see.â
âAnd, whatâs that?â I asked clearly defensive.
âAre you jealous, Chyanne?â
âNo! I was just wanting to make sure you were okay is all,â I lied.
He knew I was lying but was mature enough to laugh it off. âGo home Chyanne. I will call you later.â
I shook my head at myself as I drove off. I had too much going on to be jealous over a woman talking to Jaime. I couldnât believe Iâd even gone there. Aric was calling me again and it quickly brought me back to the reality of my situation.
Aric
I knew something was wrong as soon as she answered the phone. Her voice was low and even. Anytime Chyanne was mad, I could tell by that low and even tone her voice carried. My first guess was that she was still mad about having to do the prenatal DNA test. She had been acting that way since she had signed the papers and made the appointment for it. I guess what she didnât understand was that I needed her to do it for my sanity. She may have thought it was selfish on my part, but as a man I needed to know for a fact if I was bringing a child into the world. It was what it was and I wouldnât make any apologies for it.
âWhy do you sound like that? Whatâs wrong with you?â I asked after I had excused myself from the lunch my bosses and I were having.
She was quiet a minute before answering. I could hear her radio and the noise from traffic in her background.
âI saw your wife today,â was all she said.
I sighed loud enough for her to hear me. That was enough for me to know all I needed to know, but I asked her about it anyway as I made a mental note to call Stephanie.
âAnd thatâs why youâre upset?â
âNo. Iâm upset because she put her hands on me again and Iâm upset because . . .â
She stopped talking like she had lost her train of thought or as if she changed her mind about saying what it is she had wanted to say. I took a seat on the bench across from the room the meeting was being held in. Although the board had agreed to look the other way about the incident my wife had caused when she attacked Chyanne, I was not about to take any chances with them finding out that I had really been sleeping with my executive assistant. I was careful in my conversation with her because people were still talking around the office and the last thing I needed was for the board to hear anything. I assured them that what had happened with Stephanie would never happen again. Yeah, I had to throw a little lie here and there when it came to me and Chyanne, but what had to be done, had to be done.
âBecause what? What happened between you two that has you all bent out of shape?â
I could hear her breathing, sounded as if she was crying. âShe put her hands on me and she threatened my child. She threatened to take my child away from me.â
My brows creased. âWhat?â
She made a sniffling sound that let me know for sure she was crying. âShe threatened to take my baby away from me, Aric!â She said in a shrill causing her voice to rise an octave.
âChyanne, relax. Where are you right now?â
âOn my way home,â she said.
Her voice had relaxed a bit, but I could tell she was still rattled. I had no idea what the hell Stephanie had said to her, but the last thing I needed was for Chyanne to be stressed the day before the testing was to be done.
âIâll stop by and check on you later when I get off. You just relax and donât let Stephanie get to you. You have nothing to worry about. Just go home, relax, and wait for me, okay? Weâll talk when I get there.â
After she reluctantly agreed, I hung up and called Stephanie. She didnât answer. She probably already knew why I was calling and was preparing her side of the story. One thing was for certain, if the baby was mine she sure as hell would have to get used to Chyanne being around. As far as her taking