His Substitute Wife... My Sister Book One Read online

  “Apology accepted. If you don’t mind, I did allow the manager to let others in other movies,” he said. “But it won’t be a big crowd when we get out.”

  “It’s really fine. This really is too much, Parker.”

  “It’s okay, Charisse. It really is okay.” He stayed standing up in the aisle. “I’ll be outside if you need anything.”

  “Aren’t you staying?”

  “You want me to?” he asked astonished. Chyna had never cared to come to the movies. Matter of fact, he hadn’t done a movie with someone in so long, he couldn’t remember who the person was he went with.

  “It’s not like there isn’t any room,” she teased.

  Parker chuckled and sat a seat away from her with the refreshments between them.

  She couldn’t help herself to take note that he took off his jacket to get comfortable just as the lights dimmed.

  Using the excuse to get some popcorn, he was able to watch her face throughout the movie. Her eyes stayed bright and wide. There were funny moments, but she never laughed out loud. Instead, she’d make this weird grimace on her face.

  He had more fun watching her reaction than watching the movie. She was so engrossed on the movie that she didn’t notice they reached in the popcorn at the same time and he pulled out first so he wouldn’t take her concentration away. She continued to watch the screen and if she noticed it or not, he didn’t perceive it.

  When it was over, she took a deep satisfied breath as the lights came up. “Seeing it on television and seeing it on screen is two very different things,” she noted out loud.

  “I agree. Some movies you can just enjoy on a big screen. I was thinking about changing one of the guest rooms to a big theatre room, but Chyna said we never know when we’ll have company.”

  “Well after the baby, more people might come by to see us-“ She stopped herself because she wasn’t used to speaking of the future and on top of that she had spoken as if they were one. That had felt weird.

  Parker had noted it, but chose not to highlight.

  Just to break the tension that had come between them, she moved to the seat beside him, she looked up at him. “Thank you,” she said embarrassed and grateful he didn’t point out her mistake.

  “My pleasure.”

  “I know you had a million things to do with your business and everything, so this gesture is appreciated.”

  “Again, Charisse, it really was a pleasure. I took care of things while I changed clothes.”

  “Just because I’m carrying your child you don’t have to be so nice to me, Parker. A little ignoring and coldness is fine. I’ll understand.”

  “When I feel like it, I will,” he promised. “I know my niceness gets you sick sometime.”

  She flushed remembering what she had said in the store.

  He faced her fully in the seat. “Why is it so difficult to believe that I enjoy your company, Charisse?”

  Looking away, she said, “Because no one does. Cheyenne couldn’t stand me and Chyna just flat out hated me.”

  “From the little you’ve told me, Charisse, and I’ve been listening to you intently lately, you weren’t treated very nice when you were young.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Charisse said stiffly.

  “It does to me, but my mother told me once, people try to tear down what they are jealous of.”

  “Your mother was a very smart woman.” This wasn’t a question. “Can you give me a moment?”

  He nodded and left her alone wondering what was going through those dispassionate eyes. Did she do her best to not show any kind of life or had she been so downtrodden nothing could affect her?

  A few moments later, she exited out and waited for him to lead her out.

  They stepped outside to a large black Cadillac and Jaelen was standing by the back door with a serious smirk on his face.

  Parker really hadn’t wanted her to meet Jaelen so soon and had been having such a good time with Charisse he’d forgotten he was having dinner with them tonight.

  Jaelen’s cold brown eyes looked her over her feet to head twice. “So that’s how you go out with other women, Parker, you just take your sisters-in-law. Damn, wish Kimberly had sisters.”

  “This isn’t a date,” Parker refuted.

  “Movie? Together? Alone? Looks like a date to me.”

  Charisse please meet a close friend of the family. This is Jaelen Gates.”

  She only kept her arms around her waist and looked down at the ground.

  “Definitely not like her sisters, Parker. Does she speak?” Jaelen questioned.

