Mirrored Hearts: Sealed by Fire (Encounters of the Heart Book 2)

by Ann Marie Bryan

  Come to think of it, these days, Larry was in a hurry to get home after church. Forget the meet and greet after church, which he was always so gung-ho about back in the day. ‘We have to fellowship after church. That’s where true ministry takes place,’ Larry would say. However, since they had started going back to church, Larry couldn’t wait to get to the car as soon as church ended. She’d put it down to him not wanting to answer too many questions about them being absent for such a long time. So, she was cool with that.

  Now that she thought about it, something was definitely going on. At Christmas Sunday service, Larry was almost in a tizzy to get away from church after that foot-stomping, hand-clapping, worship service. She cornered him, well … attempted to corner him, when they were changing out of their church wear.

  “Why are you always in a rush to leave church these days?”

  He slipped off his shoes. “No rush.”

  If she didn’t know better, she would have thought nothing of it. “You’re in a rush. Trust me, you are.”

  “Babes.” He cocked a brow at her, his trousers sliding down his legs and pooling at his ankles. “Why do you keep saying that?”

  She almost lost her train of thought when he stepped out of his trousers and began moving towards her while peeling off his shirt. “Just saying,” she said in a low voice, gazing at his sculpted torso.

  He hugged her waist with one hand while the other massaged her back. “It’s nothing, babes.” His touch ignited a firestorm in her core and she felt his excitement as he pulled her closer, giving her a feel of his hard abs.

  Unable to help herself, she stood on tippy toes to kiss his lips.

  Yes. She’d let it pass.

  After dinner that day, she reminded him that Pastor Fotola had asked him to resume his duties as the church’s operations director. He told her he was still praying about it.

  Although she was sure her eyes screamed disappointment, she held her peace. In her estimation, his attitude was a bit nonchalant. Nevertheless, she had shoved the whole thing aside, vowing to get back to it later. But, it had slipped her mind. Now, here it was again.

  Rozene reentered the banquet hall and glanced around for Larry. He was still in conversation with Deacon Watson. She located Mason in the midst of a group of young ladies and told him, she and Larry were heading home. She moved towards Larry, and when his eyes met hers, he hastily excused himself and headed in her direction.

  He smiled as he approached her. “Ready?” he asked, taking her hand.

  “Sure,” she said, returning his smile. “Mason and Madison will head home later.”

  Together they strolled to the exit door, greeting other attendees on their way. They were making their way through the parking lot, when they came face to face with Pastor Fotola. Oh God, Larry almost hollered out.

  Rozene felt Larry’s hand tighten over hers.

  “Well, hello again,” Pastor Fotola greeted them, smiling.

  “Hi, Pastor,” Larry responded in a cautious tone.

  “Pastor Fotola,” Rozene smiled at him warmly. “Great event, wouldn’t you say?”

  “Yes, it was. Glad you were able to make it.”

  Rozene knitted her brows and Pastor Fotola clarified. “I’d spoken to Larry this morning and he mentioned that you were not feeling well. Glad, you’re better.”

  “Yes. Much better. Thank you.”

  “Stop by my office sometime,” Pastor Fotola said. “It has been a while since we had a chat.”

  Rozene almost squirmed from the pressure of Larry squeezing her hand. She shifted her fingers and he released the pressure.

  “I will,” Rozene assured Pastor Fotola.

  “Well, have a good night,” Pastor Fotola said.

  “You too!” They both said in unison, before continuing across the parking lot.

  An awkward silence settled in the car as they drove home.

  “What’s going on between you and Pastor?”

  Larry felt like his heart plummeted to his knees. He wished she wouldn’t ask. “Nothing,” he responded quietly.

  “Exactly!” Rozene said, staring at his profile.

  He took his eyes off the road briefly to glance at her. Even though he couldn’t make out her expression, he knew she was staring at him.

  “Is it about you not taking up your position at church?” Rozene asked. “No … It’s more than that. You two had a great relationship. Does it have anything to do with me?”

  “Why would you think that?” In his mind, he sounded like he was on edge.

