“And there’s something else,” he said.
“What?”
“Vanessa called the police.”
“Why?”
“She wants you arrested. I’ve been trying to talk her down for two hours, but she wouldn’t listen. She’s so through with me for not doing something about this.”
“You? You’re worried about Vanessa being mad when the police are probably camped out in front of our home?”
“Like I said, I’m sorry. I never meant for this to happen.”
“Whatever, Neil,” she said, ending the call. She threw her phone inside her purse, and tried to think. She thought of several different possibilities, but nothing seemed feasible. Oh God, what if they arrest me?
Charlotte hurried down the hallway, nearly knocking over one of those nosy nurses, and jetted past Curtis’s room. When she turned the corner and stepped in front of the elevator, the doors opened and her heart stopped. Matthew glared at her like he hated her, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Matt, please let me explain.”
“Explain what, Mom? That you’re so evil and selfish that you would pay thousands of dollars to take MJ away? You paid people to lie on Racquel and her mom for no reason? Are you really that crazy?”
“Matt,” she said, tears pouring down her face. “I wasn’t myself. I wasn’t thinking.”
“You never do. You just do whatever you want. I’ve been saying that all along, but I always forgive you. But I’m done this time, Mom.”
“Sweetie, please,” she said, grabbing him with both hands.
Matthew pushed her away from him. “No, Mom! You’re gonna pay for this one. You’re gonna pay for what you did to me, Racquel, and her mother, and you can forget about ever seeing MJ.”
Charlotte wept like a five-year-old. “Matt, I’m begging you. Please don’t do this. Please don’t turn your back on me.”
Matt threw his hands in the air, sighing loudly. Then he turned toward the elevator, pressed the button, and wiped his face. “Why?” he yelled out, crying, and faced her again. “Why can’t you and Dad just be normal? Why do you both always have to ruin everything? Here I was feeling bad about embarrassing you with MJ, when my whole childhood was a total embarrassment. Do you know how many nights I cried myself to sleep and sometimes wished I were dead? Do you, Mom? And all because of the sleeping around, the lies, and everything else you and Dad have done for years. Well, I’m tired of pretending like I’m happy, Mom, and like you and Dad are such great parents. You’re not…and I’m done with both of you.”
When the elevator opened, Charlotte saw the two detectives who were working on Curtis’s case. They both stepped out, and the Denzel-looking one walked closer to her and pulled out his handcuffs. “Charlotte Black, you’re under arrest for conspiring to defraud a state agency and for conspiring to obstruct justice. You also have the right to remain silent…”
He went on with the rest of the Miranda statement, but all Charlotte could think about was Matthew. He stepped into the elevator, stared at her with no emotion, and the doors shut. She was going to jail, but no matter how bad things got from here on out, it would never be worse than losing a child. Matthew was alive and well, but he wanted nothing else to do with her.
Epilogue
Three Months Later
Charlotte looked on as Curtis took a deep breath and smiled at his congregation. It had been three months since he’d stood in the pulpit, preparing to deliver his morning message, and the sanctuary was filled to capacity. Just about every seat was taken, meaning two thousand people had been kind enough to support their pastor’s return. And this was only the early service, so Charlotte had a feeling the later service might have standing room only.
It had been a long, tough road of recovery for Curtis. He’d ended up getting a bad infection and having a second surgery, something that had sent him back to the hospital for a seven-day stay. At first, his primary-care physician had ordered him an oral antibiotic, but when it hadn’t worked, he’d sent Curtis back to his surgeon, Dr. Mason. This had all been quite unexpected, and ultimately, Dr. Mason had discovered another rupture in his spleen and an infection so severe they’d had to administer his antibiotics intravenously. Thankfully, though, with the exception of the few scars and bruises that were still visible, he was just like new.
This, of course, was a far cry from what Charlotte had suffered through, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever recover from that DCFS stunt she’d pulled. She’d been arrested for the first time in her life. The detectives had handcuffed her in front of hospital staff members, escorted her down to the main floor where all visitors entered and exited, and then ushered her out to an unmarked police vehicle. Everyone, including children, had stared at her like she was a murderer, and she’d never felt more humiliated. She’d also been able to tell from the loud gasps and stunned looks that many of them knew she was Reverend Curtis Black’s wife, so some had taken photos with their camera phones and submitted them to the media. Then, a few days later, Charlotte had read one article online that said, “The Black family is the epitome of total dysfunction, so how could they possibly set examples for anyone, let alone their congregation? How could Pastor Black and his wife even consider calling themselves Christians?” She remembered being angry, but then, as she’d sat thinking, she’d realized the words in the article were justified. She and Curtis had done a lot, the same as Matthew had pointed out right before her arrest, and she’d been ashamed.