  “Quite eloquently,” Parker said looking over his shoulder at her before looking back at Jaelen. “Why are you here?”

  “Wife’s orders. She had some extra things to do and asked if I would be a dear and pick you up. I refused and she ordered it.”

  “And you’re being a dear?” Parker questioned.

  “Don’t push your fucking luck,” Jaelen sneered ominously opening the back seat. “Your chariot.”

  “I’ll sit up front with you,” Parker said and saw the relief expression on her face.

  Quickly, she moved into the back not making eye contact against the dark brick coloured eyes of Jaelen. He was a menacing looking man about Parker’s age, giving her the chills when she first looked upon him. Standing over six feet tall with a thick muscular build, she could just imagine that Parker although shorter, could still physically take on Jaelen and wished he would hit the man in the face so he wouldn’t seem so terrifying.

  It was tiring to be in the cruel looking man’s presence. He glared just enough to make a person want to confess the deepest darkest secrets.

  As the vehicle began to move, she prayed for silence as she saw out of her peripheral vision Jaelen moved his rear mirror so he could see her occasionally as he drove. Closing her eyes trying to pretend she wasn’t there, she thought about her whole experience and the thoughtful gesture that Parker had bestowed upon her.

  This had been an overwhelming day for her, which was why she needed that moment in the theatre alone to get her mind together. First she was told she was pregnant and now this movie experience. He had made it a perfect day for her and what had he gotten out of it? The fact that she was pregnant had made him unbelievably happy. She could tell he was in a general good mood and his whole demeanor seemed to change despite the fact he was trying to be reserved he seemed more playful and not so uptight.

  ‘Careful Charisse. You sound like you’re not talking about a married man. And least we not forget you touched him.”

  She corrected herself. ‘I touched his clothes.’

  ‘He touched you,’ her inner voice countered. ‘He picked you up.’

  Disputing this point, she said to herself, ‘I was fully clothed and it didn’t burn me! I’m not having hallucinations and I’m fine.’

  For some reason she was waiting for a protest from her brain, but nothing came. She didn’t open her eyes because she didn’t want to have to see Jaelen looking back at her, studying her for some strange reason.

  “She’s prettier than her starving sisters, Parker. This ones more like you like them rather than those other two skanks.”

  'Skank. That's a new word. I might use that one to provoke Cheyenne,' she thought, keeping her face unemotional to their conversation, but she had a feeling Jaelen could care less if she was listening or not. He seemed like the kind of person that would speak his mind and not give a fig about who was listening.

  Parker cajoled to get the tension out the air knowing Jaelen was only speaking for effect, but it didn’t seem to even rile Charisse at all. “Jaelen, if you’re tying to say I married the wrong woman– “

  “I’ve been saying that for years and it has nothing to do with her sisters. Does this one talk at all or did the crazy house fry her brain cells?”

  “Yes she does, but she’s quiet around strangers,” Parker answered.

  ‘And assholes,’ she said to herself.

 
; “So Chyna minds you fucking her twin, but she could care less if you go out on dates with her younger sister?”

  “I had hoped Kimberly had asked you to be on your best behavior,” Parker said trying to avoid the subject.

  “She asked, but being obedient is so difficult when this one makes those expressions of annoyance while the others just get you upset.”

  So he was trying to deliberately push her button? And made no bones about admitting it.

  When they finally arrived as soon as the car came to a stop, she jerked the door lock up and jumped out the car. The door was just opening by her nurse and Rochelle followed her up the stairs.

  “Are you okay?” Rochelle questioned.

  “I’m fine,” Charisse said tightly.

  “You’re lying again, but I’m learning that the more I try the worse you’ll act.”

  “Do I have to eat with them tonight?”

  “Your sister insisted. They’re excited about the baby. Aren’t you?”

  “Rochelle, please don’t speak to me about the baby. I just want to be left alone.”

