Love So Heavenly (A Clean Christian African American Romance)

by Shannon Gardener

  Love So Heavenly

  The voice of an angel, the one he's been looking for

  A complete Christian African American romance story, brought to you by author Shannon Gardener of African American Club.

  Kayla Simmons is the daughter of a strict pastor and is fed up of being so sheltered, but she forgets all her troubles by singing, her favorite thing to do.

  One day she blows everyone away at an open air talent contest, and no one’s more impressed than Tyrese Malcolm.

  He’s a cynical billionaire playboy who’s avoided responsibilities for as long as he can remember.

  His older brother’s tired of it, and tells him to pull up his socks in their recording company, or he’s out.

  So Tyrese asks Kayla to record for him, and she agrees, keeping it a secret from her parents.

  They make a great team, and soon Kayla’s famous and moving out of her parents’ home to start a new life.

  Love is beginning to bloom too, though Kayla’s wary of his past.

  Then, when a shocking revelation about her father rocks Kayla’s world, she finds it hard to trust anyone.

  Will this destroy Tyrese and Kayla’s romance forever?

  Or will she be able to learn to trust again?

  Find out in this emotional, family-friendly romance by Shannon Gardener of African American Club.

  Tip: Search BWWM Club on Amazon to see more of our great books.

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  Copyright © 2016 to Shannon Gardener and AfroRomanceBooks.com. No part of this book can be copied or distributed without written permission from the above copyright holders.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Bonus Book - Faith

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

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  Chapter 1

  Kayla folded the vestry cloth neatly and ran her hand over it to ensure its crispness. She had just taken it from Gayle one of the women on the choir and was making sure that it was in pristine order.

  At one time it had been delivered and her father, the Reverend John Simmons had noticed it during one of his sermons and had been visibly displeased. He had told her right after that episode that she must take full responsibility for the piece of white cloth. “Everything has to be in order my dear or else the work of the Lord will not flow the way it is supposed to.” She had been resentful but had hid it well.

  Rev. Simmons did not take too kindly to disobedience or lack or order for that matter. He had built his church from the ground up and had said over and over again that he was a servant of the highest God and was never going to take it lightly. He had a strict hand and no nonsense manner and did not suffer fools gladly. He had never hugged her or read her bedtime stories and always managed to look foreboding and unapproachable. Her mother on the other hand: the first lady Marion Simmons was soft and malleable and easy to talk to. She was the one they all went to when there were problems afoot and she never turned them back no matter what she had going on.

  “I don’t think daddy loves me mommy,” Kayla remembered saying when she was a little girl and her father had reprimanded her for getting her pretty dress dirty.

  “Come here sweetie,” Marion Simmons had held out her hands and she had flown into them gratefully. “Your father is a very important man on an important mission for our Lord and Savior and he has a lot of responsibilities. It is not easy on him but he loves you and he loves me, it’s just that he does not show it much.”

  “You are very busy too but you find time to hug me,” Kayla had pointed out.

  “I am not as busy as your father is sweetie so it is easier for me and I am happy to give hugs for both of us.” She had gathered her up into her arms and squeezed her and started tickling her until she had burst out laughing.

  She looked up as her mother came in. It was Wednesday afternoon and the fasting service had just finished and they were making sure everything was in place for Friday when they had the young people’s meeting. There was also an outdoor concert planned to close out the summer and giveaways for the kids going back to school in the month of September.

  “Darling I thought you had the young people this afternoon?” Marion bustled in, not a hair out of place and her makeup flawless as usual. She was the Reverend’s wife and she played the part every single day. Just like he did not tolerate untidiness and mess in his sanctuary it was the same for his family especially his wife.

  “Sister Martha is taking them mother; I have some rehearsing to do.” Kayla put away the vestry cloth inside the fancy looking armoire and closed the door tightly. She had taken after her mother in looks with her coffee and cream complexion, thick dark hair that she had processed and which she usually wore in a bun at the nape of her neck. She had large dark eyes that always looked too serious for her age. She was petite barely reaching five feet and slender with curves that she tend to hide. She had been singing since she was four years old and it was her only passion, the only thing she cared about.

  “You look nice,” she said with a faint smile, admiring the steel gray suit her mother was wearing. Her thick dark hair was swept up into an elegant chignon at the nape of her neck and she looked every inch of the pastor’s wife.

  “Thanks darling, the reverend and I are just coming from brunch with the Bishop.” She patted her hair automatically. Even though they lived in a two story house on the church grounds Kayla had her own suite of rooms and made sure she never got in her parents’ way.

