Anything For Your Love

by Amore

  Normally pleasant at the office, he had become a beast. He was wounded and no one could get close enough to help him heal. He had instructed Karen to take messages from his family and no one came to his office with out an appointment. He kept conversations to a minimum, and stayed locked in his office most of the time.

  His temper flared at the slightest mistake. His staff was working extremely hard on an upcoming trial. He knew that, but could not seem to find satisfaction in anything in his life. He had started carrying his cell phone in his briefcase because it was constantly ringing with calls from his siblings and cousins. He was half a step away from throwing it against the wall to completely silence the stupid thing.

  He hadn’t been to The House in days. He could not remember the last time he had eaten. He preferred to spend his evenings working to occupy his mind. If he didn’t, he would think of her. Her scent would taunt him and leave him unfocused. He could feel the softness of her skin on his fingertips. Her laughter haunted his dreams.

  He made constant trips to the gym. The energy he burned there was what kept him from physically hurting someone because of his own pain. There was no sunshine in his world despite the mocking of the bright summer sun every day. Why hadn’t she called him? He tortured himself daily with the question.

  There was no light at the end of his tunnel. No rainbow after the rain. No other could ever replace her. Damn her. How could she do that to him? He vowed to never love another woman the way his heart ached and loved Jada Whitman. He didn’t have it in him any longer.

  As he sat at his desk preparing opening arguments for his trial the next day, he cursed himself. He had let her get under his skin. He knew he had been short tempered and down right evil all week to his staff. He knew he should apologize, but the hurt in his heart just would not subside.

  He looked over at the clock on the corner of his desk. Eight forty five p.m. He needed to be in court at nine a.m. and had to be on top of his game. He called it a night, packed his documents for the next day, and headed out.

  As he exited the building, his cell phone rang. He was so deep in thought that he just answered it. His body had been on auto pilot for days. “Hello?”

  “Alex. What the hell?” Ami cut right in. “Why haven’t you talked to anyone?”

  “Hey, Ami,” Alex said absently. “Hey, Ami? Is that all you have to say?” “Not now, Ami. I’m not in the mood.” Alex bit back the anger that threatened to consume him all over again. Ami’s toned softened. “You can’t shut us out, Alex. We are not going anywhere.” “I know.” Alex’s voice was defeated and he was emotionally tired. “I just can’t do this right now. I have a trial in the morning.” “Ok, Alex. Promise you’ll call me or Ty tomorrow when you’re done,” She pleaded. “Alright.” Alex ended the call. He had no intentions of calling anyone tomorrow or any day in the near future. ***

  Ami immediately placed another call. Ty answered on the second ring, apparently busy at The House.

  “Hey, Ami. Did you get through to Alex?”

  Ami could hear the clashing of pots and pans and the shouting of food orders in the background. “Yeah, but I’m just calling to tell you that we need help. I’m calling Aunt Abbie.”

  “That bad, huh? We have to call in Mom? This is serious.”

  “Yeah. I just wanted you to know I was calling her before I did it. If he gets upset with us, we can’t back down.”

  “I know. I’m just not looking forward to the angry wrath of my older brother. Call me later.”

  “Ok.”

  Later that evening, Alex’s house phone rang. He started to ignore it, but thought twice when he saw his mother’s cell phone number on the caller ID. He never ignored the call from his mother. His father would have his head for that minor infraction. “Hey, Mom.”

  “Alex, honey...” Abigail spoke sweetly into the telephone, “open the door for your mother.”

  “You are outside? Mom, what the heck are you doing driving around the city this late?” Alex bolted up and snatched the front door open. He hung up the phone on the sight of his mother.

  Abigail stood on Alex’s doorstep dressed casually in a pair of denim boot cut jeans, a chocolate brown, long sleeved, fitted tee-shirt, and a pair of chocolate, high heeled, strappy sandals. She had to keep up with her students and the latest casual fashions. “Are you going to let your mother in or keep me outside all night?” She asked sweetly.

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry,” Alex stepped aside so his mother could enter. It never ceased to amaze him how beautiful his mother remained. His father still doted over her. There was no doubt that she was the love of his life and he made sure everyone was well aware of that fact every day. He wanted that for himself and thought he had found that with Jada. He surmised he was wrong. Sighing heavily, he shut the door gently behind her.

  She stopped just inside the doorway and placed her loving hand on his cheek. He leaned down to kiss her smooth caramel colored cheek. “Alexander Love, we need to talk.”

  Alex knew it was going to be a long night. Abigail knew all of her children well and nothing escaped her. He also knew she would come because Ami and Ty probably called days ago. Actually, they probably called the minute he stopped answering the phones. He went to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.

  Abigail followed Alex into the kitchen and sat in her normal seat at the kitchen island. Alex poured his mother a cup of coffee, adding cream and sugar, and placed it in front of her.

  “Thank you, baby,” Abigail said as she took a sip. Alex sat across from her and waited.

  “Your brother tells me you’ve been acting like a hermit,” She started.

  “I wouldn’t go that far, Mom. I just have a big case I am working on. I start a trial in the morning.”

