Broken Together
Page 28
Brian shook his head. “First, I was getting undressed, and then I missed you and came out here to wait for you. Second, no, everything is not okay.”
“No?” she asked, studying his face.
He rested his hands around her waist. “I know I’ve told you I’m sorry.” His looked into her eyes. “But, I want you know, really know, how deeply sorry I am. I was a fool.” He reached to touch her hair by her neck and his other hand slipped to her back, gently pulling her closer.
Tracey rested her head on his chest, her arms encircled him. A small gasp of breath escaped from him and she quickly pulled back to see the reason. Her husband struggled to hold back his emotion with tears in his eyes.
“Brian?”
“I love you Tracey.” He brought her closer once again. His warm breath fell softly against her lips before he kissed her slowly. Resting his forehead against hers, he stopped briefly, “I promise, I won’t ever compromise our relationship again.” Then continued his kiss.
“I love you too,” she whispered as he pulled her closer for an embrace.
“I haven’t said this enough,” he whispered back. “You look amazing tonight. I love your makeup and your hair is incredible! So sexy. Nice!”
Two days earlier, she’d let Charla sew 22-inch long hair extensions onto her head. Charla also taught her a few makeup tricks with contouring and highlighter. Just something different. Flirty and fun.
“Thanks,” Tracey blushed and took in a sharp breath. Her midsection felt hot. She glanced down to see his hand covering her in a gentle caress. The love in his eyes made her feel like she was melting.
“Beautiful,” he said, pulling her even closer. “I wanted to beat up all the men staring at you tonight.”
She laughed. “That would have been interesting. I can see the headline. Local Doctor Assaults Men in Movie Theatre.”
He kissed her cheek, touching her face lightly. “I’d only have done that to show them you’re mine.”
Brian’s skin felt warm against hers. He smelled delicious. She kissed him deeply then whispered, “Yes, I am yours.”
Tracey stood up then, stepped up to the landing and slipped off her heels to keep from clicking down the wood hallway. She walked into their bedroom, beckoning him inside with her eyes, her hands, her walk.
He followed her, closing the door behind them.
Thanksgiving Eve. Tracey paced the dining room with a notepad in her hand, trying to figure out if they had enough chairs for everyone coming to dinner the next day. But more important than that, Tracey wondered which relative would be able to crash at their home overnight so she and Brian could manage to sneak out and have a quick interlude somewhere that evening.
That morning Tracey called Lisette to pray with her for Elijah. Even though Elijah had been released from CHOP in early November, he had a heart monitor and was still susceptible to infections, so Lisette had to keep him home, away from crowds. Tracey offered to keep praying with Lisette each week. Lisette accepted the offer.
Tracey checked her watch. Two-o’clock. Good. If she rushed, she could make it to the craft store to get a few more decorations for the tables. Thank goodness she hadn’t broken the platters or china back in June or she’d have to shop for those as well.
Her phone buzzed on her hip. She slid it out of the holder. “Hi.”
“Hey.” It was Brian.
She sauntered into the kitchen, dropping her notepad on the kitchen island. “You could have called me on the house phone, you know.”
“You’re always on the go, so I tried your cell first. You’re probably on your way out now, huh?”
She grinned. “Of course.”
“I need you to sit down for a second. Something happened at the office today.”
She frowned, sliding onto a kitchen stool. “Brian. That is not funny.”
“I know. Sorry about the intro, but you need to know this. I got a call I was waiting for.”
Butterflies started kickboxing in her stomach. She swallowed. “Go on.”
“Last week, Lisette had Elijah’s cheek swabbed. Then I had mine done at a lab.”
“Swabbed?”
“A buccal swab. It’s for DNA testing.”
Tracey stopped breathing. “Go ahead. I’m ready.”
“There’s not much for you to be ready for,” he said, pausing. “As I pointed out earlier and now the test proves it; I am not the father of Elijah Santana.”
She blinked. Really? “Wait. Those tests are accurate, correct?”
“More accurate than you can imagine.”
Not. The. Father.
Tracey gripped the edge of the counter with her hand, breathing out slow. Not the father. She felt grateful, but far from joyous. This was no time to celebrate. Elijah and Lisette still needed support.
“Thanks for letting me know. We’re still going to be there for Elijah though, right?”
“Trace, I don’t think God would let us have it any other way,” Brian said. “Listen, I have to go now.”
“Yeah, we’ll talk later.”
She stood up, looking around the clean kitchen—not sure how to feel or what to do first. Her mind wandered over the events of the past year. She and Brian had been through so much since last winter. And everything had started right here in the kitchen. The confession, the lies, the hurt, the fear. The recommitment, the decision to begin again, the hard work of rebuilding their relationship.
Their lives would never be the same.
They’d grown all right. In a new direction.
Not an ending.
A new beginning.
Letter To My Reader
Hello there! If you took the time to buy the ebook or the hardcover book and you are reading this now, please know I appreciate you beyond measure. I hope you enjoyed it!
Broken Together is a work of fiction. Marriage is not always easy, and when things go wrong, husbands and wives often put on their game faces to the outside world. But for those who love the Lord, He is always working a million things out for our good. It is my hope the story of Tracey and Brian Jones illustrates this.
I’d love it if you would join me on my next novel writing adventure!The theme is jealousy. What’s the subject? Three friends attempting to lose weight together. Shade. Faith. Humility. Failure. Triumph. And in the middle of all that, chaos ensues. Oh, and there’s some line dancing in there (because why not).
Again, thank you for reading! Please stop by and visit me anytime at http://www.klgilchrist.com.
Warmly
K.L. Gilchrist
Acknowledgements
No author is self-published. Whether traditional or independent, no book is produced without a team. Thank you to:
God, for reminding me to use my talents to glorify the Lord.
My family, for their love, support, and humor. Thanks for all those hilarious rejected book titles (ahem…No Side Chick Formed Against Me Shall Prosper).
The authors and students I learned from during first-time novelist workshops at the Greater Philly Christian Writer’s Conference. Those workshops were critical during the second and third revisions of the manuscript.
The Scribes critique group from American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). You were brutal. Thanks so much!
Early readers who were vital to the completion of this project: Helena Carey, Chrishante Dandy, Maxayn Lundy-Cheeks, Stacey Strickler, Theresa Mason-White, TashaJuanna Muhammad, and Rochelle Singleton. Blessings to you all!
Karen Engle, whose editing skills and attention to detail made sure this book would make it to publication.
My loving church family at Christian Stronghold Baptist Church, but especially: Dean Gray, Alicia Suber, Tenora Rogers, and Shanet Foust for their kind words in support of this work.
The design team and account managers at BookBaby. Your company is
amazing – you make dreams come true!
Last but not least, Mom, Charlie, Janee’, Jhaila, and Samantha. Because you love me and I love you right back!
About the Author
K.L. Gilchrist enjoyed a career as a technical writer and information designer before venturing into fiction writing. Broken Together is her first novel. She lives with her family in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania where she nurtures three addictions daily: reading, writing, and line dancing. You can find her at http://www.klgilchrist.com.