leave?” Nia asked, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed, a scowl across her face. Brooklyn stood next to her.
“Honey, we’ve already talked about this.” Rachel motioned for her eight-year-old daughter to come sit on the bed next to her. “It’s not going to be that long. I’m just going to go down, shoot some scenes, and maybe we’ll even fly you all down and shoot some stuff with you.”
“So, I get to be on TV, too?” Nia asked, finally breaking a smile as Brooklyn climbed on the bed next to her.
“Yes,” Rachel replied.
“No,” Lester interjected as he appeared in the doorway to their bedroom. “Rachel, we’ve already had this conversation. You doing this reality show is one thing. But you having our children on is another thing entirely, and where I draw the line.”
“Seriously, Lester? It’s just an innocent reality show.” Rachel huffed.
“There’s nothing innocent about those shows.”
“Daddy, why won’t you let me be on it?” Nia whined.
“Yeah, I wanna be a star like Mommy,” Brooklyn added.
Rachel pulled both of her daughters close to her. “See, it’s a Family Affair.”
Lester narrowed his eyes at her. She knew he wasn’t happy. He hated when she used the children like this, but he needed to see that what she was doing was for the good of their entire family. Lester had already carved a niche for himself as president of the American Baptist Coalition and she’d done well as the First Lady, creating programs and bringing some much-needed (and yes, a little unwanted) attention to the ABC. But this would take things to a whole different level. This would make her a power player. This would give her fame and a little fortune on the side. But it’s the fame she wanted more than anything else. Although she liked the finer things in life—Coach,Michael Kors, an occasional trip to the Bahamas—Rachel didn’t need a lot. But fame, that was a completely different ballgame. The fame would make people stand up and take notice. She had grown up as the preacher’s daughter. Now, she was the preacher’s wife. If this reality show went like she expected, she would be simply Rachel, the star.
“Nia, take your sister and brother and go play upstairs,” Lester said.
“But Dad . . .” Nia cried.
“Not open for discussion,” he said firmly.
Rachel kissed all of her children. “I’m not going to leave without coming to talk to you. Do like your father said.”
As they scurried out, Rachel stood and glared at her husband. When she first met Lester, he was a pimply faced, red-mop-headed, shy boy. Now, he’d definitely evolved into a full-grown man with a backbone that sometimes worked her nerves. Even though Nia and Jordan weren’t his biologically, he prided himself on being a good father to them, so Rachel knew that he was just trying to protect the kids.
Lester had gotten a lot more firm with her than he’d been in the early years of their marriage, but Rachel still knew how to win him over. She just chose her battles a little more wisely, and whether or not to have the kids on the reality show was not a battle she wanted to fight—just yet.
“Whatever you say, sweetheart. The kids won’t be on the show. More air time for me.” She planted a sultry kiss on him and he pulled her close.
“I’m going to miss you.”
“I’m going to miss you, too. But I’ll be back in a few weeks. They wanted my family to come down and shoot a few scenes but I understand you don’t want to be on. I guess the producers will just have to hire me a family.”
Lester’s mouth gaped open. “What? They do that?”
“If they have to.” Rachel knew that ultimately, Lester wouldnever go for that kind of deception, so she wanted to plant that little seed so that it would fester and get him to agree with her eventually.
“Well, I guess I’d better get going,” she said.
“Let me go grab my keys.”
“Oh, no. I have a car service coming.”
“A car service?”
“Honey, we’ve already talked about this.” Rachel motioned for her eight-year-old daughter to come sit on the bed next to her. “It’s not going to be that long. I’m just going to go down, shoot some scenes, and maybe we’ll even fly you all down and shoot some stuff with you.”
“So, I get to be on TV, too?” Nia asked, finally breaking a smile as Brooklyn climbed on the bed next to her.
“Yes,” Rachel replied.
“No,” Lester interjected as he appeared in the doorway to their bedroom. “Rachel, we’ve already had this conversation. You doing this reality show is one thing. But you having our children on is another thing entirely, and where I draw the line.”
“Seriously, Lester? It’s just an innocent reality show.” Rachel huffed.
“There’s nothing innocent about those shows.”
“Daddy, why won’t you let me be on it?” Nia whined.
“Yeah, I wanna be a star like Mommy,” Brooklyn added.
Rachel pulled both of her daughters close to her. “See, it’s a Family Affair.”
Lester narrowed his eyes at her. She knew he wasn’t happy. He hated when she used the children like this, but he needed to see that what she was doing was for the good of their entire family. Lester had already carved a niche for himself as president of the American Baptist Coalition and she’d done well as the First Lady, creating programs and bringing some much-needed (and yes, a little unwanted) attention to the ABC. But this would take things to a whole different level. This would make her a power player. This would give her fame and a little fortune on the side. But it’s the fame she wanted more than anything else. Although she liked the finer things in life—Coach,Michael Kors, an occasional trip to the Bahamas—Rachel didn’t need a lot. But fame, that was a completely different ballgame. The fame would make people stand up and take notice. She had grown up as the preacher’s daughter. Now, she was the preacher’s wife. If this reality show went like she expected, she would be simply Rachel, the star.
“Nia, take your sister and brother and go play upstairs,” Lester said.
“But Dad . . .” Nia cried.
“Not open for discussion,” he said firmly.
Rachel kissed all of her children. “I’m not going to leave without coming to talk to you. Do like your father said.”
As they scurried out, Rachel stood and glared at her husband. When she first met Lester, he was a pimply faced, red-mop-headed, shy boy. Now, he’d definitely evolved into a full-grown man with a backbone that sometimes worked her nerves. Even though Nia and Jordan weren’t his biologically, he prided himself on being a good father to them, so Rachel knew that he was just trying to protect the kids.
Lester had gotten a lot more firm with her than he’d been in the early years of their marriage, but Rachel still knew how to win him over. She just chose her battles a little more wisely, and whether or not to have the kids on the reality show was not a battle she wanted to fight—just yet.
“Whatever you say, sweetheart. The kids won’t be on the show. More air time for me.” She planted a sultry kiss on him and he pulled her close.
“I’m going to miss you.”
“I’m going to miss you, too. But I’ll be back in a few weeks. They wanted my family to come down and shoot a few scenes but I understand you don’t want to be on. I guess the producers will just have to hire me a family.”
Lester’s mouth gaped open. “What? They do that?”
“If they have to.” Rachel knew that ultimately, Lester wouldnever go for that kind of deception, so she wanted to plant that little seed so that it would fester and get him to agree with her eventually.
“Well, I guess I’d better get going,” she said.
“Let me go grab my keys.”
“Oh, no. I have a car service coming.”
“A car service?”
Similar Books
