The Only One for Me(33)

His jaw tightened, but Corra didn’t care. She wasn’t ready to let him go off with her kids. She didn’t know where Eric lived, where he worked or if he had a dime to his name.

“Okay, I understand. We’ll play in the backyard then.” He stood up and walked over to look at pictures on the bookshelf. “I didn’t realize how much I missed them. Katie’s so sweet, I could hold her and never let go. I don’t want her to grow up. And Jamie...” Eric shook his head and picked up another picture of Jamie with his baseball team. “He’s a remarkable kid. Both of them are.” He set the pictures down and turned around to face Corra. “They aren’t mad at me. Neither one of them. They keep asking me about my work and why did I have to go away to work.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s where I told them you were. Out of town on a job.”

“How long was I supposed to be there?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t know. I knew one day I’d have to tell them the truth, but for now that sufficed. They cried every now and then, but they understood you would be coming back.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For not teaching them to hate me after everything I did.”

Corra continued her folding. “You didn’t try to hurt them, only me. I didn’t see a reason to punish them for that.”

Eric moved from the couch to a chair across the room. “Corra, I’m gonna make it up to you, I promise. Then maybe one day we can talk about joint custody. I want to spend more time with them.”

Corra laughed. “Don’t make any promises you can’t keep.”

“I’m working now, pretty soon I’ll have my own place and a car. I’ll be able to help you out some. I know it’s not easy raising two kids alone.”

“My family helps.”

“Yeah, well they’re my responsibility, not your family’s.”

Corra stood with her back ramrod straight. That’s the first time she’d heard Eric talk about taking responsibility for anything. He was the guy who walked out on his responsibilities. “That’s the most grown-up thing I’ve heard you say, ever.”

“Look, I’m gonna call Dickie and get out of here in a few minutes. I’ll be upstairs with the kids until he comes.”

“Tell them I said to get ready to take a bath. As soon as you leave I’m coming up.”

“Okay.”

Eric went back upstairs and Corra finished the laundry. Several minutes later, she heard a car horn blow outside. Eric’s ride. Dickie probably didn’t see anything wrong with sitting out there blowing the horn, but she hated it. She walked to the front door and Eric came down the stairs as she opened the door.

Shockingly, the kids weren’t running behind him.

“They’re getting ready for their baths, I told them you’d be right up.”

Corra nodded. How come kids listened more when a man told them what to do than when a woman did? If she’d told them that they would have ignored her and come running down the stairs with Eric.

“Tell your buddy not to sit out in front of my house and blow the horn, please.”

“I’m sorry. You know Dickie. He’s a little rough around the edges, but he’s cool. I’ll make sure he doesn’t do it again.”

She opened the front door and Eric let himself out onto the front porch. Corra started to step out, but her heart stopped when Chris’s silver Cadillac pulled up behind Dickie’s car. She had to remember to breathe.





Chapter 16

Chris stepped out of the car, and Corra went weak in the knees. He had a new sexy swag about himself as he walked around the car with his head held high. Her body tingled and craved to be touched by him again.

Eric turned around following her gaze. “Who’s this, your new boyfriend?” he asked.

For a moment, she’d forgotten Eric was standing there, until Chris slowed his stride and narrowed his eyes before stepping up onto the porch.

Eric’s mouth momentarily fell open. “Ain’t this a bitch,” he mumbled, before turning back to Corra. “So is this your new man?”

“Eric Hayden, haven’t seen you in quite a while,” Chris said, holding out his hand.

Eric’s eyebrow rose as he stared Chris down, but didn’t accept his hand. “Christopher Williams. I thought you moved to New York or somewhere up north.”

Chris dropped his hand. “Naw, Philadelphia. But, I’m back in Danville now.” He stepped around Eric closer to Corra.

Corra wanted to die right there on the spot. She’d put Chris in such an awkward position by not letting him know Eric was back.