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| "Maternal Instincts" |
| A Very Special Love |
May , 2000 A Mother's Day Anthology from BET Books ISBN: 1-58314-106-5 |
 There's nothing like a mother's devotion--or a mother's heart. Spend an unforgettable day with three of Arabesque's best-loved authors and discover the wonderful power of mothers in love.
In Kayla Perrin's "Maternal Instincts," young widow Lexy Sinclair has devoted her whole life to raising her ten-year-old daughter, Shauna. But a handsome friend and the feisty Shauna are determined to show her that a mother's time for true love is always.
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Prologue
For the fifth time in as many minutes, Lexy Sinclair glanced at the silver watch gracing her left wrist. Then frowned. Was it possible for time to have actually slowed down? Though it wasn't yet midnight, it seemed like she and her friends had been out for several hours.
"Lexy." Pauline spoke sternly over the pulsating music in the South Beach club as she covered Lexy's watch and pushed her arm down. "Are you gonna keep staring at your watch, or are you gonna finally let loose and enjoy yourself?"
"I've seen more excited expressions on corpses," Lynda chimed with a mock-sour expression as she swayed her hips seductively to the R&B beat. Over Lexy's shoulder, she reached for the frozen daiquiri on the bar behind her. "Drink." She passed the drink to Lexy. "It will loosen you up."
"I'm sorry," Lexy apologized, accepting the drink, though she didn't feel like drinking it. She felt awkward being out, even if she was with her two best friends in the world. "I don't know why I'm so tense."
"Because as long as I've known you, you've never known how to relax. C'mon, shake that booty, girl!" To urge her friend on, Pauline bumped her hip against Lexy's
Instead of catching the beat, Lexy stumbled and nearly lost her drink. She recovered her footing before making a total fool of herself.
Lynda and Pauline exchanged concerned stares.
"God, I'm such a klutz!" Lexy exclaimed, turning to place the drink back on the bar.
"I don't know, Pauline," Lynda began. "I'm starting to wonder if we should take this personally."
"Maybe Lexy doesn't want to be out with us," Pauline concluded.
Lynda draped an arm over Lexy's shoulder. "Is that it, hon? You don't want to be out with the girls tonight? Should we hook you up with one of these hot men here?"
"Lynda, please," Lexy retorted. It had been so long since she'd been on a date that she wasn't even sure she'd know how to behave on one. "That's not it and you know it."
"You sure? Because if it's a hot man you want . . ." Lynda's voice trailed off as she watched a tall, very fine brother walk by. "Mmm mmm mmm. Don't even look twice at him, girlfriend, cause that one's mine."
"You can have him," Lexy said, meaning it. If she couldn't be comfortable with her friends, some strange man wasn't going to help ease her tension. "Of course I want to be with my girls." She forced a smile. "It's just that I haven't been out in so long . . ."
"And you're worried about Shauna." Pauline spoke the words as a statement.
She hadn't realized that was the reason for her anxiety until Pauline voiced her subconscious thought. "Yeah, I am," Lexy said slowly. It was the first night in ages she hadn't been around to tuck Shauna into bed. But that's exactly where her daughter was-safe at home, in bed. So why was she worried? "I know it's crazy . . ."
Lynda moved to stand in front of Lexy. "Hey, I hear you, but Shauna is fine. It's not like she's two and can't understand why mommy isn't around. She's ten, girlfriend."
"It's just that I haven't left her with this sitter before."
"But you know her, right?" Lynda asked.
"Oh, yeah. I've known her and her family for years."
"And she's responsible," Lynda added.
Lexy realized where Lynda was going with this line of questioning. "Yes. As far as I know, Rita's very responsible."
"Then why are you worried?" Lynda affectionately rubbed Lexy's arm. "Shauna is fine."
Lynda was right. Lexy should be able to enjoy a night out with her girlfriends and not worry about her daughter. "You're right."
"This has to be a first-you agreeing with me." Lynda grinned. "Now, are you gonna finish that drink so we can hit the dance floor? You might not be interested in finding a man, but I'm still young and I ain't ever been married. . . ."
