Page 33 of The Impact (Parachutes #3)
“As in Dorcas,” Tahli put them back together. But Abby’s shoulders were already jumping in hoots. She turned her back to Tahli, facing the five-foot LED letters spelling Tahli’s name, each letter taller than Abby.
“I can’t wait until he brings his pretty-boy ass back over here. As soon as he starts talking, I’m a tell him to shut his Dorcas up,” Abby jibed. Paige rumbled with laughter.
Tahli’s cheeks burned behind her brown skin.
“I’m about to ask his Dorcas if he need help finding a house?” Paige had to throw in, the profitable real estate agent that she was. Tahli’s mouth balled with the finger she waved between them.
“Y’all are fucking jealous,” Tahli tried to contain her laughter.
“Chill. I’m a leave his Dorcas alone,” Paige chuckled. “I know that’s your Russell Wilson.”
“Wait, what?” Tahli’s mouth flew open.
“Yo! Now it makes sense,” Abby tapped the air, as if it hadn’t before. Vanessa stepping to the front of the room with a microphone simmered the jokes.
“Hello, everyone. Well first, we just want to thank you all for coming out tonight to celebrate our Tahli.” Vanessa lit up the room in a black and silver pantsuit, exchanging her affectionate smile for Tahli’s.
All Tahli had to do was suggest possibly having a birthday party and Vanessa took off planning.
“No one deserves to be celebrated more than her. I know you know this…I hope you know this, Tahli…but I am so proud of the woman you are. As we stand here, your father, me, your children, you family, your friends, and God, I hope you know how appreciated you are. Everyone in this room loves you.” Tahli gulped.
Everyone in this room may have loved her.
But not everyone who loved her was in this room.
“You wanna say something, baby?”
Tahli’s father joined Vanessa, accepting the microphone.
“Um…it’s funny, but when I’m not in a courtroom, I’m not too good at speeches,” her father lied, one of the most well-versed men Tahli knew.
“I just want to say when I look at you and Leah, it makes me feel like I did something right. I love you, baby girl. I don’t ever want you to doubt that.
And don’t ever want you to doubt yourself.
Keep following that pure heart of yours. And fuck whoever don’t like it.”
“Robert!” Vanessa shoved him playfully as everyone shared laughter.
“I’ve just been informed that we have a special surprise for you, Tahli. Now I’m not sure of the details, but I was told by Miss Dali over here to get everyone’s attention and direct it this way.”
A smile split Tahli’s face. Drew had enlisted Dali’s help? Dali had agreed? Her baby girl joined Tahli’s father and was next to speak.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I had to deal with my mom playing me old school R&B from like the 1900’s,” Dali joked, earning giggles from the crowd.
“I mean, Tahli Celine Hayes is like the biggest music junkie ever, and she really taught me to appreciate it, too.” Tahli didn’t miss Dali using her married name, but the message sweetened the bitterness.
“From Boyz II Men and Jodeci to Al Green to The Beatles. From Destiny’s Child to Celine Dion, who she was named after.
My mom has exposed me to so much good music including what she likes to call ‘the underrated greats’.
So that’s why I’m so glad to present her with this gift from one of her underrated greats.
She literally just made me clean my room while playing this album two weeks ago.
Happy Birthday, Mom. Everyone…here’s Robin Thicke. ”
Tahli’s hand flew to her stretched mouth. She whipped her head around to find Drew. When she spotted him a distance away near the door, she held out her hands in question. Robin Thicke, what the fuck?! she mouthed. His almost uneasy smile came with crinkled brows.
“Oh my God, did this nigga just get me Robin Thicke? Drew got me Robin Thicke, y’all,” she grinned at Abby and Paige.
“That’s kind of dope,” Abby admitted, hooking her arm through hers. “Drew’s not bad.”
“Thank you.” Abby’s approval meant a lot.
“Hello, everyone,” Mr. Thicke’s velvet voice turned everyone’s attention to the other side of the room, where a white piano sat. “First of all, I just want to say Happy Birthday, Tahli. I hope you’re enjoying your night. I can see that you are extremely loved.”
Tahli’s eyes gleamed in shock and elation, fingers still shrouding her smiling lips.
“I can also see that you are extremely gorgeous. Gorgeous enough to make a man pull out all the stops for your special day. So, let me make sure I do this right.”
“He ‘bout to do my shit. I hope he do my shit,” Paige chanted.
“Lost Without You? That’s my shit,” Abby echoed.
“I hear you like the B-side cuts, and I’m told this is one of your favorites. Happy Birthday.”
