Sudden Flames (Sweet Promise #2)

by Shanora Williams

  “I don’t know. But, I want to go to therapy. I want to get my shit together, stand on my own two feet. I want to start my life over with a baby, with a new future.”

  I stand up, scratching my head. “What made you decide all of this?”

  She thinks on it for a moment, her face changing from the slits of moonlight. She then stands, looking up at me, watching my face. “Let’s just say I realized a lot of things tonight. I can’t do shit without your help, Griffin. I can be a spiteful bitch, yes, but what finally made me realize I was in the wrong was when I tried to force a pregnancy I didn’t want just to keep you around. I shouldn’t have to force anything to keep you. We both want out. We’ve wanted out for years.”

  “But there is no loophole, Colette. Gabriel was looking into it for me a while back but couldn’t find anything, said it was sealed tight.”

  “That doesn’t mean we have to stop trying. There has to be something. No contract is ever that tight, to the point there is no way out.” Her eyes are hopeful as she looks up at me. “I need this, Griffin. I seriously can’t do this shit anymore. I don’t want to say I’m giving up, more like moving forward. I’m still not at peace with Bradley passing. I don’t think I ever will be.” My chest tightens when she says that. “But I know I can’t blame you anymore. I only wanted to blame you because I should have been blaming myself. I never should have left him alone that day. I should have just brought him with me.”

  “No.” I grab her hands, shaking my head. “No. Stop. It was my fault, and we know it. I told you to take that day. You were stressed and tired and you needed a break and I said I would be able to handle it, but I was wrong. I fucked up. If I had kept a closer eye on him, he would still be here… and we’d probably be okay.”

  “Yeah,” she sniffles. “And that’s the thing. I’m starting to wonder if maybe because he isn’t here, we’re seeing that we actually don’t belong together.”

  I look her in the eyes, the deepness of her statement hitting home. She’s right. Maybe we aren’t. Maybe I’m not supposed to be her husband. Maybe I was only supposed to meet her to build a business, start a new life. Maybe I was only supposed to meet Colette to see how far my faith could stretch.

  I have grown a lot over the years, I can’t lie. I remember back in college I used to participate in illegal street fights just to make some money on the side. It was horrible, but I felt abandoned by my father (as if he could control his own death) and I did what I had to do to survive.

  I worked three part-time jobs, went to college backed up in debt, and fought on late Tuesday nights.

  I stole.

  I lied so much back then that I started to believe my own bullshit.

  Colette knew about my fights and the debt because I told her about it. After witnessing me breakdown first hand while she visited me in New York, she figured it was time for me to meet her father. This was after graduation and I’m still not sure if I’m thankful about that day or if I regret it.

  “I should still find a new place then,” I murmur.

  “That’s totally up to you. I won’t force you to go, though.”

  “Right.” I pause, bringing my hands up to the caps of her shoulders. “You’ll get your baby, Colette. You’ll get your new start and you’ll do well, I’m sure. One thing I’ve admired about you for years is that you don’t give up, even when circumstances are desperate.” I smile at her, tilting my head as she swipes at her eyes. “I’m just glad that for the first time in years, you’ve actually opened up to me. We’ll get out of this contract and we’ll be fine. I have someone in mind that can help us. They’re great with contracts.”

  “Who?”

  “Someone you don’t exactly like.”

  She frowns. “Her?”

  I press my lips with a shrug.

  “Is she going to be at the fall banquet?”

  “Most likely.”

  “My father?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, God,” she groans, rolling her eyes. “I am not in the mood to put up with his shit.”

  “You have to come, you know that. Until we figure this contract thing out, we have to keep up our appearances, Colette.”

  “I know, I know.” She waves her hands in the air, and then looks up at me. “Griffin?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Don’t give up on me yet. That’s all I ask.”

  “I have never given up on you, Colette. I say so, but I probably never will.”

  She nods. “Good. Well, I think I need to take a shower. Rest a little.”

  “Yeah,” I encourage, stepping back. “Go ahead.”