But even once her parents had bailed her out—since Curtis had been in the hospital—things had only tumbled farther and farther downhill. While she’d hired a top defense lawyer who was known for getting charges dropped, he had soon advised her to make a deal with the state’s attorney’s office: she would plead guilty to both counts of conspiracy, which meant she’d have a record for the rest of her life; she would be sentenced to two years of supervised probation, do two hundred hours of community service at an orphanage just outside of Chicago, and she would pay fines that totaled fifty thousand dollars. Charlotte hadn’t wanted to plead guilty to any charges, but because the prosecutor had been given that letter from Meredith and he’d made deals with the four others who’d been involved, she hadn’t had a choice. Sadly, Linda, the DCFS caseworker; Linda’s supervisor; and the two women who’d made false allegations against Racquel and Vanessa had all agreed to testify against Charlotte. All four of them had done what they had to to lessen their punishments. Charlotte’s attorney had recommended she take this route because the evidence and witness depositions were so damaging, she would of course be found guilty. He’d also told her that no judge or jury would be lenient on any woman, let alone a wealthy one, who’d taken a child from his mother for personal benefit. So Charlotte had done as she’d been told, but her guilty plea had prompted Vanessa and Racquel to file a civil suit against her very quickly. Charlotte hadn’t been all that surprised, but when she’d learned they were suing for ten million dollars, she’d been horrified. There was no doubt that Vanessa had been the one to come up with such a sky-high figure, but Charlotte’s attorney had promised he would defend her aggressively. He was also planning to contact Vanessa and Racquel’s attorney to discuss settling out of court.
The whole thing was a huge mess, and Curtis wasn’t happy. He had gotten past Charlotte’s attempt to frame Vanessa and Racquel—at least somewhat—but what he was most upset about was the fact that Matthew hadn’t stepped foot in their house in three months. Matthew had declared he was finished with both of them, and he’d meant it. They also hadn’t seen MJ for the same period of time, and this made Charlotte and Curtis doubly sad.
But there wasn’t a whole lot they could do. That first few weeks, they’d called him dozens of times and then tried him multiple times over the last couple of months, but Matthew had never answered. Then, two days ago, Charlotte had tried calling him again, but a recording had played. She’d then called their cell phone provider and discovered that Matthew had canceled his service.
He’d cut Charlotte and Curtis completely off, and he seemed to be eliminating any way for them to contact him. But thankfully, he did talk to his grandparents and Aunt Emma. He also went by Aunt Emma’s when he knew Curtina was going to be visiting, and he’d told her she could call him whenever she wanted—just not when Curtis or Charlotte were around. Needless to say, Curtina didn’t understand any of what was going on, but she was slowly learning to live with this abrupt change in their family dynamic. They’d been transformed seemingly overnight, and they officially were a house divided. Matt had separated himself and moved in with the Andersons (Charlotte had learned that a June wedding had been confirmed), and though Curtis hadn’t realized it, the two of them as husband and wife were at great odds over Dillon. Curtis now went out of his way, trying to stay in touch with his firstborn son—well, actually, his firstborn child, period—and Charlotte wanted nothing to do with him. Even Curtina hadn’t taken to her new brother the way she normally did with everyone else she met.
As a family, they were miles apart from where they needed to be, and Charlotte knew she and Curtis were to blame: Curtis because of the secret he’d kept about Dillon and his mother, and Charlotte because of the shameful crime she’d committed. They’d caused a double scandal this time around, and it was the reason Curtis was about to do something he’d never done in the past. He was stepping down as senior pastor of Deliverance Outreach. He’d just announced it to the congregation, and moans of disappointment could be heard throughout the sanctuary.
“I know this isn’t what most of you came to hear,” Curtis continued sadly, “but I’ve prayed and prayed and prayed about my decision, and I know this is what I have to do. I’ve come a long way, and while I thought I had gotten things right with God, I now realize it’s time to get them all the way right with Him. It’s time to take my relationship with God a lot more seriously, and time I listen to His voice and direction. I also have to focus on bringing my family back together. I’ve always known that the Holy Spirit will set your path and guide you, but I haven’t always remembered that. So again, if I am to follow God in the best way possible and lead you in the way God would have me to, I must step down until I’m ready to serve in a more spiritual capacity. My wife will also be stepping down as first lady.
“In the meantime, however, Minister Simmons and Minister Morgan will deliver the morning messages, and I’ll be attending service, and worshiping and praising God the same as you. In a sense, it will feel as though I’m starting out all over again as a brand-new Christian. I’m going to spend hours studying the Word and doing all I can to learn as much as I can. I’m going to do all that God has expected me to do since the day he called me to minister: teach His Word, follow His Word, and live by His Word, no matter what. But finally, I wanna thank all of you for your genuine love and continued support of the ministry. Thank you for supporting our family in such an amazing way. I love you, I appreciate you, and I pray all the very best for you.”
Everyone stood and applauded, and only a handful of parishioners kept their seats. It was good to know they truly cared about their pastor. They cared about Deliverance Outreach, and they were willing to give Curtis all the time he needed to make his relationship with God much better. They were even willing to wait until he mended things with his family. This was certainly not something Charlotte would have suggested he do—stepping down from his position as senior pastor—but now, as she saw such encouraging smiles on everyone’s faces, she knew Curtis had made the right decision.
