Acasia
Acasia really needed to use the restroom and though there were two and a half baths in the house, only one was functional. The shower was running, but she figured that it was Garett since she had seen Gavin downstairs a few minutes before, so she opened the bathroom door without thinking. And discovered that it was not her fiancé in the shower, but Gavin.
Gavin looked at her over the shower curtain. “Do you need to use the bathroom Cas? I’m almost through.”
Her face bright red, she backed towards the door. “I’m sorry Gavin. I thought it was Garett in the shower. I do need to use the bathroom, but I can wait. I’m so sorry.”
She opened the door, and exited the room, closing the door behind her. Her face still felt like it was on fire. But she realized that it had felt more like walking in on her brother in the shower than anything, and she knew that whatever romantic feelings she had ever had for Gavin were truly gone.
She headed down the stairs and almost collided with Garett. He gave her an amused smile. “You almost look like you’re running away from something babe.”
“I just walked in on Gavin in the shower. I thought it was you. When are the other bathrooms going to be finished?”
“I’m sorry baby. We’ve been working on the downstairs bathroom, and it’s mostly finished, but I think we’re going to have to replace the toilet. I’ll make sure that I get to it as soon as possible.”
“Okay. Have you heard anything from Jay?”
“Not lately. I think he and Nikki have started avoiding calls from everyone in the family. I can’t blame them though. I’m sure that between our mothers they’ve probably gotten about a thousand phone calls.”
“Yeah. I think I’m going to go visit Demi.”
“Okay. Do you want me to come with you?”
“No.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I see.”
She shook her head at him. “Sometimes you are a very silly man Garett Black. I love you. I’ll be back in a little while.”
“I was teasing Cas.”
“I know.”
“I love you too and I will see you when you get home.”
She returned his embrace and his kiss, and then grabbed her purse and headed out the door.
She was practically doing the childhood “I have to pee” dance by the time her sister opened the door. Demi gave her an amused smile.
“Did you neglect to use the bathroom before you left the house sis?”
“Funny. I walked in on your boyfriend in the shower.”
Demi said nothing and she made her way to her sister’s downstairs bathroom to relieve her bladder.
Demi was sitting on the couch when she came out of the bathroom and Acasia curled up next to her sister and gave her a hug.
“How are you Demi? I mean really.”
“I’m fine Cas. I promise you.”
“So Gavin proposed huh?”
Demi sighed. “Yeah.”
“And you told him no?”
“Of course I told him no. How could I say yes? It’s not as if anyone would really have wanted me to say yes anyway. Even if Gavin is back home and working for his dad again, people’s opinions don’t really seemed to have changed of him very much.”
“I’m sorry sis. I’m not trying to be judgmental.”
Demi laughed. “Honey, think of who you’re talking to.”
“Hey. That wasn’t nice.”
“If the shoe fits. . . I’m kidding Acasia. I know that you’re trying. I know that it has to be driving you crazy that Nikki won’t talk to anyone.”
“It is. I just want to help her with whatever it is that’s going on.”
“If she wants our help, she’ll ask for it.”
“Yeah. How did you feel when Gavin proposed?”
“Mixed feelings. A part of me was thrilled. It was like a dream come true. I know that you don’t want to hear that, but I can’t stop the way I feel for him. I just can’t put my child in the middle of something that I’m not sure of.”
“You’re going to make an amazing mother Dem.”
“Thank you. And so are you. You already have plenty of practice from being such a good big sister.”
“Thanks Dem. I love you.”
“I love you too. How’s the house coming?”
“Pretty good. But there’s still a lot to do. At least the nursery is done. We really need another working bathroom though, especially with three people in the house.”
“And one of them pregnant. How are the wedding plans?”
“Pretty good. There’s still a lot to do.”
Demi nodded. “I’m sure there is. How’s the baby?”
“Good. Seems to be getting bigger every day. I have to pee all the time already.”
Demi laughed. “Get used to it sis. It gets even better.”
“Right. How’s your baby?”
“She’s good.”
“You’re having a little girl?”
“Yeah. I guess I forgot to tell you last time we talked.”
“It’s okay. Everyone has a lot on their minds lately.”
“True.”
“Do you think that you and Gavin will. . .”
“I don’t know. I honestly don’t.”
“Well, you should do whatever feels right for you, no matter what anyone else thinks. People will get over it.”
Demi laughed. “Do those people include you sis?”
“I’m trying. Gavin seems to be doing really well. He’s been a big help to Garett.”
“I’m sure he has.” Demi yawned.
“I suppose I should let you get some sleep.”
“I’ll probably be up for a while. Mom gave me more baby clothes. I have a dresser full and a closet full already, plus half of the closet in my room has kids’ clothes in it, so I’m going to have to find somewhere to put the newest batch.”
“Yeah, she’s given me a bunch of stuff too. I guess we shouldn’t complain though.”
“I think I’m going to end up donating some of it. If you end up with stuff you don’t need let me know and we’ll take it to that place downtown that helps out families.”
“Sure.”
