by Lena Skye
“Geesh, I thought that you would have been happy Nicole,” Patrice mumbled.
“Sorry for being so snappy, it’s just all too much to handle.”
“We understand,” Jasmine said.
#Chapter5
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so speechless in one night before,”
Nicole
About 5 minutes later both of my friends were in cabs, and I was about to get into the next one. Before I got inside of it Michael held the door open for me.
“Do you mind if I take the cab with you? My hotel is close to your place,” he said.
“I don’t mind at all, hop on in,” I said, “You’re not going to look after your brother?”
“No need for that, Amanda is going to take him home. I think he had a bit too much liquor which made him tense.”
“Crazy night huh?” I said after we told the driver where we were headed.
“You think?” He asked.
I laughed at his sarcasm, “So what did Kenneth say about it?”
“Well he did his own version of explaining who Desmond was, and I think his residual anger mixed with the alcohol caused him to explode. He just needs to go home and sleep it off.”
“I agree with you there. He’s no longer allowed to drink in public. He’s been flying off of the handle a lot and he couldn’t wait to really punch Desmond in the face.”
“But you know how Kenneth is,” Michael said, “He is always over protective about the people that he loves. He can’t let anything go, he’s been like that since he was a kid. I’ll never forget when he tried to fight one of my friends for elbowing me by mistake during a basketball game. He was so tiny, and no one took him seriously but he landed a punch straight to my friend’s balls,” Michael laughed.
“Ouch! That’s terrible,” I laughed.
“Yeah, it took a while for me to patch that friendship up.”
I wondered what exactly that meant. Kenneth cared for me but not enough to marry me, so he didn’t have a right to be upset with someone else over me.
“I can only imagine,” I said automatically.
“Are you okay?” He asked.
“I’m doing my best but tonight was very confusing for me. Kenneth keeps sending mixed signals, and I’m growing tired of not knowing where we stand,” I replied honestly.
“Kenneth still loves you,” he said with certainty, “He loves you much more than he loves Amanda. He loves you in ways that he will probably never love her.”
“What makes you say something like that?” I asked.
“Tonight proved it. I know my brother. He wouldn’t do that for anyone else but you, me, and our parents. Have you ever seen him act like that about anyone but you?”
I gave it some serious thought, and I realized that Michael was correct. The only time Kenneth lost his cool was when it was over me. He didn’t even act out like that over money, and he loved money.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so speechless in one night before,” I said, “All of the back and forth is driving me insane.”
“I thought it was funny that the first thing that he suggested when I got back was that I come and see you, he never even mentioned Amanda. You’re the first thing on his mind in the morning, and you’re the first person in his head when important things in his life happen,” he said.
“I don’t know about that,” I said in disbelief.
“Has he ever mentioned anything to you about what actually happened in New York?”
“No, he doesn’t talk about it. I mean he brought back a huge souvenir, so I have a pretty good idea of what he was doing,” I joked.
“He was in really bad shape when he arrived. He told me a little bit about what happened with you two, but he really didn’t go into depth, he was too hurt to speak of it. He began hitting bars and partying really hard to get over it. I was worried about him for a little while because he was ignoring his clients, and I’ve never known him to do something like that.”
I soaked in everything that Michael was saying, I knew that he was going through a tough time in New York, but I had no idea just how bad things were for him. The trouble that Josh caused for us had a severe chain reaction.
“Yeah, he definitely didn’t tell me that,” I said.
“He met Amanda at a party and he really wasn’t interested in her initially until he heard that her father was looking for new accountants for his portfolio of companies. He wined and dined her after that and convinced her to put in a good word for him, she did, and he got the contract.”
I shook my head as he was speaking because I confirmed what I believed from the very beginning.
I said the only thing that came to my head, “Wow.”
“Exactly, he didn’t want anything serious with her at all. It was only when her father told him to prove that he was serious about his daughter that Kenneth realized that he may lose the contract. In that moment the only thing that he could do was propose. In my opinion, he rushed into it all, and he wasn’t thinking straight. He made a rash decision that he’s paying for deeply.”
I felt a twinge of excitement because I was now sure he didn’t really love Amanda. Not deeply anyway. He wanted me, and he was a victim of circumstance especially with the Cancer situation. It felt good in that moment to be right, but my friend’s commentary kept playing in my head. His reasoning didn’t matter because he was still going through with the marriage. He’d made a choice, and it didn’t matter why he was making it.
I leaned my head on the cool glass and did my best to process my thoughts, “Can we talk about something else? All of this is giving me a horrible headache.”