  “Dinner is in a couple of hours. You’ll change your mind. Being around people will be good for you,” the nurse insisted.

  It wasn’t people she was worried about. It was Jaelen Gates, but most of all, Parker Mills. It seemed that this Jaelen could make Parker see things that had been carefully disguised and a knot started to twist in her gut.

  It had been a longer day and now it was going to be an even longer night. She really didn’t feel like putting up with it anymore.

  ‘And they wonder why I want to kill myself?!’ she exasperated to herself.

  ***

  Soon as they arrived, Jaelen went to find his wife and give her a longing kiss as if he hadn’t seen her in centuries.

  Parker tried his best not to be jealous as he watched Kimberly melt into her husband’s arms.

  “Is he being a bad boy?” Kimberly asked Parker when Jaelen finally released her with a look of promise for more later.

  “When is he ever a good boy, but how did you know?”

  “He’s too happy. I would have picked you up myself but the caterer you asked me to meet couldn’t get here as planned on time. So dinner might be a little late. I informed your wife and the nurse.”

  “Where’s Chyna?” he inquired.

  “When she found out dinner was going to be a couple of hours late, she said she had something to do and left.”

  “Spend more money?” Jaelen assumed disgustedly.

  “Why don’t you two get to the library and out of my hair, while I finish everything,” Kimberly ordered. “It’ll be nice organizing something small when everything’s so large in my house.”

  This was true. Between them, there were five children, her mentally challenged brother and Jaelen, plus often guests or business partners. Kimberly kept her ornery husband very happy, tightly wound around her finger and she was the sweetest thing since a slice of pie.

  “With the two of you together now, I should inform you that she’s pregnant.”

  “What?!” Jaelen questioned hard.

  “That’s wonderful.” Kimberly said at the same time. “So fast? How? How could Dr. Redmond schedule an appointment for implantation that fast?”

  Jaelen had the same question on his face.

  Parker kept with the lie because he didn’t want to dishonor his wife. If they believed it then he would have no problem telling anyone else. And now was the best time to tell Jaelen with his wife present, because he would be just too suspicious alone.

  ***

  It’s not natural,” Jaelen said as Parker handed him a glass of orange juice in the library.

  “What’s not natural?”

  “This! This thing you did. It’s not natural. You had to pay the doctor to hurry up the process and you’re using a nut head to carry your baby?”

  “And I wonder why I keep you around as a friend.” Parker asked offhandedly.

  “Don’t change the subject. No matter what you say I’m going to say my piece and I could give a damn that you said this in front of my wife. You knew I’d say some shit like this and what’s with this old Parker coming to the surface again? I’m going to wonder if your backbone’s growing in again.”

  Parker flinched at that comment knowing Jaelen was doing his usual duty of riling him. He went back to the prior subject. “This way has achieved success and it’s been done before – although I don’t know about the nut head part, plus, Charisse is getting better. Just a week ago you were bitching about how much money we were spending trying to make a baby. Now that it’s a success, we don’t have to spend any more money and you’re still complaining.”

  “When it was just you and Chyna doing this it was fine. Now you’ve dragged her crazy sister into it. Not just the crazy man stealing adulterer, but the certifiable crazy one! How do you know it won’t affect the child? How do you know she won’t hurt the child?”

  “She won’t,” Parker said, but in truth he really wasn’t sure.

  “You don’t know that. How far did you think into this? Why didn’t you tell me what you were planning?”

  “Because you would have talked me out of this and I wanted a blood relation child desperately. You know this. Stop being an ass for one minute, Jaelen, and enjoy my success.”

  “I’m not being an ass, I’m being a realist.”

  Chyna knocked stiffly on the door interrupting them. “Hello, Jaelen. Hi Kim.”

  He only narrowed his cinnamon brown eyes in a more cruel expression.

  “Dinner is ready.”

  “Not by your hands, huh?” Jaelen sneered.

