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learned he was shrewd and ruthless in his business dealings. Nick was referred to as a sheep in wolves’ clothing because of his ability to be charming one second, and then cut throat the next. Many of the articles reported such characteristics were the reasons why at the age of thirty-seven he was one of the wealthiest, self-made African American men on the east coast.
    Summer witnessed his wrath once after he learned a trusted employee embezzled $350,000.00 over a two-year period. Nick told her then, he only gave a person one chance to cross him. So if and when they did, they’d better make it good, worth their while.
    Nick made sure the federal prosecutor filed every charge allowable by law against the man.
    Vigorously, Summer rubbed her arms from the chill that ran through her as she thought about Nick. Without meaning to she’d crossed him. She had gotten pregnant and God help her, decided to keep the baby. With all her heart she believed if she’d told him right away he would have demanded she have an abortion. He had told her as much. Heaven forbid if she told him now, he’d think she was trying to trap him into marrying her or worse yet, giving her a large sum of money to avoid a paternity suit. Summer had known Nick long enough to know how his mind worked. He could think the absolute worst of someone when he wanted to.
    As Summer sat thinking, a strong emotion weighed heavy on her…fear. Part of Nick’s ruthlessness was attacking a person’s most vulnerable spot. Summer loved children. Whenever Starr babysat her niece and nephew Summer volunteered to help keep the adorable toddlers entertained.
    Even though Summer wasn’t pleased with the whole single mother thing, she would love her baby enough to be both mother and father to it. If by any chance Nick believed she had crossed him he’d strike like a cobra at her weakest spot. As much as she loved him an overwhelming sense of fear chocked her. Nick could never find out about the baby…ever.
    Brrrg! Brrrg! Brrrg!
    The loud ringing of the phone snapped Summer out of her reverie.
    “Hello?”
    “Hi baby.”
    A huge smile broke across Summer’s face. “Hi mommy, how are you doing?”
    “The question is ‘ how are you , Miss Summer?’ Ava called me, told me ‘bout you passing out at work. Baby, why didn’t you call us?”
    Summer groaned. Ava had a big mouth; she couldn’t hold water sometimes to save her life.
    “Mommy, I’m all right, my hemoglobin was a little lower than normal. I’m feeling much better now.”
    Summer was trying her best to sound convincing as not to worry her mother.
    “All right baby, but the next time you better call me and your daddy. You hear me?” Her mom’s tone was firm but loving
    “Yes ma’am, I promise.”
    With that out of the way she and her mother talked. They caught up on the latest as Summer padded back and forth with the cordless phone from her bedroom to the bathroom. She was getting everything set up to take a nice relaxing bath. Lately her lower back had been bothering her, probably from how the baby was laying. Which she didn’t understand since the little munchkin moved all over the place, all the time.
    The conversation flowed nice and easy. Summer kept her fingers crossed hoping her mother wouldn’t ask about Nick. She hadn’t seen nor heard from him in months. Doubt she ever would, at least no time in the near future.
    Thank goodness, her mother never asked about Nick. Before hanging up her mother told her Ava might stop over to check on her since Starr was away at a conference.
    “Okay, mommy, I’ll keep an ear out for Ava. Tell daddy I’m sorry I missed him and I’ll call later.”
    “Bye baby.”
    “Bye mommy.”
    Finally adjusting the water temperature, standing in front of the mirror piling her hair on top of her head with hair pins, Summer couldn’t wait to soak her sore back. Before she stripped out of her clothes she started to call Ava to tell her not to come over. “I just want