Chapter 27 Name them

On Thursday afternoon Diane and Gabriel stopped by the Soverine center for lunch. They bought their lunch and choose a table in a nice cool spot; he helps her to sit down and notice that she look really uncomfortable. "Are you feeling okay baby?" He asks softly. "Yeah, they're just stretching again; I can't believe how big they are." "Neither can I; but … um, I know you told the doctor that you didn't think you will have them this month but considering how big they're now, do you think you can last two more months?"

"Yes I can but in the end, it's not up to me, it's up to God but I would really like it if they were born in the same month as you." "Are you trying to get out of buying me a birthday present?" He asks with a warm smile. "That wasn't what I had in mind but now that you mention it, they would be a great birthday present for you." She said giggling.

"Well whenever they decide to enter this world we'll be ready for them, right now we just have to wait and see what happens." He then raised his brow as she smiled mischievously at him. "What?" he asks innocently. "We're forgetting something baby boy." "Oh Lord, what are we forgetting now?" He groans. "We forgot to name them." She said chuckling sweetly as she ate her lunch.

"Oh, I was planning on naming them after you." He laughs. "That isn't going to happen, my mother already did justice with the D names, so don't you even think about it." She said firmly pointing the fork at him. "Okay, okay." He said putting his hands up in surrender. "Do you by any chance have any names in mind?" He asks. "As a matter of fact I do, I was thinking of naming them after you." She laughs as he made a funny face.

"I was playing around with a few names and I came up with Gavin Antonio Maxwell and for the girl Gabriella Victoria Maxwell, how does that sound?" "Sounds beautiful but are you sure you want to name them after me?" "Yes; I'm absolutely positive." "Okay, then Gavin and Gabriella it is." He reaches across the table and laces his fingers through hers.

"Thank you, baby girl." As he whispers the words she noticed that there were tears in his eyes. "Are you alright?" She asks softly. "I'm more than alright; it's just that I'm really touched that you want to name them after me and deep in my heart I'm thinking that I don't deserve any of this." "Of course you do, you're the most wonderful husband any woman could ever ask for, I'm honored to be your wife and I would be even more honored to name our babies after you."

He tried to hold back the tears but they ran down his cheeks and he wipes them away and smiled. "I can't believe you're making me cry in public." He chuckled. "As long as they're tears of joy, I don't mind." She said massaging his hands. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?" He asks. She was about to reply when his phone rang, he checks it then look at her. "It's Brother Josh." "Answer it." She said eagerly.

"Hi, Josh what's up?" "Hey Gabriel, I'm at the food court in the pavilion and I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch?" "Um…. Don't go anywhere, give me a few minutes and I'll call you back." He ends the call and puts his phone on the table. "He's at the food court and he wants to have lunch." "Okay then, let's go, It's time to confront him." "I don't think now is the time and besides he's not going to say anything with you sitting there staring at him."

"I'm not coming in with you; I'll wait for you in the car." "I'm not going to leave you sitting in the car baby girl; it's not going to happen." "Baby listens…." "No Diane," He said cutting her sentence short. "I don't want to hear it." "Christ, will you just listen for a second; this is the perfect opportunity to confront him and furthermore, I'm giving this whole confrontation about fifteen minutes, because within ten minutes you're either going to punch his lights out or he going to want to get out of there really fast so either way I won't be sitting there for long, now call him back before he leaves." He hesitates, his hand hovering over the phone. "Call him." She urged taking up her bag. He made the call as they walked towards his vehicle.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" He asks as he came to a stop in the pavilion parking lot. "I'll be fine, go and get this over with." "Okay then, I'll be back soon." He whispers and kisses her softly. He was about to close the door when she asks. "Do you mind if I listen?" "Not at all."

He dialed her number then put his phone in his jacket pocket as he walks towards the food court. "Hey man, I'm glad you could make it, we haven't had lunch in a while," Josh said as Gabriel sat down. "I already had lunch but I was thinking that we could talk for a while." "Cool, no problem, so how are things with the wife?" Josh asks casually. "Wonderful. How about you?"

"Okay I guess, I live with a wife who devotes all her time to the children and church business and totally ignores me, so I really don't need to say anymore." Gabriel bit his bottom lip and study the man sitting in front of him; He was a Jamaican, light brown skin, a little taller than Mike and he was always well dressed which was one of the things he liked about him.