They talked for another few minutes, and then they both started to yawn so Acasia decided it was time to go home. They said their goodbyes and then she headed home. She felt better after talking to Demi. Whatever choice her sister made where Gavin was concerned was going to be the choice that was right for her, and in the end, that was what mattered.
Garett
He and Gavin made the bathrooms their new priority, and both were up and running within a few days. The house was coming together slowly but surely, and Garett was damned proud of not only himself, but of his brother. He had a feeling that it wouldn’t be too long before their father gave Gavin a portion of the company as well. His father and his brother seemed to be getting along better than they had in a long time, and his mother was thrilled to have her wayward son back in Clinton.
All in all things seemed to be going well. Acasia and Gavin had even seemed to have gotten over their initial reservations of living in the same house. He could see that his fiancé had gained a certain respect for his brother, even if it was still a little grudging, and he knew that she was trying very hard not to interfere in Gavin and Demi’s would be relationship.
He still hadn’t heard anything from Jay, but he knew that it was time for all of them to stop worrying about Jay and Nikki so much, because it wasn’t doing any of them any good. It was hard to convince his mother of that though, and he knew that even though the rumors had slowed down about Jay and Nikki that it still bothered his mother to hear what she considered to be trash talked about her son and daughter-in-law.
He was thinking of trying to talk Gavin into taking a trip up to see Jay, hopefully to avoid their mothers doing it, but with all the work that needed to be done, such a trip was still hard to plan, and he told himself that his brother could handle his own life and his own problems.
Acasia
She was in the kitchen doing the dishes when her phone rang. She grabbed the phone from where it was connected to the charger in the plug above the microwave, and glanced at the caller ID, seeing “Nakeisha Black”.
“Hey sis. I forgot to save your home phone in my contacts. Why does it come up on caller ID as Nakeisha Black and not Jayden and Nakeisha Black? I always thought that’s what it said before.”
“I’ll explain later sis, I promise. Is Garett around?”
“Um, he’s not actually. What’s going on Nikki? You’re getting me worried. And we both know that a worried pregnant woman isn’t a good thing.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t explain now Cas. Just trust me. You trust me don’t you?”
“Of course I do. Garett went to the store to get ice cream. I told him he didn’t have to go, but he insisted. He should be back any minute. I can have him call you.”
Her sister stayed silent so long that she was afraid she had lost her. “Nikki. Nikki are you there? Please tell me what’s going on.”
“I’m in trouble Cas. I’ll explain as soon as I can okay? Have Garett call me. As soon as possible. I’m gonna let you go now sis. I love you.”
“I love you too Nikki.” She could tell that her sister had started to hang up the phone, but she hated to let her go like this, especially when Nikki needed help. “Nikki wait. Gavin is here. Do you want to talk to him?”
“Uh. Yes. Thank you.”
She crossed the living room to where Gavin was working on a corner of the wall. “Nikki’s on the phone. She says she’s in trouble. She won’t tell me what’s going on, says she can’t explain right now.”
“Um, okay. And she wants to talk to me?”
“She called to talk to Garett but I figured that maybe you might be able to help her.”
Gavin winked. “Thanks for the vote of confidence Cas.”
“I’m serious Gavin.”
“I know you’re serious, and I would be more than happy to help Nikki with whatever she needs. I wonder where Jay is.”
Acasia shrugged, impatient to get the phone into Gavin’s hand so that they might finally be able to find out what was going on with Nikki and Jay.
Gavin took the phone from her and spent several minutes talking with Nikki. She tried not to eavesdrop, but she was worried about her sister and it was hard not to. She couldn’t catch enough of what Gavin was saying to know what their conversation was about, and she was a little frustrated when he ended the call and handed the phone back, telling her that he needed to leave right away to help Nikki, and that he was sure everything would be explained to her later.
She sat down in the armchair and waited for Garett to get home, more worried than ever about her sister.
Garett
When Garett arrived home from the grocery store, Gavin’s truck was gone. It wouldn’t have bothered him or even made him think twice normally, but he had almost sworn that he had seen his brother’s truck headed out of town at a speed that looked to be quite a ways past the speed limit when he’d been on his way home from the grocery store, and he was a little concerned.
He found Acasia curled up in the armchair when he went in the house, and she looked upset. She was looking at the cell phone in her hand as if willing it to ring. When the phone still didn’t comply, she looked up and gave him a tired smile.
“What’s wrong baby?”
“Something is going on with Nikki. She just called me wanting to talk to you. Since you weren’t here, she ended up talking to Gavin. He took off as soon as he got off of the phone with her. I’m worried babe.”
“She didn’t tell you what’s going on?”
“No, she said that she didn’t have time to explain. This is driving me crazy. What if someone’s trying to hurt her? And where the hell is Jay?”
“My brother has never been one to shy away from his responsibilities. I find it hard to believe that if someone means his wife harm that he wouldn’t be the first one there to prevent it.”
“Do you think they’re separated? Demi mentioned something about calling their house phone and Jay being the only one that has ever answered it lately.”
