Chapter 2
"How much money?"
My voice sounded strange.
Jayden looked down at his phone.
Tiana immediately stepped between us.
"Marcus, we are not discussing my private finances in front of my child."
I stared at her.
"Your private finances?"
She lifted her chin.
"Yes."
I pointed toward Jayden's phone.
"You just demanded that I pay for something his father already paid for."
"That's not what happened."
"Then explain what happened."
She crossed her arms.
"Andre sends money occasionally. It doesn't cover everything."
I looked at Jayden.
He seemed increasingly uncomfortable.
"Buddy, you don't have to get involved in this argument."
He swallowed.
"But I already am."
Those words hurt.
He was right.
Tiana had placed him in the middle when she told him to ask me for money.
I should have stopped the argument before it escalated.
Instead, I'd allowed my frustration to build.
I turned toward him.
"You're right. I'm sorry."
His shoulders relaxed slightly.
Then he looked at his mother.
"Mom, Dad said he sent you the money for my shoes yesterday."
Tiana's face hardened.
"Jayden, enough."
He looked genuinely confused.
"But you told me he wouldn't help."
"Because he usually doesn't."
Jayden shook his head.
"He showed me the payment."
My stomach tightened.
"Andre showed you?"
"Yeah. He called me this morning."
Tiana reached for the phone again.
Jayden lowered it.
"Mom, stop."
I saw something in his expression that frightened me.
It wasn't disrespect.
It was the look of a boy realizing adults had been hiding important things from him.
I softened my voice.
"Jayden, why don't you go upstairs for a little while?"
He looked at me.
"Are you mad at me?"
My heart cracked.
"No, son."
Tiana immediately turned.
"Marcus, don't call him that while you're questioning me."
I stared at her.
Even now.
Even when her son was frightened.
She couldn't resist reminding me of the boundary.
I took a slow breath.
"Jayden, I love you. None of this is your fault."
He nodded.
Then he walked upstairs.
I waited until his bedroom door closed.
Then I turned toward my wife.
"Tell me the truth."
She looked away.
"About what?"
"Andre's payments."
She sighed.
"Marcus, you know how expensive raising a teenager is."
"That's not what I asked."
She walked toward the kitchen.
I followed at a distance.
"How much does Andre send?"
"Whatever he can."
"Monthly?"
"Sometimes."
I leaned against the counter.
"Does he have a formal support agreement?"
She opened the refrigerator.
"Why does that matter?"
"Because for four years you've told me he contributes almost nothing."
She removed a bottle of water.
"And?"
"And I've believed you."
She twisted the cap.
"Good. Because it's true."
I studied her face.
There was a time when I could tell what Tiana was thinking just by looking at her.
Now I couldn't recognize the woman standing in front of me.
"Show me the records."
She laughed.
"Excuse me?"
"If you're asking me to cover expenses because Andre isn't helping, I need to understand what is actually being paid."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You don't have access to my accounts."
"I didn't say I did."
"Then stop acting entitled."
I stepped backward.
That word stung.
Entitled.
After everything I'd done for our family, I was apparently entitled for asking one reasonable question.
I turned toward the living room.
"I need some air."
Tiana followed.
"So you're just walking away?"
"I'm taking a break before this becomes another shouting match."
She laughed.
"Typical Marcus."
I picked up my keys.
Then she said something that stopped me.
"Maybe if you had your own children, you'd understand."
I froze.
For four years, we'd been trying to have a baby.
We'd gone through appointments.
Testing.
Disappointment.
And months of heartbreak.
Tiana knew exactly how deeply those words would cut.
I turned slowly.
"Don't."
She looked away.
For a moment, her expression softened.
Then she shrugged.
"I'm just saying."
I stared at her.
I suddenly felt older than thirty-eight.
Exhausted.
Angry.
And deeply alone.
I walked outside.
Our driveway curved toward the street.
The house was beautiful.
Large windows.
Stone columns.
A three-car garage.
We'd bought it two years earlier.
I'd put down most of the down payment using money I'd saved from my construction business.
Tiana had cried when we received the keys.
She said it was the home she'd always dreamed of.
Now I stood in front of it wondering when it had stopped feeling like mine.
My phone vibrated.
An unfamiliar number.
I answered.
"Hello?"
A man's voice spoke.
"Marcus Williams?"
"Yes."
"This is Andre Coleman."
My stomach tightened.
Jayden's biological father.
In four years, we'd exchanged only a handful of words.
Usually at school events.
Or during quick pickups.
"Andre."
He hesitated.
"Listen, I don't want trouble."
I closed my eyes.
"Neither do I."
"I heard Jayden's upset."
"He's confused."
Andre sighed.
"Yeah. He called me."
I looked toward the house.
"What did he say?"
"He asked why his mom told him I wouldn't help buy his shoes."
I rubbed my forehead.
"And?"
Andre paused.
"Marcus, I've been paying support for years."
My chest tightened.
"How much?"
"I send fifteen hundred dollars a month."
I stopped breathing.
"Fifteen hundred?"
"Yes."
"Every month?"
"Almost every month for the past five years. A few payments were delayed when I lost my job, but I caught up."
I stared at the driveway.
Fifteen hundred dollars.
Every month.
For years.
Andre continued.
"And when Jayden needs extra things, I usually send more."
My mind raced.
Basketball fees.
School trips.
Clothes.
Summer camps.
All the things Tiana had asked me to cover because Andre supposedly wouldn't.
I took a shaky breath.
"Do you have records?"
"Every payment."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Andre was silent.
Then he answered.
"Because Tiana told me you didn't want me involved."
My stomach dropped.
"What?"
"She said you were uncomfortable with me contacting your household."
I closed my eyes.
That was a lie.
I'd repeatedly encouraged Tiana to keep Jayden's relationship with Andre healthy.
Andre continued.
"She also told me you preferred to cover most of Jayden's expenses yourself."
I stared at the house.
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Then I asked the question that frightened me most.
"Andre, how long has she been telling you that?"
He took a breath.
"Since before your wedding."
The world seemed to tilt.
Four years.
Four years of misunderstandings.
Four years of money arguments.
Four years of Jayden believing his father didn't care enough.
And four years of me believing I was filling a gap that might never have existed.
Then Andre said something worse.
"Marcus, there's another reason I called."
I gripped the phone.
"What?"
He hesitated.
"I think you need to know what Tiana asked me to sign last month."
My heart began pounding.
"What document?"
Andre lowered his voice.
"A form saying I'd agreed to let you adopt Jayden."
I froze.
May you like
Because Tiana had never mentioned adoption to me.
Not once.
