Can't Say No Read online

  Vanessa wasn’t sure what to say, so she settled on being honest. “Thank you, Donna. Ralph has been a wonderful friend to me and my family. But I don’t want you to think…” She stopped because she didn’t honestly know how to describe their relationship. Most days they were more friends than lovers. And yes, it was true he had asked her to marry him. But his reason for making that incredibly kind offer wasn’t about love.

  Donna stopped her by saying, “No, Vanessa. I’m not trying to pry, but I do want you to know I’m pulling for you and Ralph. My nephew is known for his charm. Yet despite the number of women he has dated, he has always been careful not to let any of them get too close. He guards his heart.”

  She paused, then said, “With you, he’s different. If you were my daughter, and we were talking about a known womanizer, I’d tell you to run the other way. But because Ralph’s a Prescott, and when the Prescott men fall, they fall hard, I’d say take your time, dear heart, and just be your own sweet self!” Donna squeezed her hand.

  Vanessa nodded, then whispered, “Thank you.”

  Dinner was a lively, noisy affair with lots of teasing all around. There were no awkward moments. Enjoying herself, Vanessa was glad to see that Lana and the twins were laughing at the good-natured teasing.

  They were getting ready to leave when Ralph’s Uncle gave Vanessa a hug, inviting her to come back anytime. She and the kids were always welcome.

  It wasn’t until Vanessa and Ralph were alone later that night that she finally asked, “What exactly did you tell your folks about us?”

  Instead of answering, he said, “I’ve been waiting weeks for you to tell me why you chose me to be your lover?”

  As they stared into each other’s eyes, neither seemed in any hurry to explain. Apparently, they both had secrets and were not ready to share.

  “Ralph!”

  “Vanessa,” he echoed. He surprised her when he leaned down to place a warm, lengthy kiss on her lips.

  Instead of pressing for a response, she snuggled close, enjoying his hard strength. Reaching out a hand, she caressed his jawline. “I really enjoyed being with your family. We all had a great time!” After giving him a soft, tender kiss, she whispered, “Thank you for including us.”

  “You heard my uncle. You’re welcome to come back anytime. I assure you, he wasn’t being kind. He meant it. And don’t think you have to be with me. Uncle Lester and Aunt Donna genuinely care about you and your family.”

  Vanessa was overwhelmed. The Prescotts had a way of making her feel not only welcomed, but also cared about. Their sincerity and warmth was amazing.

  “You have been truly blessed to be part of such a wonderful family.”

  Ralph nodded. “I feel that way now. It was not always that way. I think I told you some of this before. After my folks died, it took me a long time to accept Donna and Lester’s love. I was determined to stay on the outside. I stubbornly held on to the past, telling myself they already had three kids and two of them were boys. There really was no place for me.

  “Nothing Lester or Donna said could convince me I belonged.” He grinned. “…back then I refused to call them aunt and uncle. No matter how much of a pain I was, they never gave up on me. They showed me kindness and love.”

  “You’re too hard on yourself. You were clearly grieving,” she reminded softly.

  “You know all about that, don’t you, beautiful.” He kissed her cheek. “Yeah, I was. I was a smart-mouthed kid, who got in trouble mouthing off to a gang member during class. After school instead of waiting for Devin and Wes, I went home alone that day. I was getting my butt kicked when Devin jumped into the fight. We both were pretty bloody, fighting back to back, by the time Wes jumped in.

  “We came home pretty beat-up that day, but I learned my lesson. We were family. The Prescotts stick together. Aunt Donna fussed over me just like she did Devin and Wes. When Uncle Lester got home, he got on my case for going off alone. He also got on Devin’s case for not sticking with me.

  “Wesley was also in trouble for hanging around some girl instead of getting there on time for us to walk together. I think Anna was the only one who got any dessert that night. We were mad because Aunt Donna made peach cobbler.”

  Vanessa joined in his laughter. Later, as they kissed good night, she couldn’t help wondering how long it would be before he was fed up with mere kisses.

