by Nia Arthurs
“I’m black, Trenton.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t get sun-burned.”
“I guess that’s true.” She smiled and, immediately, the tightness in his chest loosened. His wife was drop-dead gorgeous, but beyond her amazing body and attractive face, she had a fresh, genuine spirit that livened everything she touched.
“I mean it, Bree. Wait in the lobby at least.”
“I can’t. If Cady sees me anywhere on her father’s property, she’ll call me back and force me to work on something. I can’t even go to the bathroom anymore.”
Trenton merged into traffic. “I still think you should quit.”
“Here we go again.”
He smirked down at her. “Okay, okay. I’ll respect your decision.”
Breana pinched his cheek. “Thank you.”
Glad that she’d initiated physical contact, he used the opportunity to merge their hands together. She quietly accepted the touch and remained focused on the passing scenery.
“Wait,” Breana said after a while, “where are we going? The restaurant was that way.”
“It’s a surprise,” Trenton said smugly. An idea had popped into his head thanks to his conversation with Denzel. Looked like the man was good for something.
A few minutes later, Trenton parked in front of a jewelry store and helped Breana out of the car. She followed him with eyebrows drawn and mouth screwed in confusion. He simply smiled and led her inside.
A peppy woman dressed in a green shirt and khaki’s greeted them. “Mr. Lorde?”
“Hello,” he said, keeping his grip on Breana’s hand. “I called a few minutes ago.”
“Right.”
“This is my wife, Breana.”
“Hello!” The woman offered her hand to shake. Breana gripped it lightly and shot him a quizzical stare. “I’m Trina, and I just want to say congratulations to you both. You’re a beautiful couple.”
“Thank you.”
“Why don’t you come over here, Mrs. Lorde—?”
“It’s not—” she paused and seemed to reconsider her response. “It’s just Breana.”
“I’m sorry, Breana.” Trina’s smile drooped. “Well, yes… we have some beautiful, one-of-a-kind selections.”
Trenton nearly trembled with excitement as Breana followed the saleswoman to the counter where sparkling diamonds set in solid silver, gold, and sterling wedding bands waited for her perusal.
“Trenton,” Breana whispered as Trina set a few more rings on the glass, “what are we doing here?”
“Can’t you tell?” He threw his arms wide. “We’re getting our rings.”
Breana gave the price tags a side-eye. “I don’t need a ring.”
“I need one,” Trenton said, sensing that she was about to put up a fight about money. “I have to let the women know that I’m taken.”
“That’s not funny.”
“It was worth a try.”
Breana forced a smile. “I’m not spending this much on a ring.”
“You won’t. I will.”
“Do you two need a minute?” Trina asked.
“No, we’re done here,” Breana said.
“Yes, just give me a second,” Trenton said. He held her arm to keep her from leaving the store. “We agreed to give our all to this marriage.”
“Haley said she may have found a way to get us legally separated after six months, remember? The envelope is in the car. Why should we invest in something that may not even last?”
Trenton pulled at his hair. “If you go in thinking like that, then we definitely won’t last.”
“Are you getting annoyed with me?” Breana leaned back. “Because it sounds like you’re getting annoyed with me.”
“I just don’t understand why you’re choosing now to be difficult. You wear that ugly necklace for years, but reject my diamond ring?”
Breana’s eyes narrowed, and Trenton knew he’d spoken out of turn before she even opened her mouth to lambast him. “What did you just say to me?”
“Breana—”
“I wear this ‘ugly’ necklace because it is my right to wear this ugly necklace. It is also within my rights to reject your diamond ring.”
“I didn’t mean that, Bree.”
“Trenton, I’ve been working hard all morning. I’m starving, and I’m in no mood to fight with you. Stay with your rings. I’ll see you later.”
“Wait. Breana! Breana!”
She ignored his calls and stormed out of the jewelry store, the bell tinkling in her wake. Trenton bent over and covered his face with his hands.
Trina whistled. “That was bad.”