“Okay, we can talk about how proud I am of you,” he said.
“Really?”
“Definitely, I remember when you were begging boutiques to try your services. Now you have to beat them off with a stick. Most of Atlanta is wearing clothes that you handpicked for them. If that isn’t special, I don’t know what is. I think you’re outgrowing this space,” he said.
“That seems like such a long time ago but I can remember how frustrating it was. I’ll never forget the first contract that I closed; I celebrated almost every night for a week. I put my all into that one and then things took off. I don’t know if I’ve outgrown Atlanta, there are still quite a few places that I want to get into. I’m putting together my plans for them now.”
“I love your drive, you’re always thinking of bigger and better. Mark my words; you are going to be ridiculously rich someday. I see creative editor for a major magazine in your future,” he professed.
My heart swelled with pride. That was a secret dream of mine that I never told anyone about, and also I wanted to be a buyer for a major luxury retail store like Bergdorf Goodman. For now I was just focusing on creating a strong hold in Atlanta. Eventually I would spread out, and I was already considering hiring on a buyer to work beneath me but I wasn’t quite ready for an employee just yet. Some day I hoped that I could fulfill that dream but it was never going to be easy. My mother always told me that when you are black you need to work twice as hard to get ahead and I definitely think she was right.
“Thank you, I needed to hear that. Sometimes it’s so easy to focus on the chaos surrounding you that you forget where you’ve come from. I’m doing pretty well, and I’m farther than I thought I would be at this point in my life,” I admitted.
“Yep, just don’ forget the little people like me,” he said.
“Oh please, you’re the man. If anything I’m hoping to make enough money to afford you. I could use some business consulting,” I said.
“Why didn’t you just ask? We can set something up for next week, at no charge.”
“Are you serious? I don’t ask my friend’s for free or discounted services because I understand the business.”
“I’m very serious, and you didn’t ask, I offered, so you’re still being true to yourself,” he said with a smirk.
I was giddy on the inside, and my night had
taken a turn for the better. He was one of the best business consultants that I knew. He catapulted businesses into success, when he came in and streamlined their processes. I knew that there would be a lot of work ahead of me, but I was going to implement everything that he suggested. Some people devalue free advice, but I knew that his advice was worth it's weight in gold.
“You just made my night!” I exclaimed as we pulled up to my condo.
“I have to say one more thing before you get out of the car,” he said seriously.
“Oh? What’s up?”
“I don’t think that Amanda is the nice angelic person that she makes herself out to be. I’ve heard some stories about her in New York where she used to live. I won’t say much more outside of that,” he said.
I wanted to press him for more information, but it was clear that he didn’t want to share anymore. He’d already given me a lot more information than I had asked for. Besides, none of it was going to change my circumstances. I had to focus on the things that I could control in my life, and this wasn’t one of them.
“Well thank you for everything,” I said.
“I haven’t done anything yet. But thank you for coming out tonight, we’ll talk soon.”
I kissed him on the cheek and headed to my door. He made sure that the driver stayed until I was safely inside. He was a real gentleman, and I didn’t understand why in the hell he was still single. I wondered if he was interested in Patrice because they could make a great couple. Her budding relationship had fizzled out, and she was back on the market. I planned on playing the role of matchmaker in the not so distant future.
*
Four weeks later and it was only a few days before the wedding. I was doing my best to try to forget that it was right around the corner. Michael had given me plenty to focus on, and so it wasn’t that difficult. He ripped my business plan apart, and we went back to the basics. I was also not just bringing on one buyer and stylist but 3. He also scolded me for hoarding money and not putting it back into my business. It was tough to hear, but I needed the kick in the butt.
So when Mike called, I assumed that it was to hear about the updates that I had implemented. I picked up the phone quickly.
“Hello?”
“Hey, I have a very serious question to ask you and I need you to put your ego aside for a moment and really tell me the truth,” he said.
“I’ll do my best.”
“I think my brother is making a huge mistake, and I don’t want him to marry the wrong woman.
I need to know, do you still love Kenneth?” He asked.
“Of course I do,” I said honestly.
“That’s what I thought. I’m going to speak to him and try to convince him to cancel this whole thing, I’ll give you call tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Then the call was over. I didn't know what to say or think. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I wasn’t ready for Kenneth to get married to someone else. I would feel sorry for Amanda, but Kenneth was supposed to be with me. They weren’t meant for each other in the way that we were. I couldn’t focus on that because I had other things to get done but throughout the day, it kept popping into my head.
