Chapter 21
He held tight to her hand as she started to pull away.
“Security explained Mindy liked to drive when she was annoyed, but Prince had forbidden it if the baby was in the car. Precious, in counselling, has revealed Prince hadn’t had his seat belt on and had turned around to talk to her in her car seat and make sure she was buckled in correctly.” He licked his lips nervously, “Precious drew a picture this week in daycare of her mom’s face all red and angry and her dad sad and her crying. When the counsellor asked why she was crying in the picture she said because Mommy told Daddy
she hated them both.”
“Why?”
He studied the tears on Famke’s face. “My only guess was she was having another one of her episodes mentioned in the letters and Prince didn’t get Precious away in enough time. Anyway, she said Daddy was telling her he loved her when the car started to spin in circles. Cameras from the intersection show the driver, who was driving one of those big trucks with the giant wheels, blasting through the red light and hitting the car on the passenger side. It not only did a three-sixty, but it also flipped twice. Prince died within minutes of impact. Mindy lasted a few days before we pulled the plug.” He sighed, “the accident happened not three blocks from their house within minutes of driving away. Security was literally seconds behind them. Despite Mindy’s state, she didn’t cause the accident but the moments leading up to the accident were chaotic and furious. Precious’ last memories of her parents were not happy ones, Famke.”
He stepped away from her letting her hand fall, “now you know as much as we do. Each session with the counsellor, we learn a bit more. Mindy’s temper over the last two sessions had made more than one appearance for Precious. I’m starting to think Prince saying she was a good mother was him trying to convince himself.”
He motioned down the hall. He stopped and pushed open a door, “this room will be yours.” He pointed across the hall, “Precious’ room is right there and I’m at the end of the hall.” He showed the closed door at the end. “I have a baby monitor in her room and mine in case she wakes up.”
“Where is she now?”
“She and my mom are in the basement watching movies in the home theatre. I asked her to keep her there until I came to get her.” He watched as her brown eyes crinkled in the corner in confusion, “no, she doesn’t know you’re coming. I didn’t want to get her hopes up about your arrival in case you changed your mind or jumped out of the chopper because I pissed you off.” He was rewarded with a smile and a shake of her head. He found himself considering he did genuinely like when she was smiling. She had a dimple on her cheek which puckered when she grinned. He’d seen her laughing and happy when she’d been playing in the water in Keshaun’s café kitchen with Precious.
It wasn’t hard to see what it was his brother had been drawn to. She had an energy about her which was strong and resilient. She wasn’t a vulnerable woman and despite the amount of pain and difficulties she had faced in her life, she had a kindness about her he couldn’t comprehend. If he’d gone through the things she had gone through, he’d be bitter, angry, and ready to rip throats out.
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Chapter 21
Yet the private investigator he’d hired had sent him video after video of her laughing, smiling, and making friends wherever she went. It wasn’t to say she was a doormat. He’d seen plenty of her temper and her willingness to go to battle to defend herself up close and personal. Yet, even when the investigator had gone to her diner, changed his order twice and then apologized for not having more cash on him, leaving her only a dollar or so in tips, she had still laughed and joked with him all the way to the door. When he’d come back an hour later with the tip she’d deserved, she’d thanked him profusely but told him he hadn’t needed to do so. The investigator had told him he was quite thrilled with the job because usually he was covering duplicitous, sneaky individuals and Famke Noor was a delight.
She cleared her throat and he stepped backwards from her aware he was staring, and she had caught him out, yet again. “I’m going to go tell Precious I have a surprise for her. Can you meet us in the kitchen in a few minutes? It’s down the stairs and to the left. You can’t miss it. It’s wide open.”
“I’ll find it.”
He took the stairs two at a time away from her. He was doing this for his niece. He was going to give her everything her father had wanted her to have and if it included Famke Noor, then it was what she was going to get. His heart did a funny little flip as he considered as much as Prince had wanted Famke, he’d been too cowardly to get her. He wouldn’t make his brother’s mistakes.
He was going to convince her to stay and if it meant he had to take one for the team and seduce her into being a family with him and Precious, then so be it. 2
