Page 136 of Captivated By Danger

“Greysen, um…”

“We have to reschedule lunch. It’s fine. I’ll see you at home.”

She walked toward the door, and both me and my father eyed her. She caught my father’s eyes for a split second and smiled before walking over to me and wrapping her arms around my neck. She gave me a sticky kiss on my lips and then on my neck.

“Saved you an uncomfortable conversation,” she whispered in my ear before nipping at it.

She kissed my lips again and then wiped her gloss away with her thumb. At this moment, I didn’t know what stunned me the most, the separation my mother asked my father for or the fact that Greysen read my mind. I was going to have to tell my father that I was feeling Greysen and he had to stop with the inappropriate stares and comments. That was the first time something like that had ever happened to me.

“So…” my father said, breaking my trance. “Is that serious?”

“No. I don’t know. What’s going on? I mean… what happened? That’s why you been to yourself.”

I sat down and picked up the stack of papers to read them.

“Hold on. Mom is still in Citrus Grove?”

He nodded his head. “Yes. When she got down there, she told me she was going to stay for a while. I didn’t know what that meant until I received the separation papers. I assumed you didn’t know. Dymon didn’t tell you.”

“No, Dad. Dymon didn’t tell me anything. This is my first time hearing of this. I mean what are you going to do?”

“Well, for starters, I’m having Den draw up some papers for Kandi. A settlement.”

“Huh, what?”

“Your mother has left me before, several times, but she’s never sent me any papers. She’s serious this time and I’ve had the longest three weeks in that house alone. She doesn’t take my calls. You know she was down there on the beach in a bathing suit with our grandchildren, looking the happiest that I’d seen in years. I got a lot of work to do. Our bloodline runs to at least ninety years of age, and I know I won’t survive that long without her.”

“I really don’t know what to say, Dad.”

“You don’t have to say anything, Son.”

“What is Denim putting in the settlement agreement?”

“Hopefully ten million dollars, in increments of 500 grand a year so long as she doesn’t speak on her relationship with me, trying to get paid and shit.”

I let out a whistle. “I don’t know, Dad. That woman knows where a lot of your bodies are buried. These sick, greedy mothafuckas will pay top dollar for dirt and grime on a successful businessman like yourself. I’m sure she could get a five-million-dollar book deal somewhere and a cheap ass documentary on Netflix, and she could generate over ten million dollars in revenue. Shit, you forgot how that shit with Chokers hit? We were working overtime to get that shit out the news cycle. I don’t know, Dad. You might have to come up off more than ten million.”

“Hell no the fuck I don’t. She knew I was married from day one. She ain’t never tried to break up the marriage. Her and Viv may have had a few words before, but nothing like that. She’s always known her place. I don’t expect her to take this easy, but I don’t expect her to take that hard either.”

“Twenty years is a long time to just think you can just pay her off. Do you have some property or something that you can give her? Maybe purchase her a beach house somewhere. Something that can continue to generate money. The money is not going to cut it. I’m telling you. She is going to lose her fucking mind.”

He rolled his neck around. “I know.”

“Or… you could just divorce Mom and get with Kandi?”

He looked at me like another head grew on my shoulders. “What? I love your mother. I’m deeply in love with your mother. I know folks would say that there was no possible way that I could love your mother that deeply because of my history, but I do. I just… love Kandi too, however, I’m willing to let Kandi go for your mother. Will I miss her? For a while, but it’s not worth it.”

I squinted at him. “You not saying that because Mom can… you know, take you for everything, prenup be damned. Y’all been together forty years.”

“Hell no. If she goes through with the divorce, I’ll give her whatever she wants.”

I rubbed my hands down my waves. “So, how you plan on getting Mom back? Just telling her that you’ve dumped Kandi, giving her a very big settlement.”

“No. Just going down there and talking to her.”

“All the stuff you were doing and she stood beside you, grinning and bearing it, you might have to do a lil’ more than talking.”

“Yeah, and I’m prepared for that too. Now, talk to me about Greysen. Am I getting another daughter-in-law soon?”

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