  Chyna ignored his quip. “I would like a moment alone with my husband.”

  Parker and Jaelen’s eyes locked for a moment with Jaelen’s clearly saying, ‘This isn’t over with. We have a lot more to discuss.’

  Kimberly respected Parker’s wife’s wishes and left pulling the reluctant Jaelen with her.

  “You told them about her being pregnant?!” she asked after closing the door behind Jaelen.

  “They are close friends of the family and they won’t tell. They’ve never liked Cheyenne and you know this so they’ll keep the secret,” Parker defended. “Plus, I told them of the apprehensions that Cheyenne’s trying to wreck our lives and would do anything to ruin our chances. I didn’t tell them the full truth about the turkey baster and everything. They still think we used your egg.”

  “They’ll still think I wasn’t good enough,” Chyna spat stomping her foot.

  “You’ll be a good mother, Chyna, and that’s all that will matter.”

  Chyna calmed down a little. “Promise you won’t tell anyone else, just until the child is born, Parker. Promise.”

  This wasn’t a difficult request for his wife to ask of him and he decided to honor it. “I promise.”

  She pulled out tickets from her purse. “The trip is planned. Now we just have to work on getting the house in order.”

  “How did you convince the nurse?”

  “I really just told her the truth about Cheyenne and why it would not be good for Charisse to be here while she’s pregnant. The nurse thinks with Charisse being pregnant, her probation could be terminated within the month. They find this as a positive sign to recovery and she said Cheyenne would never be told of the news because it’s the patient and guardian information only.”

  “What do you mean about getting the house ready?” he questioned.

  “Dark curtains, moving Charisse from upstairs to the guest room and stocking the house with everything we need, plus other things. Plus getting the cabin ready for the home birth and this house too just in case we don’t make it out to the cabin.”

  “You’ve really thought all this through.” He had to wonder what else had she thought through and was his wife doing this for him or really for her? “You’re really excited about this.”

  “Of course, Parker. I know how much this success would make you happy.” She even cam
e over and kissed him on the cheek.

  He used this opportunity to wrap his arms around her waist and get a deeper kiss just as Jaelen had done to his wife.

  Instantly Chyna pushed away. “Parker! You’ll mess up my make up,” she exclaimed as if it were obvious. “Stop acting like a sex craved pervert.” She stormed out the room.

  With aggravation, Parker ran his hand over his low cut hair to his nape, trying to relieve his sexual tension and reminding himself that he married into this.

  ***

  A short nap didn’t change her disposition, but the food smelled delicious all the way up to her bedroom and hunger set in, which was something different and she wasn’t sure if it was because of the baby or just the fact that she seemed to be paying attention to a lot of things that were happening around her since…

  ‘Parker opened your eyes.’ her mind guessed.

  ‘I can’t tell if I’m for or against the man.’

  ‘Oh gawd! I’m talking to myself!’

  She promised to start reading up on pregnancy and wondered if other pregnant women heard voices in their heads so clearly or was she just going a bit more crazier than what she thought she was already.

  Going down to the dining room, which was hardly used, a voluptuous beautiful soft-spoken black woman walked up to her. Her smile seemed to light up the room and she walked with a grace that would rival a queen, coming across the room as if she was almost floating.

  “Hello. I’m Kimberly, Jaelen’s wife. And you’re just absolutely glowing!” she said excitedly. She stuck out her hand, but then pulled it back immediately and wiped it on an apron she was wearing around her waist, but didn’t present it to Charisse again.

  ‘This was Jaelen’s wife?’ How’d he luck up and get someone who looked so sweet and nice?

  And she wasn’t skinny or gaunt like Charisse imagines hanging around Chyna. Kimberly was nicely shaped and stood confident about it. Not much taller than Charisse with the most engaging smile ever.

  “Are you hungry?” Kimberly asked.

  “A little,” Charisse said.

  “I’ve arranged so that you sit by yourself.”

  “Thank you.”