by Tina Martin
“Will you?”
“Of course I will,” Julie said, instantly looking for someone to grab while Shayla followed her.
Carter never took his eyes off of her.
“Maria,” Julie said, “This is Shayla, Carter’s wife. Shayla, this is Maria.”
Maria’s eyes grew bigger than the smile on her face. She was a Hispanic chick, rocking a shade of gold lipstick. “Oh my goodness…you’re as pretty as an eighty-hour paycheck.” She leaned forward to give her a hug.
Shayla accepted.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Shayla.”
“Nice to meet you, too.”
“And you are wearing that dress, girlfriend,” Maria complemented, then quickly turned her attention to a waiter walking by with a tray of champagne. “Ooh, ooh, more champagne. Chat later.”
Julie grinned. “So, that was Maria...the wild child of the bunch…last time Carter had one of these shindigs, she drank so much, I had to give her a ride home. Let’s hope tonight is not a repeat performance.”
Shayla smiled, watching Julie grab the hand of a tall, dark-skinned man, about the same height as Carter. “Patrick, I want to introduce you to somebody. This lovely lady is Shayla Williams.”
“This wouldn’t happen to be the Shayla who took my man out of the circuit, would it?” Patrick asked while reaching to shake Shayla’s hand, but ended up holding it instead while he talked. “I knew Carter was up to something when he started leaving the office on time…but if I was coming home to a sweet thang like you, I’d leave the office on time too.”
Shayla smiled, then scanned the room for Carter. She didn’t see him anywhere and wondered where he ran off to until she felt his arms wrap around her from behind, and heard him say to Patrick, “Ah’ight, you can let go of her hand now. I don’t like other men touching my lady.”
Palms up, Patrick said, “My bad boss.” Then he looked at Shayla and said, “Just keep my man happy, ah’ight.”
“I’ll do my best.” Shayla said.
Carter sank his lips in Shayla’s cheek. “Hope you’re having a good time.”
She turned around to face him, seeing the happiness in his face and that’s when she knew she made the right decision to come down and support him with this function. “Yes, I am.”
Carter hugged her again and walked off to join the men again, talking about football.
Shayla returned her attention to Julie and after Julie had introduced her to at least fifteen more people, they both heard someone tapping a spoon against a champagne glass.
Shayla turned around and it was Carter, getting everyone’s attention like he was about to make an announcement. Shayla stood near the back of the crowd while Julie made her way to the front.
“I want to thank all of you for a great year,” he said. “It’s been tough for the banking industry as a whole with the recession and foreclosures, but we hung in there and fortunately, there weren’t any layoffs.”
Everyone clapped and cheered.
Carter continued, “Many of you know that last year was a rough year for me. Not only did I lose my brother, but I lost my Mother and…and it was hard. It was very hard,” Carter said, his lips trembling. “I want to reiterate how grateful I am to have people like you to understand and offer me so many comforting words. Thank you.” He took a breath and asked, “Did everyone get a chance to meet my wife?” Carter looked to see where Shayla was in the crowd. He saw her standing near the back, close to the kitchen. “Shayla, can you join me?”
Shayla frowned a little, but quickly put on an award winning smile. Just to appease Carter, she made her way to the front.
“Everybody, this is my beautiful wife,” Carter said with pride and a look of approval on his face as Shayla stood next to him. “If you haven’t met her yet, please take the time to say hello.” He took a deep breath and held Shayla’s hand. “The last thing I want to say is that we all work hard, every one of us. And until recently, until I found love, I thought my job was everything to me. That is, until this woman came into my life and flipped it upside down and now, I realize that my job is just that – a job – and you, Shayla…you’re my future. My happiness. My everything.”
Carter took a long inhale and a peaceful exhale to regain his composure. “I love you. The success, the money…none of this means a thing to me without you.”
“Aww,” his crowd of colleagues said in unison.
Shayla hugged him tight. He took a kiss from her lips, feeling them tremble.
