Mafia Daddy’s Faithful Little by Mary Potter

CHAPTER SIX

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Raymond

After Maddy left, I berated myself for not telling her the truth.

I had had the chance but couldn’t open my mouth to tell her. To be honest, I shouldn’t be as frightened as this. A woman was dying and she needed someone to take care of our son.

Maddy was the perfect candidate for that. She had always talked about taking care of a child, whether adopted or not. Maddy wanted a family with me and I was prepared to give her that. The only problem was, my son was the son of her best friend. Would Maddy see the boy as her own?

I walked into my kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. My phone was on the counter. I had left it there when Maddy was about to leave. As I stared at the phone and gulped down the water, I thought about calling her.

Her apartment was only a few minutes from here. She should be at home by now.

I was still contemplating taking that suicidal step of revealing the truth to Maddy when my phone began to buzz. When I checked the screen, it was a call from my cousin, Holland.

“Hello, Holland,” I greeted as soon as I picked the call.

“Yoo, cousin,” he said. “How have you been?”

It was surprising how Holland was above thirty but he kept on using slang or words ascribed to a teenager. I almost could picture his big smile on his face, staring at me with those sea-green eyes he had taken from his mother.

“I’ve been good. How about you?”

“Never been this excited. I’m coming to Leevens!”

I almost choked on my water. “What?”

“Your dad never told you? I’ll be arriving with him. He thinks it’s the perfect time for me to visit the well-known town.”

Not that I hated having my cousin around but Holland in Leevens meant disaster. A disaster for most of the single ladies in Leevens. Holland was overly promiscuous and I wondered how many women he would prey on once he gets to Leevens.

“That’s good news,” I said instead. “The people of Leevens will be so glad to have you.”

“I know they will,” my cousin answered. “How about you?”

“Same here, Holland.”

He laughed. “Thank you, coz. I want a hot chic once I get to Leevens, one that is so appealing I’ll trail her like an enchanted being.”

“Okay, that’s very wrong. You don’t want to be a stalker. We have a good sheriff here.”

Holland burst into laughter again. “Just kidding. Still get me a babe.”

“You need to find yourself a girl you’re going to settle down with and…”

“Not yet, Raymond. Not yet. That reminds me, how’s Maddy?”

I sighed. “She’s fine.”

“Are you okay?”

As though on cue, my phone began to buzz again and Maddy’s name flashed on the screen. For some weird reason, my heart leaped. I didn’t know why I was scared to pick her call.

“I gotta hang up, Holland. Maddy is calling.”

“Oh, tell her that…”

I didn’t wait for him to finish his statement. With trembling fingers, I called Maddy again.

“Hey babe, I was on the phone with Holland.”

“Raymond.” Her voice was soft.

“How are you? Are you back at your place?”

“Raymond,” she said again.

It was then I took note of her tone. Her voice was coated with pain, a sort of silent pain that raked my heart.

“Maddy, are you fine?”

“Yes, I am.”

Then relief flooded me. Maybe I was being troubled for no reason. If Maddy knew the truth, she would have flared up by now.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Okay, I’ll come by your place tomorrow. That’s after work.”

A sound caught my attention from the other end of the line. It was as though Maddy had sniffled.

“Are you…are you crying?”

“No, I’m not. Take care of yourself.”

“You too.”

Then she cut the call. I stared at the screen of my phone for a long time before walking into my sitting room.

Somehow, I felt concerned about Maddy’s call. She hardly called me for no reason. Over the phone, she had felt somewhat heartbroken.

If there was one thing I knew and respected about Maddy, it was her strong will and ability to stand elegant in front of ordeals that threatened to weaken her. I had seen her talk at the Mafia meetings. I had been proud of my fiancée making her stance and not getting dissuaded by the older patriarchal men. She was a blessing to me and I was grateful that fate had brought her into my life.

My only mistake was getting in bed with Naomi and impregnating her. Six years ago, hiding that fact was all I wanted to do. Now, revealing it to her was my priority. I couldn’t lie to Maddy for long. One way or the other, she would dig out the truth.

Ethan had told me that Lisa was asking him questions about me, especially my frequent trips out of Leevens. I didn’t need anyone to tell me that Maddy had asked her to do so. She was starting to get suspicious. It was now or never. Maddy needed to hear the truth.

I didn’t want to hurt her. Maddy was broken by a past she didn’t like to talk about or remember and I didn’t want to add to her misery. If I had promised to give her a better future but destroyed that promise with my own hands, how was I not different from the horrible past that had wrecked her?

Maybe for some days, she wouldn’t talk to me and I would drown in the pain of her silence, or she would cut off our engagement and leave me forever. Whatever would happen after I tell Maddy about Naomi, I was ready to accept it. It was my fault and I had to bear the consequences of my stupid action.

My phone beeped, alerting me that a text message had come in. It was from Maddy.

As if I knew what I was going to see, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and opened my eyes again. The message icon blinked at me, expecting me to open it.

When I did, it bore a fatal message that broke me completely.

“I hate you, Raymond. You cheated on me with Naomi and even hid it from me. You have a son. Don’t call me. I want you out of my fucking life!” It had said.