Looks could really be deceiving because he would never have thought that this man could be responsible for the things Karen was accusing him of. "How long have you been a Christian Josh?" "Who me?About eight years; why?" "Just wondering, so how long have you been married?" "Seven long years." Josh drawl. "Why do you say it like that?" "Never mind about that, so are you ready to be a father?" "I'm already a father Josh." "Oh yeah, I forgot."

"You know something Josh when I got baptized I learned a few things that I never knew before and I was wondering if you had learned them too?" "Things like what?" Josh asks with little interest. "I learned that sex out of marriage is fornication, which is a sin; that if you're not married but you're lusting after a woman, you have committed fornication with that woman in your heart which is still a sin. That if you're married and you have sex with a woman that is not your wife you have committed adultery which is a sin and if you lust after a woman other than your wife, you have committed adultery with that woman in your heart. Which is a sin. I was also thought the ten commandments, one of which says, you shall not kill and if you do then it's a sin." He said studying Josh's reaction but Josh just shrugs with a blank look on his face.

"Those are basic Bible teachings Gabriel, and yes I did learn them but why are you bringing them up now?" "Because I want you to explain to me how you could have sex with a girl, got her pregnant then gave her thirty grand to kill the child." He asks narrowing his now angry blue eyes at Josh.

The drinks Josh was drinking sprayed from his mouth and onto the table and he used the napkin and tried to wipe it up. "Who the hell told you that?" He demands but Gabriel could already hear the panic in his voice. "Karen told me, she says that you used what I did to get close to her." He said in disgust. "What? Are the two of you friends again?" Josh asks rolling his eyes. "I wouldn't go that far but I do realize that her anger towards me led her to confide in you which gave you the opportunity to take advantage of her and now her anger towards you has led her to confide in me."

"Oh that just swells but the thing is; she told me she couldn't conceive a child because of what you did to her; then out of nowhere she announced that she's pregnant and I'm supposed to take care of that child, no way in hell." "You shouldn't be having sex with her in the first place Josh; you're a married man and a Christian for God's sake and unprotected sex at that, what the hell were you thinking?" Gabriel snaps.

"Oh come on Gabriel, drop the self-righteous crap, you have the nerve to sit there talking to me about adultery, when you were screwing Sister Mitchell, sis Claudette, and countless others from the choir, please," Josh said sucking his teeth.

"Are you serious right now Josh, Sister Mitchell might have been a little pushy but I never had sex with her, as far as I know, that girl died a virgin? And as for the countless others you mention; never happened and trying to turn this around on me isn't going to change the fact that you're cheating on your wife and that you are actually capable of killing an innocent child." Gabriel said angrily.

"A wife that ignores you half the damn time and only wants to have sex in the same old boring missionary position all the time. To hell with that, I had to go look a little excitement somewhere else before I died of boredom but you know what; it's no use talking about this right now because that baby is long gone." Josh snorts.

"That's where you're wrong Josh, you see, Karen didn't have the abortion, she is now three months pregnant and thanks to the same old boring position so is your wife; so I would say that you've two kids that are going to be born in the exact same month." "Like hell she is, I told her to get rid of that child, and if she won't then I will," Josh said through gritted teeth, getting up he grabbed his bag and stormed away.

A few minutes later Gabriel opens his car door and got in beside Diane. "Did you get all that?" he asks as he fastens his seat belt. "Yes I did but now you've to follow him because I think he's going to hurt her." "No way, he wouldn't dare, he's not that stupid." "But he said if she won't get rid of the baby, he will and I think her house is exactly where he's heading right now." She states.

"So let them work it out. All this driving around isn't good for you or the babies." Diane groans and sighs in frustration. "I'll be fine Gabriel but that girl has been through enough, we can't just sit back and pretend that nothing is wrong, he may be going over there right now to beat her up; which will result in her losing her child, we can't let that happen, Gabriel, we just can't." He runs his hands over his face and sighs heavily. "Alright, fine we'll follow him and see what he's up to."

He used the find my friend app on his phone to track Josh, then began following him, and forty-five minutes later Josh stops in front of an apartment that resembled the one Diane used to live in, Gabriel park on the opposite side of the road, and watch as Josh step from his car, went through the gate and knock on the door, and just as Diane had suspected Karen was the one who answered the door but Diane didn't see Karen because she was digging around in her bag for her phone which was currently ringing and it amazed him how far her phone had reached in such a short time. "I guess you were right." He snorts angrily. "I told you the slime was going to her house." "I know he's a lying adulterer but I didn't take him for an idiot."He chuckled angrily.

