longer have to do everything myself.”

  Carmella chimed in. “After my first hu
sband divorced me and left me with one grown child and another to finish raising on my own, I was scared because I had never had all of the parenting responsibility on me. But I didn’t marry your father just so I wouldn’t have to do it on my own,” Carmella told Raven.

  “That’s not what I meant,” Nia said quickly. “I love Ronny. He is perfect for me or I wouldn’t be marrying him.”

  “I’m not worried about you and Ronny,” Carmella told her. “I know the two of you are in love.” She then turned to Raven and asked, “What about you. Do you love this man?”

  Raven didn’t want to seem pathetic, admitting to loving a man who, at best, liked her a lot. So she said, “If I didn’t have feelings for him, I never would have slept with him. But this marriage is more about becoming a family so that we both can raise our child and Marcus can continue to have the political career he’s worked so hard to build.”

  Carmella sat down next to Raven, put her arm around her shoulder. “But I want so much more for you.”

  “It’s not just me that I have to think about anymore. Marcus will make a good father. He makes me laughed and I lo…” she hesitated as she almost said the word ‘love’, “enjoy being around him.”

  “If this is what you want…” Carmella’s voice gave way to the worry she felt in her gut.

  “It’s what I want, Mama-Carmella, so be happy for me.” She squeezed Carmella’s hand. “And besides, if I don’t marry Marcus and his father gets his hooks in my child, I’d never forgive myself.”

  “The truth of the matter is, you won’t be able to stop his family from getting their hooks into your child no matter what,” Nia said and then added, “I thought that not mentioning Jarod’s grandparents would make them go away. But Jarod was always thinking about them, even when I wasn’t. If Ronny hadn’t talked them into seeing my son, I don’t know what I would have done. But I know Jarod would still feel as if he were missing a part of himself.”

  “I’m okay with my child knowing his grandparents. I just don’t want them having too much influence in his or her life. I know Senator Allen personally, and let’s just say, I wouldn’t vote for him.”

  “Let me ask you something, Raven,” Carmella said as she leaned forward and looked her directly in the eye. “How’s your prayer life?”

  Silence fell over the room. Raven was ashamed to admit that since leaving home and starting her business, she hadn’t had much of a prayer life at all. But Raven was confident that Mama-Carmella already knew the answer to her question, so she said, “Truthfully, I haven’t prayed much, nor have I read my Bible as much as I should have since my business took over my life.”

  “Then might I suggest that you begin to include God in your family, and whatever outcome you want for Marcus and your unborn child, pray and ask God for it.”

  Chapter 6

  First thing Monday morning Marcus and Raven went to the courthouse and applied for their marriage license. It was now 11 a.m. and Marcus was standing in front of a bunch of clambering reporters looking dapper and ready for business in his dark blue double breasted suit.

  The first reporter said to him, “How does it feel to be governor without having to go through a grueling campaign?”

  “I don’t know about that. My friend, ex-governor Lewis only had a year left to his term, so I’ll have to work really hard in the next few months if I want to be elected for another term.”

  “What’s your first order of business?” Another reporter asked.

  Marcus showed off that dimpled grin that never ceased to make Raven weak in the knees and then he said in a self-deprecating way, “Relax everyone, this is my first day on the job. Allow me a few days to get up to speed and then I’ll be able to make a few educated decisions.”

  Raven was grinning like a fool in love. Marcus hadn’t received his talking points from her and yet he was answering every question just right.

  A reporter in the back of the room called out, “Why weren’t you available for comment this weekend? Didn’t you know that the former governor would be resigning?”

  For that question, Marcus turned adoring eyes on Raven. He put his hand in hers and pulled her closer. He then turned back to the reporters and said, “I didn’t know about Governor Lewis’ announcement until the last minute and I had already planned to be with my fiancée and her family this weekend. We were busy with the final details of our wedding, so my absence couldn’t be helped.” Marcus then lifted Raven’s hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.

  Raven’s knees buckled as she looked into Marcus’ eyes. She had to remind herself that he was just playing up to the cameras and was not really in love with her as anyone would believe from the look on his face.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” Marcus said as he turned back to the reporters, “meet my bride-to-be, Ms. Raven Thomas.”

  “What happened to Denise, Marcus? Weren’t you just on a date with her last week?” One of the reporters called out.