“Lastly, I want to say that I don’t want to see anyone working sixty, seventy, eighty plus hours a week. Go home to your spouses…your family. Those are the people that matter. I know you’ve seen me leaving on time for quite a while and now you know why.” Carter looked at Shayla, watching her blush. “Anyway, that’s enough talking from me. Thank y’all for coming,” Carter told his colleagues, watching Shayla walk away from him.
The crowd dispersed and Carter rushed upstairs to find Shayla. She was sitting on the bed, her shoes on the floor next to her feet. She looked up when he walked in the room. She watched him step closer, felt her heart flutter when he touched her face.
“I’m sorry about last night. I made a big deal out of nothing,” she said looking up at him.
“I need you to know that there is no one else for me. I love you. Period. No one else, Shayla.”
Shayla smiled while tears fell from her eyes.
“I’m going to go back downstairs and see everybody off, but I’m coming back for you.”
“Okay,” Shayla replied.
* * *
Carter lowered his body next to her on the bed and pulled her in his arms, the same thing he did every time after they’d made love.
“Shayla,” Carter said, sweeping her hair away from her face.
Was he really trying to engage her in conversation when she couldn’t catch her breath? “Yeah?” she said, barely.
“Did I tell you how beautiful you looked tonight?”
Shayla smiled against his chest. “No.”
“Well you’re always beautiful, but tonight, you were stunning in that dress. I loved that shade of lipstick on you too.”
“Good, because you’re wearing most of it now.” Shayla laughed. Panted.
Carter chucked. “Is that right?”
Shayla kissed his chest. “Yes, that’s right.”
“So how did it feel to meet everyone?”
Shayla unlocked their hands so she could rub her fingertips across the sprigs of hair on his chest. “It was nerve-racking…didn’t think I would fit in, but they made me comfortable. Julie is really nice by the way.”
“Yeah. She’s been with me for a while. It’s hard to find a good assistant and her work ethic is impeccable, so I had to hang on to her.” Carter yawned. “Anyway, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, sweetheart.”
“I’m glad you put up with me though my insecurities. I know I drive you insane at times.”
Carter grinned. “Yeah, you do.”
Shayla chuckled softly.
“And the crazy thing is, you have nothing to worry about because there is no other woman for me, Shayla. Do you want me to say it again, because I’ll say it however many times it’ll take to sink in through that beautiful head of yours.”
Shayla smiled. “I get it, Carter,” Shayla said, convinced that she deserved to be happy and there was no reason to feel unworthy. Not anymore.
Chapter 27
October 2012
Carter had a lawn service company come by in the morning to cut the grass, trim the hedges, rake leaves and beautify the yard. He tried to talk Shayla into hiring a cleaning service to take care of the house, but Shayla insisted – said she didn’t mind doing housework and that it made her feel like a wife. So with her hair pulled back into a ponytail, a pink scarf tied around her head, she was busy doing housework duties Saturday afternoon, including dusting, mopping floors and vacuuming.
By evening, she’d made her way to the laundry room, taking
the whites from the hamper and throwing them in the washer first. She had the house to herself since Carter had left to hang with Terrance, and while she was busy working, she had Charlotte’s hip hop station, Power 98, cranked up, as if the loud music helped her to get work done faster. If she hadn’t had her cell phone in the laundry room with her, on the shelf next to a box of dryer sheets, she would not have heard the ringing. She wiped sweat from her forehead, then picked up her phone smiling, because she knew it was Carter, calling to check on her. But she was surprised when she looked at the home screen and saw a different caller.
“Donovan?”
He grinned, sitting in his car in the driveway of his home. “Was that a question?”
Shayla laughed. “I’m sorry. It’s just a surprise to hear from you.”
Donovan could picture her as if she was right there in front of him. He remembered the distinct features of her face – those big eyes, her cute-as-a-button nose and petite, pouty lips. “Why is it a surprise to hear from me?” he asked her.