“Excellent observation.”
She glanced at the rings on the counter. “I’m guessing you won’t need these anymore?”
Trenton sank into a puddle of misery as Trina carefully returned the rings to their display cases. Both customer and saleswoman punctuated each breath with a disappointed sigh.
Chapter 5
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Later that night, Breana angrily crunched on sliced mangoes and sat before the television in her rattiest blouse and sweatpants. The heat in her chest from her fight with Trenton hadn’t cooled since that afternoon and she had no idea when it would.
The sound of the door creaking open screeched over the program on TV, and Breana glared grumpily at her mom who slipped inside and waved at her.
“Hey, Bree-Bree. What are you doing home? Aren’t you supposed to be with Trenton getting ready for his business meeting tomorrow?”
“Trenton and I aren’t seeing eye to eye right now so I figured it’d be better if I stayed home.”
“You fought again?” Merna plopped into the sofa. “You two argue every time the sun rises.”
“He’s just so annoying,” Breana said. “Now he has a problem with my necklace.”
“I do too. It looks like you picked it out of a trashcan.”
“It was solid gold when Denzel gave me four years ago.”
“And it’s solid crap now.”
“Mom…” Breana groaned.
“Look, if my husband—if I ever had one—kept wearing a gift from his ex-girlfriend, I wouldn’t be okay with it either.”
“I don’t wear it because I still have feelings for Denzel,” Breana defended.
“Then why do you wear it?”
“I don’t know.” She ate another piece of mango. “Habit?”
“Why are you making things difficult? If Trenton asked you to get rid of the necklace, throw it into the sea and promise you’ll never look back.”
“I feel like he’s trying to take over my life. He wants to rush moving in together. He wants to buy me a fancy ring and clothes—”
“What a horrible man. How dare he offer to buy you an expensive ring? And clothes? The animal!”
Breana giggled in spite of herself. “Mom, I’m serious.”
“I’ll take the blame for this one,” Merna said. “I’m learning in my counseling sessions that the hurts we bury deep down inside grow trees of mistrust and unhappiness.”
“I see Ms. Jen is getting through to you.”
“If you’re spending so much on sending me away to rehab, I might as well try to make it stick this time.”
“I appreciate it, Mom.”
Merna grunted. “If I leave, I’m going to ask Trenton to take care of you. How am I supposed to feel any peace about that if you keep fighting him?”
“I can take care of myself.”
“And the fact that you rely so much on yourself is my fault.”
“Anything else you want to diagnose, Doctor Phil?”
“Yes,” Merna leaned closer and grasped her daughter’s chin, “if wanting to pull Trenton closer scares you, let him know. Don’t push him away or he’ll misunderstand and think that you don’t care about him at all.”
“Care about—” Breana sputtered. “It’s not like that.”
“Keep telling yourself that, kiddo.” Merna slapped her daughter�
��s thigh and stood. “Ugh, spilling my guts to Ms. Jen always puts me in the mood for a stiff drink.”
“If by ‘stiff drink’ you mean ‘soda’, then you’re in luck. I restocked the fridge.”
“How kind of you.”
Breana smiled and resettled into the sofa, thinking about Trenton. Becoming the wife of someone with his background and bank account didn’t feel real. It wasn’t real, and no matter how much he wanted her to ‘give her all’, Breana would always hold herself back.
She had to.
Trenton Lorde was too good to be true, and in her lifetime of experience, anything that looked too good… wasn’t.
Breana wasn’t the type of girl that could fall in love half-heartedly. She did so with gusto, with the kind of stupid, blind, hold-a-grenade-for-you devotion that wrecked lives, so it was much easier to cut out the love and keep the loyalty.
At least then, she could keep her common sense.
And really, what was the big deal? If Trenton needed her loyalty, he could have it all. She would give him in spades. Every argument would be overcome. Every difference ironed out. She was strong enough to handle that.
But love?
