Just To Be Loved Read online

  Mya sat at the table in her small kitchen deep in thought and leisurely sipping on a cup of coffee. She asked herself why she wanted to know her father. She didn’t want anything from him; of that she was certain, and when she got down to it all she really wanted was to know who he was. Many times in the past she asked herself why she was so adamant about meeting him, especially since her mother told her more times than she could count that he didn’t want her. Well neither did she, for that matter, and that in itself posed the question of why did her mother bother to keep her? So once again, she put the question under scrutiny. Why did she want to meet a man, supposedly her father, who didn’t want her, and after giving it much thought, the only logical answer that she could come up with was that she wanted to know why. Satisfied with her decision, Mya rose and rinsed the empty cup placing it in the sink. Showered and perfumed, she dressed in her traditional jeans and t-shirt, brushed her unruly hair and pulled it back into a ponytail, and then left the apartment. Her destination: the Trent and Mason Architectural and Building firm.

  Henry Trent pressed the button to the intercom.

  “Yes Martha?” He replied.

  “Mr. Trent there is a Mya Taylor here to see you. She says it is a personal matter,” his assistant answered.

  Henry Trent stiffened at the name. Mya Taylor. The first name didn’t ring a bell, but he hadn’t heard that last name in well over twenty years.

  “Mr. Trent?” Martha questioned, seeking a response.

  “Yes… give me a few minutes and then send her in.”

  Taylor was a name he would never forget. He was a young man when he met Ione Taylor many years ago, and when he did he fell instantly and blindly in love with her. But Ione hurt him deeply. She was nothing more than a selfish and devious manipulator, and if there was anything she wanted, men included, she went after it with no thought or concern for anyone but herself. He was glad that he had discovered the true nature of her character before he asked her to marry him, which was his intention, but Ione saw nothing wrong with using her beauty and her body to get whatever she desired. After discovering she had been sleeping around with not one, but several men, he broke the relationship off, and after licking his wounds and chocking the experience up as one of life’s little learning lessons, that should have been the end of it. But it wasn’t, at least not for Ione anyway. No one dismissed her, and after the breakup, she became obsessed and violent. She began stalking him and making all kinds of threats until it was necessary for him to put a restraining order on her. Unfortunately, that only added fuel to an already explosive personality, and the combination of the two darn near killed him. After her attempt to murder him, she went on the run and disappeared, while he was able to make a full recovery and move on with his life. Last he heard, her parents, both of whom were now gone, had never heard from her again, and as far as he was concerned, it was good riddance to bad rubbish.

  As he sat there lost in deep thought and reliving the most dreadful time of his life, Henry absent-mindedly touched the wound on his chest caused by Ione… no, he definitely wanted no parts of that woman.

  But wait a minute. Martha said Mya Taylor was here to see him not Ione, and besides, Taylor was a common name and that meant that it could be anyone. Here he was getting all fidgety, and for all he knew this person probably never even heard of Ione Taylor.

  Henry pressed the intercom. “Send her in,” he told Martha as he came to his feet and moved to the front of his desk to greet whoever this Mya Taylor person was.

  Mya’s heart pounded in her chest and as she sat there waiting, more than once she almost got up and walked out. Curiosity and a burning desire to know the truth however, made her stay. She followed the assistant to Henry Trent’s office, and when the woman opened the door, Mya walked past her and inside the office. And there he stood. Her heart thundered nonstop in her chest now that she was face to face with the man who fathered her, and her eyes stared in awe at him, mesmerized. Henry Trent was a large and well-proportioned man, still remarkably handsome with strong chisel facial features. He had a straight nose, full mouth, and bronzed brown eyes. His neatly trimmed salt and pepper hair complemented nicely his warm maple complexion that was surprisingly, the same as hers.

  From the second she entered his office and Henry caught a glimpse of the young woman, his heart dropped. This young woman standing before him was the spitting image of his mother when she was young, and at first glance, this Mya Taylor astounded him. Her auburn hair, golden eyes, small nose, and full mouth was the exact replica of his mothers’.

  The sound of Martha closing the door pulled Henry from his shock. Clearing his throat, he regained his composure.

  “What can I do for you?” He asked.

  Mya took a shaky, deep breath to steady herself, and held her tightly clasped hands in front of her. “Mr. Trent did you know Ione Taylor?” She asked.

  “Yes, many years ago,” he answered moving from the desk. “Please have a seat Miss Taylor.”

  “No, thank you, this won’t take long. I just wanted to see you, Sir.”

  Henry frowned. “Why?”

  “My mother, Ione Taylor, recently passed away. All my life she claimed that you were my father, and that you did not want us when you discovered that she was pregnant, so she moved away to save face. All I want to know Mr. Trent is why didn’t you want me?”

  “First of all, I didn’t know your mother was pregnant, and secondly, that was not the reason your mother left Little Rock, she…”

  “My mother is dead Mr. Trent. All I want to know is are you my father?”

