The Look of Love

by Crystal B. Bright

“Drew, are you pulling my leg?” Eboni had to lean against the counter at the salon as she pressed the phone to her ear. She could barely hear Drew over the sounds of construction happening around him.

  “Nope. We received enough money to fix the pool, redo the basketball courts, and even update the tennis courts. They’re starting the work now. Can you hear it?” The glee couldn’t be mistaken in Drew’s voice. It didn’t take him long to get the work started at the center.

  “That’s amazing. Who made the donations? Was it one business or several?” As soon as Eboni asked the question, she looked up and saw Gunnar walking through the front door of the salon.

  Sounds around Eboni drowned out as she watched him stroll toward her. Her mouth went dry, but only her mouth. Her armpits, her palms, and the apex of her thighs all became moist as soon as she caught Gunnar in her sights. She dragged her tongue over her lips in the hopes of being able to say something witty or even intelligible.

  Several of the clients gasped. News about Gunnar’s shooting had kept some of the business away. Their die-hard customers had remained loyal.

  Summoning some strength, Eboni finally spoke. “Uh, Drew, I’m going to have to call you back.”

  “Hey, Eboni, you know the guy who made the donation. He’s that guy you brought here. Gu--”

  Eboni disconnected the call and kept her stare on Gunnar, who carried a shopping bag in his hand. She hadn’t talked to him since he’d been discharged. She had heard from her cousin that he’d stopped off at the apartment. She’d hoped to see him at the community center, but she’d remained in the activity room helping the smaller kids paint.

  “Good to see you up and around, boss,” Monica said and winked at him.

  “Hey, Monica.” Gunnar kept his stare on Eboni.

  “Welcome back,” Tisha and Tillman said at the same time.

  “There’s Superman. Faster than a speeding bullet. Almost.” Shay laughed.

  Eboni found nothing funny about the joke. Gunnar could have been killed.

  When Gunnar stood in front of her, she opened her mouth to get out all her feelings. “You still want to sell this place?” Eboni planted her fist on her hip.

  Gunnar didn’t speak.

  Eboni filled the still air. “This place offers these people a job.” She scanned the clients seated in the stylists’ chairs. “These customers depend on us being here. You can’t think you can come in here and decide what’s best for them.” She halted her speech when she realized how much it reflected back to her.

  Gunnar still said nothing. He stared at her. From his stoic expression, Eboni didn’t even know if he still harbored some anger toward her or if he’d made the trip to tell her good-bye.

  Unable to wait any longer, Eboni crossed her arms over her chest. “Well?”

  Gunnar surprised her by kissing her first. He cupped her cheek in his large hand and lowered his head to connect his lips to hers.

  Magic. Although she should have been happy, tears ran down Eboni’s cheeks. She’d missed the kisses. She missed him.

  When Gunnar pulled back, Eboni said, “Oh, my God, I missed you. I should have told you.”

  Gunnar shook his head. “Let me start and then you can say what you have to say, okay?” He wiped her tears away with his thumb. “You asked me why I never came home after I left. Besides you and my family, there were too many bad memories for me here. I wanted a clean slate, but I didn’t want to lose you. You were so set on staying here, I knew I couldn’t get you to leave. I didn’t want to hear you turn me down. So like a coward, I never asked you to join me. I wanted to.” He gripped her shirt and pulled her close to him. “I wish to God I had. Good or bad, I would have known. I could have given you the option. Maybe then we could have talked about what had happened with you.” He brushed his finger over her stomach.

  Eboni held his hand and kept her stare on his eyes. She started to open her mouth, but he stopped her.

  “Please. I’m not finished.” He cleared his throat and looked up at the people in the salon. “You should all feel safe to come here. The shooting that happened here was my fault.”

  Eboni gasped and moved in closer to him.

  “My former manager paid a young man to vandalize the salon. I walked in on him and he shot me.”

  Mouths of everyone in the salon hung open.

  “I was able to identify the shooter from a tattoo on the back of his hand. I found T-Lite, or Terry, at the Oceanfront Community Center. He confessed everything and we arranged a sting to get my former manager arrested.” Gunnar brought his gaze down to Eboni. “He tried to trap me into doing what he wanted. You’ve never done that. Thank you.”

  Eboni smiled. Her insides felt warm the more he spoke.

