Chapter 9
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
Ezra grinned, “Nope. I’m all free.”
Rie was sat giggling listening to the pair bicker.
It was barely ten in the morning. The three were sat in the living room, Henry with Rie on his lap on the couch and Ezra sat next to them. He was telling her stories of their antics.
Including the first time the tag teamed someone. The someone being Ezra’s mom, who Ezra had slept with on and off in his teens.
Henry caught them and one thing led to another. That is why Henry thought he’d understand his and Rie’s relationship.
Though Ezra and his mom it was never romantic, only sexual – it was still taboo in the same sense. The only difference being he found out a couple of years ago she wasn’t his birth mother – his birth mother was a surrogate they paid to have him and his older brother. And that was only after his so-called-mom ran off with his older brother.
Rie was shocked to learn all this, but it made her feel more relaxed
“Well, go be free in somebody elses house.”
“No. I’m spending it with our new girlfriend.” He winked at her, teasing him.
“Oh! Hell no.” Henry’s arms tightened around her waist.
“Yes,” He said in a sing-song voice grinning.
“I-” The door burst open.
“Retta, slow down.” Rie hopped off Henry’s lap and hobbled over to the door where Luis and a woman in her fifties had just entered.
“Papa!” She squealed, bouncing like a excited child.
“Hello, little one,” He leaned down and pulled her into a hug.
“How are you and my grand-children this morning?” He kissed the top of her head.
“We’re okay. I made a new friend.”
He raised a brow and looked to see Ezra smiling smiling to him.
“Hello, dad, ladies,” He said with a wink making Luis roll his eyes.
“Hello Ezra,” One woman said and a second scoffed.
Rie turned to seeing Henry now stood beside her and a woman in her thirties now stood beside the older woman.
“Hello. I’m your grandmother, Retta. But you can call me mama.” The words were barely out of the older woman’s mouth before she was hugging her.
“Oh, Luis, she is smaller than me,” She said in awe. Retta was small compared to the others in the room at only five foot five. She looked completely different with medium length wavy blonde greying hair and blue eyes.
“She’s like a little pregnant dolly,” She gushed, holding her at arms length and looking her over.
“Thank goodness she doesn’t look like that whore.”
“Mom, that’s enough,” Henry said in a warning tone. He didn’t like Paige either but he didn’t want to upset Rie, she was still her mother.
He took her back in his arms, her back to his chest so she could still see them.
“And this your aunt, Elizabeth.” Retta indicated to the thirty-something woman. She was tall at six foot and looked like the female version of Henry, only with her hair in a short bob. All Rie knew is she was older than Henry and a lawyer too.
“Hello, pretty, you can call me Lizzy.”
If she didn’t know any better Rie would think she was giving her a flirty smile.
“Can I have a hug from my little niece too?” She was unsure how she felt about her. But thankfully Henry answered for her.
“No. Dad, what’s she doing here and why did you tell her?”
“She’s your sister. I don’t know what is wrong with you two, but you need to get over it! She promised she wouldn’t tell.”
Henry didn’t look convinced and reluctantly returned to his previous seat with her on his lap.
“So what you doing here so early?” His dad asked his friend.
“I’m spending time with our new girl.”
“He’s here to wind me up by flirting with my girl.”
“Our,” Ezra correct smirking.
“You want to be careful,” Luis warned him knowing his son’s short temper.
“It’s alright. He’s already beaten me today. I have the broken ribs to prove it.”
“Don’t exaggerate. I barely touched you.”
“Barely?” Ezra scoffed.
“Daddy, what did you do?”
“Nothing, I just hit him once or twice for scaring you.”
“I don’t like violence, daddy. Say sorry.” He looked at her in disbelief. He couldn’t, wouldn’t do that.
But she stared and raised a brow as if to say ‘I’m waiting’ and his gave in with a sigh.
“Fine. I’m sorry. But if you do if again you’ll be not pretending to have broken bones.”
Completely ignoring the men Retta began asking her granddaughter a hundred and one questions. She barely gave her chance to answer one before she asked the next. Mainly about her mom, Henry and the babies.
Henry had given his father a copy of the scan and so they had all – except Ezra – seen it.
“No, mom, we haven’t decided on names,” Henry answered annoyed and quickly added when she opened her mouth to speak, “No, you can’t suggest any. We will choose.”
“Why not?” She frowned and argued. “I am the grandmother, I should help choose a name.”
She was acting like a brat and everyone knew it.
“Lizzy is currently staying with your mother and I while her apartment is being decorated,” Luis said changing the subject. Henry was thankful, even though he wasn’t keen on his sister. He loved her, they just don’t get on.
“With her help, using are contacts, we have managed to get you temporary guardianship of Henrietta until her mother can be located to sign the correct paper.”
“That’s great. Thank you so much.”
“No need to thank us, son. Family is family, we’ll do anything to keep the family happy.”
He knew there was a reason why he loved his family so much.
What other parents would accept them as a couple?
“But I have a few questions for Henrietta to help locate her mom.”
“She had already given us Paige’s phone number but it appears she canceled the contract after telling her your name.”
“Wow, she sounds like a great mother,” Ezra said sarcastically.
“What more do you expect for a woman who told her three year old daughter said was having a hysterectomy so she wouldn’t have anymore mistakes.”