"Okay, okay, okay," Lexy said, holding up a hand. She reached for the daiquiri and took a long sip of the fruity drink just as the opening notes to TLC's latest hit blared across the speakers. "Ooh, I love this song," she said, finally feeling in the mood to dance. "C'mon."
She still had more than half a drink to go, but she could dance and drink. She wasn't that much of a klutz. So she stepped before her friends and toward the dance floor, moving her body to the funky beat. It did feel good to let loose.
But while she shook her body, she still couldn't quite shake the nagging feeling that something wasn't right with Shauna.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Oh, no thanks." Lexy smiled politely. "I don't drink." That wasn't exactly a lie. She didn't drink much, and as she was driving, the daiquiri she'd had was the only alcohol she would consume tonight.
She tried to step around the man, but he blocked her path. "How about a dance, then?"
Now she knew why there was a crowd of men around the women's restroom; they were all waiting to pounce on the single women. "Sorry. My friends are waiting for me at the bar."
"Maybe later then?" the man asked, not willing to give up.
She finally took a good look at him. He was average looking but had a sense of style, judging by the expensive suit he wore. Though Lexy had no idea how he was coping in all those clothes. She was wearing a mini-dress and her sweat glands were working overtime. He was also shorter than her by about an inch-which was a definite no-no. She knew she shouldn't judge a man by his height, but was it wrong to be attracted to taller brothers? Besides, she certainly wasn't looking for a relationship, and Mr. Not-So-Fine struck her as the clingy type. She hated clingy.
"Maybe," she lied, moving past him.
He took her hand before she could get away, and shocked by his boldness, she whirled around. He clearly couldn't understand when a woman wasn't interested, so she would have to give it to him straight.
He smiled. "I'll be waiting."
Forever, Lexy added silently, her choice words for him dying in her throat. She freed her hand. Though a little too aggressive, he seemed nice enough, but she just wasn't interested. She hadn't been interested in anyone since Richard's death. As she made her way through the dense crowd, not daring to look back at him-for she knew he was watching her-she prayed he'd forget about her by the end of the night.
Spotting Lynda and Pauline at the bar, she moved towards them, relieved. She wouldn't leave their sides for the rest of the evening!
Lynda and Pauline were her two dearest friends in the world. They'd met as sophomores in a high school English class and had remained friends ever since. She'd never had a sister, but they more than made up for that.
And even though they didn't see each other all too often-their lives had taken different paths as they'd gotten older-she still hadn't found better friends. She doubted she ever would.
They had stood by her through her darkest hours in high school, when the scandal of being pregnant and seventeen had sent her into a depression. Their support had made the whole situation much easier to bear. And they had been there for her again three years ago when her life had taken another downward spiral. Losing her husband and the father of her daughter had been more difficult than anything she could have imagined, and at times she'd doubted she could effectively parent Shauna alone. Would she have enough money? Would she be strong enough? Through all her doubts, Lynda and Pauline had been there for her, giving her encouragement and support, watching Shauna on the occasions that Lexy just needed peace, and finally, Lexy had moved on. Survived. She had learned that she could be strong for her daughter, which was ultimately the most important thing.
Lynda had never been married, though she'd come close a few times. Pauline had been engaged twice, married once. Lexy had married her first and only boyfriend, and after his death, she hadn't been with anyone else. Though they were all in their late twenties, of the trio, Lexy was the only one who was a mother.
"Remind me not to leave your side again," Lexy announced, making a space for herself at the bar. "I definitely attract all the weird ones."
"Why do you think I've never been married?" Lynda asked, frowning. "It seems they're all weird these days. Of course, all the good ones are taken."
"Your problem is that you ignore the obvious ones," Pauline stated, giving Lynda a pointed look.
"Don't even start."
"It's the truth. Even though you ignore him, Byron is so in love with you."
"He's a good friend," Lynda protested.
"And you don't want to ruin the friendship," Pauline mocked. "Girl, that's how the best relationships start!"
Lexy smiled as she listened to her friends banter over the pros and cons of Lynda dating Byron. She had to agree with Pauline on this one. Byron was perfect for Lynda. She hoped Lynda would realize that before it was too late.