  “I apologize for bringing that kind of element in here. This salon is a good place.” He nodded. “Virginia Beach is not a bad place to be. I shouldn’t have stayed away so long.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Monica began. “I could live in Vegas.”

  Slight laughter filled the salon that had become deathly quiet when Gunnar had started talking.

  “You told me how important the center is to you. I didn’t want to help because that place held bad memories for me.” He placed the bag he carried on a table next to Eboni. “After I confronted T-Lite, I realized how right you are about wayward kids needing a place off the streets. So”--Gunnar reached into the bag and pulled out a couple of containers--“I decided to take your advice, and I made some of my own hair products.” He handed one to her. “That’s the deep conditioner I used on you after you did your big chop. This one’s a moisturizer.” He tapped the bag. “I have shampoos and conditioners in here. I’ve talked to a product distributor. She wants me to try out the products here in the salon to see how people like it before it’s released to the public. Once it is, I’ve already arranged to have a portion of the proceeds to go to the center. I won’t earn a dime from it.”

  Eboni smiled and wrapped her arms around Gunnar’s neck. “Thank you.” She pulled back from him. When she glanced at the jars, she gasped. “You’re calling the products Eboni’s Essence?”

  He nodded. “You’re the inspiration. What else could I call it? Gunnar’s Hair Goop?” He laughed.

  “Wow. What a man,” Shay said. “He started a product line and named it after you.” She fanned her face. “Oh, my God. If he was single…”

  Eboni thanked her lucky stars Gunnar wanted her and only her.

  “Needless to say, that means I’ll be around town a whole lot longer. Hope you’re okay with that.”

  Unable to speak, Eboni nodded her head.

  “I’m also not going to fight anymore, and not because of the injury. My heart isn’t in it anymore. I’m tired. It’s time for me to do something else. As champion, I will have to defend my title at least one more time. Win or lose, at the end of the match, I’ll turn over my belt.”

  “Guns, you’re giving up the MMA game?” Tillman asked.

  Gunnar nodded. “Ten years is enough. Time for me to do something else. I like the idea of training. Plus, I’ll have product line and the salon, well, that’s if my mom allows me to be a stylist.”

  “I’m sure she will.” Tisha beamed.

  “Thanks, Tisha.” Gunnar directed his attention back to Eboni. His expression became somber. “I apologize for hurting you. I was upset and I didn’t trust you. Thank you for not giving up on me.”

  She shook her head. “Never. I love you too much.”

  Gunnar breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Because I believe you still owe me an answer.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black ring box.

  “Oh my word!” Monica sprang from her chair.

  When Gunnar lowered himself on to one knee in front of her, the patrons and employees rushed to the duo and created a semicircle around them.

  “Eboni, I have loved you ever since I first met you. I was a fool to leave to train for my career. You’re right. I
should have asked you to marry me. So I’m fixing past wrongs. Will you marry me?”

  Eboni heart wanted to scream yes. She had to make some demands first. “Before I answer, I have a few questions for you.”

  The crowd around them groaned.

  Eboni didn’t care. With Gunnar at her feet, she needed answers. “Do you trust me now?”

  Gunnar nodded. “With my life.”

  “Did you give a donation to the community center recently?”

  Gunnar paused before he answered, but he eventually nodded. “You weren’t supposed to know. I wanted it to be a surprise. I wanted to help.”

  She smiled.

  “Is that it? No more questions?” he asked.

  “Only one. You don’t want us to get married in Vegas, do you?”

  Gunnar beamed. “We’ll marry wherever you want.”

  “Then, yes, Gunnar Wells, I’ll marry you.”

  Gunnar slipped the ring on Eboni’s finger and stood as quickly as he could. If he’d had the strength to pick her up and swing her around, he would have. For now, she would have to settle for a kiss.

  “Hot damn. We get to go to a wedding.” Shay clapped her hands.

  “I’m just glad our girl found her man.” Tillman laughed.

  Eboni had waited a long time to get Gunnar. Now that she had him, she would never let him go.

  “We don’t have to stay in Virginia if you don’t want to.” Eboni patted his chest.

  Gunnar blinked. “You would move? What about your family?”

  “I’m moving out of my apartment, and my aunt has secured herself an assisted-living condo. My cousin can fend for himself. For what he did to you, he should live under a rock. With your recent donation and this potential business, we don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to.”