  He didn’t have to say it. He had shown her when they’d last made love that he had a strong sex drive. She’d be a fool if she thought she could keep him without sex. As she closed the door and locked it, she faced the truth. Vanessa really didn’t want to lose him.

  Twenty

  Vanessa knew she was being selfish by putting off telling the twins about the upcoming visits with their father but couldn’t seem to help it. At this point, she was grateful for the small victories they’d been granted, the court-supervised visits and the blood test to establish paternity. Nonetheless, she had put off telling the children about any of it until the last possible minute.

  Courtney evidently suspected something was wrong because she clung to Vanessa, resting her head against her big sister’s arm. Lana looked on from the armchair, worrying her bottom lip. Curtis sat on Vanessa’s other side, oblivious to the tension in the air, playing with his collection of small toy cars.

  Vanessa was glad that she had tried to answer the twins’ questions about their father over the years as honestly as she could without imposing her biased opinions on them.

  “What’s going on, sis?” Lana asked.

  Vanessa forced a smile.

  “We need to talk. Courtney and Curtis, do you remember when we talked about your daddy?”

  “Greg Cummingham!” Curtis volunteered, excitedly, as if he’d passed a test.

  “He lives in a big house in Detroit,” Courtney added matter-of-factly.

  “He’s very busy and can’t come to visit,” Curtis supplied. Evidently bored, he asked, “Can I go outside and play on the swings?”

  “I want to go, too!” Courtney put in.

  “Not until we have finished talking. You two are going to the doctor, tomorrow.”

  “For shots? So we can go back to school, right?” Courtney quizzed.

  “Nessa?” Curtis prompted.

  “That’s right, Curtis. School is going to start in a few weeks. And that’s one of the things we have to do to get ready. Everything has to be up-to-date. You’re also going to have a blood test, so everyone will know that Greg Cummingham is your dad.”

  “I don’t want to go to the doctor, Nessa. Those shots hurt,” Curtis said with a frown.

  “I know, but you want to go to school. Everyone has to go to the doctor at some time. Even Lana and I have to go to the doctor sometimes. You know that.”

  “I bet Ralph don’t have to go to no doctor,” Curtis insisted.

  Vanessa smiled. “Yes, he also has to go.”

  Courtney nodded. “And then we get to go get ice cream sundaes!”

  “That’s right,” Vanessa agreed, recalling the treat her mother had also used to get her and Lana to cooperate back in the old days. “Only this time, it’s going to be different. As soon as the judge says it’s okay, you and Curtis will have a chance to go see your dad.”

  “Judge?” Lana repeated, suddenly sitting up straight, her eyes wide with alarm.

  Vanessa nodded, shaking her head in an effort to caution her not to get upset in front of the twins.

  “What’s a judge?” Curtis and Courtney both asked.

  “A very important person who helps us decide on things,” Vanessa enthused. “Did you hear? You two are going to go visit your dad.” She forced a smile. “In fact, you two are going to see his house. And one day soon, you two can have a sleepover at his house. Won’t that be nice?”

  Curtis and Courtney looked at her for a long moment, as if they didn’t understand what she meant.

  Finally, Courtney asked, “Can I take my Raggedy Ann doll?”

  “I don�
�t see why not.”

  “You and Lana gonna sleep over, too?” Curtis wanted to know.

  “No, but you’re going to have a good time.”

  “I don’t wanna!” Courtney frowned. “Why can’t he sleep at our house?”

  Vanessa decided that she had put enough on them. Besides that, she didn’t know how much more she could say without falling apart. She couldn’t let the children see her fears and doubts. It would only make things worse and really scare them.

  She smiled. “Well, we don’t have to decide now. Why don’t you two go out and play on the swings?”

  Curtis and Courtney cheered, then jumped up, kissed Vanessa’s cheeks. They squealed as they raced each other to the stairs and down to the door and out to the backyard.

  Lana waited until she heard the screen door slam. With big angry tears filling her eyes and trembling lips, she snapped, “Nessa! I want to know what’s going on! I’m not a baby, so stop treating me like one! And don’t tell me some mess about going to visit Greg Cummingham! I know better!”

