A Long Time Coming Ch. 06

Jade woke up to Alex hugging her back. She wondered how they'd gotten in that position as she recalled she was sprawled across his chest when she fell asleep. Sighing, she decided it didn't matter; having his big body touching hers was good in any position.

Her mood sobered as she suddenly remembered the events of the previous evening. She especially felt sad for her parents. It had been almost five years since she lived at home and as a consequence she wasn't privy to most of her parents' struggles with Russell. None of them could have imagined that he would be involved in anything criminal. Jade just hoped that Mike could at least keep him out of prison. She didn't want to think of the pain and suffering that would cause.

While she was pondering her family's problem, she was unaware that she was stroking Alex's arm where it draped cross her hip, but he was awake and fully aware. He lay still inhaling the clean fresh scent of her hair. The sweet fragrance mingled with the musky aroma of their passionate lovemaking threatening to renew his arousal, but there was something else on his mind as well.

Alex had made an important decision, one that he was keeping to himself for the time being, but after the business with Russell was over, Jade would be the first person to know. From the beginning he'd wanted her to be his wife, however, she and Briana needed time to feel safe and secure in his love. Now there wasn't a single reason to wait any longer.

Jade wasn't aware that Alex was awake until he whispered; "Keep stroking me like that and I'll have to stroke you back."

She chucked and vowed, "That would be heavenly."

Rubbing his cheek against the back of her head, Alex groaned and arched his growing erection into her softly rounded buttocks. She felt damn good and he wasn't beyond being proud that only he had access to her hot body with sexy curves in all the right places.

As Alex caressed up and down her hip, Jade turned onto her back, his hand coming to rest on her belly. He stroked her there and was bending down to kiss her when his cell phone went off.

He uttered an expletive, but reluctantly sat up, his back braced against the padded head board.

"McCord," he answered curtly.

"Alex, hey, it's Mike. I just wanted to give you an update of what's happening with Russell Harris's case. I read what was submitted to the court last night and had a long discussion with him this morning. He's hanging in pretty well, but he knows he messed up royally."

Running his hand through his hair, Alex asked, "What did he say?"

"According to Russell, they broke into the house via a back window and were going through the place looking for valuables when the homeowner arrived earlier than they expected. The guy opened the door and flipped the light switch, that's when he was hit with the butt of a gun by Earle Donaldson, knocking him unconscious."

"Shit!" Alex swore.

"Alex?" Jade said, urgently.

"Just a minute, baby," he whispered in an aside to her, stroking her thigh to sooth her growing anxiety.

"Go on, Mike."

"Well, once the guy fell to the floor, they really panicked, snatched up the items they'd found and got the hell out of there. Unfortunately, a neighbor heard the breaking glass when they were gaining access and called the cops. As they were leaving the scene, two cop cars were rolling up. They saw the cops and fled in separate directions."

After pausing a moment, he proceeded.

"For a while they tried to hang on to the loot, but it was in king size pillow cases, which was slowing them down. As it turned out, it hadn't taken them long to fill the bags because they knew where most of the things were. The Donaldson boys had been in the house several times before; they were friends with the homeowner's kid. They were captured not far from the scene."

"What now?" Alex asked, not as hopeful as he had been, but he'd never let Jade see that.

"Obviously, the gun is going to factor into whatever happens," Mike said. "But as I said last night, there is a detention hearing this morning. Hopefully, Russell will be released to go home until the arraignment. The official police report won't be ready for a couple of days, but the Judge will have the investigating officer's report."

"After the arraignment there's the pre-trial," he continued, "the trial and adjudication phase, if it gets that far. There's a lot to do between now and then though. I'm hoping to get this resolved during the pre-trial stage."

After clearing his throat, Mike said, "That's all there is at this point. I'll give you a call after the hearing."

"Thanks Mike," Alex said. "Have you informed his parents?"

"Yes. I called them a few minutes ago. They're pretty upset.

I gave them as much assurance as I can without giving them false hope. The truth is that I just don't know what will happen at this point."

"Ok, Mike, I understand. Thanks for calling."

