The Replacement Wife

by Tiffany L. Warren

  “He must be. Why else would he be sitting at the organ?”

  “Well, what do you think about that?”

  Montana bit her bottom lip and gazed over at Quentin. He looked right at home at the organ. He caught her looking and gave her a smile. She looked away.

  Brother Odom finished talking to the musicians and stepped up to his podium. “Praise the Lord this evening. I want y’all to give a hearty handclap of praise for our very own prodigal son, Quentin Chambers. He’s joining the music ministry again. I think we’ll test him out on the organ. What y’all think?”

  Everyone who had been in the choir for many years laughed and clapped. They obviously knew how good he was. He’d led them all before Brother Odom was ever a member of Freedom of Life.

  Brother Odom worked the choir hard that night. He took them through several songs that they already knew and started teaching another one. He directed the choir like he had something to prove. But Montana was sure Quentin wasn’t there to steal Brother Odom’s job.

  After rehearsal was over, Montana tried to leave quickly. She didn’t want to talk to Quentin in public. Not after Chloe’s court filing. By now everyone had heard her accusations of treachery. Emoni said that no one believed it, but she wasn’t sure.

  Montana heard Quentin’s voice as she tried to rush out of the sanctuary. “Montana! Wait up!”

  Montana took a few more steps and decided to stop and wait for him. “Yes, how can I help you?”

  “Are you okay with me being back on the music staff?” Quentin asked.

  “Of course I want to see you back in church, Quentin. You belong here. I’m glad you’re here,” Montana replied.

  “Then why are you running away without speaking?”

  Montana said, “Because I see you every day. I already spoke to you today.”

  “Well, I’d like to speak to you again. Hi, Montana. I hope you’re having a wonderful evening.”

  “I am. I will see you later.”

  Emoni walked up to Montana and Quentin. “Hey, do y’all want to go out to Houlihan’s with us?”

  “Sure!” Quentin said.

  Montana shook her head. “I’ve got some things to handle back at home. Next time, okay?”

  “Stop lying in the sanctuary,” Emoni said. “You have nothing to do.”

  Montana’s eyes widened. She couldn’t wait to get Emoni back for betraying her. Obviously, she didn’t want to go anywhere public with Quentin.

  “Yeah, come on, Montana. My treat,” Quentin said.

  “Oh, all right,” Montana said.

  Emoni said, “Yay! Meet y’all there.”

  When Emoni was out of earshot, Montana said, “Quentin, you can’t do this. You can’t infiltrate my friend circle.”

  “They’re my friends too.”

  “You barely know Emoni.”

  “I’ve known Emoni her entire life. In fact, you are infringing on my friend circle. I’m getting reconnected.”

  Quentin headed out of the sanctuary, but Montana stood still. He turned around and asked, “Are you coming?”

  “You’re not going to let me get away, are you?” Montana asked.

  Quentin shook his head. “Not at all. Let’s go. I’m hungry.”

  Montana followed Quentin out of the sanctuary. She watched him talk with Darrin and Trent before getting in his car.

  When she’d seen Quentin sitting at the organ, Montana’s heart had fluttered, but she was cautious. As much as she wanted to let herself fall in love with Quentin completely, playing the organ didn’t mean he was right with God or healed.

  Montana had to be sure. Then she realized that she had absolutely no idea how she’d be certain of Quentin’s change. She’d have to trust him, and God.

  Montana didn’t have a problem trusting God; it was Quentin she wasn’t so sure about.

  CHAPTER 48

  Montana wanted to strangle Emoni. They weren’t having their usual post-choir-practice dinner outing. It was just Emoni, Darrin, Quentin, and herself. They were on a double date. She and Quentin hadn’t even had a regular date yet, but they were going on a double.

  Montana was glad she’d driven herself to the restaurant. It had given her time to think about what was going on without being in close proximity to Quentin. It was hard to think clearly with Quentin and all his pheromones wreaking havoc with her senses.

  When she got to the restaurant, Emoni, Darrin, and Quentin were already waiting for their table.