I really should not have even bothered thinking about it as by the next morning I discovered the outcome. I woke up to a text from Michael that said, “I couldn’t change his mind. I'm sorry.”
In that moment I knew there was no going back from this and I had to go to the wedding because it was like watching a train wreck. I had to be there to see it for myself. I had to watch him do the unthinkable and I needed to give myself closure. It was time for me to see our book come to a close for good. It sucked that it had to be ended that way.
Of course Patrice and Jasmine agreed to come to the wedding with me. They planned to pick me up, and we would all ride together. I appreciated Jasmine for being with me because she was engaged, and I’m sure that Cedric probably wanted her to go with him. She was being a great friend, even though I’d been acting like a complete brat lately. I had two of the best friends that a woman could ever have.
#Chapter6
“I’m broken, and I’m just starting to forgive myself for what I did.”
Michael
My heart was breaking as I watched Kenneth at the front of the church with Amanda. She looked stunning in her all white dress. I was doing my best to ignore the slight swell of her belly. Was she pregnant? We’d gone through most of the ceremony and the critical point had finally come in the ceremony. Patrice and Jasmine were holding my hands and giving them a slight squeeze for support.
The Minister asked Amanda if she would take Kenneth to be her husband and she eagerly said yes. My heartbeat sped up, and I felt as if I was going to be sick, and the minister proceeded with a complete disregard for my feelings. He asked Ken the same question and before Kenneth could open his mouth I yelled, “NO!”
Everyone in the church looked at me, and my friends looked at me in shock. I couldn’t believe that I said that out loud. But it was too late to turn back, I pulled my hands from my friends’ grasp and stood to me feet.
“You should be with me and you know that,” I pleaded.
In that moment I was preparing myself to walk out because I’d ruined his wedding, and him and his bride to be would probably never forgive me. He stared at me, and I didn’t even want to know what was going on in his head.
“Wait,” he exclaimed before I turned to walk out, “You’re right.” He stepped off of the podium and walked quickly towards me. I ignored all of the looks of horror that we were getting from everyone because I no longer cared what they thought. This was my life, and it was incomplete without him.
He scooped me up into his arms and we walked out of the church, the sunshine hit our faces, and I knew that we were making the right decision. It was time for us to finally have our own happily ever after.
Then, I woke up. My heart was still beating fast as I looked around my bedroom in disappointment. My subconscious had played a horrible trick on me, and I felt like I’d been dropped from a tall building. Life didn’t work out the way that it was playing out in my head. Kenneth was getting married, and there was nothing that I could do about it.
Before my feet touched the floor, my doorbell rang.
I was a little annoyed because I was accustomed to my friend’s calling first, and I was just grumpy. It’s not every day that the love of your life gets married to someone else and you have to sit and watch. Well, no one was really making me, but I felt like it was the right thing to do. I looked out of the window and I saw Michael standing at the door. My heart raced because I knew what he wanted to talk about and maybe he’d gotten Kenneth to change his mind. I did my best not to torture myself with that kind of thinking but it still crossed my mind.
I quickly buzzed him in and he made his way up the stairs. He was dressed in his tuxedo and he looked absolutely amazing. I had to remind myself that he was my ex-boyfriend’s brother and completely off limits. But his suit fit to perfection and it showed off his broad chest and toned physique.
“This should be your uniform,” I joked.
“If that’s your way of telling me that I look nice, thank you,” he said.
“You’re very welcome, and the pleasure is all mine.”
I didn’t know why I had chosen humor because I wasn’t feeling particularly humorous. I was nervous as hell as he stepped into my apartment. He needed to get to talking, so that he could put me out of my misery.
He grinned, “Sorry for showing up at your house without any notice but I wanted to explain what happened with Kenneth. I sent you a text, and you deserved more than that.”
“At this point it really doesn’t matter anymore,” I said.
“But I think that it does,” he interjected.
“Oh yeah?”
“Well I approached him about this ridiculous wedding but I treaded lightly because his pride is off of the charts.”
I took a seat on my couch and motion
ed for him to have one as well. It was clear that he wanted to talk about what happened with him and his brother. I could see the frustration written all over his face and I wondered if he needed to tell me any of this information at all, or if he just wanted to vent. I wasn’t in the business of being rude, so I decided to listen and I hoped that my heart could take it. It was pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things because my heart was already ripped into pieces and so a few more shreds wouldn’t make much of a difference.
“Believe me, I know. Your brother is one of the most stubborn men that I’ve ever met in my life. When he decides to do something, he does it and he doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. So what happened?” I asked trying to move the conversation along faster. I needed him to get to the point.
