He poured himself a glass of cold water and guzzled it in one swallow as his mind raced for answers. He couldn’t live this way, not when he’d experienced better. Not when he’d known what it was to be genuinely loved by the person lying next tohim.
He found the cordless handset and pressed the third number on the speed-dial list. Two rings, and he heard the crisp and professional voice of hispilot.
“Good evening, Mr. Hamilton. What can I do for you,sir?”
“I need to be in New York as quickly as you can get me there. I’ll be at the airstrip in twentyminutes.”
“Then wheels up in thirty,sir.”
Slade disconnected the call and headed to his closet. He pulled a pair of jeans, a fitted T-shirt, and a blazer from the racks and dressed quickly. The last items he grabbed were a pair of socks and hisboots.
He headed for the door, grabbing his cellphone, wallet, and keys on the way. He wasn’t worried about luggage. The only thing he needed was already in New York. He’d pick up anything else once hearrived.
He waited until he was in the car to make another call. When the other end of the line clicked, and he heard his mama’s “Hello, baby,” on the other line, hegrinned.
“Hey, Mama. I just wanted you to know I’m gonna be out of reach for a few. I’m headed to the airfieldnow.”
“Where you got businessnow?”
“NewYork.”
He heard a brief sigh of relief pass through the line and could only imagine the smile coloring the older woman’s face. “What business you got in NewYork?”
“The only business I should’ve had there in the first place,Mama.”
“You going to fix things with ourgirl?”
That was his mama. Once she claimed you, didn’t matter if you were around or not, you were hers. She hadn’t seen or spoken to Mandisa in three weeks, yet she still claimed Mandisa ashers.
“I’m sure gonna try,Mama.”
“Slade, to try is to fail. Don’t try. Get itdone.”
Mama Indy had been a force in his life. She’d pushed him beyond his comfort and forced him to do the hard things, even when he didn’t think he could. She was right. There was no room for failure in this. Mandisa wasn’t an option. She was a necessity, and he couldn’t just sit by idly and let her disappear from hislife.
For a slight moment Slade thought to question Mama Indy about his paternity. But as he pondered the idea, he realized it didn’t matter if Bull was telling the truth or not. The man had never been a father to Slade. Discovering they shared no biological connection didn’t change that fact. He resolved at that moment to leave the past where it belonged—dead and buried. His only focus from here on out would be his future withMandisa.
“On my word, Mama. I’ll get itdone.”
