Chapter Forty-Six
Aunt Edna assured Kem she shouldn’t give up, but Kem was beginning to think she was fighting a losing battle. She’d seen the picture of Brent with Pandora. She’d read on another blog he’d been seen out with someone else. Brent didn’t seem to miss them not being together.
Maybe she should just let him go. Maybe someone else could make him happier. But she knew no one else would make her happy. The time she’d shared with Brent had been some of the best days of her life. Up until their breakup, they really didn’t have any issues. They had small little disagreements, but nothing they couldn’t work out. She missed hearing his laughter. There were times that no words needed to be said between them. They were that in sync. But since Alize stepped into the spotlight, their world was torn apart.
She couldn’t blame him. She could only blame herself. Her past was the cause of their breakup. She couldn’t deny it any longer.
Something within her, however, wouldn’t let her give up too easily. She loved him. She screwed up and it was up to her to fix the situation. She got behind her computer and made a change to the next day’s schedule. She sent out the schedule change to everyone via email.
Some people weren’t too happy about the change, but she didn’t care. She was taking charge of things and it started with the schedule.
Kem’s phone rang just as she was getting ready to leave.
“Kyle, I was going to call you. I promise you,” she said as she placed the phone between her ear and shoulder, while grabbing her purse and keys off her desk.
“I wish you would call me Dad,” Kyle said from the other end of the phone.
“I do sometimes.”
“But…well, never mind. I just called to check on you. We haven’t talked much lately.”
Kem fumbled with her keys and almost dropped her phone. “Hold on a minute.”
She threw her stuff in the passenger seat then activated her car’s Bluetooth. “I’m back,” she said.
“So how are you?”
“I’m okay. Just been working a lot and dealing with the breakup,” Kem responded. She was happy Kyle was worried enough to call and check on her.
“I read somewhere you two had broken up but I’ve talked to you and you never mentioned it.”
“It’s not you. I just haven’t wanted to talk to anyone.” Kem drove out of the parking lot and into oncoming traffic.
“What did Brent do? Do I need to call and check him for hurting my baby?”
“No, Dad.” Kem smiled at his display of being a protective father. Traffic was now at a standstill. Her smile disappeared. “I’m in heavy traffic so let me get off this phone.”
“Why didn’t you say so? Go. We’ll talk later.” He hung up.
Kem didn’t feel like discussing her relationship with him. They were just getting to know each other.
Kem turned on the radio and listened to some old school R&B songs on her ride home. She sang along to some. The music helped lighten her mood, if only for a short while.
Brent was annoyed the next morning when he learned his shooting schedule had changed. If he would have known sooner, he would have come in later. Now, he had four hours to spare.
He hadn’t been sleeping well so he used the opportunity to take a long nap. His alarm buzzed giving him enough time to shower and get dressed for his scene. Most of the cast and crew were on set. He was one of the last people to show up.
Kem must be going somewhere afterwards, he said to himself. He noticed her face was all made up. The cream-colored skirt suit seemed to hug every curve of her body. The skirt shifted when she took a seat. He tried to tear his eyes away but her legs were one of the things besides her beautiful brown lips that attracted him to her. He couldn’t help but notice her sexy thighs.
The director gave him and his costars their cues, breaking Brent’s stare. Brent went to his place and waited for further directions.
“Action,” the director said.
Brent acted out his scene. It wasn’t as emotional as the day before but good nonetheless. The scene took less than an hour to shoot. He said his good-byes to his costars and headed to his trailer.
He changed clothes and almost tore up the trailer looking for his car keys. He was just about to give up when he remembered leaving them in his jogging pants.
“There you are.” He dangled the keys out in front of him.
It had been a long day and he wanted to get far away from there as possible.
Seeing Kem everyday and not being able to touch her or hold her was pure torture. He’d come so close to walking over to her and kissing her shiny lips.
The anger he had dissipated but his pride wouldn’t let him approach Kem. His heart ached. Brent hoped time would heal his broken heart.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Kem wasn’t prepared for Brent’s swift exit. She’d gotten caught up with one of the show’s vice presidents. She rushed to her office, grabbed her stuff and ran to her car. She noticed Brent’s car not far away. Good, he hadn’t left yet.
She removed the letter opener from her purse then glanced around the parking lot. No one was in clear view. She walked to the back of her car. She looked around again to take extra precautions then bent down and used the letter opener to punch a hole in the back tire. She could hear the air leaving the tire.
She looked at her handiwork. Her face scrawled. She was a writer, not an actor, but she would be the leading lady in this scene. She noticed Brent walking from his trailer though she pretended not to. She’d turned her cell phone off but pretended to be trying to call someone.
Brent walked right past her without stopping.
“What do you mean it will be two hours before you can get someone here?” she said loudly, her back now facing Brent. She closed her eyes hoping and praying that it worked.
“Kem, is everything all right?” Brent stopped and asked.
“Yes,” she mouthed to herself. She frowned right before turning around to face him then placed her hand over the bottom of the phone. She spoke fast. “No. My car’s got a flat and it’ll be two hours before someone can come change it. I got this conference call I need to be on and my notes for the meeting are on my computer at the house.”