  She walks around me, quickly leaving Bradley’s room. When she departs, I take a look around.

  It still looks the same. Sky blue walls with dark blue elephants that Colette chose for decoration. We were going to repaint it since he was getting older but… life happened.

  I hear the shower start as I walk out of Bradley’s bedroom. I’m drained, but with the energy I have left I head to the bedroom, taking out my cellphone and sending Angelina a text.

  I don’t want to get her involved in this, make her work overtime just to get me out of this marriage, but I can’t go to anyone else right now.

  My future lawyer is working on a case in Dallas and won’t be back until next month, so until then, I need Angel to look it over. I need her to find something that I can point out to my new lawyer once he comes back—something he can actually use.

  Me: I need to see you after work tomorrow.

  She replies almost instantly.

  Angelina: Business?

  Me: Personal. I’ll set up dinner.

  Angelina: Sounds good. Just let me know

  Colette is out of the shower and dressed in a cotton white T-shirt. She dries her damp, gold hair with a towel and when she sees me in the bed, she sighs, placing a hand on her hip.

  “I think I should sleep in the guestroom from now on, what do you think?”

  I narrow my brows, meeting her tired, green eyes. “What? No.” I push out of bed, collecting a pillow and walking towards the door. “Take the king. I’ll take the guestroom.”

  “Griffin, you don’t have to—”

  “Listen, Colette. I don’t know what in the hell happened between you and Gabriel while you were there, but you clearly need your space. I know you aren’t going to tell me so if you need to… cry… or whatever, just do it. Take your space. If you feel like talking to me later, I’m here. I’m all ears.”

  Her bottom lip trembles, but she nods her head, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Okay.”

  She’s hesitant as she moves to the top of the bed.

  “Do you want me to stay?” I ask.

  “I’d like a little space tonight,” she murmurs.

  “Okay.” I grip the doorknob. “Goodnight, Colette.”

  She doesn’t look up at me. “Goodnight, Griffin.”

  I walk out of the bedroom and down the hall, entering the guestroom. Colette is starting to worry me. I haven’t seen her like this since Bradley died.

  Raw.

  Real.

  Unmasked.

  I’m not sure if what happened between her and Gabriel was good or bad. I don’t think he would hurt her. He cares too much and I saw that clearly on the day he confronted me in the parking deck about her.

  Maybe she bid her farewells. Maybe she officially cut it off and I was wrong about them. Maybe she did feel something for him, and maybe ending it completely was harder than she thought it would be.

  Maybe she realized that, though she cares deep in her heart about the both of us, neither of us are what she actually needs to live a better life.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Colette

  Before Visiting Gabriel

  My phone buzzes in my purse just as I shut the car off. I snatch it out and groan when I see the name on the screen.

  “It’s been days. You better have some damn results, Beth,” I bite into the phone.

  “Oh, do
I?” Her tone is confident. “So I got in touch with Carl Keaton a few days ago. His firm is in New York, but he is the best there is. Faxed the contract over to him, and he told me there are a few things he can work with… the only thing is…”

  She’s quiet, hesitant. “What?” I ask when she doesn’t say anything.

  “It may come down to someone coming out to Miami to ‘watch you.’”

  I stare wide-eyed at the cement wall in front of me. “Watch us… what do you mean watch us?”

  “In the contract, I read somewhere that as long as the two parties are honest and consistent, but know for sure they don’t want to be together, they may be granted time for separation. It’s really hard to catch and the wording is really iffy unless you deal with this kind of stuff on a daily basis, but I asked Carl what that might mean, and he basically said a person would come out and evaluate you two before that separation is allowed.

  “If one of you doesn’t seem to trust the other, or something seems way off, they can tell the judge and the judge will most likely deny separation because of simple neglect. But, if we can get them convinced, let them see you two are okay, still love each other, but just don’t feel right together anymore, a separation is just the start. A separation can soon lead to a divorce after several months and since you were evaluated, the judge shouldn’t find it too hard to let you both go your separate ways eventually.”