  He studied her face. There was no denying that this young woman could be his daughter, he knew that just by looking at her. The Trent family was a large one, and out of his four brothers, none of their children inherited their mother’s coloring. Maybe it was because they were all boys and the coloring only affected the females in the family, which surprisingly, there were none. If this young woman were his daughter, she was the only girl born to an all-male family that had inherited the coloring of his mother and great grandmother, and it seemed that this unique coloring had shown up on every other female generation of the Trent’s. All the same, he had be cautious and not let his guard down. This was Ione Taylor’s daughter, he reminded himself, and if her mother raised her, chances are this Mya was just like her… although she appeared shy, reserved, and almost dejected. Bah, that’s probably just an act.

  “It could easily be proven if you are not,” Henry replied, trying his level best not to sound hardened or bitter. “As of right now I cannot say. I was involved with your mother many years ago, but the time I was not the only man your mother was involved with.”

  “So it could be any one?” Mya asked, sounding heart-broken. She did not wait for response. “Thank you Mr. Trent. I’m sorry I wasted your time.”

  She turned, trying desperately to hold back the tears that burned at her eyes, and yet, now that she had seen him, she wished deep in her heart that this handsome man were her father. Once again, it looked like her mother had lied to her.

  Mya left his office, moving quickly past the assistant’s desk, and as she did, Martha’s head snapped up. She looked toward Mr. Trent who also was moving quickly up the hallway.

  “Where’s that young woman?” He asked brusquely.

  “She just stepped into the elevator.”

  “Damn it!” He cursed. “Call my sons to my office and tell them I need to see them right away… and do a background check on Mya Taylor pronto,” he ordered before returning to his office.

  Chapter 2

  Mya couldn’t get out of the building fast enough. She should have realized that her mother had lied, and the tears she held back only moments before now seemed to flow endlessly and unchecked down her face. She put her hand to her mouth to stifle the sob that wanted to escape from her soul, and with her other hand clutched tightly to her chest, she groaned. Never in her life had she felt such pain and humiliation. Before she came to his office, she
secretly prayed Henry Trent would turn out to be her father if for nothing more than to know that she was not alone in this world, but now even that dream was shattered. It was official… she had no one.

  The elevator doors opened and Mya blindly pressed forward only to walk into what she thought was a brick wall. As she stumbled backwards, strong hands grasped her small upper arms to preventing her from falling. Taking a deep breath, Mya looked up into the face of the most beautiful man she had ever seen.

  “Are you okay?” His deep voice asked out of concern.

  “I’m sorry,” Mya whispered as she pulled away. Moving around the man, she quickly exited the building.

  Hunter Mason watched as the petite woman rushed through the glass doors. He had gotten a clear look at that face and couldn’t remember having ever seen a more beautiful woman. He also couldn’t help noticing the tear tracks on her lovely face and shook his head at her sadness. He thought to himself that a face as beautiful as hers should never have a reason to cry. Whatever the cause though, her face was one he would not soon forget.

  Hunter stepped into the elevator and pushed the number to his father’s floor. He was just leaving the job site after overseeing the construction of the new community center in Little Rock’s African American community when he got Martha’s call telling him that his father needed to see him right away. The center was his pet project, and once it was completed, it would become a haven for young African American children after school. The Trent youth foundation had finally raised enough money to have the center built, and much to everyone’s big surprise and great pleasure, the donations were still rolling in. With his father and three brothers, they owned and operated the Trent and Mason Architectural and Building firm, renowned for being one of the most successful black businesses in Arkansas. His father was the chief executive officer of the firm while his brothers Trevor and Bryan, were architects with the company. Hunter was the CEO of the building contractor’s side of the business, and Chance, the baby of the family, was attending Yale law school in Connecticut. He was due to graduate in a few months, and after graduation and the completion of his bar exam, he would become the corporate attorney for Trent and Mason.

  The Trent’s were a close-knit family, and for as long as Hunter could remember, they always took care of each other. For that, he will always be grateful. He was too young to remember when it happened, but he was two years old when Henry and Sylvie Trent adopted him after a drunk driver killed his father and mother. With Hunter being a Black Cherokee by birthright, Henry Trent was determined to make sure that he never forgot his heritage or his parents, and Hunter spent every summer on the reservation of the Cherokee nation, learning about his people and their culture. Henry gladly encouraged him to embrace his culture and his people, and knew that the summers he spent with his grandparents were a valuable learning experience. At first, Hunter always wondered why his grandparents didn’t raise him, but as he mature he understood why. His Cherokee Elisi and Enisi, grandmother and grandfather were up in age and no matter how strong and agile they were, they could not raise a small boy. It was also his grandparent’s wish that Hunter follow in his father’s footsteps and take on the managing of Mason Builder’s. They explained to him that it was best that he had all the advantages of the white world like his father wanted. Henry Trent was his godfather and now his legal guardian, but to Hunter, Henry was the father he had lost, and now at thirty years of age, he was fully in charge of the construction division of Trent/Mason builders. Henry and Sylvie raised him as their eldest son. When he turned six, Bryan was born, two years later Trevor came along, and three years later, Chance. With the addition of three boys, his parents never once made him feel as though he were not their son, and his brothers looked up to him as the eldest. The four of them were closer than any brothers could be, and he loved them with all his heart.

