Imagined Love

  After dinner Levi took Jade on a tour of the house and they ended up in his bedroom. He pulled her close to him but she pulled away. Levi was definitely frustrated. He thought they’d be all over each other but Jade didn’t seem interested in being intimate with him.

  “So are you still mad the reason you won’t let me touch you?”

  “Well, your attitude hasn’t exactly put me in a romantic mood.”

  Levi apologized and promised to straighten up his act. Then he leaned in to kiss her. Jade kissed him back but still didn’t feel any fireworks. It was nice but nothing incredible, although Levi seemed to have a difference of opinion. He embraced her tightly as his kiss grew more intense and urgent. Jade stopped him when he began lifting her dress. It seemed as if Levi’s willingness to wait for sex was no longer the case.

  He was definitely frustrated with Jade’s lack of interest and asked if she was involved with someone else. His question led to an argument and she accused him of cheating. Levi swore he hadn’t and never would because he loved Jade so much. Again he apologized profusely for upsetting her and suggested they start over fresh by celebrating her birthday the following day.

  Wanting so much to believe she hadn’t made a mistake with Levi, Jade agreed to start with a clean slate. They both thought meeting his family on their first day together may have been too much. The two of them needed time alone to have fun and enjoy each other. As Willa often pointed out, they’d only actually been together two days and needed time to get to know each other. So at six o’clock the next morning, before his parents awoke, Levi and Jade left for the entire day. And they really did have a good time. Jade saw more of the sweet,

  generous guy she’d come to love from his letters and she liked it. Levi went out of his way to make her feel special and she appreciated that.

  “Come on, baby,” Levi said, as he led Jade through the mall. “I want to be sure you get exactly what you want,” he smiled when they arrived at the jeweler’s.

  Jade lit up and began bouncing and clapping. Levi was about to make their engagement official. She didn’t want to admit it, but what Willa said about the ring really struck a nerve with her. It was easy for him to ask her to marry him but it seemed like a sham without the ring. And it wasn’t a thing of being materialistic it was more about feeling like Levi was serious and really wanted to make that type of commitment.

  “Show me what you like.”

  Jade went right for the big, flashy rings which were naturally more expensive. She laughed when Levi’s eyes grew wide with panic. He let out a sigh of relief once he realized she was joking. Then he took it upon himself to ask to see the plain wedding bands. Jade laughed again until it became clear he wasn’t kidding. The two of them decided to meet in the middle by looking at rings that weren’t quite as flashy or as bland as the ones they each had chosen. After twenty minutes of trying on rings, Levi and Jade found one they both liked. So she was confused when he took it off her finger and let the jeweler put it back in the case. Jade became enraged when Levi walked towards the exit without any explanation.

  “Let’s get something to eat, Jade. I’m starving.”

  “Is this your idea of a joke?” she fumed.

  “What do you mean? What’s wrong?” he frowned. “Oh, no! You didn’t think we were getting the ring today, did you? I’m gonna come back for it later.”

  “Why? It’s obviously not a surprise so what would be the point to coming back tomorrow when you can get it now?”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, because you’ll be with Levia all day tomorrow and we fly out early Monday morning so when else could you come here to get it?”

  Levi grabbed Jade’s hands and placed kisses on both. “I just can’t seem to get it right, can I? I’m sorry I gave you the wrong impression but I’m not getting the ring this weekend. I wanted to know what you like so when I do get it, you’ll be happy with it.”

  “You are so full of . . . ooh!” Jade shouted trying hard to resist the urge to hit Levi! “Ooh, I can’t believe I’m this stupid! You’re just playing games!”

  “Sh, calm down, baby,” Levi whispered when people began looking at them. “Can we talk about this privately?”

  “It’s nothing to talk about,” Jade cried, as she made her way out of the jeweler’s. “I’m the idiot that actually fell for this crap . . . and the crap you pulled last night!”

  Jade felt like the world’s biggest fool! For the past month all Levi talked about was how excited he was to put a ring on her finger. And after Willa told him he was full of it for proposing in the first place, he assured Jade she wouldn’t be going back to Union City without being officially engaged. Then, after sneaking into her room in the middle of the night, he went on about how much he loved Jade and couldn’t wait to be her husband. Levi whispered all the wonderful things he was going to do for her and how happy they would be together. Soon after, he was kissing and touching all over her and one thing led to another!

  “Take me back to your parents’ house. I wanna get my stuff and get the hell out of here!” Jade shouted, as she raced through the mall.

  “Come on, Jade, don’t do this,” Levi said, jumping in front of her. “Just be patient and you’ll get everything you want. Trust me, okay? But you can’t be threatening to leave every time things don’t go your way. That’s not fair, baby.”