Hanging up, Alex turned to Jade, who was nibbling her bottom lip in agitation.

He got out of bed without saying a word and scooped her up in his arms, strolling into the en suit bathroom.

"Alex?" she questioned.

"We're going to have a shower first, get dressed and I'll tell you all about Mike's call."

"But...," Jade started.

"No buts, baby. Just know that Russell is ok."

"All right," she said as he set her on her feet in the bathroom.

She was still worried, but she trusted Alex and knew that he only had their best interest at heart.

Alex turned on the water and set the temperature to his liking before tugging her into the large shower enclosure. Jade sighed as the pelting of the water from the jets started to relax her body.

She and Alex spent a long time in the shower, caressing and kissing, while attempting to wash each other. Finally, she couldn't stand any more and dropped to her knees where she took as much of his cock into her mouth as she could and brought him to a staggering climax.

After regaining his breath and equilibrium, Alex returned the favor giving her sweet moist feminine folds a tongue lashing until she exploded into orgasm, screaming his name over and over as she gripped his slick hair.

They continued their morning ablutions, got dressed and changed the bed linens together. Once that was done, Jade went to check on Briana while Alex made coffee.

Briana was still asleep, so she joined Alex in the kitchen.

Jade sat at the large banquette while he prepared breakfast and related what he'd learned from Mike. She'd known that the situation was serious, but she was trying not to think further than today. If she dwelled on what could be, she wouldn't be able to control her emotions and would be of little help to her parents who desperately needed her strength.

She and Alex decided that they would go over to her parents' home later. There wasn't anything either could do, but at least they could provide some distraction. How they would fare after that would very much depend on the outcome of the hearing.

Just before Alex was through with breakfast preparations, Jade checked on her daughter again. She was still asleep. She was in a strange place, but she gave all the signs of being comfortable with the situation. She hadn't awakened during the night and was over-sleeping her usual rise and shine time. However, it was time for her to wake up or it would be difficult to get her to sleep later.

Jade shook Brian gently, while softly calling her name. Slowly she opened her eyes. As her focus adjusted, she smiled and mumbled as she stretched, "Hi, Mommy. Is it time to get up?"

"Yes, it is, baby. You over slept. Come on, let's get you washed up and dressed. Alex is making breakfast."

Jade got her toothbrush from the overnight bag and led her into the en suite bathroom. While Briana washed her face and brushed her teeth, Jade made the bed and laid out a yellow summer dress and white sandals. Afterward, she brushed Briana's hair and pulled it back into a single ponytail.

"Hi, princess," Alex greeted when they entered the kitchen.

Running to him, Briana threw her arms around his waist. Looking up, she smiled and said, "Morning, Alex. What did you fix me for breakfast?"

Picking her up, he kissed her on the cheek and said, "I have cereal, if you want, but I cooked waffles with strawberry syrup. The syrup has real strawberry slices in it."

"Yum, yum. I want waffles. Can I have hot chocolate too?"

"Yep. I think I can manage that," he said, setting her back on her feet. "Sit next to your Mom and I'll get breakfast finished."

After breakfast, Jade called her parents to let them know that they would be coming over later. They were holding up as well as could be expected. Even so, they said that they would appreciate the company.

When Jade finished the call, she sat down with Alex and Briana to enjoy the meal with Briana's constant chatter a comforting normality in what could be a long day.

*

They arrived at the Harris's just after ten thirty and there was a round of hugs for everyone. Gathering in the living room they talked of mundane things. They didn't go into details about Russell's case, mindful of Briana's presence. She was sprawled on the floor watching television happy to the let the adults talk without interruption.

A couple of hours later Russell, very much subdued, walked through the door with Mike. There were more hugs with kisses and handshaking before everyone settled down.

Russell was the first to speak.

"Mom, Dad, I'm so sorry for all the trouble I caused. I didn't know what those guys were up to at first and when I found out, I just went along because we were friends. I want you to know it's no one's fault but my own. I made the decisions that put me in detention. I'm sorry."

There were more kisses from his mother and crying. Finally, she composed herself.