  “What took you so long?” Quentin asked. “Which way did you come?”

  “I follow all traffic laws. That’s why it took me the proper amount of time to get here,” Montana said.

  Emoni laughed. “Translation: Montana drives like a grandmother.”

  “You should’ve let me drive you,” Quentin said. “Part of it is her car too. It’s like a dinosaur.”

  Darrin said, “Depending on what dinosaur we’re talking about, that could be a good thing. Have you ever seen a pterodactyl swoop through the air?”

  “When have you seen a pterodactyl?” Emoni asked. “And please don’t tell me you saw it on Jurassic Park.”

  Darrin shrugged. “Well, yeah. That’s where I saw it, but they did a lot of research prior to filming that movie. It’s pretty accurate based on the fossilized remains of dinosaurs. Don’t hate.”

  Montana covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. She wondered how a conversation about the state of her car had turned into a debate session for Darrin and Emoni. They seemed to enjoy sparring as much as they enjoyed talking sweet to one another and holding hands.

  The hostess showed them to the table, and a waitress was right there to take their drink orders. They’d chosen a booth, and Emoni and Darrin decided to sit on the same side. So that left Montana uncomfortably close to Quentin. She felt her mind go foggy.

  “So I’m just going to come out and ask,” Darrin said. “What are your intentions with our sister?”

  Quentin chuckled. “Dang, bro. You could’ve given me a warning that you were about to ask me that.”

  Now Montana wanted to strangle Darrin and Emoni. First they set her up on a double date, and then they commence to interrogating Quentin. That was a complete and utter violation of some unwritten friend rule.

  “It’s an easy question,” Emoni said. “Or it should be.”

  “Well, you all should be asking Montana what her intentions are. I’ve made it clear that I plan to pursue a relationship with her. I just had to get some things right first.”

  “And is everything right?” Emoni asked.

  “Emoni!” Montana fussed.

  Emoni shrugged. “I’m trying to help you out. You should be thanking me.”

  Quentin touched Montana’s arm. “Things are right, Montana. I promise.”

  Montana nodded and quietly ate a piece of bread from the basket on the table. She believed that things were right with him, but she wondered what people would think about them having a relationship so soon after he broke up with Chloe.

  “Maybe we should just keep this on the low, until the Chloe stuff dies down,” Montana said.

  “Why?” Emoni asked. “Everybody understands that things don’t work out sometimes. Most people are wondering why it even took so long for them to split up.”

  Darrin nodded. “And rich men getting sued by women is nothing new. Nobody cares about what Chloe did.”

  Darrin gave Quentin a fist bump across the table to emphasize his point.

  Montana turned to look at Quentin, and he was grinning at her. He was enjoying this night out with her friends.

  “I just want everyone to stop bringing my ex-girlfriend up in conversation. She wasn’t a fiancée, she was a girlfriend. I’ve moved on.”

  Montana was convinced that Quentin had moved on, because he was pursuing her without restraint. It might not be a perfect situation, but Montana did feel that their coming together was the will of God. Just a little more chasing, and Montana felt that maybe she’d slow down just en
ough to be caught.

  CHAPTER 49

  Quentin followed Montana back home after they’d left the restaurant. He was glad that Emoni had invited him. He felt that it was her way of letting Montana know that she, and everyone else at church, would be fine with her dating him. And it seemed necessary, because Montana had, all of a sudden, gotten a case of cold feet.

  Quentin jumped out of his car to walk Montana to the door of her cottage. She rewarded him with one of her smiles.

  “Did you enjoy yourself?” Quentin asked.

  Montana nodded. “I did. Did you and Emoni plan that whole thing?”

  “No, but I think maybe she planned it. You’re not mad at her, are you?”

  “I’m not mad, but I don’t know if I want everyone to know about us yet.”

  Quentin slid his hand in hers. “I know you don’t. But no matter when it comes out that we’re dating, it still won’t change what Chloe said in her lawsuit.”

  “You thought you’d slip that in, huh? We’re not officially dating yet, sir.”

