by A. Mackin
Copyright @2015 by A. Mackin. Publisher: Jessica Watkins Presents. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except by reviewer, who may quote brief passages to be printing online, in a newspaper or magazine.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be assumed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
I would like to dedicate this book to my mother Renee’. Thank you for everything!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As with everything I accomplish in life I would like to thank GOD first and foremost. He is the center of my life and from whom I gain all my strength and talent. His continued love and mercy towards me allow me to not only be the writer I am today but also the servant He asks me to be. Without Him I am nothing and I owe this all to Him.
To my husband, my hottie, my team Paige, the right side of my heart and the man GOD molded just for me I cannot thank you enough. You have been nothing but supportive, understanding, motivating, and generous with me on this journey. I can’t think of an adjective to describe all that you are to me each and every day. Your love for me is unconditional and sharing my life with you is my greatest blessing. This journey is just one of many that we shall attack and conquer together and knowing that I have you on my side even when I’m being a meanymcmeany pants (insider) makes it all worthwhile!!! #teampaige #99moreyears
To my mother Renee’ or should I say Susie B where to start where to start??? I told you years ago that you are MY HERO and today that theory has been tried and proven true! The woman I am, the morals I possess, the drive I have, my focus, my faith, and my ability to love all stems from you! Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery and each day I attempt to emulate the woman you are is the true testament to your role in my life. I couldn’t thank you for all you are, all you have been and all you will be if I had a thousand tongues!
To my daughter niece Taylor and daughter Tavia I couldn’t begin to describe the impact you have on my life. My moves are calculated, my thoughts are considered carefully and my words chosen wisely to ensure I am the perfect role model to the both of you. Motherhood is a gift and journey that is not granted in the same form to everyone. You two have been my untraditional chance to experience such a blessing and I can only hope that at some point in life you realize just how much it means to me that you have taken me on this journey. As you continue to grow and become women in your own rights always remember that my love for you is unconditional, irreplaceable and never ending! I love you!!
To my brothers Norris and Renard or should I say 2nd and 3rd father (lol) your support and protection over the years allowed me to get this far in life with minimal bruises and broken hearts (mostly because you wouldn’t let me date). Back then I didn’t understand but now I have to admit that you’re over protective ways have helped me in the decisions I make today. I love you both and thank you for all you’ve done for me.
To my aunt Antoinette THANK YOU for being my auntie, other mother and friend. Your support and encouragement through the years have been invaluable. I love you.
To my friends and family. THANK YOU for your love and support. I am not always easy to deal with, or get in touch with but I thank you all for your understanding and patience. I love each of you independently for different reasons but the love is still genuine and pure. I have encountered and interacted with each of you for different reasons, periods of time, and different circumstances and each of those interactions have created a memory that I could never forget. I love each of you!
To my coworkers thank you for continuing to believe in me and trust me enough to follow my lead. Your belief and support in me allows me to make decisions and trust my judgment because I know if I begin to sink or drown you will trust me enough to get us out of it. Your daily commitment to the team makes it all worthwhile and I owe my success to you! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
To Jessica Watkins thank you for this opportunity. The ability to share my talent with others was always a dream and now thanks to you that dream is now a reality and I am beyond grateful to you because of that.
To anyone I may have missed individually or as part of a group please forgive me and blame my head and not my heart. I know that my successes in life have not been independent achievements but exist abundantly as a result of group efforts thanks to so many people. I wish I could thank each of you separately but if I tried the acknowledgments would be longer than the book! (Lol) Please know that I love you all!!!
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Jessica Watkins Presents
Deceitful Vows
A. MACKIN
Prologue
Surprisingly Kayla did well for her first day back. Her patients actually found her more relatable and down to earth since she was no longer wearing a wedding band. She had only used FaceTime twice to check on how well MJ was doing with Virginia. Even when Mark called to see how she was holding up, she took the call like a champ. Although she missed her baby terribly, she had to admit she wasn’t a nervous wreck like she’d thought she would be. The morning and early afternoon went smoothly until around two-thirty when things got ugly.
“Kayla, get home now! It’s urgent! I’m on my way there!”
She couldn’t get a word in edgewise before Mark hung up.
Click.
Kayla didn’t know what to do or say. Her instincts kicked in, and she immediately grabbed her purse and flew out of the office. She paused for a brief moment to tell her assistant that she was gone for the day and would not be back. She pretended to ignore the sound of the young girl smacking her lips at her statement. Kayla didn’t even know where she came from or who hired her and didn’t much care at the time. Rebecca was her assistant before she went on maternity leave. Sometimes they switched personnel to make easier accommodations, so Kayla didn’t think anything of it. But after working with Latoya for just half a day, she knew this arrangement wouldn’t last long at all.
Kayla sped all the way home, doing at least eighty-five miles per hour on the highway. She made the usual forty-five minute drive in twenty minutes. She attempted to call Mark back several times but didn’t get an answer. Once she pulled up to her home and saw cop cars everywhere, her heart started racing and everything instantly became blurred through the tears. Once she saw the ambulance come out with a gurney, she lost all focus of her car, and everything went black.
