Give Me The Reason: A Love Story

by Coco Amoure

  Give Me The Reason

  Lock Down Publications

  Presents

  Give Me The Reason

  A Novel by Coco Amoure

  Lock Down Publications

  P.O. Box 1482

  Pine Lake, Ga 30072-1482

  Visit our website at www.lockdownpublications.com

  Copyright 2015 Give Me The Reason by Coco Amoure

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in review.

  First Edition November 2015

  Printed in the United States of America

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Lock Down Publications

  Like our page on Facebook: Lock Down Publications @www.facebook.com/lockdownpublications.ldp

  Cover design and layout by: Dynasty’s Cover Me

  Book interior design by: Shawn Walker

  Edited by: Tumika Cain

  The most beautiful part of loving a guarded woman is this. When she lets you in it’s not because she needs you. She stopped needing people a long time ago. It’s because she wants you, and that is the purest love of all.

  ~ Unknown

  Acknowledgments

  First and foremost, I want to give thanks to God for all that he has done and continues to do for me. I am truly grateful for life and everyone in my life. I’m especially thankful for the gift of writing. This has been a lifelong dream of mine, and I am so blessed to be able to do something that I’ve always wanted to do.

  Gordon and Stephanie Dismuke, thank you for being the most loving and supportive parents that a child could ask for. I love you both with all of my heart.

  To my three brothers, Gordon, Deandre, and Devan Dismuke, I love you gentleman and I am honored to have three loving little brothers. Love you guys to pieces!! XOXOXO

  To My niece and nephew, Marley and Malcolm, words can’t begin to express the love that I have for you two. You have brought so much joy into my life. I don’t even remember what life was like without you two little people. I will always be here for you no matter what happens in your lives. Tee Tee loves you two little love bugs! XOXOXOXO

  Thank you to my entire family, The Dismuke’s and the Andrews’. I love you fam! It’s too many of you to name, just know that I LOVE you and thanks for supporting me on this journey.

  Thank you to my god-children, Colby Weaver, Altanease Poohta Cheatam, and Kiana Griffin. God-Mommie loves you!

  Thank you to my Tee Tee babies, Londyn Isis Reign Williams, Alize Williams, Taji Williams, and Marshall Middleton. I love you with all of my heart!!

  To my A-1’s since Day 1, Ayesha Williams, Deidre Charmain Roberson, A’ceandra Latara Screen, Melinda Styles, Nicole Black, Earth Weaver, and Sonia Roman. Thanks for rocking with me the way you do. I love y’all ‘til the very end!!

  Thank you to my awesome team of employees….Jeanne Rosa, Melissa Williams, Jillian Cook, Sequita Finch-McLaurin and Tavora Aiken!! I enjoy working with you ladies each and every day!! You guys are the BEST!! XOXOXOXO

  A very special thank you to my friends and supporters of my work…Charlaine Rhines, Candace Harris, Renee Fox Mckie, Jodi Jo Lynch, Lisa “Lee Lee” Wiley, Nicole Dixon, Latorya Dial, Dorinda Stallings, Tiffany aka Sincere, Kecia Andrews, Michelle Davis, Latoya Doby, Clarissa Lynette Greene, Cheryl McGaskey, Danita Douglass-Lewis, Diane Green-Jackson, Nicole Turner, Reneese Robinson, Fay Hamilton Scandrett, Nicki Williams, Jay Tisdale, Roberto Styles, Latisha Dismuke-Belmont, Leticia Williams, Shamonica Stone, Stephanie Griffin, Shalonda Collier, Wanda Denise, Tiffany Ragin, Kenyata Harris, Alexis Natasha Goodwyn, Tam Avery, Kimberly Justice, Diana Nae Nae Williams, Marcia Martin, Sharon McGlone, Nichol Renee, Louis Sheffield, Sequita McLaurin, Atiba Cliett, Varun Reese, Maria Sanchez, James Hayden, Ashley Yoder, Author Patrice Ingram, Authoress Princess Diamond, Author Midnite Love, Shante Thomas, Margie Meeks, Betty Holloway, Sandra Atueyi and Author De Michele…I appreciate each and every one of you!! Thank you so much for your friendship and support; and for taking a chance on reading my work!! Hopefully you will continue to read more novels to come!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

  To my LDP family, thanks for embracing me and welcoming me with open arms! Reds Johnson, Nikki Tee, Tranay Adams, Rasstrina Nichole Barnes, Peach Johnson, Jerry Jackson, Aryanna, Frank Gresham, Sonovia Alexander-Walker, Royal Nicole, Askari and Linnea. Best wishes to all of you!!