Love was dangerous. Love was explosive. Love, for her, was dead. Denzel saw to that. She ran her fingers along the warm links that made up the chain around her neck.
Then why did she keep on wearing this thing?
It was a good question, and one Breana didn’t have the courage to answer. Instead, she curled up in a ball and watched the mind-numbing sitcoms on television until her mother urged her to bed.
₪₪₪₪₪₪
The next day, Breana dragged herself to work only to receive the most blessed news.
“Cady’s not feeling well so she’ll be off for two weeks,” Melissa said, nearly hopping on the desk in her excitement. “Should we crack open a bottle of champagne?”
Breana’s head bounced and she raised her arms in the air, only to slowly withdraw them as the words, and what they meant for her boss, fully hit her. “Wait… is Cady okay? Is she sick or something?”
“Probably love sick,” Melissa guessed. “I didn’t hear anything about her health, but I’ll keep an eye open for new information if you’re so concerned.”
“I am,” Breana said. “Just because we don’t see eye to eye doesn’t mean I want her in pain or anything.”
“You’re weird,” Melissa said, patting her friend’s shoulder. “It’s probably why we’re friends.”
Breana grinned and, courtesy of her absentee boss, returned to her fair and totally manageable workload. Whatever Cady’s reason for disappearing, she was glad to have a break. The woman had put her through the ringer for weeks.
The clacking of fingers against computer keys and the silent smacking of bangles on the desktops were the only sounds that broke the stillness of the morning. The office hummed happily along until the clock struck noon.
“So,” Melissa scooted her chair over to Breana’s, “you eating out with hubby again?”
“Nope. I’m all yours.”
Melissa frowned. “I’m still mad that you went and had a wedding without me. I was looking forward to being a maid-of-honor and meeting all of Trenton’s sexy friends—”
“Oh,” Breana laughed, “that’s why you wanted to be in the wedding, huh?”
“Well, I wanted to support you too,” Melissa said. “But you know I’m all about those rich, handsome C.E.O.s, baby!”
“I really haven’t met any of Trenton’s friends, but I doubt they all own companies.”
“You haven’t met his friends?” Melissa gasped. “What are you doing?”
“We’ve been… busy.”
“You should totally have a housewarming and invite your friends to celebrate together. I mean, it’s the least you could do.”
“Why do I feel like that idea’s more for your sake than mine?”
“What tipped you off?” Melissa winked.
“Breana?” A voice called. She looked up and found the receptionist standing in the doorway. “Someone is here to see you.”
“Is it her husband?” Melissa asked, straightening to her feet and craning her neck. “Did he bring any friends?”
“It’s not Mr. Lorde. He said his name was Denzel Ramirez?”
Breana stiffened. “Tell him I’m not here.”
“Too late,” a deep voice rumbled, “I can see you.”
The office of women gasped collectively as Denzel walked into the room. He wore a fitted white shirt and grey slacks that tapered down to perfectly buffed, brown shoes.
“Can I have him?” Melissa breathed.
Breana swatted her away and stood. “Denzel, what are you doing here?”
“I was waiting for you to call me,” he said, flashing his pearly whites, “but you took too long, so I figured I’d come find you instead”
“She’s married!” Melissa blurted and leaned seductively against the desk. “I, on the other hand, am single.”
Denzel chuckled and the women collectively swooned. To prevent anyone from losing their minds beneath the sweltering effect of his charm, Breana stood and grabbed Denzel’s arm.
“Let’s talk somewhere… quieter.”
“Or you could talk right here,” Melissa said, gazing at Denzel. Breana cleared her throat and her friend straightened. “I mean, go. Go away.”
Breana led Denzel down the hallway, stunned that he’d simply showed up at her work. He followed along, allowing her to lead the way until they stopped in an empty hallway.
She glanced around, noting wryly that it was the very hallway where Trenton had proposed their ‘fake’ engagement. Thankfully, Breana could only get fake married once.
“How do you feel about seeing me here?” Denzel asked when Breana failed to say anything.
