Terrence sat in a chair across from him. “What’s going on, Donovan? We’ve been friends for a long time, and I know something is up. What happened with Rolanda?”
Donovan’s jaw tightened. He did not want to relive that time, and felt the anger rising. “I trusted her, and she broke that trust.” Nadia fussed a little and squirmed in his arms.
Terrence rose. “Let me go put her down, then we’re going to talk.”
Donovan kissed Nadia once more and passed her off to her father. He’d done a good job keeping the pain of his heartbreak at bay, but Nadia’s birth and meeting Simona seemed to bring everything to the surface. Terrence’s voice drew him out of his reverie.
“All right. Let’s hear it, D,” Terrence said, dropping down into the chair he had vacated minutes earlier.
Donovan leaned forward and braced his forearms on his knees. “Remember when we got back from San Francisco the weekend you met Janae?”
Terrence frowned, then nodded. “When you took a few days off? I recall you leaving in the middle of the day after receiving a phone call—one you never mentioned again.”
“Yeah. The call was from a nurse at UCLA Medical Center. She wanted to make sure Rolanda was doing well after her procedure.”
Terrence’s brow rose. “What kind of procedure?” he asked hesitantly.
“She’d had a miscarriage at eleven weeks.”
“Wow. I had no idea she was pregnant.”
“Neither did I,” Donovan replied solemnly. “I would’ve never known had the nurse not called me by mistake. I guess Rolanda put my name down as an emergency contact when she went in.”
“What did she say when you confronted her?”
“Basically that it was none of my business. Rolanda wasn’t too upset about it because she didn’t really want to have kids. I asked her what she would have done if she hadn’t miscarried—if she would have told me.”
“And she said?”
“She said she didn’t know.”
“How in the hell did she think she’d be able to keep that from you? At some point, there’d be no way you couldn’t know.”
Donovan jumped up from the couch, ran his hand over his head and paced the floor. “I know that, T, and that’s what pissed me off the most. For all I know, she might have...” He trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.”
“You know what’s really crazy? Before that, I’d never thought too much about having children or being a father. But since then I haven’t stopped thinking about it. And after holding Nadia and seeing the way you are with her, I want the same thing. The only problem is, I don’t know if I can let myself get close enough to another woman.”
“What about the nurse you went out with? What’s her name?”
“Simona Andrews. I like her. She’s caring, compassionate and fun to be with, but—”
Terrence stood. “Well, like you told me, you can’t punish all women for the actions of one. She might be the woman you need.”
Donovan folded his arms. “Had I known you’d be throwing this crap back in my face, I’d have kept my mouth shut,” he muttered.
Terrence laughed. “Hey, for the record, you were right. It was great advice. I never thought I would fall in love, didn’t want to. But I can’t tell you how much Janae has changed my life for the better.” He shook his head and placed his hand over his heart. “I love my girls.”
“I know, and I’m happy for you.”
“So, do you plan to see Simona again?”
“I invited her to Sheila’s concert next Saturday, but she hasn’t said whether she’ll go or not.”
“Be sure to invite her to the barbecue. It’s two weeks after the concert.”
“We’ll see. She seemed a little weird or—I can’t put my finger on it—when I told her what I do.”
Terrence shrugged. “It’s better than her asking you for concert tickets, autographs and entry to release parties before you can get her name.”
Donovan smiled. “True dat. On that note, I’m outta here.” He walked to the front door, with Terrence following. “I’ll talk to you next week.”
“I hope things work out with you and Simona. Let me know if you decide to bring her to the party.”
“Will do.” Donovan turned and loped down the steps to his car. He had driven only a short distance when his cell rang. He engaged the Bluetooth. “Hello.”