  Coffee, aka Shawn Walker, there are so many things I can say about you, but I will keep it to a minimum…LOL Thanks Queen for being a light and a true sistah! I appreciate you for sharing your wisdom and guidance during this transition. Your support is appreciated. Love ya and CoCo Kisses, ya heard me?!

  To Ca$h, thanks for keeping it 100 with me from the very beginning. Your knowledge and wisdom about this industry is definitely valued and appreciated. I thank you for your support and understanding. Blessings King!

  Kim Kaye, we been rocking together for a minute fam! Keep being the beautiful person that you are. Love ya Sis! XOXOXO

  Kenya Guy your friendship means the world to me Sis! Thanks for always being that ear to lean on! Wishing you the best in your future endeavors. Love ya! XOXOXO

  If I forgot to mention anyone, please charge to my head and not my heart! A huge shout out to every person who has read my work, your support is much appreciated! Be Blessed!

  Chapter One

  Year 2003, How it all began

  “Get the fuck out of this house right now!” Delaney heard her mother yell, startling her out of a deep sleep. Her heart pounded at the sound of her mother’s screams. She could only imagine what her father must have done this time to cause her mother to be up ranting and raving at this time of night.

  She climbed out of her warm bed, and crept over to the bedroom door. After listening for a few minutes, she quietly cracked the door open just enough to get a clear view of her parents’ bedroom, which was directly across from hers. At thirteen years old, this wasn’t the first time that Delaney had overheard her parents fighting. Their constant fights weighed heavily on her heart, and she longed for a normal childhood. She couldn’t remember the last time they’d all sat down to have a meal together as a family. Her mother, Ava, had put her father out of the house so many times that she’d begun to lose count. No matter how many times Ava put him out, her father had always come back home within less than two weeks’ time. Somehow he managed to sweet talk her mother with empty promises, and before long they were acting as if nothing ever happened. Although Delaney was a child, she knew that what her father was doing to her mother was wrong. She’d seen her mother walk the floors many nights waiting on him to come home. She was definitely a daddy’s girl, and she loved her father very much. But maybe if her mama didn’t drink so much, he would treat her better.

  “When are you going to stop fucking around with these hos in the streets? Huh, Cane…when? Don’t I fuck you and suck your dick just the way you like?” Ava screamed, pointing her finger in his face. The pain she felt in her heart was excruciating. Ava felt hopeless, and didn’t know what else she could possibly do to keep her husband out of other women’s beds.

  Delaney could see her mother standing with her hands propped up on her wide hips. Even with her face twisted up in anger, Ava’s beauty shone bright like the morning sun. Standing 5’4”, with jet black curly hair that hung down to the middle of her back, her mother wa
s a striking beauty. Her father was sitting on the edge of their king-sized bed, staring up at Ava as if she’d lost her mind.

  “Ava, what’s wrong now? Can a nigga hang out with his friends sometimes? Damn woman, you act as if I’m supposed to just sit up under your ass all of the time!”

  Cane Michaels was a self-proclaimed ladies’ man. Rumor had it, he had another family right there in Atlanta. He worked as a Delivery Supervisor at Dixie Coca-Cola bottling plant. Cane was the sole provider of the family. From time to time, Ava would work odd jobs here and there, but had never really worked a full time job. He made sure that Ava, or did Delaney, wanted for nothing.

  One day Delaney overheard her mother’s best friend, Macy, gossiping about how Cane was supposedly taking care of his mistress and her two children. Delaney still remembered that day just like it were yesterday, which was also the day that her mother’s drinking started to spiral out of control.