  Abigail eyed her son. He knew instantly he was not fooling her. “Alexander, who do you think you are talking to?” He lowered his head, knowing it was not going to be easy. She continued. “This is about Jada, not work.”

  “Mom, please...”

  “Please, what? Watch you sit around and slip into depression when you can do something about your situation?”

  “She walked out on me, Mom.”

  “The child was kidnapped and drugged by two crazies! One of whom she considered a friend. I would imagine she was scared to death, not knowing if she would live or die. On top of that, she was in a strange city with people she’d just met, with the exception of Ami. Did you tell her you love her?”

  “What?”

  “You heard me, boy. Did you tell her that you love her?” She spoke slowly to assure she was heard.

  He began to stutter and she cut her eye at him. “Well, no. I didn’t have a chance.”

  “I’m sure you had plenty of chances, considering you’ve loved her since Ami walked into your party with her.”

  Alex’s mouth fell open at his mother’s words. He couldn’t find anything to say to her.

  “Close your mouth, Alex. Of course I knew my baby was in love.” Abigail stood and walked around the island to stand directly in front of him. She placed her hand on his cheek. “Be strong, son. Be confident. She loves you, too, you know. You two belong together and I’ve never seen you so happy. She is a lovely woman and you better not let her get away, Alexander. Tell me what you’ve learned about her.”

  He stared at the dark chocolate color in his coffee cup for a moment. He thought long and hard about his feelings for Jada before he answered his mother.

  “Well,” He started “she’s probably the most beautiful woman I’ve ever come across, besides you, of course.” She chuckled as he continued. “She’s intelligent and ambitious. She’s funny and strong. You should have seen her, Mom, when we got to that house.” He smiled at the memory. “I’m sure she was scared to death, but she still stood up to Rhonda.” He paused and his mother continued to wait patiently.

  “You know, Mom, she makes me smile for no reason. She made me feel powerful and strong. She doesn’t see me as a pay check, but as a man.
She saw me for just me, and that was refreshing.” He hung his head as the realization of what he was allowing to slip through his fingers hit him.

  While he spoke, Abigail had returned to her seat. “Son, you are nothing but blessed to have found a love like that. A love like I share with your father. You have always followed your heart no matter what anyone else said. I can’t see you not following your heart now. If you listen closely, it’s speaking to you pretty strongly. Go get her, baby.”

  Alex stared at his mother, feeling like he was five years old and she was picking him up and brushing him off after he fell off his bike. As usual, she was right. He walked over to her and hugged her tightly. “Thank you, Mom,” He said, finally recognizing why his parents were still so deeply in love. Abigail Love was God’s angel.

  “Yeah, well, you are easy. You were always more in tune to what was happening inside you. I suspect I’ll have a much tougher time with Maddy and Ty. Those two are stubborn like your father. Oh, and, Alex, apologize to your staff. I’m sure you can plead temporary insanity or something. Karen called because she was worried about you,” She added as she headed toward the door. “I need to get home to your father. I told him I wouldn’t be gone long and I know you’ll have a very busy day tomorrow. I’ll see you when you get back into town. Make sure you have your cleaning lady water the plants. I love you, baby.”

  He smiled because she had assumed correctly that he would be leaving for California the next day. “I love you, too, Mom. Let me walk you to your car and, please, let someone know when you are coming into the city this late.”

  “Oh, your father knows where I am. You’re lucky I didn’t drag him with me.” She smiled.

  “You’re right about that.” He chuckled as he held the door open for her.

  Jada sat on the back porch with her grandmother yet again. Several days had passed of them doing virtually the same thing and ending up sitting on the back porch watching the peacefulness of nature. Her grandfather had gone to play cards with some other seniors, which was one of his usual past times. Jada loved that her grandparents stayed active. She found herself longing for the type of love they shared. The back porch had become her calming place over the past few days. Her grandmother, as usual, was her constant and she never pushed.

  The cell phone she forgot she had started to ring. She could have sworn she left that thing in her bedroom. She briefly wondered how it made it to the porch as she glanced over at her smirking grandmother.

  “I think you’d better get that, honey,” Grandma Whitman said, still watching a hummingbird travel from flower to flower in her garden.

  Jada looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Ami. She fully expected her to be angry with her and was suddenly nervous. After all, she hadn’t called since she got home and she didn’t leave under the best circumstances. She answered the call.

  “Hello.”

  “Jada. Girl, I’m glad to hear your voice,” Ami said in a cheerful rush.

  “Ami? Aren’t you mad?” Jada asked, slowly coming to her feet.

  “Heck no. Why would I be mad? I knew you needed time to come to grips with your feelings. I figured you would be able to do that here, but I guess you needed to be in your space. That’s cool. Like I told you before, I’ll always be here for you. You are my sister.”

  Jada felt tears sting the back of her eyes. She fully expected Ami to never speak to her again, and had stilled her heart to not only lose the love of her life but her very best friend. “Where are you?”

  “I’m still in Philly with the family. How are you?” She asked with genuine concern.

  “Miserable. I miss him so much,” Jada admitted. It was the first time she had done so out loud since leaving Philadelphia. She had spent a great deal of time brooding over the situation but never really talking about how she felt. Her grandmother was smiling behind her. “Is he upset with me?”