“Because I honestly didn’t think I’d ever hear from you again.” Shayla walked to the kitchen and leaned against the counter while holding the phone next to her left ear.
“How are you?” he inquired.
“I’m doing great,” Shayla said cheerfully.
“That’s good. You sound like you’re in good spirits.”
“I am. What about you? How are things going at Zenadel?”
“Do you really think that’s why I called you? To talk about the company?”
Shayla grinned awkwardly. “I honestly don’t know why you called me, Donovan.”
He didn’t have it in him to say that he missed her, that he had replayed the time they spent together over and over again. “I just wanted to play catch up. We talked about a lot of things when you where here and I wanted to see how you were doing. So tell me…what’s going on in Shayla’s world?”
“Um, well, a lot has changed in my life since I moved back to Charlotte.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yep. I’m married now.”
“Married?” Donovan said. Was that disappointment in his voice?
“Yes, for going on six weeks now.”
“Who’s the lucky guy?” Donovan asked evenly, trying to hide the fact that this was upsetting news, especially if she was married to Carter. Anybody but Carter.
“His name is Carter.”
Donovan grimaced. Why did good girls find bad boys so appealing? In his opinion, Carter wasn’t right for her, or any other woman. How could she not see that? Or was she like all the other woman – blinded by Carter’s good looks and money. Then again, Donovan had good looks and money. Why wasn’t she interested in him? He certainly treated her like a woman. He’d taken her shopping, to dinner, he consoled her when she was bent out of shape, crying over Carter, and now she was married to the man that had caused her so much heartache.
“Are you still there?” Shayla asked when he went quiet on her.
“Yes, I’m here.” Donovan cleared his throat. “Are you happy?”
A smile grew on Shayla’s face. “I’m very happy.”
The good thing about talking to someone on the phone is that they cannot see your facial expressions. Had Shayla been there with him, she’d see the wrinkles disturbing his forehead right now, along with the look of disdain on his face. But why was he worried. Maybe it was a good thing she was back with Carter. That way, when Carter broke her heart, and he would break her heart, Donovan would be right there, waiting for Shayla to run into his arms – into the arms of a man who would treat her like a queen. So sucking in all the jealousy he felt for Carter, he said, “Well, that is good news. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, Donovan.” Shayla walked to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water. “So how’s your lil’ man?”
“He’s being a five year old…he started kindergarten this year.”
“Aw, that’s nice. Did you take pictures on his first day?”
“I did. I’ll text you one.”
“Cool. I know I would be that parent to take a ton of pictures of my child starting kindergarten. I would probably be crying and everything.”
Donovan went silent again, taking in her voice and reminiscing on the time they had spent together. Then after a few more silent moments had passed, he said, “I need to talk to you about something.”
“Okay. What’s up?”
“No, not over the phone. I should be in Charlotte some point in the next few weeks. I haven’t nailed down a date yet, but maybe we can meet up somewhere.”
Shayla’s eyes lit up. “That would be nice. That way, I can introduce you to Carter and—”
“Um, that’s the thing…I would prefer to talk to you alone.”
Shayla’s smile suddenly disappeared. “And you can’t tell me what it’s about?”
“No. I’ll tell you when I see you…oh and it probably won’t be a good idea to tell your husband you talked to me, but listen, I gotta run. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay,” Shayla said, confused. “Bye.” Almost immediately after she hung up the phone, she got a text from Donovan with a picture of his little boy with the caption, Donnie’s first day. She smiled, but still wondered what it was that Donovan had to talk to her about. And why did it have to be in person? Why couldn’t she tell Carter?
Chapter 28
Saturday night, Carter and Terrance were at Hooters, sitting at the bar, sipping on drinks. Terrance had been complaining that they haven’t kicked it in a minute, so instead of going home and spending the night with Shayla as he’d planned, Carter called her to let her know he was meeting Terrance for drinks tonight. And while he sat there with him, he tossed the idea of telling him about his dilemma. But first, he had to tell him about his marriage.