There was nothing B-side about Lost Without U . So, the second he sang the first note, Tahli was only mildly surprised when it wasn’t that hit. Her eyes shut, and her heart plunged.
“I wish I could change…” Robin took off in the lyrics of one of Tahli’s favorite tracks. Not fitting for a birthday dedication. Not even fitting for Drew. These melancholic lyrics was a voice to a ghost.
“What is this?” Abby wrinkled her nose.
“I ain’t never heard this sad-ass shit before,” Paige muttered.
“Complicated,” Tahli breathed out, eyes glued to Robin as he floated fingers across piano keys, crooning emotionally how he’d never get back that girl. Because he was too complicated to get that girl back.
“Why would Drew have him sing this?” Abby mumbled.
“He didn’t,” Tahli surmised, blurry gaze fastened, heart lodged in her throat. Even uninvited, Vin intruded on her night. Paige must have caught on.
“Goddamn, how many C-List R&B singers Vin got in his back pocket? Dave Hollister…Robin Thicke…Nigga starting a record label or something?”
“There’s no way…” Robin crooned and played, captivating the crowd.
Through the blur of her lenses, Tahli allowed herself to appreciate the poignant beauty of the song while recognizing the audacity of the sender.
It was one of her favorites for a reason.
Melancholy defeat. Surrendering to not being right for the one you love.
Vin had found a way to be present without physically doing so.
But what did she expect? For Dalvin Hayes to allow her birthday to pass without some declaration of his love?
He hadn’t done that in the 15 birthdays before this one.
“Wow. Now I don’t even wanna give you my surprise. Not sure I can top this,” Drew came up behind her to whisper. Tahli smiled gently.
“Don’t sell yourself short.” She tried to joke, but the song put her in a memory and kept her stuck there until the last note.
“Happy Birthday, Tahli. Catch me on tour this summer, y’all!” Robin called out in his farewell, leaving the weight of his lyrics behind.
Tahli was debating between another glass of champagne or water when she was pulled from the safety of her festive celebration, right into another realm with a waiting parachute.
Like a mirage, he was distant but perfectly planted.
Tahli, quite tipsy, blinked at the white hallway with a fake fern tree, as Vin’s tall and broad frame stood dressed in her favorite way to see him—black-tie, effortless, panty-soaking rich.
From the tailored suit jacket down to his custom Louis Vuitton Manhattan crocodile shoes, tattoos playing peek-a-boo and hidden diamonds glaring, those dark eyes pierced her in a silent summons.
Tahli’s feet moved without hesitation. Maybe by choice. Perhaps from habit. Right past Paige and Abby doing The Wop and Cabbage Patch to Omarion’s Entourage .
“Did you do it?”
“Do what?” He absolutely did it. Tahli tapered her stare.
“Robin Thicke? You know I love that album.”
“What about it?” Vin played dumb, so Tahli played dumber.
“What are you doing here?”
His eyes roved over her. Couldn’t lie, it felt good to be admired by Vin.
He was the kind of man that women wanted to be admired by.
Whether at the farmer’s market or walking into the Mary J.
concert with their girlfriend groups, women took one look at him and disregarded Tahli’s presence to flip their hair or poke out their assets.
Tahli would smirk, grab that big arm a little tighter, maybe even give a passionate kiss for them to witness.
He wet those lips Tahli used to own.
“I got these images of you,” he revealed, hands sliding in the pockets of his slacks as he leaned his big frame on the doorway.
“Different memories I use when I lose my willpower and need to…” He didn’t finish.
Only implied with a naughty lip bite that made Tahli shift in her five-inch heels, crossing her arms.
“I think I might have to add this one to the collection.”
She pursed lips. Her ex-husband was implying he’d use her for masturbating purposes…right? Is that what he was insinuating?
“Dalvin, what are you doing here?” she stressed.
“I came for Doll. She asked me to come and get her.”
Tahli frowned. It was her birthday. But Dali was such a daddy’s girl. And Tahli couldn’t blame her. She knew what it was like—being a daddy’s girl for Robert. Being a whole other kind for Vin.
“Dressed like that?” Tahli raised an implicating brow to which Vin smirked.
“Relax. I’m not crashing your party. Although it looks active in there. Look at my baby killing shit on the dance floor,” he nodded toward Terran who couldn’t have seen him from his tucked position, or she would have zipped right to him.
“She’s been sliding across that floor all night. Doing all kinds of moves,” Tahli snickered, glancing back at Terran with a lighthearted head shake. When she turned back, Vin was deep in a gaze on her.
“I had a thing.”
Tahli’s stomach was a cable-cut elevator.
“Oh yeah?”