  “Oh.” I pause. “So me and Griffin just need to play house a little longer before we can do anything.”

  “That… and also they will ask about Bradley and what exactly happened. I’m telling you now, Colette. Don’t show any signs of angers towards Griffin. Don’t look at him through the corner of your eye, don’t say anything you think might hurt you in the end.” I hear papers flapping in the background. “Dad has this thing set up so fucking strangely. The lawyers were smart about wording and choices. I guess Dad just doesn’t want you to find a way out of that marriage, no matter if you hit rock bottom. Dad believes in perfection and we know that all too well, but the thing about this is that it doesn’t seem like it is mainly targeting Griffin. It’s you. He doesn’t want to be responsible for you again if Griffin decides he’s done with you. He wants Griffin to be your provider.”

  “Yeah, well, if we can get through this Dad wont have to worry bout me anymore.” I sigh, glancing at the clock on the dashboard. “So… what should I tell Griffin when I see him?”

  “Is he not at home with you?”

  “No. I’m out… doing something. Besides, he’s probably not going to be sleeping in the bedroom from now on.”

  “Well, first of all he needs to be back in the master bedroom with you. Sleeping together. Nothing can look off or like you were already planning this thing before it’s time, ya know?”

  “Yeah, I don’t know if that’ll work. He said he’s going to look for a condo soon to live on his own.”

  “He can’t do that, Colette! Are you fucking crazy? What if Dad visits? What if he sees Griffin’s stuff is gone?”

  “He won’t! Hell, Dad hasn’t visited our home since Bradley died.”

  She blows a thick breath. “That’s understandable. His first boy.” She’s quiet for a moment. “Anyway, you have to get things on track. Carl says if he can get to the judge, the evaluator will probably show up within a month or so. If all looks okay—you know, like you two aren’t about to strangle one another—they may let you get by with a separation and you can do whatever you want, really.

  “Yes, you’ll technically still be married, but we’ll keep working on trial with the judge. We’ll get him to see that you both shouldn’t be together—that it’s just a waste of time. It has to look like it and not so suspicious or like he’s done anything wrong. We’ll have to use Bradley, you know? We’ll say that his loss put a toll on the marriage, that Griffin went to counseling and tried and you did as well but it didn’t work out so much for you as it did him. We have to do this soon otherwise you’ll show and they’ll make sure that baby is your reason for staying in the marriage.”

  “Right… yeah, don’t worry about that. I can hide it for up to about three or four months. I didn’t show much with Bradley until I was around six months pregnant.”

  “All pregnancies are different, Coley.”

  “Oh, how would you know?” I roll my eyes.

  She’s dead quiet, and I sigh. “Shit. I’m sorry, Beth. Sorry. I didn’t mean it. I’m just getting a little stressed about all of this.”

  “And you think I’m not!?”

  “I know you are. I apologize. Really.”

  “Yeah, whatever. Look, I’m about to head home. I just wanted to let you know first thing before I got in deep. Anything can happen in this time frame, but in the meantime, get Griffin on a leash. Make sure he is on your side and that he doesn’t do anything stupid again… like sneak off to a damn hotel or something. Make him see you… I don’t know—work with you or something. We need him to cooperate until this is over, but he can’t know what you’re really up to. Don’t make him skeptical. Just make him weak for you again. That always seems to work with Daddy.”

  “Yeah. Sure. I can do that.”

  “Good. Bye, Coley.”

  “Bye.”

  I hang up, sliding my phone back into my purse and then sighing. I check my face in the mirror, and when I’m satisfied with my appearance, I push out of the car, shutting and locking it up behind me and heading for Gabriel’s condo.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Griffin

  My morning was… interesting.

  Colette actually ate breakfast with me. It wasn’t much, just a banana and a slice of toast with sugar-free jam, but it was something.

  The thing is, she actually talked. Not about the baby that she doesn’t even know about yet, or her issues with her parents and Beth. She didn’t even talk about us.

