Page 13 of Love Letters From Memphis

“Is he my younger or older brother?”

Cashmere took Royalty’s hand into hers. “Older. We had Cade while we were still married, so he has your father’s last name. You came right after our divorce, that’s why you have mine.” Cashmere smiled softly, eyes lifting toward Ace. “You were the reason we got back together again. I was trying to force myself not to go back to your father because we’d just gotten divorced, and I admittedly used Hamilton as a distraction. When I found out I was pregnant, that seemed like confirmation that Ace and I were supposed to fix our issues instead of running away.”

Hamilton—that was Marcus’ real name. He and Jennifer had changed their names and even gone as far as to get fake social security numbers and licenses to conceal their identities.

“He goes by Marcus now.”

Ace’s jaw clenched and fists balled before he excused himself.

“I didn’t think he’d change his name and identity to hide,” Cashmere admitted. “We looked for you. I don’t ever want you to think we stopped. Hamilton… Marcus… just fell off the face of the earth. We had the resources to consistently check for use of his credit cards, social security number for jobs or applications, even mortgage loans, but nothing ever came up. And to know that you were three hours away in Memphis all this time…”

“I’m sorry for what he did to you. You didn’t deserve that. None of us did.”

Swallowing hard, Cashmere nodded her agreement. “You’re right. And all that matters is that you’re here now. We have a lot of time to make up for, and I hope you’re ready for what Ace and I have in store for you. There isn’t anything we’re not going to give or do for you.”

There wasn’t a time Marcus and Jennifer had ever denied Royalty of financial security, but there was so much more that was lacking in their relationship. As she hugged Cashmere, she prayed she would finally receive all of those things from her biological parents. In the back of her mind, Royalty hoped her relationship with Cade would be better than her relationship with Regal too.

“What did you name me?” Royalty asked as Cashmere held her hand and led her outside.

“Lei Armani Fifer. My best friend’s name was Layyah, and she was there with me every step of the way throughout my divorce, pregnancy, and reconciliation of my relationship with Ace. Unfortunately, she died in a car accident three days before you were born, so I named you after her.” Cashmere’s smile didn’t reach her eyes as she swallowed hard. “Losing both of you almost took me out, but I knew I had to live for Cade.”

Royalty understood that feeling all too well. Unable to resist, she pulled her mother into her arms. In that moment, Royalty didn’t know if she’d change her name back or not. There was no rush for that. Though… a new name and start in Rose Valley Hills could potentially help Royalty figure out her true purpose and identity. It felt as if she’d been given the chance to reinvent herself and start life anew, and Royalty was determined to make the most of that.

ten years later

nine

Lei Armani Fifer

Formerly known as Royalty

January

As she always did,Lei waited for her father, Ace, to open the door of his Corvette so she could get out. Its low seating caused her to shift both legs and place her feet on the ground simultaneously before she stood. Ace extended his arm, and Lei wrapped her arm around it with a small smile. Dressed in black silk, Ace was the picture of class and elegance when he picked her up for their weekly daddy-daughter date that evening, and Lei had effortlessly matched his fly in a floor-length black silk dress. The crisp January air forced her to use her light-colored ankle-length mink fur coat to keep warm.

Saying her life had changed drastically over the last ten years would be an understatement, but the transition from Royalty in Memphis to Lei in Rose Valley Hills hadn’t been easy.

Not even a month after Lei left Memphis, Marcus was gunned down outside of a bar, drunk. Karma seemed to have come quick. It started with Jennifer filing for divorce before Marcus lost his life. It didn’t matter how angry Lei was with Marcus for taking her from her parents, his death rocked her to her core. She grieved him for years before finding a sense of normalcy with the pain. Like a circle in a box, it still remained. Some days, the circle was so small, it didn’t bother her at all; others… it was so big, it took up space in the entire box. A part of Lei believed she grieved Marcus as hard as she did because they never got a chance to speak about him kidnapping her.