  One thing everyone around the neighborhood knew for sure, Macy was one of the biggest gossips around town. Whenever she told anyone something about their man, they could bet their last dollar that is was usually true. After that day, Delaney never looked at her father in the same way. Unconsciously, she began to distance herself from her father. The conflicting emotions of love and confusion overwhelmed her young mind. How could the man she loved and looked up to, possibly have another family? Cane would brag to Delaney that she was his only child, his one and only princess. Now she was starting to wonder if she had siblings scattered all around Atlanta. If what Macy said was true, Delaney wondered if she would one day bump into a sister or a brother that she never knew existed. The thought alone, caused her blood to boil. As far as she was concerned, she was the only child that Cane Michaels had.

  “Don’t play that innocent act with me, Cane! I know you were with Dana tonight! You think you can just take that bitch out in public and it’s not going to get back to me?” Ava questioned.

  At the mention of Dana’s name, sweat beads started to form on Cane’s forehead. There was no doubt that Cane loved his wife and daughter, but he also craved other women. He had no intention of ever leaving his family. He took good care of them. So what if he had a fling or two on the side? The relationship with Dana wasn’t supposed to happen and Cane knew that he overstepped his boundaries when he allowed himself to go there with her.

  Dana used to be one of Ava’s closest friends, along with Macy. They used to all hang tight, and went by the name three the hard way. Delaney had always addressed both Dana and Macy as Auntie. From as far back as she could remember, Auntie Dana had always been in her life. Dana’s daughter, Natasha, was more like a sister than her best friend.

  Natasha and Delaney vowed that even if their mothers never made up, that they would forever remain best friends. Since Delaney was an only child, she often felt very lonely. Between the constant fighting and all of the time she spent alone, she was grateful to have Natasha to keep her company.

  “I wasn’t out with no damn Dana tonight! I was at my homeboy, Dre’s house watching the game. You need to stop all of this drinking, I think it’s fucking with your mental state.” Cane laughed to disguise his anger. He was fed up with Macy and her big ass mouth. If she could find a man who actually wanted to fuck her ugly ass, then maybe she would stay out of other people’s business.

  This further pissed Ava off. Suddenly, she went into a rage and jumped on Cane. She was known to snap without a moment’s notice. Ava began wailing on his head with her fists like a maniac. After receiving blow after blow, Cane finally grabbed Ava’s hands, attempting to restrain her. Once he was able to get the upper hand, he pinned Ava on the bed underneath him. Her mother became even more hysterical as she cried and screamed at her wayward husband. Watching her parent’s fight brought Delaney to tears. She’d witness their fights many times. It never became any easier to see them at odds. Unfortunately, their destructive behavior was common and something she’d grown to expect.

  “Just get the fuck out of here, Cane, before I kill your ass. I can smell the bitch’s stank ass perfume all over you!” she growled, as she kicked and struggled to free herself from the strong hold he had on her.

  “Calm the fuck down, Ava, before you wake up Delaney, if you haven’t already. I done told you about putting your damn hands on me, woman. I’ve never laid a hand on you, but if you keep this shit up I will,” Cane threatened, still holding her down on the bed. He licked his full sexy lips as he felt his dick stiffen inside of his boxers. Watching Ava struggle to get out of his grasp was turning him on. Her large breasts sat high on her chest, and he could clearly see her hardened pink nipples through the flimsy nightgown she was wearing. Back in the day, he would use make-up sex to get out of trouble, but lately Ava wasn’t having it.

  “Fuck you Cane! Get your dirty dick ass up off of me and get the fuck out of my house. I’m done with you! I can’t take this shit anymore!” Ava screamed, with tears streaming down her face. She knew what he was thinking and he could cancel that thought. Especially after knowing that he’d been with Dana tonight.

  Cane briefly closed his eyes before releasing Ava’s arms from his grasp. Guilt consumed him as he gazed into Ava’s eyes. Hurt and pain registered in her pretty brown eyes and he knew that he had to get out of there.

