Page 42 of Legend's Legacy
He sniffled and sat up in bed, pressing his back against the headboard. I sat up beside him, and Legend wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him. I rested my head against his chest, and he interlocked our fingers.
“I loved Kali. I would move heaven and hell to give that woman the earth. From the moment that we met in college, she had my heart wrapped around her finger. We were married the first year after we graduated from college. Kayson was born four years ago, two years after we married. We loved him and made him the center of our world. We tried to have another one two years ago when Kayson was two.”
Legend cleared his throat, and my belly clenched, worried about what he would say. I lifted off his chest, grabbed a water bottle, and handed it to him. “Drink this, baby.”
He unscrewed the cap, guzzled it down, and then set the bottle on his nightstand. I rested on his chest again.
“She got pregnant, and we were so excited the entire pregnancy. I came home from work one day after she called me, begging me to come home. It was the middle of the day, and she was six months along. When I got there, the paramedics were there, attending to her. They said it was too late. She had miscarried our baby.”
My heart dropped, and I could not find the words to say. I couldn’t express my sympathy and compassion for him. I rubbed the space where his heart was and reached up and wiped his tears. He continued crying and didn’t utter another word. I pulled Legend into my arms because he was hurting badly. There was nothing more heartbreaking than seeing a grown man cry.
“I love you,” I whispered. I repeated the sentiment several times, rubbing his back as I held him.
He sniffled, and I handed him the tissues to clean his face. He cleared his throat and finished talking. “It took a toll on our marriage. I tried to get us counseling, send her to therapy alone, and whatever else we needed to do. It didn’t work. She filed for a divorce, and it was finalized a year ago. Recently, I learned that three months after the miscarriage, she started having an affair with her boss.”
“I’m so sorry, baby. I wish that I could take the pain away.”
He wiped his face but remained silent otherwise. We held onto each other for several minutes before he pulled out of my embrace and swung his legs over the side of the bed. I watched as he walked into the bathroom and shut and locked the door. Ifinally understood his hesitation about having another child. He was terrified of losing the child or his woman.
Chapter 15
Legacy
ME:Hey, baby. I noticed that you weren’t in the office today. Are you WFH?
DISTRACTION:Yeah.
ME:Are we still on for dinner at Tahini’s tonight?
DISTRACTION:I can’t. I’ve got another appointment that I cannot miss.
ME:No worries. Can I get a raincheck? LOL.
DISTRACTION:Sure.
ME:How’s your day?
DISTRACTION:Cool.
That wasthe last message that we exchanged earlier in the day. Something was bothering him, but he wasn’t talking about it. In the last week, it seemed as if he was growing distant.
I focused on working on a sexual harassment case, getting case law for the attorney who requested it, and preparing to file a motion for discovery in another case.
“Do you have any plans after work?” Jennifer Greaves, an associate, asked.
“Not anymore. I did have plans earlier, but they were canceled last minute.”
“Why don’t you come out to the bar with us tonight? A few of us are going to pick up guys. Tanasia says she hasn’t had any in the last six months, and you know that my boyfriend and I broke up a few weeks ago. So, I’m ready to find something new.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Jenn, it might do you some good to be alone for a minute, girl. You go through men like people go through trash bags.”
She laughed so hard that all I could do was shake my head.
“Whatever. Are you going or not?”
“I’ll pass tonight.”
“Are you seeing someone? You’ve passed up the last few bar nights. You always used to be down for them when you first started.”