  She was silent for several seconds and Larry began to fear she’d seen through his façade.

  “So you do admit that things are not right between you two.”

  “Don’t want to talk about it, Roz,” he told her as he pulled in the garage.

  “Are you hiding things from me Larry? That is a dangerous precedence.”

  He turned off the engine, and slid from behind the steering wheel.

  By the time he arrived on her side of the car, she’d already opened the door and stepped out.

  She eyeballed him. “Come here.”

  He took two hesitant steps and stood before her. “I don’t want to fight with you.”

  She put her arms around his waist. “I don’t want to fight with you either. But you need to sort out whatever is going on between you and Pastor.”

  “I know, babes. I know, and I will.”

  She kissed him lightly on his lips, and caught his sigh of relief in her mouth. She giggled against his lips as he pressed her against the car.

  “Are we going to celebrate the New Year or what?” he asked.

  Her heart rate spiked. “I’m all for a great celebration.”

  The joy of the moment delighted his senses, and he groaned with pleasure. “Then, let’s take the celebration upstairs.”

  CHAPTER 34

  Larry smiled at Rozene after stopping the car in the driveway at Chateau de Kanate. “Thanks for a great evening out. Dinner was superb. Benson and Abella were extremely happy to see us. In fact, thanks for a wonderful day.”

  “You’re welcome, hon. Celebrating you is always my pleasure. But celebrating your birthday, you know I had to bring my “A” game.”

  His smile widened as he took off his seatbelt. “I love how you started with devotion as usual. That was quite a prayer, you prayed over my life. Thank you.” He reached across and gently kissed her.

  “You’re welcome,” she mumbled against his lips, while caressing his cheek.

  He eased back and then looked at the gold watch on his hand. “I like my gift. Plus, the massage was hmmm, hmmm good. You clearly had some training done to get it right. And lunch - with all my favorite foods - was so great. At one stage, I thought I had eaten my fingers. But I’m glad you took in consideration my dietary regimen.” He smiled wickedly at her. “We cannot speak of what happened after lunch.”

  She laughed poking his side. “No, we won’t.”

  “We won’t,” he chuckled. Then, he was quiet for a moment. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, hon, anytime. I love you.”

  “And I love you,” he said, smiling at her. He was about to open the door when he turned to look at her. “Stop looking at me like that,” he teased. “Didn’t I fix you up before we left home?”

  She tilted her head to the side. “You sure did.”

  “Ohhh,” Larry shouted playfully. “You said that out loud.”

  “I did?” She dazzled him with a naughty smile. “Thought that was all in my head.”

  “Lady, you are going to wear me out.”

  “You’re always the one initiating, I’m only taking a leaf out of your book.”

  Larry shook his head, clearly amused. “The pleasure is all mine,” he drawled, winking. “The evening is still young.”

  She gurgled, and then cooed, “I can’t wait.”

  “You said that aloud too.” Larry grabbed his head. “You’re a beast. The only time I remember you turni
ng into this monster was when you were pregnant with the twins.”

  “That was all your fault, rubbing my belly and squeezing my huge breasts every chance you got.”

  “Yes, it was. It would help if you weren’t so plump and cute.” He tickled her side. “Don’t worry, I’ll fix your business later.”

  “You better.” She giggled, hopping out of the car.

  Larry hopped out too, a huge grin covering his face. “Come here, gorgeous.” He encompassed her in his arms and delivered quick pecks against her lips.

  “Hey! Hey! Not in the front yard,” someone called out.

  Smiles covered their faces as they walked towards Zane, Zadan, and Alexandria. They hugged Rozene before greeting their brother with shouts of, “Happy birthday!”

  A few minutes later, inside the living room, Darlene, Alexandria’s husband - Adam, their twin boys - Jayden and Jordan, and their daughter - Giselle, joined the happy gang for another mini celebration of Larry’s birthday. Afterwards, when Larry and his brothers wandered off, Darlene asked Rozene to sit with her on the balcony, outside the living room.

  Rozene had spoken to Darlene, but hadn’t seen her in a while, so they chitchatted about everything.

