Only One for Me

by Candace Shaw

  “Yasmine, I sincerely apologize. I’m used to keeping things to myself, especially negative things. I’m a—”

  “—perfectionist,” she finished for him.

  “Something like that.” He grinned. “But, you can’t get upset, be mad at me, or think I’m avoiding you. There are times when I’ll be busy with studying, assignments, and labs. Next year, I’ll be a third-year medical student which means no more classes. I start my rotations at the hospital, which entails long hours. I may not see you every day, but none of that will change the fact that I love you and want to be with you. It just means it’s a part of the journey I have to take to be a doctor.”

  “Cannon, while I understand, it still doesn’t give you any excuse to snap at me, ignore me or forget we had plans. Trust me. There are plenty of men wanting to take your place and get at all of this.” She motioned her hand in the air from her head to her feet and back up. She stopped as she replayed what he said in her head. “Wait. Did you say you love me?”

  He pulled her back down to the couch and onto his lap. “Yes, Yasmine. Very, very much.”

  Tears welled in her eyes and began to roll down her cheeks. He wiped them away, but a few more came. “I love you, too. Cannon, I promise I always will.”

  “I would love to show you right now just how much.”

  Afterwards, they lay intertwined together as the candle light illuminated her bedroom. She drew circles around his scar. She’d become increasingly obsessed with it every time she saw it.

  “Why did you make a C on your paper?”

  He sighed. “Errors like typos and grammar, things that I do know. I just rushed through and didn’t take my time to thoroughly proofread it In fact, I’m working on a final paper now, which is why I haven’t been around much lately. It’s pretty much done. Just need to read through it line by line.”

  “Well, I don’t know much about medical content, but I used to work in the Language Arts tutorial lab in college. I can read over your papers for you if you would like.”

  “I really appreciate that. Thank you.” He kissed the top of her forehead.

  “That’s what girlfriends are for.”

  “I’ve missed you, Angel face. I’m sorry for not communicating with you. I know me being a workaholic is upsetting to you, because of your father, and I promise to not take on so many extra things. My main focus is medical school, you, and hopefully getting accepted to John Hopkins for my residency. I’m not saying I’m getting rid of my community service projects, but I just won’t sign up for so many around crunch time. Plus, once I start my rotations, I won’t have time.

  “Are you busy now?”

  “Nope. What did you have in mind?” He kissed her softly on the lips.

  “I was going to read your paper for you.”

  “Too bad. I was going to make love to you, again.”

  “Or we could do that.”

  Epilogue

  Two years later.

  “Yasmine?” Cannon called out at the bottom of her staircase. He’d just left the hospital and stopped by his house to pick up some clothes and a few things. He was off for the next two days and had promised to spend them with Yasmine. It was Christmas Eve, and though she still didn’t celebrate Christmas anymore, she had allowed him to put up a few decorations including two stockings over the fireplace. He placed a small box into her stocking.

  “Coming, Cannon,” she called out, as she descended the staircase in a red sweater and jeans with snowflake socks on her feet. She’d let her hair grow longer, and it bounced around her shoulders. She ran to him and jumped up into his arms, placing kisses all over his face.

  “You missed me, baby?” He carried her over to the fireplace where she’d set out a blanket with their dinner and wine. He loved their indoor picnics during the winter and had asked her earlier to set one up for them.

  “Of course.”

  “I have some very important news to share with you, Yaz.”

  Her eyes lit up at his words, and he could tell she was anxious to know. He pulled out an envelope from his back pocket and handed it to her, as her eyes perused the address.

  “John Hopkins?” She looked at him, and back at the envelope, as she took out the letter he’d already read a dozen times. She read it silently in her head, but her face didn’t light up as he expected. When she did look up, he saw her eyes welled with tears. “You got accepted to John … Hopkins for your residency program way in Baltimore. Congrats, babe.”

  She smiled, but it wasn’t the beautiful smile he was used to, and he knew why.

  “Thank you. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the letter in the mailbox yesterday. I was in shock for the longest and then on complete cloud nine today at the hospital, but you’re the first person I’ve told.”

  “Really? What about your Dad? I know he would definitely want to know.”

  “I’ll tell the family when we go to Memphis for New Year’s.”

  “So you’re definitely going to John Hopkins.”

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

  “I just thought you were considering Meharry Hospital.”

  “I’ve considered a lot of things in the past few days, but no matter where I decide to do my residency—whether it’s here, Hopkins, or Purdue, you’ll be with me. That is, if you want to go.”

  “Wait. What?”

  He stood, took the box out her stocking, and knelt in front of her.

  “Oh my goodness.” Tears ran down her cheeks as he opened the small black velvet box.

  “Yasmine Dubose, I love you. I want to spend my life with you, waking up every morning to your angelic face and beautiful smile. Please say you’ll give me the honor of being my wife, Angel face.” He slipped the one carat, princess-cut diamond on her left ring finger and then wiped away her tears.

  “Yes, Cannon. I would love to be your wife, and I’ll go anywhere you want me to just as long as we’re together.”