  “Denise Johnson and I are just friends. Are families have none each other for years. But there’s no love connection there. You all just snapped the wrong photo is all.”

  All Raven’s years of training in public relations hadn’t prepared Raven for what to do when the cameras were turned onto her. Marcus was handling himself expertly, but with the goofy expression on her face, all she could do was wave to the group as if she were Miss America, walking the runway with a diamond studded crown on her head.

  “How long have you been engaged to the governor?”

  “How did you get him to propose, Ms. Thomas?”

  The questions kept coming until Marcus raised his hand. “Hey, no badgering my lady. She might reconsider marrying me and then I’d be a very unhappy governor.”

  Laughs went around the room and then Marcus expertly fielded a few more questions and then called the press conference to a close. As they were headed back to his office Raven reminded him, “It’s time for you to take me to see Britney.”

  “Okay, let me stop in the office for a little bit and then we’ll take care of that,” Marcus promised her.

  But when they arrived at the governor’s office, Senator Allen was seated in his office waiting for them with the city’s most high profile judge. “I didn’t know you were in town,” Marcus said as he went to his father and hugged him.

  “I bet you didn’t. But you can’t get much past your old man. I’ve told you that all your life, but for some reason you keep trying.”

  Marcus tried to keep the laugher out of his voice as he said, “We were going to tell you about the engagement, Dad. I just wanted to make the announcement at the press conference first.”

  “And we both know why that is, don’t we?” Senator Allen patted his son on the shoulder. “But you’re a grown man, so I figure that you’re entitled to defy your father at least once or twice a year.” He wagged a finger at Marcus and then added, “But no more than that.”

  Ignoring his father’s comment, Marcus asked, “Why didn’t you join me at the press conference?”

  “This is your first day as governor. You and I always knew this day would come, and I didn’t want to steal your thunder in any way, shape or form.” With adoration in his eyes, the senator said, “I’m proud of you, son.”

  “Thanks, but we both know I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.” Marcus meant that in more ways than one, but he kept the conversation upbeat and didn’t allow the expression on his face to give away any of the negative vibes he was feeling about the way in which he received the governor’s office.

  “And we want to make sure you keep it, at least for one more term… and then it’s the White House for you. But first, we need to get you married off.”

  Raven got a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. She glanced at Judge Parker and then at Marcus. When he looked her way, Raven shook her head, trying to let him know that she wasn’t interested in his father’s game plan.

  “We’ve got this covered, Dad. Raven and I picked up the marriage lice
nse this morning. We’re going to figure out the wedding stuff in the next few weeks.”

  “You don’t have time to procrastinate. If you want this marriage, then it has to be now. I’ve invested too much in you to allow you to throw it all away just because you’ve got too much of a conscious to do what I told you to do in the first place.”

  Marcus was busy staring his father down when Raven nudged his shoulder. “What is he talking about?”

  Shifting his eyes toward Raven he said, “We need to talk.” He turned back to his father. “Can you and Judge Parker excuse yourselves for a moment?”

  “Sure thing,” Senator Allen quickly responded. “We’ll just keep your assistant company. Maybe I’ll give her a few assignments to get your first day started off right.”

  “Don’t talk to my assistant,” Marcus called out as his father left his office.

  With her arms folded across her chest, Raven asked, “What did your father want you to do, that you didn’t?”

  “I’m sorry about that, Raven. He shouldn’t have said that in front of you.”

  “Don’t be sorry, just tell me what he was talking about.”

  Marcus took Raven’s hand and walked her over to the sofa and sat down with her. “I hate telling you this because I know you already have a low opinion of my father, but you have to understand that he was only thinking of what would be best for my career.”

  She did a hand motion, indicating that he should get on with it.

  “He wanted me to ask you to have an abortion, okay? Are you happy now that you know that?”

  “You don’t sound very happy about it,” Raven said as she noted the creases in Marcus’ forehead.

  “I’ll admit that my father’s suggestion bothered me. When he first ran for the senate over twenty years ago, it was on a family first platform. It’s just hard for me to believe that a man like that could so easily discard his own grandchild.” Marcus looked off into the distance as if he couldn’t face Raven with the truth he now knew about his father.

  “Well at least he didn’t kill me, like he did with his mistress,” Raven said flippantly.