Humphrey accepted and drew his brother into a hug. “Thanks, kid. Thanks.”
~55~
“Deja vu,” Imani noted and clasped Candace’s hand on the bench they occupied at Cove’s Crest Cemetery-the site of Stone’s funeral over five years earlier. The women sat on either side of Rena, who looked like a broken thing hunched between them.
If the cemetery yard had been crowded for Stone, it was absolutely thronged by mourners for Giselle. Everyone, from her entire family of library colleagues and their families were on hand. The wealth of Tesano friends and associates were in attendance, as were Giselle’s family and what appeared to be the whole of Harlem. A breathtaking sea of black-clothed figures moved in glum progression, all paying respects at the blindingly white casket set amid a broad cloud of pink flora.
Rena shuddered and Imani kissed her temple.
“What’s gonna happen to the baby?” Rena asked.
“Pitch says Gabriel is staying at the house with Liam and Athena,” Candace shared.
“G.G. wouldn’t have wanted that,” Rena’s tone was as rigid as broken glass. “She wouldn’t have left him for that bitch to raise. Who knows what kind of monster he’ll turn out to be.”
“Shh...” Candace urged, squeezing Rena closer. “Don’t upset yourself with that, now. Things have a way of working out in the end, you know?” She looked to Imani. “Athena knows it all now, doesn’t she?”
Imani nodded. “Roman and his brothers talked to her a few days ago.”
A smirk softened Candace’s caramel-toned face. “How’d she take it?”
“Not well.”
Candace rolled her eyes.
“Good.” Rena said.
“Roman said she didn’t say anything,” Imani continued her report. “She tried to leave the room and couldn’t. Liam took her upstairs, called a doctor. She’s been on bedrest until today. They don’t know how well she’s accepted it, but she hasn’t let Brogue out of her sight since they left the house today.”
Rena shook her head on Candace’s shoulder. “She can’t raise him, she can’t...” she chanted.
Above Rena’s dark head, Candace and Imani shared looks that confirmed their belief in that very thing.
~~~
An endless stream of mourners passed Liam and Athena along the row of family seated near the casket. Athena acknowledged no one, merely clutched Brogue to her chest. The baby was a picture of glee, laughing at those who walked by and shook his hand or ruffled his bright hair.
Liam was cordial as well, thanking those who had come. Gabriel proved as unresponsive as Athena from where he slouched between Vale and Humphrey.
Athena showed signs of awareness when Liam reached over to take Brogue from her grasp. She resisted, but was no match for Liam’s determination. Brogue whined briefly, but settled once he was liberated from the tug of war between his grandparents and secure in his grandfather’s arms.
Gabriel showed faint signs of interest, but made no effort to leave his chair when he saw Liam take his son to where Giselle’s family sat on the other side of her casket.
“No!” Athena cried and bolted from her seat when Liam gave Brogue to Gilda Lucas and shook hands with Brogan Lucas.
Humphrey caught up to his mother before she could make a scene and drew her beneath the shade of a leafy elm. Athena was incensed, but Humphrey refused her escape.
“They can’t have him! I won’t allow it!”
“Listen to me,” Humphrey gave her a quick shake and made her face him. “You may have to-” he held her fast when she tried to make a run for Brogue who sat babbling and charming his mother’s heartbroken family.
“You will have to accept this until we can convince Gabe that it’s best for the boy not to know any of this for a while.”
“He never needs to know it.”
“I agree.”
“Your father and the others-”
“Gabe is his father. They’ll have to abide by what he thinks is best.” Humphrey firmed his hold on his mother’s arms. “Now, I can’t have you doing anything that will push him to make the wrong choice. He’s teetering on the edge of sanity here and I can’t have him doing anything foolish.” Like telling the family the truth about Stone, he thought.
“Like giving the kid to Giselle’s family to raise,” he said for Athena’s benefit.
“No,” she moaned, wilting against her son’s chest.
“Can you trust me to fix this, Mama?”
Athena nodded, then shook her head in dismay. “How can this be? How can that wonderful, beautiful girl be...one of them? It isn’t right that she was saddled to such ugly fates in birth and death.”
Humphrey put a kiss to the top of Athena’s head. Her dark hair was drawn into a low bun. “The better genes won out for Giselle and Brogue,” he said.
Athena began to nod slowly against Humphrey’s chest. “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes,” she repeated as the idea took root. She looked up to Humphrey and nodded when he eased her back.
“You’ll be supportive, yes?”
Athena nodded.
“You’ll keep your true thoughts to yourself and you’ll keep Gabe close?”
