by Nia Arthurs
“How are you?” Ina slips her arms around me as she faces Gregory.
“I’m good. Enjoying the artwork.”
“Yeah, Troy’s incredible, right?” Ina waves to a woman in the distance. I look over and see Amina with Matt.
Matt catches my eye and nods.
I nod back.
“He’s very talented. If I had the money, I’d take home all of this artwork.” Greg slips a hand into his fitted tux.
“Of course.”
Just then, Kayla and Brendon approach us.
“Guys!” Kayla squeals happily.
The two women start chattering excitedly about the wedding next weekend.
Gregory slinks back into the crowd.
Ina barely registers his exit.
I smirk, grabbing a drink from the passing tray.
Brendon smacks my shoulder. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I nod. “Ready for the big day?”
“Beyond ready. If I could I would have married her months ago.”
“I understand the feeling.” I meet Ina’s eyes.
She smiles that when can we be alone smile.
I return her look. Soon.
“Can you excuse me, Brendon?”
“Of course.”
I reach out and take Ina’s hand. “Can I steal my girlfriend for a minute?”
“No problem.” Kayla winks at us.
I lead Ina through the hall filled with people to a less crowded section of the gallery. Pushing her into a corner, I step close.
She smoothes a hand over my tie. “You’re killing me, Luc.”
“Am I?” I kiss her softly. “What do you think that dress is doing to me?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”
I slip my hand up her thigh, letting my palm rasp against flesh and silk.
Just then, footsteps stomp into the room.
“Ina, can you take me home?” Nellie huffs.
Jonas’s gruff voice follows. “Don’t expect me to apologize.”
“Why would I? You act like you know everything so I wouldn’t dare question your decision to trip someone for no reason. What are you? In third grade?”
I rest my head against Ina’s.
“We’re interrupted.” She giggles.
I growl in her ear. “Later.”
It’s a warning.
It’s a promise.
She laughs sweetly.
I savor the sound.
Close my eyes and thank God for living.
For this beautiful gift in my arms.
I will never let this woman go.
Wherever and whenever she needs me, I’ll be right by her side, giving her all the light, all the warmth… she’s given me.
Epilogue
Dear Ina,
Boss asked me to write this sappy letter for your birthday. It was either this or make a video message and you don’t want to see me freeze in front of a camera, so I figured I’d give this letter thing a try.
First off, I want to wish you a happy birthday. I know we only chat when Boss is out and you’re waiting for him at the shop, but from those brief encounters I can tell you’re a lovely lady and Boss is a lucky man.
To be honest, I was rooting for you and Boss from the start. That first date at the shop? The one you had with that Gregory guy? I saw you two vibing and I wondered if you and Boss were doomed. Ha. Glad I was wrong.
I was the OG Ina and Lucas shipper and proud of it.
I was right there for all the little moments. Boss staring at you while pretending to read comics behind the counter.
You glancing out the door, pretending you weren’t waiting for him to come in.
Both of you finally getting together, snuggling up in the same beanbag reading the same book.
I saw all the times he dragged you to the stairwell too and, since your lipstick shade doesn’t look that great on him, I have a pretty good idea what you do in there.
The most entertaining part of watching you two is when you and Boss fight. No matter how angry you are at each other, you both meet at the shop just to be together. And then you’ll argue about some superhero crap before making out and heading upstairs. It’s crazy and a little wild, but I guess that’s love.
That and all the other quiet moments you share give me hope that you two will make it. And I’ll be right there in the background, serving java and wishing you the best. Have a happy birthday, Ina.
Sincerely,
Denny the Java Guy
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Be My Spark Teaser
Chapter 1
Ina
Nellie
THEN
My eyes burst open. I sit up so fast my head spins. Taking a moment to breathe, I glance at my princess clock. Jonas got it for my birthday last year. It’s my favorite thing ever even though it sometimes blacks out for no reason.
Like it’s doing right now.
Mom keeps threatening me, saying she’ll buy me a new clock. I get upset every time she brings it up. I love that clock because Jonas gave it to me.
The clock is blue and has Princess Jasmine and her tiger, on the front of it. Jonas says I look like Princess Jasmine with my thick, poofy hair and my dark brown skin.
At first, I got really mad because I hate my hair and I especially hate the big, fat twists Mom always does for school. It looks like ugly spider legs shooting out of my head.
But when Jonas told me about Princess Jasmine, I felt better.
I always feel better when I’m around Jonas.
And I always feel better looking at the clock he gave me.
If Mom ever gets rid of it, I’m going to run away from home.
A long filmy curtain flutters, scraping the edge of my bed before falling back. I like to keep my balcony doors open because my room always gets extra hot. Whenever it’s too hot, I can’t sleep.