"I'm sorry too, Son," she said, "but I hope you've learned something. I take that back, I know you've learned from this experience because you're taking responsibility. Your father and I are here to support you, to listen to you, to guide you if you let us."

"Yeah, I know. I wish I had figured that out before now," he said truly repentant.

Shaking away the gloomy feeling, Russell smiled and inquired, "What's for lunch."

Everyone laughed because they were relieved that he was making the effort to handle what they all knew was a difficult situation for him. Having round tabled lunch, it was decided that Alex would go out and get lunch for everyone and bring it back.

Mike stayed for lunch and gave them some additional information.

There were some guidelines to Russell's release from formal detention. He still was on a detention of sorts at home. He was allowed to go to school, but from school he had to come directly home. Once home, he was to stay on the property, except for emergencies, which were outlined in the documents the court gave Mike.

The arraignment was scheduled in two weeks. At that time they would find out if Russell would be charged as a juvenile or an adult and whether he would go to a regular trial or a diversion program.

Because of the seriousness of the charges, Mike thought it unlikely that he would be sent to a diversion program, which was basically teen court. In that court, the accused juvenile states his case, the evidence is reviewed and punishment, within certain guidelines, is decided upon by a jury of his peers, other teens. That type of scenario was usually reserved for less serious cases.

Before Jade left she hugged Russell and told him to call her whenever he wanted, even just to shoot the breeze. He hugged her back and said he loved her and he was going to make a pest of himself. She told him that she'd like nothing better.

Alex offered his hand, but Russell hugged him and told him to make sure that he took good care of his sister and niece. Alex assured him that nothing would make him happier.

*

In the next week things went back to their routine until Thursday afternoon.

Jade was finishing up a letter dictated by Mrs. McCord when she got a call from Briana's teacher who called from her unlisted cell phone.

"Good Afternoon. This is the McCord Foundation; Jade Harris speaking. How may I help you?"

"Miss Harris, this is Briana's teacher, Miss Wexler," Jade heard and she was immediately panicked.

"Miss Wexler is Briana ok?" she asked urgently.

"Yes, yes," she replied. "I didn't intend to upset you, but there is a matter I needed to inform you about. You see, Briana's father came by the school to pick her up. Since he is not on the approved list, I didn't let him take her. He was quite upset to know that he wasn't authorized to take her out of school."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Jade said, "Thank you so much for calling, Miss Wexler. I'll call and talk to Briana's father."

"Do you want me to add him to the list?" she inquired.

"No!" Jade said more forcefully than she intended, but she didn't want Jackson to have permission to take Briana anytime the mood struck him.

"No," she said more calmly. "Leave things just as they are. Again, thank you for calling."

"No problem at all. I just thought you needed to know."

After the call ended, Jade pondered what Jackson might be up to now. She wanted to talk to him immediately, but with his temper the conversation could get ugly. She'd just have to wait until she got home. Briana was spending Thursday and Friday with her parents. She insisted that she wanted to keep Russell company and they were happy to have her.

It was kind of ironic that since she changed jobs, in part to spend more time with her daughter, Briana was becoming more independent. She knew Alex had a lot to do with that. Having a male influence, someone she could look up to and depend on, was working wonders on her daughter.

*

When Jade got home she immediately called Jackson.

"Yeah," Jackson answered.

"This is Jade. I'm calling to find out why you wanted to take Briana out of school," she said, more peeved than she had wanted to show.

When Jackson heard what sounded like an accusation from Jade, he was immediately pissed.

"What the hell are you fucking mad about, she's my kid. Why you got me blocked from picking her up anyway?!" he yelled.

Trying to calm herself, Jade took a deep breath. But it was to no avail; she went off on him.

"You never spend any time with your own daughter, damn it! You don't support her emotionally or financially and you only come around when your mother talks you into it. So why would I even think you'd want to be on the list?!"

"I want my name on that list," he growled at her. "It made me look bad when I went to pick her up and I was told no because I wasn't on some damn list. Me, her father, ain't on the fucking list."

Over her initial anger, Jade made her feeling clear.