  Quentin said, “Why aren’t we?”

  “I’m not sure,” Montana said with a shrug.

  “You know, I prayed about this before I went to Bishop Prentiss and asked if I could come back. I asked God to forgive me for what happened with Chloe. That’s why I decided to give her the twenty million she asked for.”

  “You asked God to forgive you? Wait you gave her twenty million dollars?”

  “I asked God to forgive me for my sin. Chloe was a part of that. I want to be a better father—well, a better man. I know I can’t do that without God in my life.”

  “But you gave her twenty million dollars?” Montana said.

  “It was worth it to be done with Chloe. I didn’t want a long drawn out lawsuit. I want to be with you.”

  “You did all that so we could be together?” Montana asked.

  Quentin smiled. “I am falling in love with you, Montana. The right kind of love. I don’t want you to be my girlfriend or arm candy. I want you to be my wife. I know you’re not ready yet, but do know that is my goal.”

  Quentin felt relieved that he’d gotten it all out. Montana had to know that this was different than what he’d had with Chloe. His love for Montana was pure and not sullied with sin. He wanted to keep it that way.

  “Are you okay with that being my plan?” Quentin asked.

  She answered him with a kiss that buckled his knees. Then she turned her key in the lock to the cottage door.

  “Good night, Quentin.”

  “Good night.”

  With his lips still tingling from her kiss, Quentin jumped down the cottage steps and jogged to his car. He felt his heart beat out of his chest with love for her. He wasn’t falling, he had fallen. There was no way he’d be able to date Montana for five years or even five months without making her his bride.

  CHAPTER 50

  It was the day of the masquerade ball, and the mansion was abuzz with activity. The florists had started arriving yesterday and were placing flowers everywhere. It smelled like a honeybee’s amusement park with the sweet scents of the roses, lilies, and tulips.

  Darrin had arrived early in the morning to start the meal preparation, so in addition to the flowers, the scents of slow-roasting meats filled the mansion. Montana’s stomach growled in expectation, but she was so nervous that she couldn’t eat anything if she tried.

  Montana made her way to the kitchen, where Emoni and Trent were assisting Darrin. They were his kitchen staff, and they were probably free labor.

  “Moni, babe, hand me that spatula,” Darrin said.

  Emoni rolled her eyes. “Did you forget to say please? Don’t just be barking orders. Trent and I are volunteers.”

  Trent handed Darrin the spatula and said, “Here you go.”

  Emoni poked out her lips and rolled her eyes. “You are empowering him, Trent! You teach people how to treat you!”

  Darrin looked up and saw Montana. He smiled and waved. “Montana, will you please remove your friend from my kitchen. She is messing up my cooking vibes with her fussing.”

  “Remove me?” Emoni said. “See this is exactly what I’m talking about. He is always bossing somebody and barking . . .”

  Darrin crossed the space between them in two steps and silenced her with a kiss. “Hush! It is stressful in here, babe. I will be barking orders all day. If you don’t want to hang, you don’t have to. Go help Montana, please, and thank you. Love you.”

  “Do you have everything you need?” Montana asked.

  Darrin nodded. “I do. This is going to be huge for me. I’m sure to have a bunch of clients after this. Thanks for pulling some strings for me.”

  “You’re my brother! Of course!”

  Montana pulled Emoni out of the kitchen and into the parlor and living areas that had been transformed into a ballroom equipped with tables with white tablecloths and chairs with big white linen bows on the back of each one. The floral centerpieces added color against the white and silver scheme.

  Emoni burst into laughter. “Girl, thank you for rescuing me from that kitchen! All that steam was going to sweat out my roller set.”

  “So you were just gonna fuss until he kicked you out?”

  “Um, yes. I couldn’t seem like I wasn’t supporting his dream.”

  Montana burst into laughter. “You are a real hot mess, do you know that?”

  “Only lukewarm, baby. God is working on me.”

  “So what’s up with your date?” Emoni asked.

  Montana scrunched her nose into a frown. “What date?”