  Gunnar held her around her waist. “Baby, me wanting to leave this place had nothing to do with me being bored or wanting something different and exciting. I had issues here. I don’t anymore. Now I have you. Anywhere you are, that’s where I’ll be.”

  Gunnar had given Eboni the answer she’d been wanting to hear for over ten years.

  “I love you, Eboni. I’ve always loved you. I always will.” He kissed her.

  “I love you too. I’m never letting you go.”

  “You’d better not. If you do, I’ll be there quick to snatch him up!” Shay sashayed back to her station.

  “Hey, easy. He has two other brothers. Go after them.” Eboni laughed as she held on to her man.

  Her man. She liked the sound of that.

  * * * *

  Gunnar paced in the room. He kept his gaze down to the carpeted floor. When he got to the end and glanced up, he noticed bathrooms at the end of the hall. He turned and paced the other way toward the large window that overlooked a fountain and the hospital parking lot.

  A twinge of pain hit his side. The doctor had told him walking would be good for him. He ignored the pain and continued his march. No way he could relax now.

  Gunnar swung his arms around him to loosen up his tightening muscles. His mind swam with possible outcomes. One outcome he didn’t want.

  “Baby? Come sit down. You’re making me nervous.”

  Gunnar turned to Eboni, who sat so poised in the hospital waiting room. He sat in between her and Gideon. Both Gunnar’s and his brother’s knees bounced as they waited to get an update on their mother’s surgery.

  “Are you sure Thane knows about the surgery?” Gunnar asked his brother.

  “Mom said she called him last night.” Gideon wrung his hands together. He glanced at his watch. “It’s been two hours. Shouldn’t we have gotten an update by now?”

  Eboni held Gunnar’s hand. She squeezed it as though reassuring him, or maybe she wanted to remind him of her presence.

  “She’ll be okay.” Gunnar leaned back in the chair. “I keep telling myself that.”

  “Family for Elizabeth Sommerville,” the information desk person bellowed.

  Even with his injury, Gunnar managed to get up first and get to the desk. “Yes?”

  “The surgical nurse is on the phone for you.”

  Gunnar picked it up. “Hello?”

  “Hi, your mother is doing fine. Her heart is strong, which is helping. We’ll be another hour and a half or so and we’ll let you know when the surgery is over.”

  Gunnar breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks so much for the update.” He turned to his family, his brother and his future wife. He liked thinking of her in that way.

  “The nurse said Mom is doing fine so far. Her heart is strong. She’s got another ninety minutes or more in surgery.” Gunnar sat down next to Eboni.

  “Good. I’m starving. Anyone else hungry?” Gideon stood.

  “No, I’m too wound up to eat.” Gunnar shook his head.

  “I’m fine.” Eboni waved her hand at him.

  “Okay. I’m going to find the cafeteria. I’ll be back.”

  Eboni interlaced her fingers with Gunnar’s. “Did you ever think we would be back together?”

  Gunnar turned her hand over to look at her engagement ring. “Deep in my heart, I had hope we would.”

  “I can’t wait to start my life with you.”

  Gunnar couldn’t wait either. “We could elope. I don’t want to miss a second not being your husband.”

  Eboni started to look like she wanted to agree, then she stopped. “Your mother will kill us if we don’t have a big wedding.”

  Gunnar laughed. “You’re right about that.” He put his hand to her stomach. “I can’t wait.”

  “I know. Trying again should be fun.” She placed her hand on his leg.

  Gunnar arrested her hand to stop her. “Keep it up and we’ll be finding an empty room.”

  Eboni laughed. “I love you, Gunnar.”

  “I love you too. I have to warn you. You’re marrying in to a crazy family.”

  Eboni smiled. “Ditto.”

  Gunnar laughed. If he had to spend eternity with a wacky family, Eboni would be the only person he could do that with. She fit in his life perfectly.

  Meet the Author

  Crystal Bright graduated with a B.A. from Old Dominion University with a major in Creative Writing, a minor in Communications, and an emphasis on Public Relations. She earned her M.A. from Seton Hill University in Writing Popular Fiction. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Chesapeake

  Romance Writers. For more information about Crystal and her writing, please visit her website at www.CrystalBrightWriter.com. You can also find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/crystal.bright.397, or follow her on twitter: https://twitter.com/CrystalBBright