  They had devotion every morning at six a.m. and if they were all at home for dinner they ate and prayed together. She had gone to college to do child psychology but worked in the ministry and received a stipend, she never thought of leaving because it was her life and one that she had been born into and she did not know anything else. “We also have dinner plans later tonight with the Wright’s,” she said referring to some members of the church who had their own car mart in town. Her mother and father entertained a lot and had a full social life unlike their daughter.

  “Okay if I don’t see you later have a wonderful evening.” Kayla told her with a smile.

  “I wish you would come to some of these things with us Kayla, you are by yourself way too much.” Her mother said in concern as she came further inside the room, her eagle eyes checking the baptismal font and the pedestal for any signs of dust. The church was one of the largest in the community and had several thousand members. It was a towering white structure that had been renovated over the past year and looked elegant in its simplici
ty.

  “I am going to be trying to finish a song I started earlier in the week mother so I really have something to do.” Kayla assured her and besides she did not particularly like the Wrights thinking that they were too stuck up and pretentious for their own good. “You and Dad have fun.” She added with a smile.

  *****

  Tyrese knew he was in trouble again. His brother had summoned him to his office and he knew he was going to be in for a lecture. If there was one thing he hated it was lectures especially from his bother. It was going to be about the picture in the paper of him and his latest girlfriend. They had been caught at a party that a famous singer had put on and the photographer had snapped them as he held the girl close to him. His brother’s wife kept telling him to settle down.

  “Only if I can find someone like you.” He had told her with a grin.

  “You are hitting on me now?” she had asked him dryly.

  “Just stating a fact,” he had told her, squeezing her arm gently. “You happen to be one of the finest women I have ever seen. When are you going to leave that uptight brother of mine and run away with me?”

  “When I am old and gray.” She had told him with a little laugh. “You need to settle down.”

  But he had no intention of settling. His brother had married Lorelei for love and they had been together for five years. The love was still going strong even though he knew she was hankering for a child.

  Their father had left them the company to run when he had died from prostate cancer two years ago and Tariq Malcolm had been very successful in maintaining the profit margin of the diversified company. Malcolm Enterprises was holding its own and had companies all over the country. Tyrese was in charge of finding companies that were limping and make the renovations along with a team that was hired for the company. He hated putting on a suit and tie and coming into the office but he had to do it because he had a responsibility along with his brother. He was more interested in having fun and living and being in an office was certainly not fun.

  “You called?” he said mockingly as he entered the inner sanctum of his brother’s opulent office. The secretary, a middle aged blonde woman had indicated that he go right in.

  They were five years apart with Tyrese being twenty-seven and Tariq Thirty-two and they looked so much alike that they could have passed as twins except that Tyrese was a little taller and more muscular due to his many outdoor activities. They were called the handsome billionaires by the various papers but Tyrese was the most featured because of his many social activities. Tall and dark skinned with beautiful dark brown eyes and thick eyebrows and a quick ready smile.

  Tariq had taken over their father’s office and had made it his own; he had even redecorated but left the life size portrait of their father above the mantel in the huge office.

  “Have a seat Tyrese,” Tariq gestured to one of the deep cushioned chairs in front of his large oak desk. He had just gotten off the phone and was making jottings on a notepad.

  “I see you made the headlines again,” Tariq said looking at him coolly. He would never let him know but sometimes he envied his brother’s devil may care attitude and the way he was determined to live his life the way he wanted to.

  “Some of us have lives to live bro,” Tyrese told him sardonically. “Remember what that was like?”

  “I cannot be like you Tyrese; I have responsibilities and a company to run and people who look to me for answers.” Tariq told him stiffly. “Here is the deal: You are going to start making yourself useful in this company and start to earn the very handsome salary you draw every month and the perks that come with being a Malcolm. You are going to find a project and stick to it until it is completed and I expect to see results.”

  “And if I don’t?” Tyrese asked, his eyebrows rose.

  “I am going to start you at the bottom of the company and let you work your way up.” Tariq told him with a hint of steel in his voice.

  “You cannot do that,” Tyrese leaned forward and gave his brother a grim stare. “I am much a part of this company as you are.”

  “But I was left in charge,” his brother reminded him. “I love you too much to see you wasting your life the way you are and I have to do what’s necessary to make sure you don’t.”

  “You have a fine way of showing that emotion bro,” he sneered. “May I leave now or do you have another ultimatum to throw my way?”

  “No just some well meaning advice. I have a relationship that is wonderful and meaningful and I love it and her. When you find something like that and I hope you do, it is going to make you a better person.”