Brent removed his jacket. “Don’t worry yourself. Tell them not to worry about it. I’ll change it. Just hold this.”
“I’m sorry but you can cancel the roadside assistance. Someone else has come to my rescue,” Kem pretended to say to someone. She put the phone away.
“Where’s your key, or pop the trunk?” Brent walked to the back of her car.
Kem used the key fob and popped the trunk.
She watched Brent move things around before looking at her. “You need to talk to the manager at that dealership because you don’t have a spare tire.”
Kem pretended to be frustrated. She’d left the tire at home on purpose. She rushed beside him. “Are you serious? I’ve never had a flat tire before so I didn’t know there wasn’t a spare back there.”
Brent moved the carpet in the back and showed her where the spare tire was supposed to be.
Kem pouted. “Now what I’m supposed to do? I guess I’d better call them back and have them tow my car to the dealership so they can put a new tire on it.”
“No. Notify them of the missing spare tire and have them send someone out to change the tire right here.”
Kem shrugged her shoulders. “In the meantime, I have to get home.” She turned her phone over.
“What are you doing?” Brent asked.
“I’m calling a car service. It’s a long walk home from here,” she tried to joke.
“Nonsense. I’m here. I’ll take you home.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to inconvenience you. I know you’re a busy man.” Kem tried not to sound condescending.
“It’s not
an inconvenience. Why wait, when I’m right here?”
“You have a point. Let me get my stuff out of the car,” Kem said.
Kem tried to hide the smile on her face. She pretended to be looking for something. She bent over far enough so Brent could get a good view of her behind as her skirt shifted farther and farther up.
She got out of the car and caught him drooling. “You okay?” she asked.
He swallowed. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“Thanks for the ride.” Kem walked past him toward his car.
Brent could have pretended not to see Kem in distress but his heart wouldn’t let him. Having her in close proximity caused him to sweat. He blasted the air conditioner hoping it would cool things down. When she bent over in her car to get her stuff, his penis betrayed him and got rock hard and wouldn’t deflate. The smell of her perfume filled the air making it difficult for him to control his hormones.
Kem said, “Brent, I want to thank you for taking me home.”
“No, problem. I would have done the same for anyone.”
“I know. That’s one of the things I love about you. You’re genuine. You’re a nice guy.”
Did she say love?
“I also owe you an apology.”
“No need to go there,” Brent responded. It was getting harder and harder to concentrate on the road.
“Yes, I insist. I’m sorry for not listening to you. If I hadn’t been so stubborn, I would have allowed you to explain your side of the story and we wouldn’t be walking around here acting like strangers.”
Brent kept his eye on the road and responded, “I knew you’d be upset, but I didn’t expect you to do what you did. You didn’t give me the chance to explain.”
“I know and I’m sorry.” Kem placed her hand over his.
He started to jerk it away but didn’t. Her hand on top of his connected them like a magnet and he couldn’t deny the spark between them.
Brent glanced at her. “You expect me to forgive you, just like that?”
“You’ve made it really hard. I’ve been reaching out to you for weeks. I’m not going to give up on you…on us. I love you, Brent, and realize that my past was the only reason I reacted the way I did. I’ve come to terms with it. All I can do at this point is ask you if you can forgive me.”
“What about trust? Without it, there’s no relationship.”
“I never stopped trusting you, I stopped trusting myself. I couldn’t trust my feelings for you because I doubted anyone could love me and not leave me. So instead, I pushed you away so you wouldn’t have the opportunity to.”
“Kem, if you hadn’t broken up with me, we wouldn’t be in this place now. I never would have left you. I love you too much.”
“So you do still love me?”
“My love doesn’t change like the weather. I’m hurt. I’m disappointed, but yes, Kem, I still love you.”
Kem squeezed Brent’s hand. “Then, please. Please forgive me and give me another chance. Give us another chance.”
The car had come to a stop, as they hit a patch of traffic. Brent looked over at Kem. He could see fear and love in her eyes. He didn’t know what to say. He’d been struggling with his feelings since the incident. “Let me think about it.”
Kem sighed out loud. “I’ve been miserable without you. Some days I feel like I can’t breathe without you,” Kem confessed.
Brent could hear the despair in her voice. Before he could change his mind, he said, “Kem, I never stopped loving you. It just seemed like you were taking Alize’s side over mine.”
“No, baby. I was confused. Hurt. Thinking you did to a child what my father did to me…”
“When you found out the truth, I shouldn’t have pushed you away, but my silly pride got in the way.” Brent owned up to his mistake.
“Can we agree we both were hot-headed?” Kem asked.
Brent took the next exit to get out of the traffic jam. He stopped at the light. He’d made his decision. He didn’t need to wait a minute longer. “I’m willing to give us another try.” He kissed the back of Kem’s hand and then squeezed it.
Kem’s smile brightened Brent’s world.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Kem was grateful that Brent gave their relationship another shot. He didn’t bring up the engagement so neither did she. She was willing to take it one day at a time. It’d only been a few days since they’d decided to try working on their relationship again so she wasn’t in any hurry.