  What was supposed to be a kiss turned into more as they made love in front of the fireplace. Afterwards, she laid on top him, twirling her finger around his scar as always.

  “When do you want to get married?” he asked.

  “How about this summer before we move to Baltimore? We can get married in Memphis since that’s where most of our family is located.”

  “This summer it is. Whatever you want, Yasmine. I won’t be able to help much with the planning.”

  “No problem. You just leave everything to me. I’m sure my mom and Sherika will be happy to help me. All I need you to do is show up.”

  “There’s no place I’d rather be than with you.” He kissed her lightly and turned her over on her back as she giggled and gave him her simply amazing smile.

  Part Two

  Dr. Cannon Arrington’s mission is to help people in need. But when his ex fiancée re enters his life after twelve years, he has a new mission. Never let her get away again.

  Yasmine Dubose never stopped loving Cannon. Instead, she learned to live without him, guarding her heart in the process. However, when they are brought together to plan a wedding for their best friends, Yasmine is faced with the challenge of following her heart this time around or risk losing the only man she’s ever loved.

  Prologue

  2 months later…

  Cannon pulled his Mustang into the driveway of his fiancée’s townhome and slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting the garage door. He’d sped the majority of the way because he couldn’t wait to share his exciting news with her. Grabbing his overnight bag and the envelope sitting on top of it from the passenger seat, he rushed to the front door, fumbling with the keys before he finally managed to get in.

  “Yasmine!” he called out as he barely stepped foot into the foyer, tossing the bag on the hardwood floor but held onto the envelope that burned in his hand. He was so elated, he couldn’t contain it. She had always been supportive in whatever he decided to do, so he knew she had to be the first person he shared his life-changing news with.

>   His eyes perused the living area. Bridal magazines were spread out in front of the lit fireplace along with pictures of cakes, wedding dresses, and samples of invitations. She had decided that would be the perfect place to sit and plan their wedding since that’s where he’d proposed two months ago on Christmas Eve. He smiled as he remembered the loving expression on her face with tears streaming down her cheeks as she said yes.

  He rushed up the stairs—his long legs skipping every other step—to her bedroom, laughing when he heard the shower running and her screaming in a falsetto at the top of her lungs along with Prince’s “Kiss” on the radio. Yasmine couldn’t sing a note, but her bubbly and carefree personality always warmed his heart. Little things like singing off-key in the shower made him remember why he was in love with her. He dropped the envelope on the vanity and pulled the shower curtain back. She stopped singing “I wanna be your fantasy” in mid-sentence and gasped as her brown, doe-like eyes rested on him.

  “You scared me, Cannon!” She flicked water on him playfully and yanked the shower curtain shut.

  “Sorry, Angel face.” He reopened it to admire her naked body as she stood under the shower stream to rinse off her melon scented soap. His manhood stirred as the water glistened on her caramel-coated skin and ran over places he wanted to kiss and touch. “You need some help?” His voice laced with seduction.

  “No, baby. I’m done.” She shut off the water, and he lifted her out of the tub. He began to dry her off with a towel as she continued to talk a mile a minute. “Besides, we have to be out of here in thirty minutes. We have dinner reservations, so hurry up and get out of those scrubs. Oh, and happy Valentine’s Day.” She kissed him on his cheek before walking toward the closet.

  Cannon was in his last semester of Meharry Medical School and had just gotten off from doing a double shift at the hospital. He didn’t have time to change at home, especially when the envelope arrived. He’d read the letter almost five times before it hit him that what he had worked so hard for during the past two years was actually going to happen.

  “Cannon, we really need to finish discussing the wedding plans,” she called out from the closet. “It’s February, and we only have five more months. I’ll bring the wedding notes with us.” They’d decided to get married a month after he graduated from medical school and then move to Baltimore, Maryland, where Cannon was to begin his pediatric residency at John Hopkins Hospital.

  “Oh and guess what?” she paused, peeking her head out of the closet before going back in. “The music teacher at my school is available to play during the wedding. His piano rendition of “Ribbon in the Sky” is so overwhelming. He played and sung it today after work for me, and I teared up, which means I’ll be bawling at the wedding.”

  “Um … that’s great, Yaz.”

  She stepped back out in a short, fitted hot pink dress and looked taken aback to see he still stood there in his scrubs.

  With her hands on her hips and a little pout she said, “Babe, hurry up.”

  “It doesn’t take me long to shower and get dressed. But first, read this.” He handed her the envelope from the counter and walked around to zip up her dress. She opened the envelope as his hands encircled her waist, and he rested his chin on her shoulder to look over it as he re-read the letter.

  “Oh my goodness!” she squealed. “The grant for the Brazil project was approved.” She turned around and jumped up and down in his arms, planting kisses all over his face.

  “This is wonderful. You worked so hard along with your team to make this happen. No one deserves this more than you, Cannon. Now we have so much to celebrate. Your graduation, the grant proposal, and most importantly our wedding this July.” She hugged him again, and he kissed her forehead before letting her go. She turned to the mirror, took off the shower cap, and ran her hands through her straight, shoulder length hair. She had natural curls, but sometimes had them blown out.