"Where did he go?" She asks checking her phone. "He went inside that house over there." He said pointing to the house. "He said he was going to get rid of her baby, Gabriel get in there!" Diane ordered in panic. "Oh man, I'm really not looking forward to this." He groans as he steps from his vehicle, cross the road and enter the yard; he dialed Diane's number again then put the phone back in his pocket, he then turns the doorknob and it open, he enters the house just in time to see Josh wrapping his hands around Karen's neck.

"Get your hands off her!" Gabriel shouts walking towards him. Diane was pricked with jealousy as she listens to Gabriel defending the woman that was once his lover. As a child of God, she knew that she couldn't just turn a blind eye to the woman's situation but she couldn't help wondering if she had made a mistake by reuniting them.

Josh's hands drop as he spins around in shock. "What are you doing here? Why are you following me? This doesn't concern you so do yourself a favor and walk away." Josh said in a hostile tone. But Gabriel stood his ground. 'So committing adultery wasn't enough for you, now you want to add murder to your list?" "Adultery? You're married!" Karen asks in shock.

Gabriel answers before Josh could. "Yes he's, with two children and his wife is also three months pregnant." He said as Karen's eyes widen in utter shock. "Oh shut up; she told me she couldn't get pregnant because of what you did to her!" Josh shouts angrily.

"Yes, that may have been true, but by God's grace she has managed to conceive a child, maybe the only child she'll ever have and you want to take its life?" Gabriel asks in disbelief. "I don't want this child; she getting pregnant wasn't part of our deal." He sneered angrily. "Deal, what deal? You said you love me and that I was the only one for you. You said I complete you and all this time you were married? What the hell kind of person are you?" She cried rubbing her throat.

"You may not want this child but she does and you really should be ashamed of yourself, standing there talking about a child wasn't part of your deal. She's a single lady looking for love but you're a married Christian man and the only person you should be having sex with is your wife." Gabriel states firmly but Josh just shakes his head and smiled wickedly at him.

"There you go with that self-righteous crap again, you know what you are Gabriel? You're a hypocrite, it's okay for you to go around and screw any one of the church sisters you choose but I choose a girl from outside the church and you have the nerve to stand there and preach to me."

Gabriel's fingers curled into a fist and his jaw twitches with anger as he glared at Josh. "You know what Josh? You can say what you want to make yourself feel better but unlike you, I've been faithful to my wife since the moment I said I do, hell since I started courting her and since you have made it quite clear that you do not want this child, do us a favor and get out."

"That's the reason you followed me, isn't it? So you can come in here and be her white knight then help yourself to her as well? Alright I'll leave so you two can get it on but this is not over." Josh turns to leave but Gabriel blocked his path. "If I were you, I would think twice about coming back here because if you so much as lay a finger on her again it will be the last thing you ever do." He said coldly. He then steps away from the door so Josh could pass which he did but not before giving Gabriel another hostile stare.

Gabriel took a deep breath before turning to Karen. "Did he hit you?" "No….no, he didn't, he was just shouting and thrashing around but then he pushed me against the wall and wrapped his hands around my neck but I braced myself off the walls with my hands. Thanks for being my knight in shining amour but how did you know he was coming here?" Diane rolled her eyes at the girl's comment. "Great, now he's her knight in shining armor, why do I get the feeling I'm really going to regret asking my husband to help this woman." She grumbles to herself as she listens to Gabriel's response.

"My wife heard what he said about getting rid of your baby, she was the one who told me he was coming here so we followed him." "We? She's here?" Karen asks in surprise. "Yes, she's outside in the car." "Can I meet her?" "Why?" "Well ever since I heard that you got married, I've always wanted to see what your wife looks like." Gabriel took the phone from his pocket and put it at his ear. "What do you say, baby?"

"I'm curious to see what this woman looks like, so I guess it's okay," Diane replied. "Okay, we'll be right there." "Follow me." He said heading towards her front door. Diane was checking her appearance in her mirror just as they walk up behind her. She then turns around to say hi but her eyes widen and her hand flew to her mouth instead. "Oh my…. Oh my God, it's you?"