She would also make important changes, specifically where her own relationship with God was concerned, and with the way she treated people. She’d made this statement many times before, but today she meant it. Matthew had talked a lot about how selfish she was, and it wasn’t until she’d been arrested, convicted of a crime, and lost her son and grandson that her eyes had been opened. She’d always been a strong and very independent woman, but ever since the arrest, she cried all the time, and not a day went by when she didn’t feel depressed. There were times when she felt so miserable and sad that she’d wanted to take a drink, but she fought the urge for Matthew and MJ, just in case Matthew somehow had a change of heart and forgave them. She prayed, hoped, and dreamed about that day, and when it finally happened she would be ready.
She and Curtis would both be ready to take on the role of being good parents. They were, of course, a little late to be realizing just how much their mistakes had affected Matthew, but now they had to take responsibility. They were well aware of how many times they’d hurt him, but what they hadn’t realized was that far too much damage had been done. As a result, Matthew had taken a hard stance against them. He was tired of talking, begging, and pleading to have a normal life, and he was willing to move on without his parents. This was the last thing she and Curtis wanted, though, and now it was up to them to talk, beg, and plead. Instead of focusing on themselves, they would make Matthew, Curtina, and MJ their highest priority. They would sacrifice whatever was necessary. They would turn their broken house into a loving home—the kind of home where parents rarely hurt or disappointed their children; a home where love, trust, happiness, and peace were at the core.
They would do what they should have done from the very beginning, and Charlotte had faith that it wasn’t too late. There was still a chance for all of them, thanks to a kind, merciful, and forgiving God, and it was this reality that would see them through. She was sure of it.
Acknowledgments
As with every book I’ve written, I thank God for absolutely everything. You have given me more grace and mercy than I could have ever imagined, and I am eternally grateful.
To my wonderful husband, Will, for being the best husband ever. You are my soul mate and best friend, and I love you with everything in me. Also, thank you for making me smile and laugh every single day of my life. To my brothers, Willie Jr. and Michael, and each of your children—I love all of you so very much; to my stepson and daughter-in-law, Trenod and Tasha, and your children—I love you dearly; to the rest of my loving family—I love you all: Tennins, Ballards, Lawsons, Stapletons, Youngs, Beasleys, Haleys, Romes, Greens, Robys, Garys, Shannons, Normans, and everyone else I’m blessed to be related to! To my first cousin and fellow author, Patricia Haley-Glass, whom I grew up with and who is more a sister to me than a cousin—I love you so very much; my girls/friends/sisters for life, Kelli Bullard, Lori Whitaker Thurman, and Janell Green—I love you all; to my spiritual mother, Dr. Betty Price, for all your unwavering love, kindness, and support—I love you dearly; to everyone at the best publishing house ever—Grand Central Publishing—thank you for everything! To the best freelance team ever: Connie Dettman, Shandra Hill Smith, Luke LeFevre, Pam Walker-Williams, and Ella Curry—thanks a million! Then, to every bookseller who sells my work, to every newspaper, magazine, radio station, TV station, and online website or blog that supports me as an author year after year, and to every book club that continually chooses my work as your monthly selection—thanks for all that you do!
Finally, to the folks who go out of their way to make my writing career possible—my wonderfully kind and supportive readers. Years ago, I never imagined that I’d be writing the 10th title in my Reverend Curtis Black series, and it certainly couldn’t have happened without all your encouragement. I love you, and I am forever grateful to ALL of you.
Much love and God bless you always,
Kimberla
E-mail: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kimberlalawsonroby
Twitter: www.twitter.com/KimberlaLRoby
Reading Group Guide
Can you understand Charlotte’s frustration with Vanessa? Is Vanessa intentionally trying to exclude Charlotte, or is Charlotte imagining things? If Vanessa is trying to exclude her, why do you think she is doing that? Is she jealous as Charlotte says, or just trying to protect her daughter?
What should a grandparent’s role be in raising a child? Do grandparents have rights? What kind of boundaries, if any,
should exist?
Is Curtis right to agree with Vanessa that Charlotte needs to calm down, or, as Charlotte’s husband, should he be on her side no matter what?
Do you think Matthew should have stayed at Harvard, or should he have stayed in Chicago to take care of his child?
How do you feel about the way Matthew treats Charlotte in the story? Is his anger justified, or, as her son, should he have been more sensitive to her feelings?
Was Curtis right to keep the threats he was receiving a secret from his family? Is there any way he could have handled the situation differently to make things better?
Have you ever had a family member you couldn’t get along with? How does the relationship impact your family? Do you have any advice on how people can deal with difficult relationships?
Curtis is able to forgive those who have hurt him, but for some people forgiveness isn’t so easy. How important is it to forgive others? Is what Charlotte did at the end of the story forgivable? Do you believe Matthew will ever forgive his parents? Have you ever been in a situation where you found it difficult to forgive someone for something? Or have you ever had to ask for someone else’s forgiveness, and what did you do to earn it?
Also by Kimberla Lawson Roby
The Reverend Curtis Black Series
The Reverend’s Wife
Love, Honor, and Betray
Be Careful What You Pray For
The Best of Everything
Sin No More
Love & Lies
The Best-Kept Secret
Too Much of a Good Thing
Casting the First Stone
Standalone Titles
A House Divided Page 23