  Delaney noticed a fleeting look of remorse flash across her daddy’s handsome face. However, it pained her even more to see her mother cry so hard.

  “I love you, Ava, always have and always will,” Cane said. Her father stood quietly staring at his wife before turning to walk out of the bedroom. Cane glanced over at Delaney’s slightly cracked bedroom door, and suddenly rushed down the stairs with only the clothes on his back. He knew that there was no way that Delaney slept through their fight, but he couldn’t force himself to look in on her for fear that she would be awake. What could he possibly say to ease her pain?

  Delaney’s heart broke when she heard the front door slam shut. She wanted to run after her daddy and plead with him to take her to. Ava plopped down on the bed crying hysterically and screaming long after her husband had walked out.

  Delaney quietly closed her bedroom door, and climbed back into bed. Tears were streaming down her face as she pulled the covers over her head. She closed her eyes and said a little prayer. Delaney begged God to please send her daddy back home like he had always done in the past. Only this time, she prayed that he would return sooner than two weeks. It was pure hell living in the house alone with mother when she went through her little episodes. Whenever she would attempt to console her mother in the past, she would always push her away.

  Every time her father would leave, she was left to fend for herself. She was lucky if her mother would even think to ask if she was hungry or not. Ava sat upstairs in her bedroom drinking day and night. Sometimes she didn’t come out for days at a time.

  The slightest thing would set her mother off into a rage. Often times just the sight of Delaney alone caused her to go off. Ava was the sweetest woman whenever she wasn’t drinking. However, when she went on her drinking binges, she was a horrible person.

  Those were the times Delaney dreaded being alone with her unpredictable mother. Whenever her mother drank, she became verbally abusive towards her. She would go off into a drunken tirade, warning Delaney about the consequences of loving a man. Ava would often say that no man could be trusted, ever. She also stressed that all men cheat, and warned Delaney to keep one and a spare at all times. At the time Delaney didn’t understand what her mother meant, but she would soon come to find out.

  ***

  “Deeelllaaanneeeyy!”

  Delaney suddenly sat up in her bed at the sound of her mother’s voice. She rolled her eyes, immediately jumped up out of bed and rushed into her parent’s bedroom. Saturday was her day to sleep in as long as she wanted. She was irritated at being woken up out of her sleep to the sound of her mother yelling her name.

  “Yes, Mama?”

  “Take your ass downstairs and get me a gl
ass of ice, and hurry up!” her mother yelled.

  Delaney glanced over at the digital clock on her mother’s cherry nightstand, and it read 8:30 a.m. If she wanted a glass of ice, it could only mean that she was about to start her drinking ritual. A feeling of sadness washed over Delaney, because she knew that she was in for a long day.

  “Girl, what the fuck are you still standing here for? Go get my damn glass of ice. Now!”

  Delaney jumped at the sound of her mother’s booming voice. She bowed her head, turning around to leave to do as her mother demanded.

  “Standing there looking just like yo no good ass daddy! I wish he would’ve taken your black ass with him when he left!” Delaney could hear her mother talking to herself, as she walked out of the room.

  Although she should’ve been used to the way her mother behaved when she was in these moods, Ava’s words still cut her like a knife. Delaney squeezed her eyes tight in order to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall. She then grabbed a glass out of the cabinet and began to fill it with ice from the freezer. I try so hard to be good. Why is nothing I ever do good enough for her? she thought sadly.

  When she walked back into her mother’s bedroom, Delaney spotted the huge bottle of Vodka sitting on the nightstand. She slowly walked over and handed her mother the glass of ice.

  Ava reached up and angrily snatched the glass out of her hand. “Now, get yo black ass out of here and don’t come back in here fucking with me no more today.”

  Delaney fought back the urge to roll her eyes at her mother. She feared that if Ava caught her, that she just might haul off and knock her eyes into the back of her head. So far, her mother had only been verbally abusive towards her. However, lately Ava had become more unstable with each passing day, so she didn’t put anything past her mother at this point.