She shrugged. Maybe when the shock wore off, she could decide if she was happy to be sought by him or angry that he dared to show his face after the way they’d ended things four years ago.
“Look…” Denzel stepped closer to her and the scent of his cologne filled her senses, drawing her back to the their most intimate moments. “I don’t want to mess up your day. Why don’t I come back when work is over and we can catch up?”
“Denzel, I have something with Trenton today—”
He pressed his finger against her lips and sent her a confident gaze. “I’ll be waiting.”
Chapter 6
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Trenton checked his watch and called Breana again. The line rang, but went to voicemail. Was she still angry about yesterday? Should he have pursued her and begged for her forgiveness earlier?
“Come on. Pick up,” he grumbled.
“The caller is not available…”
Trenton groaned and slipped the phone back into his pocket. She’d promised that she would be there. He had to trust that she would keep her word.
Struggling to push his worry away, he glanced around and fixed a napkin next to his rented china plates. Trenton had hired a caterer for this event and was more than satisfied with his work.
The dinner table was stuffed with savory bowls of rice and beans, steaming stewed chicken, creamy coleslaw, and fried plantains. The scent tempted him to sneak a few bites, but his stomach, tied into knots, warned him away from any such activities.
He considered calling Breana again when he heard a knock on the door. It looked like he’d be doing this mission solo.
Squaring his shoulders, Trenton walked confidently to the door and admitted Howard Ellis and his wife.
“Good evening, Mr. Lorde,” Howard said gruffly. He was a short man with tan skin and a clean-shaven face. Wrinkles spanned the breadth of his large brown eyes and curved around his frowning mouth.
“Call me, Trenton,” he said, offering his hand to shake. “And you must be the beautiful Mrs. Ellis.”
“Oh,” the older woman in a cottony, red dress giggled, “thank you for saying that, dear.”
“Why don’t you both com
e in?” Trenton grasped his hands together. “My wife isn’t here right now—”
“Really?” Though Trenton hadn’t thought it physically possible, Howard’s frown became more severe. “My wife was looking forward to meeting her.”
“Well…”
“With our wives here, I thought you were at least pretending that this was a social visit, but I guess you’re not even trying to hide your own agenda.”
“Howard!” Mrs. Ellis scolded.
Trenton’s confidence in the evening fizzled out like a slowly deflating balloon. “Mr. Ellis, I—”
“Forget it. It was a mistake to come here. I only considered it because my wife loves these things. Come on, honey. Let’s go.”
Watching Howard Ellis walk toward the door and grab the doorknob was like watching his family’s empire crumble before his eyes. Refusing to stand still while the dust settled, Trenton lunged forward.
“Wait!” he yelled.
Howard threw the door open and prepared to storm out when he froze at the last moment. Grateful that he’d hesitated, Trenton ran to his side. He opened his mouth to plead for them to stay when he noticed the woman standing on the doormat.
“Sorry I’m late,” Breana said. “The bakery got my order wrong, and they had to throw some things together and…” she hesitated when she saw everyone’s faces. “Is something going on?”
“Honey!” Trenton sighed with relief. “You’re here!”
“This is your wife?” Mrs. Ellis asked, pushing her way to the front so that she stood directly in front of Breana.
“Hey!” Breana pointed a finger. “Jovanah!”
“Do you know each other?” Howard asked.
“We met on the bus yesterday,” Jovanah said, grabbing Breana’s free arm and smiling affectionately at her. “She was the kind girl who gave up her seat so that I could sit.”
“Is that true?” Mr. Ellis asked Trenton as if the serendipitous meeting of their wives had been a convoluted plot.
He shrugged, just as amazed as Howard. “It appears so.”
“I had no idea you were Trenton Lorde’s wife,” Jovanah said, her eyes dipping to Breana’s bare finger.
Sensing a conversation shift would be prudent, Trenton clapped his hands and walked to Breana’s side. “Here, let me take that.”
