Chapter 61

Tapiwa's short nails drummed a restless beat against the large ceramic coffee cup in front of her. It was a beautiful cup with a picture of a puppy on the front to put a smile on the customer's face. It was completely wasted on her.

After a beat, she lifted the cup to her lips and sipped. A frown immediately formed between her brows and she quickly returned the still half-full cup back to the table. Her coffee was now lukewarm, but she wasn't surprised. Tapiwa felt as though she had been waiting for hours already, but was certain it had only been minutes.

Shifting in her seat, she let her gaze sweep over the bustling coffee shop for signs of her mother, even though she knew the woman would have found her if she had already arrived. The coffee shop wasn't so big that it would have been possible to miss her among the other patrons enjoying the hot brews and pastries.

Tapiwa's stomach growled at the delicious smell of the pastries, but she didn't dare get anything for herself. Her stomach was in too many knots to take anything.

In truth, she was still surprised she had gotten a call from Miranda. Tapiwa had thought, after Amy told her of their father's plans to disown her, that her mother would cut all ties with her as well. After all, the woman never liked to upset her husband.

Maybe this was a mistake, Tapiwa thought, glancing at the time on her phone for what must have been the tenth time in the space of five minutes. But who could blame her? Her mother was already twenty minutes late and there were no new text messages or calls to explain the delay.

Arg! Tapiwa ran her fingers through her hair. She would have much preferred to stay home and wait for Jadon to return from his father's office. Tapiwa doubted that the confrontation was going to be pleasant.

She still couldn't believe that Lewis Paterson could be behind everything that had happened to them. But that was what the stalker's phone said. But why? What did the man hope to gain from destroying his own son? Part of Tapiwa hoped there was a mistake somewhere. She would even stretch for an explanation, while the other part of her just wanted to bring this entire matter to a close.

A minute later, still wondering how Jadon was dealing with his father, Tapiwa picked up her phone to shoot him a message. If he answered and told her he was on his way back to the house, then Tapiwa would leave without hesitation. It wasn't her fault her mother was late.

Unfortunately for Tapiwa, her mother picked that very moment to arrive. Oh, come on, she screamed internally.

"Sorry I'm late," Miranda said a little breathlessly as she settled into the seat opposite Tapiwa. Despite her breathing, the woman looked well put together from her hair to the simple, yet elegant navy blue dress she had on.

With her plan to leave now crushed, Tapiwa set her phone back down on the table and wrapped her hands around her coffee cup even though she had no intention of drinking it. She just needed to hold something. The urge to stand and hug her mother was strong, but she didn't know why her mother had called and asked to meet so urgently, so she decided to wait and hear what this was about before she offered any physical affection.

"That's fine," Tapiwa answered easily. "I didn't mind waiting. Although I feared maybe you weren't coming after all."

Miranda's brows drew together in a frown. She then snapped her gaze away from Tapiwa and looked toward the counter as though she was contemplating grabbing a drink for herself, but then she shook her head, dismissing the thought, and focused back on her daughter. "I'm here because your father wanted me to talk to you."

A single sentence was all it took. Trepidation started at the base of her spine and slowly crept up her back like cold icy fingers. Tapiwa pushed the cold coffee away. She leaned back in her seat and folded her arms over her chest. "Okay? What does Dad want you to talk to me about?" she asked tentatively.

Miranda's gaze didn't waver. "He's found you a husband."

For a moment, Tapiwa felt as though her world had just been turned upside down. She blinked several times as though that would right things up again. "A husband?" she croaked and had to clear her throat before she asked, "Why would dad find me a husband?"

Miranda dared look confused, as though Tapiwa was the one not making sense. "Why do you think? You have disgraced the family. Your father is only trying to save you from further shame."

"By marrying me off to someone I don't even know?" Tapiwa asked, incredulity too mere to express what she felt. She shook her head and then rubbed her fingers against her temple, already feeling a headache coming on full force.

"Mr. Beyn is a nice and respectable man."

Tapiwa's mouth fell open. Surely not? She studied her mother's face for a beat before she dared to ask. "You don't mean Mr. Beyn from church, do you?"

Suddenly, Miranda Mvula couldn't hold her daughter's gaze. Her eyes darted around the coffee shop as though suddenly concerned someone was listening in on their conversation. Her hands came up, grabbed one of the paper napkins, and began to smooth it on the table as though it were the most important task.

"Mom?" Tapiwa pressed, her throat constricted with emotions, but she already knew the answer.

"Your father believes it's for the best."

Tapiwa couldn't believe this. "The man is old enough to be my father!" she shouted, not caring about the attention they were now getting from the other patrons in the little shop. By the silence that fell, Tapiwa assumed they now had everyone's full attention, something her mother clearly didn't appreciate if Tapiwa took in the disapproving glare. Well, too bad. Tapiwa didn't appreciate her father setting her up with an old widower with three kids almost her age. What the hell!

"Keep your voice down and listen," Miranda finally hissed.

Tapiwa didn't want to. There was nothing that could be said that would make this proposition even marginally okay. Nothing. Still, she leaned back, folded her arms over her chest, and waited.

Miranda swept a glance around the coffee shop, but no one was looking their way. They were all pretending to be interested in their cups. She hesitated for a second, but short of leaving the shop, there was nothing else she could do.

Still, Miranda lowered her voice in the hope of getting some privacy, but her words were still harsh. "You disgraced your father and I, Tapiwa. What you did was beyond shameful and you should be grateful your father is still trying to help you and give you a chance to be a part of this family again. Accept the marriage, for all our sakes. And I hope to God you are not pregnant. I hope you were at least that careful."

At that very moment, the thought of being pregnant didn't scare Tapiwa as much as it had before. She almost wished for it. It would have saved her a lot of trouble and the idea of having Jadon's child actually filled her with warmth and not dread.

"What are you doing?" Miranda snapped.

Tapiwa's eyes snapped up. She hadn't even realized that she had dropped her gaze to her hands now splayed on her flat stomach. The look of horror on her mother's face told her the woman had seen it too.

"Don't tell me you are pregnant."

Tapiwa thought about it for a second. She mentally shook her head. There was no reason to confirm or deny it. Neither answer changed what she had to do. After a beat, Tapiwa stood up and stared down at the perplexed expression on her mother's face.

Bracing herself, Tapiwa made sure her voice was firm. "I will not marry Mr. Beyn or any other man father picks for me. No one is going to force me into an arranged marriage. It's my life. I make the decision."

As Tapiwa walked out of the coffee shop, she couldn't help remembering the lyrics of Bon Jovi's song, It's My Life. A small smile tugged at her lips despite the churn in her gut and the ache in her chest. It was very fitting for the situation.