Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Final Chapter
The Wedding
About the Author
Contact
Submissions
Copyright © 2014 by Blake Karrington and Chris Booker
Published by: Dynasty Publishing
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This book is published under the copyright laws of the United States. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. No part of this book may be used, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission from Dynasty Publishing, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Chapter 1
Tammy sat at the kitchen table rubbing the corners of her eyes in frustration. With the wedding swiftly approaching, and not even having the guest list complete, she had more than enough on her plate. To top things off, rumor had it that Chris was supposed to be on his way home sometime this year. The only problem with that was nobody knew when. The Federal Bureau of Prison’s website had a release date for him about three years from now, which only made things more confusing.
“Are you okay?” Darious asked, walking into the kitchen. “You look stressed out right now.”
“Yeah, it's this wedding. I didn't think planning it was going to be so hard. I'm trying to find the right catering company, a DJ, a suit for Anthony, my two bridesmaid’s dresses, a dress for me ...” Tammy sighed. “And look,” she said, passing Darious the white notepad she'd been writing in all day. “Aside from Falisha, Lisa, Kim, my mom and my uncle, I really don't have anybody coming. You got like sixty people so far, and counting. This is supposed to be my —”
“Baby, calm down,” Darious said, taking the notepad and tossing it onto the table. “Take a deep breath and relax,” he continued as he held her hands. “It's not that deep.”
It might not have been that deep to him, but this wedding meant everything to her. She wanted it to be perfect, and her not having but a few family members there on her behalf seemed sad. Thinking about it actually made Tammy realize just how displaced her family was. She had two brothers and three sisters, all on her father's side of the family, but she hadn't seen them since she was six or seven years old. She couldn't even remember the last time she’d seen her dad, and neither she nor her mom knew if he was dead or alive. Tammy’s family situation was a total mess.
“I don't know if this means anything to you, but my family is your family now, and they are going to love you without limit. You wanna know why?” Darious said, raising Tammy's hand up and kissing the back of it. “Because I love you, and after that, nothing else matters,” he said, and kissed her hand again gently.
His words were believable because Darious' mom had been nothing less than an angel. The whole family welcomed not only Tammy, but also her two kids into their lives with open arms. She never had to ask them for anything, but if Tammy did need something, it seemed that they would be there for her with no problem. They made her feel like she was important, and that she mattered in this world. Darious was right, and being a part of this family was one of the many things Tammy was grateful for. Marrying Darious, her knight in shining armor, was the ultimate gift, one that made planning this wedding worth all the stress and frustration Tammy was going to have to go through.
__________
Lisa sat on the edge of Nate's bed getting dressed, hoping he didn't wake up before she left. She didn't feel like talking, and this definitely wasn't a cuddling session. She came to his place, they had sex, and now she was on her way out the door. That's the agreement they had, and Lisa was going to stick to the ‘sex with no strings attached’ deal they had made.
“Damn, you leaving already?” Nate asked, waking up from his little catnap. “You know you can stay a while, right?”
That's the exact reason why Lisa wanted to leave. Nate couldn't see it, but Lisa was trying to save him from getting hurt. He made the deal, but he really didn't understand the lines that weren't meant to be crossed. Laying up, pillow talking, cuddling, spending time, getting to know each other, were like a gateway drug. Those were the things that led up to something more serious, and before that happened, Lisa was going to secure those border lines by all means.
“Nate, we been through this before. You know I can't stay,” she said, glancing over her shoulder.
“Yeah, you told me that, but I thought maybe we ...”
“You thought wrong,” she said, cutting him off. She turned around to face him because what she had to say next was important, and he needed to see the sincere look in her eyes when she said it. “Look, Nate, I like having sex with you, and to be honest, I think you're very talented in bed, but this bedroom is as far as we'll ever go. I thought we established that from the beginning,” Lisa said.
Nate was offended by the way she was talking to him, but he stayed cool. The sex they had was great, and the last thing he wanted to do was end it.
“We did establish that from the beginning, and you know what, that's my fault,” Nate said, lying back down in the bed.
“Are you sure? Because if you can't handle what we got going on, just let me know,” Lisa spoke.
“Nah, we good, just lock the bottom lock on your way out,” he said before grabbing the remote control off the nightstand and turning the TV on.
Lisa turned back around, finished getting dressed, got up, and left without even saying goodbye. This was how she wanted it to be. No relationships, no cares, no worries, no stress, and most importantly, no love. She didn't want, nor desire these things from a man right now, and given what she'd been through, Lisa may not ever want to open up to anybody again. That's just the way she felt, and she found that it was easier being the way she was.
__________
The sun was shining bright, and there had to be at least twenty kids outside running around on the small street. Tammy sat on her steps between Darious' legs, smoking a blunt and periodically yelling at Anthony, who was playing a little too rough with the other kids.
“ANTHONY, GET YA BEHIND OUT OF THAT STREET,” Tammy yelled, seeing a car turn down the block.