  “Let me know when your book is ready,” Darlene said. “I’ll place an order for the women’s shelters.”

  “Thanks.” Rozene smiled at her. “As usual, I appreciate your support.”

  “Are we still on for your presentation at the end of the month?”

  “Of course. Wouldn’t miss it for the world. Love those women.”

  They were both silent for a moment when Darlene broke the silence. “You are glowing. I wondered if you were -”

  She paused as Rozene almost choked.

  “Pregnant? Oh, no. I know you love your grandchildren. Hate to tell you, we’re not planning to have any more children.”

  “Okayyy. Thanks for that bit of in-for-ma-tion.” She smiled at Rozene. “I do love my grandkids. Mason and Madison called yesterday. They are settling in well.”

  “Yes, they are,” Rozene agreed. “I hope I didn’t come across too strong. Of course, if that happened, I wouldn’t mind having another child. But no. No more children for us.”

  “That’s okay.”

  Rozene smiled at her. “Truth is, menopause will be knocking on my front door any day now.”

  Darlene shook her head. “You have a way to go you know. So glad you and Larry are back together. Extremely happy. You’ll both be able to talk about forgiveness and loving again, from a different standpoint.”

  “Forgiveness. You’re right on that. I’m just grateful Larry took me back.”

  “Give yourself some credit too, dear. You’re a forgiving woman.”

  “Forgiving?” Rozene eyed her, remorse etched in her gaze. “That was all Larry.”

  “God is good.”

  Rozene was sure she saw surprise flash in Darlene’s eyes but it was gone in a second.

  “I’m excited about you both renewing your vows,” Darlene mentioned. “It’s right around the corner - two weeks to be exact.”

  Rozene clasped her hands under her chin, smiling. “Yes. Our twentieth anniversary. I can’t believe it. We’ll have a big celebration later on in the year. Larry is doing most of the planning though.”

  “Wonderful. You know how I enjoy celebrations of all types, but this one is special.”

  Half an hour later, Larry and Rozene bid farewell to the rest of the Kanate clan and headed home. As the gray ribbon of road unfolded before them, each was submerged in their own thoughts.

  You’re a forgiving woman. Those words kept playing over and over in Rozene’s mind. What did she mean?

  She glanced across at Larry, and his mood had changed drastically. She saw him talking with his mother, and now she wondered what she had said to him that had so vexed his spirit.

  Some twenty minutes later, they entered their bedroom without speaking. The silence was almost ominous. Something is definitely wrong, Rozene thought. We should be celebrating right about now.

  Mentally, she asked the Lord for help as she removed her shoes, and then walked across to the dresser and began removing her jewelry. In the mirror, she saw Larry walking toward the lounge area in their bedroom. Lord, help. Need to get to the bottom of this. She was simply itching to question him about his mother’s statement. She turned and watched as he plopped down on the daybed, legs spread wide.

  She walked over and sat beside him, and it had to be her imagination that he pulled away from her, without looking at her.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked quietly.

  Oh God. Guilt and fear sprinted through Larry’s mind as he concocted a potential excuse. “Nothing,” he told her, opening the top buttons of his shirt and letting the tie of his tux hang loose around his neck.

  “It can’t be nothing, Larry. Your whole mood has changed. Did your mother upset you?”

  He tried to remember to breathe. “No, she just pointed out the obvious. I’m only upset with myself.”

  For the second time that evening, Rozene was puzzled. “Tell me.”

  He looked at her and swallowed. “I have been unfaithful to you.”

  Stunned, Rozene’s jaw dropped but she snapped it shut. Is he joking? Did he just? “Wha-what?” A nervous chuckle ripped from her lips as she stifled the hammering in her heart.

  Larry’s lungs felt tight and unconsciously, he bit his lower lip, navigating the terrain. A bead of perspiration traveled down his back. His day of reckoning had arrived.

  Rozene’s body shivered. Biting his lips. Something he rarely did. But before she could gather her thoughts, he spoke again. Quietly. “I have not been faithful.”

  Her heart shuddered violently as his words slammed into her chest. She pulled away from him. Everything felt wrong. Everything.