  “I think it’s the perfect time to come out with this. Chloe showed her behind to all of Atlanta. So why keep it a secret?”

  “Because I don’t want it to seem like I stole him from her.”

  “She gave him to you. You have nothing to feel guilty about.”

  Montana shook her head. “Oh no. I don’t feel guilty. I’m just saying there’s a better way to do this. We don’t need to humiliate Chloe further.”

  “Why do we care about Chloe again? She’s gone!” Emoni said.

  “Do you have your dress for the party here, or do you need to go home and get dressed?”

  “No, I have it here. I was hoping to be able to get dressed in your little cottage.”

  “Oh, not a problem. We might even get a chance to relax before this thing starts.”

  Estelle descended the spiral staircase with a smile on her face. She’d already had her hair done in a high, curly bun. She looked regal, and she wasn’t even wearing her ball gown yet.

  “How is everything progressing?” she asked Montana.

  “Everything is perfect. It’s going to be wonderful.”

  Estelle touched Montana’s arm lightly as she approached the two young women. “Well, then, I want you to relax. Go and get beautiful. You’ve got to look flawless in that gown, honey.”

  “Oh, I’m wearing one of my dresses from church.”

  Estelle said, “I may have left something for you to wear in your cottage.”

  “Estelle, you didn’t.”

  “I’m not sure what was done, actually. I think you’re going to have to go and see,” Estelle said with a laugh.

  Montana and Emoni squealed like two teenagers on their way to their first concert. Montana hugged Estelle gently, making sure not to muss her hair.

  “Thank you so much for whatever you’ve done, Estelle. And thank you for what you’ve already done.”

  Estelle said, “Only the best for my son.”

  Montana’s eyes filled with tears. It meant so much to her that Estelle believed that she was a match for Quentin. A lot of women had to spend time convincing their man’s mother that they’re even worthy, but Estelle had been her advocate from day one.

  Montana and Emoni dashed out of the main mansion to Montana’s cottage. Montana stopped in her tracks when she walked through the front door. There were racks and racks of designer dresses, stacks of shoes, and a display case of jewe
lry in her living room.

  “Are you Montana?” asked the petite British woman standing in the center of the room.

  “I am! Is all of this for me?”

  The woman smiled and handed Montana a note. “I’m supposed to give you this first.”

  Montana grinned from ear to ear as she opened the note. Montana, I know this is really last minute, but I was wondering if you’d be my date for the evening. And please forgive me, but you can’t go to a formal ball wearing one of your church dresses. I think you’re beautiful in your church clothes, but I wouldn’t want the society ladies to have anything negative to say about my date. Please let Serena dress you. I can’t wait to see the results. Affectionately, Quentin.

  “What does it say?” Emoni asked.

  Montana winked at her. “None of your business. I’m ready to pick a dress now.”

  “My name is Serena, and I will be your stylist for the evening. Quentin wasn’t sure what you’d like, so he had me bring lots of options. Do you have something in mind?”

  Montana fingered through one of the racks of dresses, unsure of what she should wear. The only time she’d ever worn a formal dress was at her prom.

  “Do you have anything in a pale blue?” Montana asked.

  Emoni said, “Yes! Pale blue and shimmery.”

  “Yep. Like Cinderella.”

  Serena smiled. “Yes, I have just the thing.”

  The dress Serena selected was a knee-length, pale blue halter dress with a crystal covered bodice. The skirt had mini pleats and flared. It was perfect.

  “The only jewelry you need for this dress is a pair of diamond earrings and a diamond tennis bracelet. And of course glass slippers,” Serena said.

  Serena’s idea of glass slippers were clear sling-back pumps covered in crystals. They completed the fairy-tale look.

  Next was hair and makeup. An entire crew of stylists worked on Montana and Emoni, creating a fierce updo for Emoni and a headful of ringlets for Montana. The curls were pinned up on one side, giving Montana a very youthful look.

  When she was completely dressed, Serena led Montana to a mirror. Montana yelled when she saw her reflection. She almost didn’t recognize herself.