  She talked about dropping out of the salsa competition and trying to do a full, one-woman show at the gallery.

  “Since I shouldn’t work too strenuously, you know, just in case it does happen, I’ll play it safe and paint a little more.”

  I nodded my head. “I think that’s a good idea,” I told her, and she grinned, over her cup of coffee. Yes, coffee. I know she isn’t supposed to have that either, but one cup won’t hurt. Plus, like I said, she doesn’t know.

  I can’t help but feel like she’s starting to see the bright side of things. I mean, last night I was beyond worried, and I’m not in the mood to ask about her and Gabriel, but from what I’m seeing—the light in her eyes, the energy in the air—I think she’s ready to turn a new leaf.

  I’ve just met with the CEO of Riot energy drink. Angelina’s words repeated like a mantra in my head, and I knew she was right. It would be smart to get on board with them now, before they inevitably blow up and don’t need us.

  Tie in a contract and they can’t go anywhere—not anytime soon anyway. Not that I think they’d leave my side. There’s a reason they called me.

  I call Walter on my way back to work from lunch. I need to get some shit off my chest about a lot of things and he’s the only person I can really trust. There’s Colette and what we want in the future, Angelina—all of it.

  Though he knows how to get under my skin and do it quite well, Walter has always been a great listener. He and I are close because not once has he spilled a secret of mine.

  Not even when he was at his lowest, begging me for money just to get a quick high. I’m so glad those days are behind him.

  He has one more month of rehab and my plan is to get his ass into Boyd Enterprises and working for me, that way I can keep an eye on him if need be.

  He’s not talented in many departments business wise, but that’s okay. He can work with Kelly, pick up my coffee or help Kelly behind the desk.

  I don’t know. He’ll do something creative on the side, I’m sure. But as long as I can keep my eye on him I’ll feel a lot better about his freedom.

  I speed dial him and he picks
up on the second ring. “Well look who the fuck it is!” he shouts into the phone.

  I pull the receiver away a bit, shaking my head. “What are you up to, numbskull?”

  “I’m about to go to a twenty-minute therapy session—you know, talk about the bullshit in my past that I don’t really want to think about. Dad… Mom. All of that shit.” He sighs.

  “How is that bullshit?”

  “Because… it just is. It doesn’t get easier to talk about Dad not accepting me for who I really am. And now that he’s gone well… you know. Whatever.” He sighs. “What the hell do you want anyway? You’re interrupting my Sam Smith session.”

  “I was just calling… checking in.”

  He scoffs. “Um… you just saw me less than forty-eight hours ago.”

  “Yeah, but you were supposed to call and you never did, so what now?”

  “You knew damn well I wasn’t going to call,” he laughs. “How about you ‘check in’ with mom, huh? She had Wanda call this morning to hear you. Of course Wanda called the wrong number… again. She’s a terrible nurse,” he scoffs.

  “Yeah. I’m going to surprise her by seeing her. I just have to find the time.”

  “Yeah, whatever. You say that all the time. So what the hell is it, G?” he asks, as if he already knows something is on my mind.

  I hesitate before actually responding. “I’ve always wanted to ask… well, do you remember the times you met Colette?”

  “You mean Bitchette?” He cackles at his own joke. I can’t help my eye roll. “Yeah, I remember those two horrible encounters. Why?”

  “Did you really think she was that bad?” I ask, stopping at a red light.

  “Was she rude? Not to me, but to you. Was she easy to warm up to? Hell fucking no. Did she laugh genuinely at my jokes about you? Yes. Did she kick me out of the house because I accidentally drank a cup of eggnog before the Christmas party you guys threw started? Cha-ching. She did. Right in the cold like I was a worthless mutt. Bitch didn’t even tell you she did it. You called the next day and I was so pissed! You remember that? You called me the next morning and I thought you were pretending you had no idea but she never told you at all. I could have died or gotten robbed or some shit. Luckily Mom left the party early too. Picked me right up from the bus stop.”