Lexy had left her purse with her friends when she'd gone to the restroom, and now she opened it in search of some lipstick. Not that she wanted to impress anyone; her lips were getting a little dry.
She felt something vibrate inside her purse, and for a moment, she was startled. Then she realized that it was her beeper.
Her beeper! Her heart jumped. If she was getting beeped now, it had to be her babysitter, Rita.
Shauna.
Instantly her fingers closed around the beeper and she pulled it out of her purse. She checked the number in the dim club lighting. It was her home number.
Oh, God.
"Everything okay?" Pauline asked. She was standing before Lexy, regarding her with concern.
"I don't know." Lexy clutched her purse to her erratically beating heart and pushed her way through the crowd, heading for the club's entrance. The deafening music made the option of using her cell phone in here a non option.
Still, once outside, she had to hold a hand over one ear as she listened to her home phone ring. Why wasn't Rita answering?
Pauline and Lynda had followed her out, and now they stared at her with a worried expression. But they didn't ask any questions.
Finally, Rita answered the phone. "Hello?"
The anxiety in her babysitter's voice didn't escape Lexy, and her heart rate quadrupled. "Rita, what's going on?"
"Oh, Mrs. Sinclair. I'm so sorry!"
Don't panic. "Why, Rita? What's wrong?"
"It's Shauna," Rita replied, and it was clear now that the girl was crying. "She's missing."
"Missing?" The word caused Lexy's head to spin, her world to spin. Dear God in heaven, her baby was missing. It was almost one in the morning, so where on earth could she be?
"I beeped you almost two hours ago."
Lexy had left her beeper in her purse, as she'd had no place to put it on her dress. Why hadn't she checked it earlier? Why, oh why had she gone out? "I only got your page a few minutes ago," she replied, trying not to panic. Trying to ignore the guilt eating at her. "Rita, did you call the police?"
Rita sniffed. "Yeah. They're here."
"Okay. I'm on my way." Lexy flipped up the mouthpiece on her phone and hustled down the club's steps.
"What's going on?" Pauline asked, falling into step beside her.
"It's Shauna," Lexy answered, the emotion in her throat almost choking her. "My baby's missing!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
At first Marcel Kennedy thought he was dreaming. After all, he was flat on his stomach with his face buried in a pillow and his body felt like a dead weight. For a change, he had actually gone to bed when most of the world did, and he knew the night hadn't drifted away so quickly. So he had to be dreaming, and for that reason, he ignored the phone.
But a couple moments later, when in his dream the waiter asked, "Aren't you going to answer that?" he was jarred awake with the realization that the phone was actually ringing in the real world. His eyes flew open. Knowing it could be the station, he threw a hand out to retrieve the receiver. It took a bit of fumbling before it reached his ear. "Hello?"
"Marcel, hi. I'm sorry to wake you."
He forced his head up. He hadn't heard his ex-wife's voice in ages, which meant something was definitely wrong. "Pauline?"
"I know it's late, Marcel, and I'm sorry." Her voice held a hint of hysteria. "But we have an emergency and I . . ."
"What's the matter?"
"Lexy's daughter is missing!"
Though it was late and he'd hoped for nothing more than to catch up on some much needed sleep, Pauline's news awoke him as surely as if he'd been doused with cold water. A missing child was every cop's worst nightmare. He sat up. "Shauna?"
"Uh-huh."
"How long has she been missing?"
"We're not sure, but at least a few hours."
A few hours-that definitely wasn't good. "Did you call the police?"
"The babysitter did."
"Where are you now?" There was an echo on the line and Marcel wondered if Pauline was on her cell phone. "Are you driving?"
"We were out when Lexy got the news, so we're heading to her place now. Look, Marcel, I know it's late, but if you could meet us . . ."
"Say no more. I'll meet you there." He was out of bed and reaching for his jeans the next instant. "Now it's been a while since I've been to her place, so you'll have to tell me how to get there."
Pauline gave him the address and brief directions, then hung up.
Two minutes later, Marcel was dressed and in his car.
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