Outside the door, I see the tops of the trees in my backyard and the black sky. No stars. No moon. There aren’t any insects singing either.
It feels like the world stopped.
Like a monster found the remote and pressed PAUSE.
My hand reaches up to fall on my chest. My heart is pounding.
What’s going on?
What’s wrong with me?
Scared, I call for my mom and dad.
Footsteps patter up the stairs. A moment later, my bedroom door bursts open and my parents crowd the door.
That’s weird. Why are they wearing regular clothes instead of pajamas?
Mom crosses the room and sits on the edge of my bed. Her skin is so dark she seems to blend in with the shadows, but her lips are a purple-pink and they stand out as they tremble with a sad smile. “What are you doing up, baby?”
“What’s going on?” I glance between them, my heart beating faster and harder for some weird reason. “Where are you going?” Panic cracks my voice. “Are you leaving me?”
Last week, I told my mom that I liked Jonas more than her. If I’d known she would have acted this way, I wouldn’t have been so honest.
Tears bubble in my eyes.
“No, baby.” Mom takes me into her arms and rubs my back. She smells like mangos and lavender. Something Caribbean and exotic. “We’re going to the—”
“Marva,” Dad says in that don’t scare the kid tone.
Dad’s always worried about me. Maybe even more than Mom.
One time, I skinned my knee riding my bike with Jonas. Dad drove all the way from work just to put ointment on my scar. Jonas asked if he could blow on it. Dad nodded and told him that he should always look out for me so I di
dn’t get hurt.
I still remember how serious Jonas looked when he promised he would.
I still remember how upset I was that Dad made him say that. I told them that I’d be the one protecting him because I didn’t need anyone to save me.
Jonas said I did.
I said I didn’t.
Dad said he wouldn’t buy us popsicles if we fought, so we stopped arguing, but I still pushed Jonas in the back when Dad wasn’t looking.
“Sweetie,” Dad eases closer to my bed, “we’re going to be right back, okay?”
“You can tell me.”
“Jenelle…”
“I’m seven, Dad. I’m not a kid anymore.”
His lips quirk up. “I guess not.”
“We should tell her, Darnell. Maybe it’ll help Jonas.”
As Mom says my best friend’s name, my eyes widen and something dark settles over me. Something that makes me shake with fear.
“Fine.” Dad rubs his forehead. “Change into outside clothes, pumpkin.”
“W-why?” I ask, still frightened and confused.
“We’re going to the hospital.”
I scramble into my Princess Jasmine T-shirt, the matching leggings and my blue Crocs. Mom and Dad are waiting for me downstairs. Their faces look sad and serious.
A lump forms in my throat.
“Mommy,” I call as she walks with me to the garage and straps me into my seatbelt.
“Yes, honey?”
“Is Jonas…” My eyes slip down because I’m so scared of her answer that I can’t finish the question.
“Jonas is okay.” She pauses and seems to fight herself about whether she should say more. “His mommy and daddy got hurt yesterday.”
I gasp.
Mom turns away from me and gets into the car.
As we drive, I listen to my parents talk in low voices. They’re trying to keep me out of it, but I pick up bits and pieces of information.
Accident.
Coma.
Brain damage.
Tears sting my eyes. My heart hurts so much I wish I could take it out of my chest for a second. Just for a moment of relief.
Mr. Bradley and Miss Molly weren’t hurt too badly, were they? Jonas’s parents are the nicest people ever. They don’t deserve to…
No, they’ll be fine.
And Jonas will be okay too.
I hold Mom’s hand as we enter the hospital. My grip on her tightens in the elevator—I hate elevators—but I let her go as we walk down a hallway filled with doors.
A nurse slides out of the room ahead. Mom and Dad stop to talk with her. Again, they speak in hushed voices, but I can hear them.
“It’s not looking too good.”
“What did the doctor say?”
The nurse didn’t close the door all the way. As I peek in, I see a familiar boy sitting beside a hospital bed. I recognize Jonas right away. I could recognize him in a crowd.
His thick, wavy hair looks bigger and messier, like he needs a haircut. He’s wearing the same blue T-shirt and khakis I saw him wearing at school three days ago.
“Where’s Lucas?”
“He’s talking to the administrators, trying to settle a few bills.”
“His father just—what is wrong with everyone? He shouldn’t be worrying about money right now.”
“I’ll go.”
“And Kate?”
“In the chapel. But I’m more worried about the youngest. He hasn’t been eating or sleeping since his mom came in. He fainted yesterday. We tried to get him on drips, but he screamed so much the psychologist suggested we let him be with his mom.”
I ease closer to the door. My heart twists when I see Jonas shaking. Stupid boy. He gets cold so easily. He should be wearing a jacket. Why hasn’t someone brought him a jacket yet?