The car crept down the street slowly, and all of the kids stopped and watched the spaceship of a car pass by. The all-white 2013 Bentley Continental GT slowed down, but didn't come to a complete stop as the kids had hoped. It simply drove down the street and made a right at the corner.
Everyone was so focused on the car passing by, that nobody paid attention to the man walking up the street from the opposite direction. Darious was the first person to turn around and see him. The hateful look in the man’s eyes prompted Darious to pull the compact .45 from his waist and set it on his lap. He was still doing his thing from time to time, and he had been robbed before, so this time he wasn't taking any chances. It was about to be a shoot first, ask questions last type of situation.
“You know him?” Darious asked, nudging Tammy to get her attention. “Do you?” he asked again, clutching the gun a little tighter, and taking the safety off.
Tammy finally turned around, and it was right in the nick of time, because Darious was ready to fire his weapon. It was like Tammy had seen a ghost, the way she jumped up from
between Darious’ legs. For a moment, she couldn't believe the father of her kids was standing right before her.
“Chris?” she asked in shock, curious as to when and how he got out of prison this early.
She’d heard the rumors, but she didn't think they had much truth to them. She definitely wasn’t aware that the new crack laws had gotten him released way before his time was up.
“I see you got ya’self a lil’ wanna be thug,” Chris said, not fazed at all by the gun Darious had sitting on his lap. “These are the kind of niggaz you got around my kids?” he asked, giving Tammy a look that would have killed her if she hadn’t put her head down. “I been gone for four years, and you said you was trying to better your life, and this the best you can come up with? Wow. And you smoke weed now?” Chris spoke quickly firing verbal shots at both Tammy and Darious like a machine gun.
You must have lost ya mind, questioning me! Tammy wanted to scream, but her mouth wouldn’t move.
Chris looked over and gave Darious a hard stare. He wasn't a threat in Chris' eyes, and if he knew who he was pulling a gun out on, Darious would have never done it. Chris was a killer for real, plus he was a little crazy, and just about everybody knew it. Well … except for Darious.
Tammy just sat there wanting to read Chris for his insult, but her heart was pounding so hard, that she was sitting there with a dumb look on her face. Darious got mad at how humble and submissive she seemed to have become in Chris’s presence. He started to say something, but decided against it, seeing Lil Anthony running down the street toward them.
“Dad! Dad!” Anthony yelled, running up and throwing his arms around his dad. “You're home! You're home!” he yelled, holding Chris tight.
Chris embraced his son with loads of kisses to the top of his head. Tears started to fill his eyes, but Chris quickly got control, remembering that Darious was looking on. He had missed being able to hug and kiss his kids. The prison never let him have physical contact, and the emotion of being able to fully express his love for them was overwhelming. Anthony had grown up so fast in the past four years, and although the prison bars had separated them, Chris' kids still loved him as if he had never left.
Tammy stood there, watching Chris and Anthony embrace. She could feel the emotion of their reunion, and all the love that she had suppressed for Chris seemed to pour out of her at rapid speeds. She had deep feelings for Darious, and even loved him very much, but the truth was, there wasn't anyone in this world she'd rather be with than Chris. The love they shared was different from any other. Also, Chris had the nerve to be standing there looking as good as ever. His hair was cut low, so his waves complimented his rich, flawless, dark chocolate skin, and his beard was well groomed. She could smell the Frankincense oil coming off his skin, and the prostration mark on the center of his head proved that he'd been praying for this day to come.
“Where's my daughter?” Chris asked.
“She's with ya mom. Do you want me to call them?”
“Nah, that's cool. I gotta get ready to leave. I'm in the halfway house over off Remount Road right now, and I got like an hour to get back before those people start trippin',” Chris said. “I'll come back another time.”
Darious wasn’t feeling this little family reunion, but he understood that Chris was the father of Tammy’s children. Before things escalated, he figured he would give them some privacy for Tammy to let Chris know what the real was. Darious stood up and put his gun back in his waist, all the while not taking his eyes off Chris.
He tapped Tammy on her ass. “Yo, I’m going to go make a quick call,” he said before walking off down the street. The tap on the ass was to let Chris know that Tammy was his girl now.
Tammy gave Chris a look that pretty much begged him not to react to Darious' antics. Chris couldn't help but to smile, knowing that Darious had no idea what he was capable of doing to him. Not only that, but Chris didn't even want to be with Tammy after what he'd been through with her during the time that he was locked up.
“So, how did you get down here, and who told you where I lived?” Tammy asked.
“Come on, Tammy, you think I don't know where my kids rest their heads?” Chris said. “And if you must know, I got down here on the bus. I'm still trying to enjoy my freedom.”
“You need a ride back?” Tammy blurted, not knowing what in the hell had made her offer him a ride.
“I'm good, thanks for the offer, though.”
Tammy was so glad he had declined her offer. There was no way in hell she could have explained to Darious that she was giving Chris a ride back to the halfway house.