Seven months earlier…
Chapter 1
Driving up Interstate 95, Kayla realized that it was unusually sunny for January in Maryland. By no means was it anywhere near spring-like temperatures, but the brief relief from the snow was a well needed and welcomed change in weather. As she reached over to change radio stations, her ringing cell phone got her attention. Noticing the restricted number flashing on the Caller ID screen, Kayla hesitated. She inwardly debated with herself whether she should answer it or not. The ringing stopped briefly but only to begin again almost immediately. The unknown caller was persistent. So, reluctantly, Kayla pressed the power button.
“Hello?”
Only silence returned her greeting.
“Hello?”
Still silence.
“Hello?! Hellooo?!” Kayla screamed, thoroughly annoyed at the pushy caller who didn’t have the decency to say anything.
After a sigh of frustration, she returned her attention to adjusting the radio. Her phone rang again. Assuming it was the relentless caller, she answered with frustration in her voice.
“Who is this?!”
“Whoa! Is that a
ny way to greet your husband?”
Instantly, Kayla relaxed and smiled. Hearing Mark’s voice was exactly what she needed after a rough morning and meeting with six of her less than classy patients. She needed a pick me up, and her man definitely did just that. Mark and Kayla had been married for just over a year, and they were very much still in their newlywed phase. The two had met at the gym during his daily workout routine to keep his body in tip-top shape. Kayla was on one of her “resolution” kicks. She was known to diet, workout, take a yoga class, or enroll in karate classes from time to time. Each activity was an attempt to take her mind off of her loneliness. She never stuck to any of those things or even went to more than three sessions. But whenever her friends or family back home asked what she was up to, Kayla took pride in rattling off her impressive list of activities.
“Kay? … Kay?” Mark’s voice pulled her out of her trance. “Are you listening?”
She hadn’t heard a word he’d said. “I’m sorry, babe. I was watching the road. What did you say?”
“I’m going out for a drink with Wayne and Steve after the gym tonight, so I’ll be home late.”
“Oh…okay, sweetie. Have fun and text me so I know you’re okay. I love you.”
“I love you too,” Mark said right before the line went dead.
Kayla was disappointed because she wanted to spend the evening with Mark, but she refused to be the wife that bitched every time her husband went out. So instead of taking him on a guilt trip, she sent a text to her bestie Stephanie.
Kayla: Hey! Wanna go to ladies night? I need a drink!
Within seconds, Stephanie responded: Sorry…can’t. I have a date! Wish me luck.
Kayla: I want details! Emergency text?
Stephanie: I doubt it, but check in around nine o’clock just to make sure.
It was official. Kayla was going to be alone tonight. So she decided to grab some pasta from a local Italian restaurant close to her house. She would eat it while watching a movie.
After pulling her 2014 black Range Rover up to her spacious and extravagant Churchville, Maryland, home, she exited the car, and offered a quick wave to her neighbor. She pitied the young woman who was struggling to carry two bags filled with groceries into her home.
The sun had gone down, bringing with it the reality that it was indeed winter. Kayla felt she was about to freeze to death, walking from the car to her front door. Once inside, she emptied her food onto a plate, popped a movie disc inside the DVD player, and settled on the sofa to relax and unwind from a long day. Mark would be home late, and she had a few hours to kill before she was expected to place the fake emergency call to Stephanie just in case she was having another horrible date. Kayla smiled, thinking about the last time she had to save Stephanie. She had gone out with an intern from her marketing company where she was a senior advertisement agent. The dude’s tight butt and his handsome, clean-shaven face had impressed her so much that she overlooked a few small details. For starters, he had no car and he lived with his parents. Kayla had to come to Stephanie’s rescue when his bank card was declined when he attempted to pay the bill for their date.
Kayla couldn’t understand why her friend had such a hard time with men. She was a gorgeous sistah with dark mocha skin and the biggest almond shaped eyes. Her lips were full, and she had a nose so perfect that it looked cosmetically designed. Stephanie’s naturally curly hair was compliments of her African American and Hispanic genes. Her hair stylist maintained its warm brown tint, which went perfectly with her skin tone. Standing barely four inches above five feet at about one hundred and forty-five pounds, she was considered thick in all the right places. And her booty could stop traffic. Yet Stephanie hadn’t had a serious relationship in the three years. Kayla could tell it was really starting to take a toll on her. Last year at her wedding, she wasn’t sure if Stephanie’s tears were tears of joy or jealous sorrow. After all, Mark and Kayla had met, dated, and gotten married within two years. During that period of time, Chris, Stephanie’s ex, decided to leave her for his neighbor. Trying to help her heartbroken girlfriend get over her ex and forget about men altogether, Kayla decided to take Stephanie out for drinks one evening. Ironically, it was the night that Kayla met Mark. She reluctantly took his number while Stephanie was in the bathroom so she wouldn’t seem like a totally insensitive friend. After a few pleasant phone conversations, she agreed to go out with him the following weekend. A year later he proposed and the year after that, they were married. Now a year into their marriage, Kayla still wrestled with the guilt of meeting her prince in the midst of her best friend’s heartbreak. Over the years, Kayla had attempted to fix Stephanie up with several guys. She even introduced her to a few of Mark’s friends, but there were no love connections. Why Stephanie was still single was a huge mystery that Kayla was destined to solve. Her happiness as Mrs. Mark Barnes was the most wonderful feeling she’d ever experienced in her life. And she wanted to bask in her joy and share it with her best friend.