“I forgot how busy it gets in here on a Friday afternoon,” Carter said looking around.
“Yeah. That’s because you don’t hang out no more…thought I would have to send a search party to find you for a minute there.”
Carter grinned. How do you tell your best friend he was annoying and that was the reason you’d been avoiding him? “I’ve been busy with work and all. You know how that goes. Gotta pay the cost to be the boss, right?”
Terrance stared at him, noticing an unfamiliar secrecy, a change in character. Carter had a certain smile, a foundation of happiness spread about his face. His friend had changed.
As Carter thought about how he would break the news of his marriage to Terrance, his mind flashed back to images of Shayla, lying face-up in the center of the bed this morning. Her curly coils were splashed all over his pillow while her arms were outstretched. She was beautiful. Peaceful. Her skin was radiant, her sleep mild and serene. He’d sat down next to her, touched her hand to see if she would awaken as she did the morning prior, but she didn’t budge. So he leaned in close, kissed her cheek then jogged downstairs to prepare breakfast. He smiled, just now without even realizing it.
“Carter, come on, man…busy with work? When did that ever stop you from hanging out wit’ ya boy? I know you better than that…know you ain’t that busy.” Terrance said. “And I think it all have something to do with little Miss Shayla.”
Carter beamed and shook his head. As always, Terrance had brought up Shayla’s name yet again, only this time, Carter couldn’t hide or deny his feelings for her. Love always had a way of showing its power.
“I knew it. I knew it!” Terrance declared, slapping the counter with a grin on his face. “You let a broad come between us, dawg?”
“You can’t use titles like broad to describe my lady.”
“Your lady?” Terrance repeated and snapped his head back. “Did you just call Shayla your lady?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Don’t tell me, the man who told me he would never give his heart to a woman has broken his own rule.”
“Well, I guess it took me a little time to find the right woman.”
“Seriously, Carter?”
Terrance said with raised eyebrows and a smirk. “I’m trippin’ right now. I never thought I’d see the day you would fall for someone. Shayla must’ve done a number on you.”
“Don’t act so surprised, Tee. I told you how I felt about her.” Carter twirled his wedding band, still waiting to spring the marriage on Terrance.
“Nah. See, what’s happening is, you’re getting a lil’ older, feel that biological clock ticking…thinking about settling down and stuff. But that’s just a phase, man.”
“It’s not a phase. I love her and we’re…we’re married. Shayla’s my wife.”
“Your what!” Terrance yelled so loud, it seemed as if for a moment, the music had stopped and the restaurant was completely quiet. “Bartender, bartender.” Terrance slapped the counter with his flat palm. “Need two beers down here stat!” He looked at Carter again. “Are you serious? You’re not serious. You can’t be serious.”
Carter slid his wedding band from his finger and placed it on the bar top. “Is that proof enough for you?”
Terrance’s mouth fell open. “I do not believe this. How? When?”
Carter grinned but didn’t respond. He allowed time for his friend to wrap his mind around this big news.
“The world must be coming to an end. What happened to the Carter that was never going to settle down?” Terrance picked up the ring and held it in front of Carter’s face. “What’s this dawg?”
Carter laughed, took the ring and slid it back on his finger.
“You must be playing a prank on me or something, bruh. This ain’t you.”
“It’s no prank, man,” Carter said straight-faced. “Shayla’s my wife. We got married six weeks ago in Hawaii. This is real.”
“If it’s so real, why wasn’t I invited to your wedding?”
“Because I knew you would act like this…and I knew you would try and talk me out of it so I didn’t bother. But I can honestly say now that I do not care what you think. I’m in love with her and nothing you or anyone else says will ever change my mind.”
Terrance propped his arms up on the bar and said, “Man. This is too much for me.” He rubbed his hands across the shadow of hair on his head. “You’re married…I never thought I’d see the day.”