  Jade wanted to slap off his face! She didn’t give a damn about being fair. Her time with Levi had been nothing like she expected or was promised. And the truth was Jade was angrier at herself. There was absolutely no reason she should have slept with Levi. She hadn’t really wanted to and completely regretted doing so. Katrina’s words suddenly came back to haunt her. Once she’d said all people had to do was tell Jade how much they loved her and she’d give them whatever they wanted. Her three former lovers had all done it and gotten exactly what they were after. Then she’d gone and let a fourth man do it! Jade felt embarrassed and ashamed and wanted to go home to the people who really loved her. The ones who’d tried to warn her all along.

  “I don’t have the money, Jade,” Levi blurted, in the parking lot.

  “What?” she barked.

  “I had every intention of getting your ring this weekend but some things came up and I had to spend more than I planned. The flights were a little more expensive than I thought and then I had . . .”

  “You were the one insisting on paying for them. I told you I could pay for my own flight out here.”

  “I know you did, but I still feel like it was my responsibility. I was the one asking you to come here to meet my family and it was only right that I pay for it. So I’m not blaming you, Jade, I’m just trying to explain what happened. Then Nina called saying Levia needed a few things and she didn’t have the money. So on top of the child support I already pay, I had to give more and I wasn’t expecting that. I mean, I could’ve said no, but . . .”

  “I would never expect you not to provide for your child because of me, Levi. You know better than that. All you had to do was be up front instead of making me look like a fool! Of course I thought we were getting the ring because that’s all we’ve been talking about for weeks. So for you to stand there acting like you had

  no idea where I could’ve possibly gotten that idea really pisses me off!” Jade snapped. “Maybe my mom was right. Maybe you did propose just to keep me from seeing other people.”

  “Damn, Jade, you really know how to hurt me, don’t you?” Levi asked. “Please tell me you don’t really believe that. After everything we’ve shared with each other do you honestly think I would do something like that?”

  Jade took a deep breath. “I don’t know what to think, Levi. Nothing has gone right since I got here. You were tripping in the airport and even more when we got to your parents’ house. And, according to your mother and sister, Nina still thinks you’re coming back to her. So unless she’s just crazy, you have to be doing something to give her that impression. Then last night . . . I don’t know,
Levi. A part of me wonders if this is all happening too fast. Maybe we shouldn’t be considering getting married. Maybe we shouldn’t even be together.” Jade shook her head as she paced back and forth. “But then again it’s only been a day and perhaps we need more time to work things out. Man, I don’t know.”

  “Well, I know, so I guess I’ll have to be confident for the both of us. I have no doubt we’re meant to be,” Levi said, as he planted a kiss on her hand. “I’m in love with you. And last night? God, Jade, last night was incredible! I know you said you wanted to wait a while but I couldn’t help myself. For months I’ve been daydreaming about the day I got to make love to you and knowing you were right down the hall was too much to take. I couldn’t wait anymore, baby. I needed to hold you and be close to you. And you were every bit as sexy and wonderful and amazing as I imagined you would be. I love you, Jade. So please don’t give up on us, okay? I just need to do a better job of communicating with you. Please forgive me for the misunderstanding about the ring. I never meant to make you feel like a fool. I was embarrassed and didn’t handle the situation the right way. Please give me another chance to make things right. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, Jade, and I don’t want to lose you. Please.”

  Knowing how important it was for Jade to have her ring, Levi suggested opening a credit account at the jeweler’s they’d gone to. He felt humiliated but saw no other option outside of making her wait a few months until he could afford to buy it. So they went back to the jeweler’s and he opened the account. Levi was already embarrassed that he couldn’t afford an eight hundred dollar ring but when his poor credit made it necessary to make a three hundred dollar deposit, he wanted to die! And to add insult to injury, Jade whipped out her credit card to pay for it. Levi promised to repay the deposit and make the monthly payments.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered after sliding the ring on Jade’s finger. “I promise to make this right, baby. But can we keep this between us? I can only imagine what your mom would say to me if she knew.”

  Jade couldn’t believe he thought it was necessary to say that. She had no intentions of telling anyone. Jade didn’t say it but she was embarrassed too.

  William and Ruby were thrilled about the engagement and wanted to treat the lovebirds to dinner. The four of them cleaned up and changed and were about to leave when Nina showed up to drop off Levia. Levi wasn’t expecting her until the following morning but was overjoyed to have his daughter there.

  “Stop it, Daddy,” Levia giggled, in response to her father’s incessant kisses.