Kayla’s cell phone chime brought her out of trip down memory lane. She looked down and saw a text message from Mark. Instantly, she smiled at how sweet it was for her man to actually keep his word by letting her know that he was okay. The smile on Kayla’s face was quickly replaced with a deadly scowl and butterflies in her stomach as she read the screen.
Mark: Sorry running late. I’ll be there soon. Can’t wait to see you. His signature smiley face followed.
Where was he running late to and who couldn’t he wait to see? All kinds of thoughts began to race through Kayla’s mind. What the hell was Mark doing? Where was he? Who is he with? Suddenly, it felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She had to lean on the kitchen counter to keep from falling when her knees buckled. Kayla took long deep breaths to try to regain control of her body. Her cell phone chimed again. This time it was Stephanie.
Stephanie: Having fun. No emergency call needed. I’ll call tomorrow.
Knowing that Steph was okay momentarily took her mind off of Mark. But it was only short lived. Within seconds, she found herself in the middle of the dining room floor sobbing uncontrollably. An hour later she picked herself up off the floor and went upstairs to shower, hoping that her tears would blend with the shower spray and wash away the deceit she was sure her husband was up to right down the drain.
Chapter 2
Friday morning Kayla woke up feeling like a bus had hit her. All of the crying from the night before had left her with a massive headache and huge bags under her eyes. She crawled out of bed and went to the bathroom to release her bladder and see just how much damage her blubbering had done to her face. She could smell the coffee pot brewing, and she heard the cabinets opening and closing downstairs in the kitchen. After relieving herself, washing her face and brushing her teeth, she went downstairs in search of the awesome aroma of hazelnut. She had almost forgotten about last night until she saw Mark.
Kayla stopped dead in her tracks and took in the sight of her six-foot-two, two hundred and twenty-five pound husband. His light cocoa skin was smooth and shiny. As if he could feel her staring, he turned around all of a sudden and flashed her a smile, displaying all thirty-two pearly whites. Although Mark was five years older than Kayla, at thirty-two years old, his consistent workout regimen kept him buff and toned. He wore his hair cut low and faded and always dressed in expensive suits. He wouldn’t be caught dead without his signature cologne, 1 Million. To Kayla, Mark resembled the actor Michael Early because of his sexy eyes. And whenever his hair grew out a few inches, it curled on the ends.
Kayla met her husband’s gaze and gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Realizing that last night was not a dream, she decided to inquire about his evening. “How was your night? I didn’t even hear you come in. It must’ve been pretty late when you finally got here.”
“Oh yeah, babe…my fault. It was a little late. Those niggas ain’t want to shut up, and I didn’t want to bother you, so I stayed downstairs.” Then, Mark stuffed a pie
ce of toast in his mouth and avoided Kayla’s eyes.
Kayla knew something was up. Mark never talked urban smack. He often used slang to annoy her and make her drop conversations because he knew how much it bothered her. Determined to uncover whatever her husband was hiding and get to the bottom of it, she pushed the issue. “So you only went to Friday’s to have wings and a few beers with your boys? Well…oookay,” Kayla said slowly before she turned and headed for the steps so that she could get ready for work.
As she climbed the stairs, a nagging feeling churned in the pit of her stomach. Although she couldn’t put her finger on it, Kayla knew there was something her husband wasn’t telling her and she had to find out what it was.
****
She walked into her office confidently with her usual bright-eyed smile and cheery attitude. Although her marriage may have been on the rocks, she had only one rule when it came down to her attitude in the office: Never let them see you sweat. Kayla was the youngest and the only African-American psychologist in her office. She landed the position right out of graduate school. While her co-workers considered their patients as pathetic welfare recipients who only wanted to defraud the state out of eight hundred dollars a month, Kayla looked at them as young women in need of guidance or simply someone to talk to. She maintained the biggest caseload in the agency, but it wasn’t because she was naïve enough to believe that her peers respected her. Kayla took pride in helping the young women she counseled. On Fridays, she didn’t see patients, though. She spent the day reviewing notes and cases in preparation for the following week. She also made calls to some of her more at-risk patients who needed a little more TLC, just to check in with them. This morning Kayla walked in with no intention of making any special calls. She had no plans to review a bunch of notes either. There was something more pressing on her mind…like saving her marriage.