“Mom?” I glance over my shoulder.
My mom and the nurse stare at me. Dad is walking away, probably to find Lucas and rescue him from the money people.
“Jonas is cold,” I say matter-of-factly, waiting for one of them to do something about it.
The nurse’s eyes light up when she sees me. It’s that aren’t you so cute look I get a lot. I hate that look. It’s annoying and makes me feel like I’m a baby.
I’m seven. I’m not ‘cute’ anymore.
I’m pretty.
“Are you Lucas’s friend?” the nurse asks.
“We’re best friends.”
“Do you think you could do me a favor?”
I listen to what the nurse requests and then head inside the room.
It’s so stinking cold. Jonas must hate this.
I approach him slowly. When my eyes fall on Miss Molly, I almost run back out. She looks so different with bandages all over her head and tubes sticking out of her.
Jonas turns. When he sees me, his eyes widen. They’re the prettiest eyes in the world, but I can’t really see them because the room is so dim.
“Nells?”
“Go and use the bathroom.”
He blinks. Once. Twice.
“Do it now.”
He glances at his mom. For a second, I wonder if he’ll ignore me, but he gets up and walks over to the bathroom.
I follow him. “We’re going for pizza.”
I hear him peeing behind the locked door. “I’m not hungry.”
“I am. And I want pizza.”
He goes quiet.
I hear water rushing from the sink.
A second later, he’s facing me. His face looks extra pale as he says, “Okay.”
The nurse gives me a thumbs-up when we pass her. I pretend not to notice and take Jonas to the cafeteria. He barely eats his pizza, only nibbling at the corners.
“Does it taste bad?” I ask him.
“Nells.”
“What?”
“My mom.” He stares at his plate. “She’s in a coma.”
“I know,” I say quietly. “The doctors will take care of her.”
“Maybe not.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I’m scared, Nells.”
“It’s okay.” I tilt my head. “But why haven’t you been eating? Everyone’s worried.”
“They said Mom is sleeping, but she can hear me when I talk. Even though she’s not answering, she knows I’m there.”
“That’s why you didn’t want to leave?”
“I didn’t want her to—“ He swallows. “I didn’t want her to feel alone.”
“Jonas, I didn’t know. We’ve got to go back!” I grab his hand and drag him to the elevator.
My feet tap the floor as I watch the numbers change on the screen.
That evil nurse. How could she have asked me to tear Jonas away from his mom when he had such a good reason for staying?
Finally, the door opens.
As we step out, a bunch of doctors and nurses rush past us.
They all fly into to his mom’s room.
Panic twists Jonas’s face.
“Mom!” Jonas screams.
His hands slip away from mine.
My arm drops like a rock back to my side.
Jonas runs ahead, his hair flapping with every desperate step.
I scramble behind him. As I get closer, I hear his mom’s heart monitor beeping and then stilling to one long note.
Jonas is crying and screaming, “Mom! Mom! Mom!”
The doctors file out.
They tell us she’s dead.
But she can’t be dead.
A tear slips down my cheek.
Jonas pushes past the doctors and grabs his mom’s pale, limp hand, begging her to come back. Screaming that he’s sorry. He’s sorry he left her.
With every cry that tears past his lips, my heart rips to shreds.
His mom died because he went to the cafeteria with me.
This is all my fault.
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Author’s Note
It took me a little longer to write Ina's story as I wanted to be sensitive with the dark topics covered in the book.
Since the moment she showed up in Venus's world (Be My Forever), I knew Ina was stronger than she gave herself credit for and I wanted to shine a light on that.
Instead of jumping straight from her first appearance in Be My Forever to her own book, I let the character breathe and grow. We met her four years into her journey of healing.
Be My Light is a celebration of the tiny steps. The big milestones are important, yeah, but they’re a result of past efforts not a random explosion of success.
For Ina, she’d worked on herself, her confidence and her healing for the past four years. She was by no means done, but she had a good grasp of where she’d been, where she was currently and where she wanted to go.
I thought Lucas’s low-pressure approach to their friendship at first was exactly what she needed. And his patience and understanding when his feelings developed assured her that she could rely on him.
If there’s one thing I’d want you to take away from Lucas and Ina’s story, it’s that you are worthy of love. Of happiness. Of peace. But that can only come by finding those things within yourself first.
Until the next whirlwind BWWM romance.
Love,
Nia
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More books about strong yet vulnerable black women and the diverse men who love them are coming soon.
Also by Nia Arthurs
Caribbean Crush Series
His Exception
Her Deception
The Complication
Grudging Hearts Series
Forever Loving You
Forever Craving You
Forever Claiming You
Make It Marriage Series
Be My Always