  “I’m sorry, Lana. I put off telling you as long as I could because I didn’t want to worry or upset you.”

  Vanessa opened her arms, and Lana didn’t hesitate; she came to her sister and rested her head on her shoulder. Seeking both comfort and assurance as she had when they lost their mother, Lana whispered, “He’s trying to take the twins away from us, isn’t he?”

  Vanessa admitted sadly. “Yes. He’s married now. Unfortunately for us, he and his wife have decided they want the twins.”

  “Well, he can’t have them!” she wailed, brokenhearted.

  “It’s been six years!” Fresh tears fell down her pretty brown cheeks. “What can we do to stop them?”

  “Fight! We have a good lawyer. Ralph helped me find him. Mr. Jones, our lawyer, is taking this case as a favor to Ralph.” Vanessa wiped away her sister’s tears and kissed her cheek. “We’re not going to sit back and let Cummingham win.”

  “I’m glad you told Ralph. I knew he would help. Does Mr. Jones think we have a good case?”

  Although she was tempted to lie, she couldn’t. Vanessa shook her head no. “He warned me that there is no getting around the fact that Greg is the twins’ father. The blood test will prove it. That doesn’t mean we are going to hand them over because he decided he wants to play daddy,” she snapped.

  “What are we using for money? We can’t afford a lawyer.” Before Vanessa could answer, Lana offered, “We can use my college fund. I can always work my way through college. Lots of kids do.”

  “I appreciate your offer. It’s so sweet of you.” Vanessa gave her a tight hug and kissed her cheek. “For a while, I thought I might have to do it, once my savings were gone. But I didn’t want to do it unless there was no other option. Ralph offered to loan the money. I didn’t want to accept it from him, especially when I found what it would cost. But I did because I had no other choice. Then we got a hefty check of back child support payment from Cummingham.”

  “It will cover it?”

  Vanessa smiled. “Cummingham, in a sense, is paying for both lawyers. I’d much rather put it away for the twins’ education.” Vanessa smoothed Lana’s bangs. “Try not to worry.”

  Lana shrugged, wiping away a tear. “Can’t help it.”

  “That’s where our faith comes in. We have to think positive. No negative thoughts allowed. Remember, we have to be strong for the babies. They’re going to need us like never before. Soon the court-ordered visits are going to start. First, it will be with a social worker present, but after that, the twins will be going alone and will stay the entire weekend with the Cumminghams.”

  “What does that mean? Why can’t we go with them? We don’t know those people,” Lana insisted.

  “I know. And we are going to fight them for as long as we can. But, for the twins’ sake, we’re going to act as if nothing is wrong. It’s going to be difficult, especially when we also have to make sure they don’t believe that we are abandoning them to strangers. It’s going to seem like balancing on a high wire.”

  Lana whispered, “I hate this!” as a fresh bout of tears filled her eyes.

  “Come on, honey. You’ve got to stop! We don’t want the twins to come back and see us crying. If you keep this up, I will be crying, too. And it will only make it harder for them. We don’t want to scare them.”

  Lana sniffed. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help it.”

  Just then, they heard the door slam and stamping feet.

  Then Courtney, yelling “I’m going to tell!”

  Lana took off, running up to her room.

  “Nessa, Curtis Grant is mean!” Courtney posed with hands on her nonexistent hips. Then she jumped in her sister’s lap. “Why couldn’t he be a girl? Boys are so stupid!” She wrapped her arms around her sister’s waist and put her head on her shoulder.

  Vanessa kissed her forehead, saying, “Really, I like having a brother. He’s so good at finding spiders and taking them outside.”

  Courtney sighed heavily as she gave it some thought. “I suppose, but he won’t take turns pushing. I pushed him three times.” She held up three fingers for emphasis.

  Vanessa could not help smiling. “I thought that’s what big sisters are for.”

  Courtney studied her eyes as Vanessa said, “Big sisters, like me, love to push. Would you like a giant push?”