Tammy wasn’t sure what to say next. The fact of the matter was that Chris had just come back and made her life a little more confusing and difficult. She was happy that he was home, but almost instantly after seeing him, her feelings for Darious started to decrease, and her feelings for Chris had increased. The connection was unreal, so much so, that it sent chills down her spine, along with a tingling sensation between her legs.
“So, where are you going to stay after they let you out of the halfway house?” Tammy asked, peeling off a couple dollars so Anthony could get something from the approaching ice cream truck.
Chris put his head down and began scratching the top of it in frustration. Reality had set in, and the thought of not having a house to come home to weighed heavy on him. This was something that in his mind, Tammy had taken away from him.
“I guess I'ma check into a shelter until I get a job or something,” Chris answered, somewhat ashamed of how low his situation had become. “I'll be all right, though.”
That sent a sharp pain through Tammy's chest, feeling like she was partly responsible for his hardship. He was supposed to be coming home to his family, but Tammy was living a different life now.
“Why do you have to go into a shelter? Why can't you just stay at ya mom's house until you find a place?”
“Tammy, I'm a man, and real men stand on their own two feet. Trust and believe that I won't be making the shelter my permanent home. One thing you should know about me by now is that I'm a go-getter, and failure is not an option. I'll be on my feet in a couple of months, and when I do get right, I'ma help you out with the kids,” Chris answered.
“Look at me, Chris,” Tammy said, trying to get some eye contact. “All you gotta do is give me the word, you know I will help you in any way that I can,” she said with sincerity in her eyes.
Chris searched to see where Dariuos had walked off to before responding. “Yo, you still crazy. I appreciate the offer,” he said and chuckled. “But, you go ahead and keep doin' ya thing. I'ma be a’ight, I promise you that.”
The bus would be coming soon, so there wasn't much more time to talk. As bad as he wanted to burn Tammy's ears up, he had to leave it alone for right now. He only had enough time to hug and kiss Anthony before getting to the bus stop. As he was about to walk off, he reached out and grabbed her hand, hoping he could at least get a hug from her.
Tammy had wanted one herself, ever since she laid eyes on him, but with Darious around, she thought it best to refuse him. She hesitantly pulled away.
Chris just smiled, understanding her dilemma. He turned and headed toward the bus stop. It hurt Tammy that she wasn’t able to show Chris the love she still had for him, but she knew she would have a lot of explaining already to do to Darious.
__________
Gay Ernie and Carol were sitting on Carol's steps, smoking a blunt when the sound of a car door slamming caught both of their attention. They looked up the street and saw Falisha walking away from a silver Jaguar, which pulled right off in a hurry. Falisha looked like she had just finished having sex. Her hair was all over the place, and her shorts were zipped up, but unbuttoned.
“Who da hell is you creepin' wit', bitch?” Gay Ernie yelled with a snap of his neck. “And don't be lying, neither.”
“Boy, ain't nobody creepin', and that was Fox,” Falisha admitted, knowing Carol already knew his car.
�
�Lamar gon’ break ya whole neck,” Carol spoke. “I hope you used a condom,” she said with her face turned up like Fox was the nastiest nigga in the world.
“Bye, girl,” Falisha responded, putting her hand in Carol's face. “And y’all need to mind y’all’s own business. Me and Fox is still cool. He just be looking out for me.”
“I bet y’all are,” Gay Ernie laughed, smacking his butt. “And I bet he do be looking out.” Ernie snapped a circle. “You know what they say, it ain't trickin' if you got it.”
“Shit, somebody gotta pay the bills around here,” Falisha mumbled, taking a seat on the steps.
With the stripping business in his rearview, and a new, less paying job on deck, Lamar and Falisha weren't living the luxurious lifestyle they were accustomed to. Lamar was paid every two weeks, and before he did anything, he had to make sure the bills were paid. After that, Lamar broke down the rest of his check with Falisha, who most of the time, spent it on going out and getting drunk just about every night. Even the things baby Jordan needed had to come out of Lamar's portion of his pay. He didn't mind, because Falisha and Jordan were his family, and taking care of them was his responsibility. Sometimes, he wished Falisha would get a job so she could help. He never said anything, because when she was home, she did a great job taking care of Jordan.
“A’ight, y’all, it was fun, but I gotta run,” Falisha said, taking one last pull of the weed. “And don't forget we're going to Flake's tomorrow night. All drinks are two dollars,” she said before disappearing into the house, and leaving Carol and Ernie on the steps.
__________
Lisa picked up Naomi from school, went straight home and got into the shower. She sat there, allowing the water to rain down on her head, thinking about how Nate always hit the spot when she paid him a visit. She also wondered if she was being too hard on him for not entertaining the thought of them spending a little time together, or maybe even trying to start some type of friendship.
It had been well over a year since Ralphy’s death, and many of her friends and family members told Lisa that it was time for her to move on. But the truth was, she wasn't ready. That's why her outer shell was so hard, making it impossible for Nate to get through. She didn't just love Ralphy, she was still in love with him. Hell, even having sex with Nate was hard at times, but Lisa kept going back because it was the only thing that made her feel human. It made her feel like a woman, and that's all she wanted to feel.
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