When she decided to stay in Rose Valley Hills, she changed her number and didn’t bother telling anyone other than Destiny and Simone where she was. The only reason she knew about Marcus’ death was because Bridgette sent her a message on Facebook. Lei had just decided to press charges against Marcus and Jennifer right before he died. While she wanted them to pay, she couldn’t stomach the idea of sending them to prison in the beginning. When Marcus died, it didn’t seem fair for Jennifer to carry the burden of that punishment alone, so she dropped the charges against both. Besides… life punished Jennifer for Lei.

Six months after Marcus’ funeral, Jennifer’s health began to decline. She battled breast cancer on and off for three years straight, unable to work and losing her job in the process, before things started to finally look up for her. Jennifer moved in with Regal… along with her daughter and Steven… and allowed depression to send her into an alcoholic slump. The next two or three years of her life were spent drinking her days away. It wasn’t until Regal threatened to put her out that Jennifer finally started to get her act together. Apparently, it took three stints in rehab before Jennifer felt confident and strong enough to find solid ground on her own two feet. She was back working again and living alone, and Lei was glad Jennifer had gotten herself together.

It was crazy how the truth somehow made them closer. Though they hadn’t seen each other since the funeral, Jennifer reached out after rehab to fix what she’d broken in Lei. While Lei appreciated the gesture, it wasn’t necessary. One of the first things she did once she got settled in Rose Valley Hills was seek a therapist. Lei had, however, allowed Jennifer to call and text her a couple of times out of the week. With the truth out, the way Jennifer handled Lei was more sincere. The pressure of a mother-daughter relationship was removed, and Lei could honestly say she considered Jennifer a friend. A friend from her past, but a friend, nonetheless.

While Lei had no desire to ever be in Jennifer’s presence, she appreciated the fact that they were able to speak cordially with one another and there not be any hate in her heart. Regal was a slightly different story. Though becoming a mother at twenty-one had matured Regal and forced her to care about someone more than herself, giving birth to who should have been Lei’s niece did nothing to fix their broken bond. Regal apologized, and for Lei’s peace she accepted, but the two hadn’t spoken since.

She knew through Jennifer that Regal and Steven got married after living together for the first three years of their daughter’s life, and Lei didn’t feel any kind of way about it. As far as she was concerned, the kind of man whose character would allow him to sleep with his fiancée’s sister was not the man Lei wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and Regal had done her a favor.

As they stepped inside the foyer of Lei’s home, Ace pulled the thick golden envelope he’d stuffed inside his coat pocket out and handed it to Lei. She didn’t have to look inside to know what it was. Every week, he gave her anywhere from ten to a hundred thousand dollars just because. Her brother had her spoiled too, because he paid every one of her bills and gave her cash to use however she saw fit. There had been no reason for Lei to fear transitioning into her birth family; Ace, Cashmere, and Cade treated her as if she’d been in their lives from day one.

While her father and brother had filled every space in her broken heart, her relationship with Cashmere was a bit more complicated. Though the two were close, a part of Lei still had a guard up. After what she experienced with Jennifer and Regal, Lei didn’t want to allow another woman to break her heart. Steven was wrong, but his betrayal didn’t hurt as deep as Regal’s did. For that reason, Lei handled Cashmere as carefully as she could. They talked often and spent time together, but there were certain parts of Lei that she kept to herself, and there were also things she didn’t expect from Cashmere… though she desperately wished she could.

Those parts of her that sought validation, acceptance, and nurturing still yearned for those things, despite Lei’s fear that Cashmere would not be able to deliver. There were times Cashmere would try to provide them, but Lei’s guards would cause her to shut down. While she prayed one day she’d be able to pull herself out of that trauma and allow her mother to soothe the five-year-old girl filled with longing, Lei wasn’t sure that day would actually come. She loved her mother, though, and was grateful for the relationship they did have—no matter how delicate it was.

“Thanks, Daddy.”

Stepping out of her heels, Lei placed the envelope on the wall table and slipped inside of her house shoes that were underneath it. Only socks and house shoes were allowed on her marble floors.

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