"Your feelings are no concern to me," she said. "I have a daughter to be concerned about. Just because you're her father doesn't mean that you automatically get to be on the list; you have to earn that. Besides, Briana doesn't want to go anywhere with you, so I'm thinking this wasn't your idea."

"You're the reason she doesn't want to spend time with me; you poisoned her mind against me," Jackson accused avoiding the charge.

Jade couldn't believe what she was hearing. She went ballistic all over again.

"Are you on crack, man?!" she raged. "She won't go with you because she doesn't know you. Just because she's your daughter, doesn't mean she's going to automatically like you. You're a grown ass man who has an absentee father, you should know better!"

"Leave my father the hell out of this!" Jackson shouted back.

Jade knew that Jackson had issues with his father. Jackson Sr. dropped out of his life when he divorced Jackson's mother when he was 8 years old. Although he lived locally, once out of the house, he was out of his son's life. She hated that she brought up his father, but he got on her last nerve.

Sighing, she said in a calmer voice, "I'm sorry I said that, but you should know how Briana feels. That's all that I meant. Now, why did you want to pick her up and why didn't you let me know in advance? I've never prevented you from seeing her."

Reluctantly, because he hated it when Jade was right, Jackson told her the truth. "Mom has been asking about Briana for a while, going on about how she never gets to see her grand baby. Shit, I was tired of hearing it. I thought I'd pick her up for an hour or two and take her back to school."

He wasn't about to admit to Jade that his mother had threatened to cut him off financially if he didn't make more of an effort with his daughter."

"She can see Briana," Jade said, "as long as I'm present. It would be too upsetting to her for me to leave her there alone. I'm not saying that to be mean, but your mother is a stranger to her."

Grudgingly, Jackson gave in. He really didn't have any choice.

"Ok. I'll talk to my Mom and see when she wants to see Briana. I'll call you and let you know."

Not one to leave well enough alone, Jackson asked, "Is that white guy still hanging around?"

Jade gritted her teeth and said evenly, "That white guy is my boyfriend and none of your business."

Jackson grunted, but let the subject drop.

"I'll tell Mom what you said about Briana," Jackson said quickly and hung up before Jade could say anything else.

Looking at the phone in her hand, Jade snorted, "Huh!" and tossed it on the sofa.

*

Jackson sat back in the chair trying to deal with his emotions.

Jade always knew how to get to him, but he wasn't willing to admit that he provoked her. Now she had this white guy in her life; her boyfriend. Shit!

He didn't like Alex and he knew why. As long as there wasn't a man around, he could still think of Jade as his. He knew he fucked that up a long time ago, but he had hope. He'd told Jade what his mother said, but not all of it. His mother had read him the riot act.

She sat him down like he was a twelve year old and told him that he ought to be acting like the grown man he was. She finally realized that he was taking advantage to her and she was tired of making excuses for him. She was really angry, something he'd not seen before. However, she didn't just leave it at that. She acknowledged her part in enabling him because his father had abandoned him. Now she realized that it had only made him weak and dependent.

Hearing those words made Jackson feel lower than he'd ever felt in his life. What could he say when he knew she spoke the truth. As much as it was the truth, he wasn't ready to come to grips with it and that's why he was so angry with Jade. He'd missed his change with her and in the back of his mind he realized that's what his useless life had been about.

His mother had other regrets. She was sorry about the way she treated Jade, but thought she'd burned that bridge. Still, she wanted a relationship with her granddaughter, the only one she might ever have.

After he and Jade broke up, Jackson put all the blame on her and his mother had swallowed it hook, line, and sinker.

It was Jade's fault that he couldn't see his daughter. He did everything he could to poison her mind against Jade because he hadn't wanted his mother to be disappointed in him.

One of the biggest lies he told her was that Jade had cheated on him. His mother took that information and ran with it suggesting that the baby might not have been his. He let her believe that although he knew with certainty that it wasn't true. Jade had been crazy about him and faithful.

In the beginning, Jade begged him to spend time with Briana, but that stopped after Briana turned two. She just stopped everything. She stopped asking, stopped calling, stopped talking to him unless it was absolutely necessary. She got on with her life without him.