  “Where is the advice?” Tyrese asked him coolly.

  “Stop trying to find love in all the wrong places.”

  “You sound like a badly written tune bro, I am not looking for love I am looking for satisfaction and I get that in spades.”

  “One day you are going to thank me.”

  “Just not today.”

  Tyrese went back to his office, his long strides eating up the distance between his brother’s suite of offices and his own more modest but nonetheless elegant sanctum. He did not have a secretary but an assistant who did most of the work.

  Tariq was backing him into a corner and he did not appreciate it. Their father had left him in charge of the company and he had no problem where that was concerned because he never wanted to be tied down to one place. He had wanted the freedom to fly to Europe or to the Caribbean whenever he felt like it and being CEO of a company did not give one that privilege so he was welcome to it. But now he was giving him ultimatums and he did not like it one bit.

  *****

  Kayla took a bath and padded to the large ultra modern kitchen to make herself a salad. It was a little after seven and her parents had already left for the night and were not expected to be back until around midnight. She loved this time when she was by herself and could think and meditate on what she really wanted to do.

  She worked in her parents ministry and did so ever since she was a teenager, going from one ministry to another and she never knew anything else. She had gone to the nearby college and had come home every evening after classes because her father had said that colleges have a way of turning young people away from God. He had no intention of allowing that to happen to his only child. He wanted to make sure he monitored her spiritual life. She had never had a man even touched her unless it was the brothers at church who shook her hand awkwardly as if they were afraid of her father’s wrath.

  Rev. Simmons had been hinting at her marrying a deacon by the name of Richard Byles, a simple thirty year old man who was an accountant and who was completely committed to the ministry. She had told him in no uncertain terms that she would never be interested in marrying someone like that. He had told her heatedly that all were equal in the sight of the Lord. She had answered him politely equality was overrated. He had reprimanded her for being so outright and had not spoken to her for several days.

  The young sisters at church envied her and wished they were her and had her life and sometimes she want to tell them to take it, because it was not what is appeared to be. She buried herself into writing her songs and made sure she prayed a lot not because she was compelled to but because she had a very good relationship with her Lord and Savior Jesus. She would sit in her room and have conversations with him and cry to him about her life. She felt as if she was trapped and did not know what to do about it.

  With a sigh she poured herself some wine and took it to her room with her. She had been mulling over some songs she had been writing and trying to make the words meaningful enough but somehow she was falling short. She picked up her guitar and plucked at the strings and closed her eyes letting the melody wash over her, trying to fit the words to the lyrics.

  “You gave me grace and mercy when no one else saw me,” her lovely voice sang out softly. “You have pointed me in the right direction and saved me from myself. You are my Alpha and my Omega and the beginning of all things good and I want to
thank you for all the blessings you have given to me.”

  *****

  “Aren’t you being a little too harsh on him?” Lorelei asked her husband softly as they got ready for bed. They had met and fallen in love when she had been asked by the paper she worked for to get an exclusive interview and although they had fought what they felt for each other it had been more powerful than they were.

  She was of a mixed race: her mother being black and her father white and the combination made for an exquisite woman with creamy skin and curly black hair that she had streaked blonde at the ends. She was sweet and gentle and her husband thought the world of her. Tyrese had adopted her and told her that she was the best thing that had ever happened to his brother and told her bluntly that if he had met her first he would have scooped her up so fast her head would have spun.

  “He needs to settle down Lei,” he said a little impatiently as he pulled on his pajama pants. “He is a grown man behaving as if he is a teenager. It’s for his own good.”

  “I just do not want to see you losing your brother because you have a need to see him grow up darling,” she said soothingly as she came up behind him and hugged him around his trim waist.

  “I am not going to lose him; I am sick and tired of him running all over the place!” He said with a sigh. “The papers referred to him as the playboy who changes female partners the way he changes his designer suits and it makes me sick.”

  “He will settle down eventually darling. We need to let him do so in his own time.” She rested her head against his back and was thankful that he was the one she had fallen in love with. Tyrese was certainly more attractive but he was careless with his affections and left a string of broken hearts in his wake. Tariq was a solid sure shooter and was very committed to her.

  “I certainly hope so.” Tariq said holding her hands with his gently.

  *****

  Marion Simmons hung up the dress neatly and put it away. She had gone to her daughter’s suite of rooms to check on her and had seen her fast asleep with her guitar leaned up against the headboard and an empty glass on the side table indicating that she had been drinking a little bit.