  “I would be lying if I said no. He’s been an absolute beast and no one can get close to him. I feel sorry for his staff. They have got to be ready to quit.” She chuckled.

  “I’m so sorry, Ami. I never meant to hurt him.”

  “Hey, I’m not the one to apologize to. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

  “Are you coming back to Los Angeles?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be back next week.” Ami paused. “He misses you, although he’s not ready to say it yet. He’s been like a bear that’s been stung by ten bees.” She chuckled again as she thought about her dearest cousin and the affect her best friend was having on him.

  “Oh, Ami, do you think he will ever speak to me again?”

  “Jada, you are my girl and that’s my cousin. I love you both, but you need to find your own way with this one. Listen to your heart. It's right, you know. Listen, I gotta go. We’ll have dinner when I get back. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” Jada paused just a second. “Ami?” “Yeah?” “Did my grandma call you?” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” She said, the smile evident in her voice. “Thanks, girl.”

  “No problem, I know you’ll be there when I need it, so use your resources. See you later.”

  “Bye.” Jada smiled and turned to her grandmother.

  “My goodness. I was beginning to think you had lost that beautiful smile,” Her grandmother quipped.

  Alex came out of the courtroom once again the victor. As he exited the courtroom with his team, Thomas Sinclair greeted him.

  “Another great performance, Alex,” Sinclair said, extending his hand to him.

  “Thank you, Tom.” “Are you and your team going out to celebrate?” “Not me, but these guys are more than welcomed. They worked extremely hard.” Alex gestured to his team of attorneys. “As a matter of fact, I need to apologize to these guys for my temper and behavior over the past few days. Dinner is on me at The House tonight. Let’s say, seven thirty p.m.” They all eagerly agreed. It was getting harder and harder to get in The House for dinner any night of the week.

  “Do you have any big plans for yourself?” Sinclair asked as they headed toward the court house doors, his team actually excited for the first time in nearly a week.

  “Actually, Tom, I need to be out of the office for a few days, if you all don’t mind.”

  “Of course not! Take all the time you need. If you don’t mind me asking, is everything alright? The family doing well?” He asked with genuine concern.

  “My family is doing just fine, but if all goes as planned, my personal life will be much better than alright,” Alex said with a smile that, for the first time in days, reached his eyes.

  He reached his office only to find Ami, Ty, and Chris waiting for him. His family would worry themselves to death over each other. “I see they dragged you along, Christopher. Who’s running The House?” He asked as he rounded his desk. He carefully kept his voice in the same depressive tone he had all week. “I thought I told Karen no visitors.”

  Before Chris could speak, Ty jumped right in. “Don’t even try it, I talked to Mom this morning. She told me she came to see you last night.”

  “All we want to know is when your flight leaves?” Ami asked as she propped her hip on the corner of Alex’s desk.

  Alex eyed Chris. He responded with a shrug of his solid shoulder. “Moral support. I like her.”

  Alex smiled because he truly loved his family. They always knew when someone needed a swift kick and that was just what he needed. When they thought they were right, they would not take no for an answer.

  Ami walked over to him and pressed a piece of paper in his hand. “She’s been at her grandparents' home, but she should be back at her place by now. I spoke to her Grandmother today.”

  “Thank you, Ami, for being the voice of reason, no matter how harsh,” Alex said as he hugged her tight.

  “Please. I’m sure I’ll find something new to yell at all of you about,” Ami joked. “There are plenty of you.”

  “Not me,” Ty chimed in. “I’ll give advice on love, but
I need variety in my life!”

  “I’m with Ty,” Chris agreed.

  “To answer your question from before, I fly in four hours. So, if you all will excuse me, I have to go.” Alex picked up his briefcase as they all started to leave his office. “By the way, you all did not have to send Mom after me.”

  “Yeah, we did.” Chris laughed. “No one else was coming in there. You’ve been brutal.”

  Everyone laughed, knowing that Chris was right. No one wanted to go remotely near an angry Alex. His tongue could cut like a brand new knife when it went unchecked by his anger.

  Alex called for a car to take him to the airport on his way home. He felt like he had been given a second chance and he was not letting it slip by. He had come to the conclusion, with his mother’s help, that he needed her in his life and he was going to get her.

  After shopping on one of his favorite luxury store’s website earlier that day, he had picked out a ring and sent Karen to pick it up. He was definitely going to have to do something nice for Karen. Even on his toughest days, she was still the sweetest, most efficient person he knew, outside of family. She always knew what was best for him, even when he had no clue. She was his second mother.

  He had packed a bag the night before and purchased an open ended, first class ticket to Los Angeles. He arranged a car service to pick him up once he arrived.

  Philadelphia International Airport was unusually quiet. Alex sat at the gate waiting to board his flight, staring out of the wide window. He thought about his mission and he was actually nervous. What if she shut the door in his face and refused to speak with him? Could his heart talk another blow? The thoughts were spinning like a tornado in his head and it was beginning to make his head hurt.

  “Shake it off, Love,” He said to himself. “That is your woman.”