Aunt Edna was almost as happy as Kem when she learned they were back together. Kem and Aunt Edna were seated in the living room talking when Brent returned from running his errand.
“Kem, I brought you a package,” Brent said.
“Brent, you didn’t have to buy me anything.” Kem turned around and her mouth flew open. “Dad!” she screamed.
“Now that’s the best welcome ever,” Kyle said as he outstretched his arms.
Kem jumped off the couch and hugged him. “It’s good to see you.” She looked at Brent. “Why didn’t you tell me he was coming?”
“I wanted to surprise you,” Brent said. “Looks like it worked.”
“Come. Have a seat,” Kem said as she led him towards the couch.
Aunt Edna cleared her throat several times. Kem laughed. “Dad, this is Aunt Edna. Well, not really my aunt. She’s Brent’s aunt, but I love her like she was my own.”
Dad took Aunt Edna’s extended hand, bent and kissed the back of it. “Hello, you beautiful queen.”
If Kem hadn’t known any better, she would have thought Aunt Edna blushed. “I see where Kem gets some of her good looks.”
Kyle laughed. “I wish I could take all the credit but her mother was just as beautiful.”
Kyle took a seat near the end of the couch close to the chair where Aunt Edna sat.
It was Kem’s time to clear her throat. “Hello. I’m over here.”
“Baby girl, I hadn’t forgotten you, but grown folks are talking now,” Kyle said.
“Excuse me. I guess I’ll leave you grown folks alone so you can talk.”
Kyle laughed. “I’m just kidding. I was glad to hear from Brent. He told me what happened. Glad you two could work it out.”
Kem was grateful that Brent cared enough to want to see her and her father mend their relationship. It made her love Brent even more.
Brent had left but returned to the room holding drinks for everyone. “I think this reunion requires a toast.” Once everyone had their glasses, Brent lifted his glass and said, “To second chances.”
“Here, here. I’ll drink to that,” Kyle said.
“To second chances.” Kem looked at Brent first and then at her father, Kyle.
Aunt Edna winked. “I’ve prepared a special dinner because a little birdie told me we were having a special guest, so let’s go eat.”
After dinner, they all returned to the den. “Edna, that key lime pie was delicious,” Kyle said.
“Wait until you taste my pound cake. You’re going to love it.”
“Sounds like you’re inviting me over again or am I being presumptuous?”
“Look at my dad trying to rap to your aunt,” Kem whispered in Brent’s ear.
“I’m about to put him on the next plane out of L.A. back to Shreveport if he doesn’t watch himself,” Brent responded.
“Dear, let the old folks have a little fun.”
“Old? I heard that,” Aunt Edna said.
Kem laughed. “I’m just joking with you. I’m glad my favorite people are here with me tonight. I’ve enjoyed myself.” Kem looked at Brent. “Thanks for my special surprise.”
She kissed Brent on the lips and then turned back to face Kyle and Aunt Edna.
Brent’s decision to send for Kyle seemed to be a good one. Kem seemed happier than he’d seen her since before her mom
died. The only issue he had with Kyle was how smitten his aunt seemed to be with him. Aunt Edna was like a mother to him, so he was overly protective of her. But as long as he kept her smiling too, he would keep his comments about it to himself. His Aunt Edna deserved to have a little fun, and if hanging out with Kem’s dad was going to do it for her, then so be it.
Brent had convinced Kem to allow her dad to spend the night in one of his guest rooms instead of driving to her house. Brent was under the covers waiting for her to return.
“My dad’s all settled in. We had a chance to talk and, Brent, I’m so glad you flew him here.” Kem talked a mile a minute and Brent loved it.
She removed her robe exposing her pink satin lingerie. He kissed her neck and she gently pushed him away. She shook her finger at him. “My dad’s just down the hall. I don’t feel comfortable doing the do with him in such close proximity.”
Brent fell back on the bed. “I can’t believe this.”
“Believe it, honey. Maybe we should go to my place,” Kem suggested.
“Now, that’s a plan. Because, girl, I want you so bad. I got this love jones that only you can fulfill.”
“On second thought, if he wakes up and we’re not here, he doesn’t know anyone.”
“He knows my aunt.”
“You know what I mean. Your problem is going have to wait.”
“Can you at least rub it?” Brent asked with pouted lips.
“I can do better than that if you promise not to get loud.”
“I promise,” Brent said, with a satisfying smile as Kem pleasured him with her mouth.
It was hard keeping his promise to Kem because he wanted to scream out her name but he bit his bottom lip and held onto the pillow as he exploded.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Kem spent the next few days getting to know her dad better. Kem woke up the next morning to the smell of freshly brewed coffee coming from her kitchen. She smiled as she reminisced about the previous night. She and Kyle had spent the evening talking until they both were too tired to keep their eyes open.
She showered and got dressed in a red jumpsuit with a black belt. Her phone rang. It was still early so she hoped it was no one calling from the studio with issues. She saw Brent’s number. “Hey, baby. I was just getting ready for work,” she said.
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