  Hunter stepped off the elevator. “Hello Martha, what’s going on?”

  Martha had been his father’s assistance for well over 30 years, so she was more like family to them than anything else.

  “I don’t know Hunter, but you better get in there. Your father is not happy.”

  “Have my brother’s arrived yet?”

  “Yes. They’re all here so you’d better hurry.”

  Hunter moved his tall frame towards his father’s office, and when he eased open the door, he saw that Bryan and Trevor sat on each end of the cream leather sofa while his father stood in front of the desk with his arms folded across his chest.

  “Come on in son and take a seat.”

  Hunter greeted his brothers before taking a seat in an overstuffed chair.

  “What’s going on?” He asked, glancing over at his brothers for a clue. They shrugged. “Dad?”

  “I had a visit from my past,” Henry went on to explain.

  “What does that mean Dad?” Hunter asked.

  “Twenty-seven years ago, before I married your mother and before you came to us Hunter, I had a relationship with a woman that didn’t end well. Suffice it to say that the woman was a complete psycho. Her name was Ione Taylor, and she was an extremely beautiful woman, but she had many flaws that I knew nothing about in the beginning of our relationship that surfaced soon afterwards. When we parted ways, she became so severely obsessive and violent that I placed an order of protection against her, but that did no good. She simply ignored the order and continued to stalk and threaten me anyway. This blatant harassment continued unabated for some time, but when she received word that I had become engaged to your mother, she lost it. One night when coming out of this very building, Ione Taylor shot me, missing my heart by mere inches.” Henry heard the surprised gasps from all his sons.

  “Dad, why are you telling us this now?” Bryan asked.

  “Was she ever charged?” Trevor inquired.

  “No, she disappeared after that.” Henry took a deep breath before continuing. “Today I received a visit from Ione Taylor’s daughter. She told me her mother just recently passed away… she also asked me if I was her father.”

  A look of stunned surprise etched itself on each of their handsome faces, but Hunter was the first to ask the question that by now all of them were thinking. “Are you her father Dad?”

  Henry looked directly into his eyes. “I believe I am son and yet, I didn’t let her know what I was thinking. She told me her mother always said I was her father, and I told her that I never knew her mother was pregnant. I also made a point of telling her that I was not the only man her mother slept with. After that, she did the strangest thing. She simply apologized for bothering me and left the office.”

  “What makes you think you are her father Dad?” His middle son Trevor asked.

  “Do you remember the pictures of your grandmother and great grandmother when they were young?” Each of them nodded their heads yes.

  “They are beautiful, but more importantly, it was her coloring that makes believe she could be my daughter.”

  “That doesn’t make sense Dad. What does her coloring have to do with her being your child?” Hunter asked confused.

  “She has the same reddish-blonde hair and pale amber eyes.”

  “Like Ghani’s,” Bryan said. Henry nodded.

  “She’s the exact image of the portrait of your grandmother.”

  “Dad, that’s no reason to believe she’s your daughter,” Hunter replied, not buying any of it. “Come on Dad, you’ve heard this accusation before. How many women were there? She probably found out that you’re wealthy and just wants to scam you like the others tried to do. I saw a young woman when I arrived, and in her haste to leave the building, she ran into me. I remembered her because of her unique, as you call it, coloring.”

  “That may be, but I‘ve have done a background check on her. She is now twenty-seven years old and has lived in a small town in Mississippi with her mother Ione Taylor. Ione moved so much these past 20 odd years or so, that it was hard to pinpoint where she finally settled in Mississippi. Ione had no job hist
ory, and I’d bet good money that she probably never worked a day in her life, but be that as it may. I want to find this young woman. I will not rest until I know if she’s my daughter or not. If it's proven that she is my daughter, I want my sons to welcome her into our lives. Hunter I want us to go to her home.”

  Henry gave him her address on a strip of paper. “I need proof that she is my daughter and then we will go from there.”

  Mya stood on the small bridge at the park a few blocks from her apartment. It was a chilly day, but the sun was warm. Her eyes constantly filled with sudden tears because her worst fears had finally come true. She was all alone in this world with no mother and now no father, and it seems like even in death, her mother found a way to humiliate her. All she ever wanted was just to be loved. Her mother certainly didn’t love her, and when Henry Trent said he was not the only man her mother had been with, that did it for her. Mya wiped the tears away that fell from her eyes and pouted. She didn’t look anything like Mr. Trent, anyway. He didn’t have a head full of this horrible orange hair, or eyes so pale they sometimes seem transparent, or worse yet made him look like a Siberian husky. What a total waste of a day off. She sighed, brushing away strands of hair the wind blew in her face, and with her head down, slowly walked in the direction of her apartment. She didn’t notice the silver BMW sedan parked in front of her door.