  Anxiety.

  Shock.

  Fear.

  No, disbelief was the last emotion she suppressed before giving him her you-better-not-be-crazzzzy look that pinned him in place. “I don’t understand,” she said slowly. No need for reckless emotion without a cause.

  Feeling at a disadvantage, Larry stood up as the fear emanating from both of them covered the room like a thick blanket.

  The pain in his gaze said it all, and a chilling jolt shot through her body. She gazed at him, unaware that her mouth had hung open.

  “Ple-please, Roz. I’m sorry. It only happened once.”

  Happened! Happened! Happened! Echoed everywhere. Rozene’s breath was trapped in her now dry mouth. Head spinning, nothing Larry was saying was registering. Did he? What? No, he didn’t? Her eyes began to widen as her outrage grew, and before she knew it, she flew off the daybed.

  BAM!

  The sound boomed everywhere as her hand connected with his face.

  Larry grabbed her hands and she pushed him away. Jutting a finger in his face, she bellowed, “You’re a liar, Larry. A cheater,” before rushing past him towards the bed.

  He followed closely on her heels. His voice filled with anguish, he pleaded with her for his life depended on it. “Roz, let me explain. Please.”

  Tears blurred her vision. “No. No.” Then, she was up in his face, with her index finger pointing like a drill sergeant. “Don’t. You. Speak to me. Don’t you dare speak to me.”

  He touched her shoulder then BAM was the only sound that reverberated in the room as she backhanded him. The force of the slap turned his head in the opposite direction.

  In the next breath, she collapsed on the bed as shockwaves of pain ripped through her. “Oh, God! Oh, my God!” She wailed, over and over again, rocking back and forth.

  Tears spilled from Larry’s eyes as he sat beside her on the bed. “Roz, I-I’m sorry,” he muttered. “Please stop crying.”

  He touched her shoulder and she sprang from the bed. “I hate you!” she screamed, throwing a fist out that landed on his shoulder.

  As she winced in pain, he grabbed her, pinning her to the bed. “I love you.�
�� he told her emphatically.

  “Get off me,” she yelled at him, sobbing. “Get-Ge-Get away …” She closed her eyes. This cannot be real! This is not real! “Oh, God,” she cried loudly, “let it not be real.”

  He rolled off her, but held her in a spooned position as she cried her heart out. Even when she yelled, “Don’t touch me!” he continued to hold her. He had to. The thought of losing her again made him hold her even tighter. Tears continued to stream out of his eyes as he buried his head in her hair.

  Her entire body tingling, Rozene gasped for air as she pushed away images of Larry and some other woman.

  Him and her!

  Him and her!

  Who’s she?

  He’s sleeping with her!

  Oh, God! Oh, God!

  Don’t think about it! Don’t! Just stop! Stop thinking!

  But as much as she tried, cruelly, her mind kept going there, over and over again. She stilled as she heard Larry apologizing again, realizing this wasn’t some sort of joke, not a dream, but it was her life.

  She pushed on his hands to release herself.

  “Roz, I know you’re hurting,” he continued, through tears. “But we’ll get through this.”

  Get through this. Man, please. She pushed against his hands, harder this time, but instead of letting her go, he tightened his arms around her.

  “Let me go, Larry,” she insisted.

  Nerves trembled in the pit of his stomach as he released her. She quickly rolled off the bed.

  “Roz …” Larry clamped his mouth shut as she landed him an icy glare.

  “Don’t,” she held up silencing hands. “Just don’t.”

  He gulped down fear, and tears spewed from his eyes as he leaped off the bed and dropped to his knees before her. He dared not touch her. “Roz, please don’t leave. PLEASE.”

  She shook her head violently, and then cocked her head to the side, regarding him.

  “Roz, please, please don’t …” His words stumbled to a halt as she shot him a look that demanded his immediate silence. With every step she took away from him, his breath felt like it was exploding out of his lungs. He collapsed on the floor wailing and gasping for air. A few minutes later, panic and sorrows raged within when he heard heavy movements in the direction of her closet. She was leaving him.