  “Well … actually, Yasmine, there may be a slight change of plans,” he said uneasily, looking at her through the mirror. Her smile faded.

  “What type of change?” Her voice went up an octave, and he caught the familiar tremble in her tone whenever he was about to relay some bad news.

  “Um … well, I have to leave for Brazil the week after graduation, and I’ll be there until possibly next summer to assist Dr. Johnson and the rest of the team in setting everything up.”

  “No the hell you won’t.” She turned around to face him. “What are you talking about? You can’t be there for a year. You’re starting your residency, and we’re getting married in July. We’ve already reserved the church and the reception hall.”

  “Baby, I know, but I can postpone my residency until next fall, and we can always get married when I get back. You act as if this wasn’t a possibility.”

  “But we’ve been making plans to get married and go to Baltimore. When do you suggest we get married now?”

  “I’m thinking maybe next Christmas Eve, since that’s when I proposed. You’ll have more time to plan.” He stepped toward her, but she moved away, leaning on the counter for support as if she’d just had the wind knocked out of her.

  “Cannon, that’s almost two years from now.”

  “Yaz, it really isn’t that big of a deal. We can get married anytime, but I can’t just go to Brazil anytime. The project starts this summer.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Yasmine, you know my team and I have been working on this grant for a while. That small village in Brazil has no real medical services, and by setting up the clinic, we’ll be able to provide them with such. You know it’s been my goal to help people in need.”

  “You don’t think I know that? I’ve been supportive of everything you do, but what about us? Our plans? I just voided my contract for the next school year for Nashville City Schools, so I don’t have a job in the fall right now and my townhome is on the market.”

  “I’m sure you could find a job teaching and just take your home off the market.”

  “I do not believe this.” She walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom with him following her. He reached out to grab her elbow, but she snatched it away. “Don’t touch me right now.”

  He’d never seen so much anger on her angelic face before and it scared him. He’d promised to never make her simply amazing smile go away, but he had, and it wasn’t the first time.

  “I thought you’d be happy for me,” he said quietly. “We can get married any time. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.”

  “No, marrying me is the once in a lifetime opportunity.”

  “And we will, just not as originally planned.” He hesitated, knowing his next words would sting. “It’s just a lot going on right now, and I think we should wait on getting married …” He trailed off as the hurt on her face emerged even more.

  “Cannon, my mother and I have already put deposits down. They’re non-refundable.”

  “I’ll receive half of my trust fund from my parents when I graduate. I can pay you back.”

  “So you just don’t want to marry me anymore.” Her voice cracked and tears rolled down her face. He felt like crap.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You know what? I’m tired of this. Since we’ve been together, your work has always been more important than this relationship. You’ve cancelled dates and vacations because you’re always off somewhere doing whatever the hell Cannon wants to do. You’ve never once considered my feelings, even though I’ve been supportive of you and your endeavors every step of the way, including that damn grant.”

  “Yasmine, I’m not saying I don’t want to marry you, just not now. We can get married anytime after I return.”

  “I’m so sick of you saying we can get married anytime, as if marrying me is something to scratch off your extremely long to-do list.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” Sliding his hands down his face, he said through clenched teeth, “This isn’t easy for me ...”

  S
he walked toward him while slipping off her engagement ring. “I’m going to make it real easy.” Her voice choked on the words. “You don’t have to worry about marrying me, and you can go pursue your once in a lifetime opportunity.” She slapped the ring in his hand and turned back toward the bathroom, unzipping her dress. “I’m done.”

  “You’re calling off our engagement?” he asked in shock as he walked behind her. He grabbed her to him, searching for some type of familiarity on her face, but all he saw was the pain and frustration that he had caused again.

  “No,” she screamed in a tone he’d never heard before. She pushed his chest, and he let go. “I’m calling off this relationship that you’ve barely been in.”

  “That’s not true. I love you very much.”

  “I can’t tell.” She opened the drawer to the vanity that held the things he used when he spent the night and began tossing them into a bag on the counter. “I suggest you get your things out of the dresser drawer before I burn them Bernadette style from Waiting to Exhale.” She turned toward the closet.

  “Yasmine, don’t … don’t do this.” He felt the emotions in him rise. She came out with his clothes and started throwing them at him. They hit his chest before landing in a puddle at his feet. However, the second batch of clothes confused him. They were sundresses, shorts, and tops. “These aren’t mine.”

  “I know, but you bought them for me to wear on our honeymoon, and I don’t want or need them anymore.” She threw them with the rest of the clothes on the bathroom floor.

  Grabbing her by the wrists, he pulled her hard to him. She tried to squirm away, but he held her firmly to his chest. She huffed and puffed with her eyes fixated on the wall behind him.

  “Look at me, woman!” He held both of her wrists in one hand and turned her face up to his with the other. “I love you. Don’t do this, Angel face,” he pleaded.

  “Let me go,” she screamed at the top of her lungs with tears rolling down her face. She pushed her body hard against him, and he let go of her wrists. “Please leave.”