“I don’t know babe. I guess we’re just going to have to be patient and wait until Nikki calls again. I think I do have a way to distract you though.”
“You do huh?”
He pulled the tub of ice cream he had purchased at the store out of the bag. Acasia laughed and shook her head at him. They took their treat to the kitchen, and after they had finished, they retired to the bedroom. Since her phone still hadn’t rang, he decided to further distract his beautiful fiancé by making love, and it seemed to work, though as soon as they had finished, her eyes went right back to her phone, and he knew that she wouldn’t really stop worrying until she had talked to her sister.
Acasia
It was a little after ten p.m. when her phone rang again, and she snatched it up on the first ring, feeling a little guilty that she was so relieved that Garett was in the shower, but glad to be able to talk to her sister semi privately all the same.
“Nikki, are you okay?”
“I’m fine Cas. Gavin took care of my problem, or at least I hope he did.”
“What’s going on Nikki? What happened between you and Jay? Something has been going on for a while hasn’t it? Sis, why didn’t you tell anyone? I can understand why you wouldn’t want to tell Mom, but why not talk to me? I thought that you knew that you could talk to me about anything.”
“Like Demi can about her feelings for Gavin?” Nikki sighed. “I’m sorry Cas. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s been a really long day.”
“So you think that Demi and Gavin should get together too? Garett certainly seems to think so.”
“She’s a grown woman. We have to let her live her own life. And she certainly doesn’t need us criticizing her life and her decisions. She already gets plenty of that from Mom. And we’ve both done a good job at one time or another of screwing our own lives up anyway. So who are we to tell Demi what to do?”
“I worry about her.”
“Of course you do. You’re her big sister. Look Cas, I worry about Demi sometimes too. She always seemed so young, and naïve, almost delicate. But she’s proven how strong she can be. She’s going to be fine, even if she does get together with Gavin. He loves her, and he’s doing his best to prove that he’s a changed man.”
“I see the changes in him but. . .”
“Don’t worry about the buts. Gavin isn’t your concern other than the fact that he’s your future brother-in-law. How’s the wedding planning coming along?”
“Mostly good. Garett is trying to convince me to have the wedding in our backyard. He wants to build a gazebo and all kinds of other stuff. Nikki, is it weird that he seems more excited about planning the wedding than I am?”
Nikki laughed. “I think that Garett just likes to build things, and maybe he thinks it will make your wedding even more special. I honestly didn’t much enjoy planning my wedding either Cas. We would have eloped if we would have thought our parents would have forgiven us. Mom and Alisa are the ones that really planned my wedding. I just picked out my dress. I’m surprised they haven’t tried to butt in and take over yours.”
“They have, but Garett is so damned excited that they’re not making much progress. He’s amazing Nikki.”
“Yeah, we always knew that. The Black boys have always
all been pretty damned amazing in their own ways, even Gavin.”
“Yes, even Gavin. I suppose it’s time for me to forgive him huh? Especially since he came to your rescue without a second thought.”
“Demi will eventually forgive him, and she’s the one he ran away from, so you might as well forgive him too. I wish he hadn’t had to protect me. Oh Acasia, I am such a screw-up.”
“Nikki, the last thing you are is a screw-up. You have a beautiful daughter, and even if you and Jay do split up, which is hard to imagine, you had thirteen good years together. That’s more than a lot of people can say these days.”
“We’ve been separated for months Cas. I had an affair, and I called Gavin, or tried to call Garett as you know, because the man I cheated with won’t leave me alone. I couldn’t call Jay. I couldn’t even tell him that Cole was pretty much stalking me. Why should I expect him to protect me when I ruined our marriage?”
“Oh Nikki, I wish you would have told me sooner. I can hear in your voice that you’re hurting. I wish you were here so that I could give you a hug. I love you sis. No matter what.”
“I love you too Cas. I’m glad things are going well between you and Garett.”
“Me too. Do you really think that you and Jay will get divorced?”
“I don’t know. I meant every word of my marriage vows when I said them. I planned on being with Jay until death do us part, and not just ‘til divorce do us part. But I messed up. I was selfish. And what’s worse Acasia, is that I don’t even understand why I did what I did myself. Maybe it was some sort of self-sabotage. It’s not easy to live up to everyone’s idea of the perfect couple that everyone has always thought of Jay and I as being.”
“You’re human Nikki, and you make mistakes. I always envied the relationship that you and Jay had. You fit so well together, and you were friends first; best friends. But I suppose it’s never easy to live up to the unrealistic expectations of others. I think there are points in all of our lives when we practice self-sabotage, whether it’s because we’re afraid of something, or whether it’s because we’re tired of living someone else’s dreams instead of our own. I still don’t know what I want to do with my life, and even if my relationship feels damned near perfect, I know that since we’re staying in Clinton, that we’re going to be scrutinized by our Mom and Garett’s parents, especially when it comes to the way we choose to raise our child. That is certainly not something that I’m looking forward to. Sometimes I wish my man wasn’t such a hometown guy.”
Key To My Heart: Stay Page 9