“She really did that?” Retta asked in disgust.
“Nothing you would tell me would surprise me,” Lizzy was never a fan either. “She has always been a disgusting excuse for a Human-being. She doesn’t deserve children.”
“What did you want to know?”
“Anything you can tell us about your mom’s boyfriend, Darren? It could help in locating her.”
“I don’t know much.”
“It’s alright. The smallest thing could help.”
“He had a large house, he hired mom to be a maid and paid her in cash, a lot more than any of her other jobs. That’s why she stayed there. She wasn’t a fan of hard work.”
“That would explain why we found no payment trail. It also looks like she hasn’t been paying her taxes. She has a lot of debt.”
“She sometimes uses a different surname – Hilton – so she has a good credit history.”
“Hilton, really?” Henry scoffed.
“She’s probably been telling people she is a cousin too,” Lizzy joked and the siblings laughed together for the first time in years, surprising their parents.
“That’s really good, little one. How about the boyfriend? Do you remember what he does for work or his surname?” He was recording what her answers on his phone so he didn’t forget.
“Hmm… I know he owns a few restaurants because mom used to brag about her dates with him. His name… Darren Floyd or something.”
“Darren Lloyd? In his forties, black-grey hair and beard?”
“Yes! He’s horrible. If he’s not sneering, he’s making lewd remarks. Do you know him, daddy?”
“Oh, I know him.”
Before he had chance to say anything else his dad stood up.
As if guessing what he was going to say, Retta nodded her head to let him know it was alright.
“With all this new information I’m certain I know where Paige is,” He told them. “I already have all the paperwork drawn up, I’ll have it signed and ready by this evening,” He said confidently. “We’ll have a family dinner at The Culinary Gardens to celebrate our new family members.” He mentioned his son’s restaurant.
“I’ll arrange it.”
His dad nodded and said goodbye, kissing his wife and hugging Rie before he left. Neither of his children were ever very affectionate, so it made a nice change.
“You’re joining dinner too?” He asked his sister unsurely. She and he normally avoided each other.
“Of course. It’s a family dinner after all.” It wasn’t exactly a kind tone, but they were trying.
He nodded and pulled his phone from his pocket.
“Don’t forget me. I’m family too,” Ezra said as if reminding.
“Yeah, yeah, I guessed as much.”
“Yes, like a dumb cousin who can’t take a hint.”
Ezra grinned happily, ignoring Lizzy’s comment.
“This is Chambers,” Henry said as soon as the call was answered.
“I need a table for six for half six this evening.”
“Sorry, sir. We are fully booked,” A snotty voice replied.
He clenched his jaw, no one told him no. Especially when it was his business.
“Put some one who isn’t retarded on!” He growled.
He heard muttering and he distinctively heard the word jerk before his manager answered.
“Hello. I am the manager, what seems to be the problem?”
“I want who ever answered the phone before fired, now!”
“Mr Chambers? Sorry, sir. There must have been a misunderstanding,” The man was clearly scared of him.
“Oh, there was no mistake. I told her who I was and that I wanted a table for tonight and she told me rudely no!”
“I’m so sorry, sir.” He heard the man tell someone to collect their belongings.
“I’ll deal with it straight away.”
“And have a table for six people ready for me at half six. I don’t care who you have to cancel, have it done!”
Knowing it will be done, he hung up and put his phone away to his pocket.
“You are a meanie, daddy.” He looked up to see Rie and the others looking at him.
“Only to stupid people.” He kissed her lips.
“So, what do you want to do for the rest of the day, Princess?”
“I was planning on us going baby shopping.”
“Mom, I love you. But no. Me and Rie are have already started the planning. You can accompany us while we collect the things,” He negotiated.
She nodded, happy with decision.
“Today?” Rie question.
“Yes, why, Princess?” He played with her hair.
“My school is near the mall, can we call in and arrange the online lessons?” She asked nervously.
“Alright, Princess. Give me their number and I’ll call them so they know we’re coming.”
She got him the number from her phone and he frowned.
“Remind me, we also need to get you a new phone and a laptop for they school work.”
She wanted to argue but knew it was pointless. Plus she needed the laptop. Her mom had sold hers months before.
“You actually like school work?” She turned to Ezra – who spoke – and Lizzy who were wearing the same confused expressions. But Retta looked proud.
“Yes, especially math. Plus I only had months left, so I need to keep up with my work.”
“But aren’t you just fifteen? A freshman?” Lizzy asked this time.
“Yes, but sixteen in April. I’m in senior year, because I’m too smart.”
She wasn’t dumb, she wasn’t going to lie about it.
“Well, you don’t take after Henry for that. He failed math.”
“Right. They are expecting us and Jason is on his way.” Henry finished up on the phone.
“Who’s coming?”
“I’m going to pass,” Ezra told him. “I hate shopping. Women just thrown themselves at me. I’m going to stay here, hang out here and have a nap in one of the rooms.”
Henry nodded and turned to his sister.
“I’ll come. I have a few things I need to pick up and it’ll be nice to get to know me niece.”
He didn’t bother asking his mom, alreadying knowing the answer.
“Alright, go get your shoes and a jacket on and we’ll leave.”