  “Only me?” Courtney asked hopefully.

  “Four huge pushes,” Vanessa volunteered.

  “Okay!” Courtney jumped up all smiles. Grabbing Vanessa’s hand, she urged, “Hurry!”

  Vanessa smiled, following her sister outside. If only all her problems were that easy to resolve. She tried to concentrate on enjoying the twins and the lovely summer evening. She was relieved when Lana came out and joined in a game of hide-and-seek. When the mosquitoes came out, the twins curled up on the porch swing with their sisters and listened while Vanessa and Lana took turns reading the last Harry Potter book. It wasn’t until the house was quiet, the children asleep, that Vanessa was able to let go and allow her own tears to dampen her pillow.

  Even though she’d thought she was prepared for Lana’s heartache and tears, she was not. It had been worse than she had anticipated. Her little sister had been crushed, and knowing there was nothing she could say or do to help made it devastating. And this in a sense was only the beginning. They had weeks of uncertainty ahead, with no assurance they would win. Talk about pain. She hated it. Hated what it was doing to their family.

  It was close to midnight when the bedside telephone rang. She didn’t have to check caller ID to know who was on the other end of the line. She sniffed, nose running, before she picked up the telephone. “Hi, can you hold a second?”

  “For you, anything.” He spoke in that deep, seductive tone she found impossible to resist.

  Hurrying into the bathroom, she blew her nose and bathed her swollen lids with a cool, damp cloth. She raced back to the telephone, somewhat breathless, and said, “How was your meeting?”

  “It went well. It’s not me I’m concerned about. Tell me what’s got you so upset, beautiful.”

  She smiled, realizing he knew her a little too well if he could gauge her mood from the tone of her voice. “Am I that obvious?”

  “To me, absolutely. Start talking, or would you rather I came over there?”

  The concern in his voice made her heart pulse from the pleasure. “I wish,” she let slip. Then hastily, she said, “I wouldn’t ask that of you. You’ve had a long, busy day. Two meetings downtown. Then you worked on campus the rest of the day. Then you went and volunteered at the community center. That doesn’t count the work waiting on your desk at home. You have to be beat. You don’t need me crying on your shoulder.”

  “I’m on my way!”

  “No! Honey, please don’t. I’m fine really!”

  “You didn’t sound fine when you picked up the phone. Tell me.”

  She released an embarrassed sigh. “I was feeling sorry f
or myself and got a little weepy. That’s all.”

  He sounded doubtful when he asked, “Are you sure you don’t need me?”

  She released a little laugh. She’d like nothing more than to have his arms around her about now, but she wouldn’t ask him to drive across town just to hold her. She wasn’t that weak. Nor was she that selfish.

  “I am fine…truly. As you know, I’ve been putting off telling the kids what’s going on. Well, I told them. Naturally, I gave the twins the limited version of what was going on. Of course, Lana read between the lines, and, like me, she was very upset and took it hard.” She ended on a sad little sigh.

  “That is understandable. She recognized the threat to your family.”

  “Then we couldn’t really talk it all out with the twins running around. It wasn’t until they were asleep that I could spend time with her and hopefully relieve some of the worry. I hate this. And I will be so glad when it’s over,” she confessed.

  “I know. You don’t want Lana hurting, but there isn’t much you can say or do to make it better. I feel that way about you.”

  She smiled. “You are awfully good at this, Ralph Prescott. No wonder women find you so charming.”

  He made an impatient sound. “Very funny, Nessa.”

  “I wasn’t joking. I’m serious. Women do find you irresistible.” She frowned, wishing she hadn’t voiced the thought.

  “Don’t start trying to find reasons to push me away. We were talking about you and Lana.” His voice oozed exasperation. “So how is she now?”

  “She cried herself to sleep. I’m hoping it helped.”

  “That I don’t understand. How can crying make you feel better?”

  Vanessa laughed. “You mean, there is something you haven’t figured out about the female of the species?”

  “That’s what I said,” he said impatiently. “Why are you trying to pick a fight?”