  “I can’t help it. You’re just so cute,” Levi said, as he squeezed her tighter. “I’m so happy to see you, baby girl, you know that? I missed you so much,” he said, tears clouding his eyes.

  Jade found herself wanting to cry too. The father daughter scene was very touching and she liked seeing that side of Levi.

  He finally let go of Levia then stood to greet his ex. “Hey, Shorty, how are you?” Levi asked, giving Nina a hug and kiss on the cheek. “Check you out, girl. You’re looking good!”

  “Yeah, right,” she blushed.

  “Hey, Nina, I want you to meet my girl, uh, my fiancée Jade. Jade this is Levia’s mom Nina.

  “Hi, how are you?”

  The look on the woman’s face was a mixture of hurt and anger. Nina had gotten all dolled up hoping Levi would invite her to join him and his family but he was standing there grinning at the super model like he didn’t even notice her! Tears were moments from falling down her face, so Nina hugged Levia and left. The rest of them got into Williams Cadillac to go for dinner.

  “She’s pretty, Daddy,” Levia whispered.

  “Why don’t you tell Jade, honey, not me?”

  “You look pretty, Jade.”

  “Thank you, sweetie, so do you.”

  “But you’re not prettier than my mommy.”

  “Levia!” Ruby snapped from the front seat. “Don’t be rude!”

  Levi looked at his mother sternly, annoyed she had reprimanded his daughter. They’d had issues in the past about that and William and Ruby had even gone seven months without seeing Levia because Levi and Nina refused to discipline the girl. They both let her do and say whatever she wanted which was why Levia was completely out of control. William and Ruby had tried talking to Levi and Nina to let them know they weren’t doing their daughter any favors by refusing to teach her how to behave. Levi was stuck in his ways, though, and continued to let Levia act a fool.

  Nina was the one who brought her back around William and Ruby and admitted how difficult it was dealing with Levia. She was constantly receiving

  notes and phone calls from the teacher and principal about Levia’s disruptive and disrespectful behavior. It got to the point where Nina couldn’t take her daughter anywhere without a problem and she was sick of it. Things didn’t change until The Johnsons got involved and helped her learn how to discipline her child. However, Levia was smart enough to know she could act any way she wanted with Levi and he wouldn’t say a word. Both of them made the mistake of thinking Jade would be the same. William and Ruby were pleased to find out she was not. Each time Levia said something inappropriate, Jade made sure to address it regardless of how much Levi didn’t seem to appreciate it.

  The next morning Jade woke up early to make breakfast for everyone. It was her last day in town and she wanted to thank William and Ruby for their hospitality. The smell of frying bacon brought William downstairs to the kitchen. His and Jade’s laughter brought Ruby to the kitchen next.

  “Oh, honey, you didn’t have to do this. You’re our guest.”

  “It’s my pleasure, Ms. Ruby. You two have been wonderful to me and I just wanted to thank you.”

  Levi joined them and Jade told him breakfast was almost done.

  “Thank you, honey, but I wish you had waited.”

  “Why, you wanted to help me cook? That’s sweet.”

  “Actually I was thinking about Levia. I’m not sure what she wants to eat and I wished you had waited until she woke up so you could ask her.”

  “So you thought I was going to change the menu to cater to her?” Jade snorted. “I guess you really don’t know me at all, do you? I’m from the old school way of doing things. A child will eat what I put in front of her or not at all. I don’t argue or negotiate with kids.”

  “So what are you saying, Jade? You have a problem with the way I raise my daughter?”

  Jade looked at Levi like he was the stupidest person she’d ever met! She had basically said the same thing last night but he didn’t seem to get it. And it wasn’t so much that Jade was trying to tell him how to raise Levia. She was merely letting him know what she would and wouldn’t tolerate. If the girl was going to be around her, she’d have to behave. Jade had warned Levi that their relationship wouldn’t last if he expected her to put up with the same kind of foolishness he did.

  “Well, Jade, Levia is my daughter and she’s first in my life. Nina and I decide how she’ll be raised and that’s all there is to it.”

  “Okay,” she said then placed the remainder of the food on the table. Jade walked upstairs to pack. There was no sense in her and Levi wasting any more of each other’s time. She called Delta Airlines to change her flight and then Landon so he’d be at the airport to get her. Levi pounded on the bedroom door pleading

  with Jade to open it but she wasn’t interested in talking. As far as she was concerned there was nothing else to say.

  “What are you doing?” Levi asked when Jade opened the door carrying her luggage.

  “I’m going home. Excuse me,” she said. “Move, Levi.”

  “So you leaving me, just like that? Please, Jade, don’ t do this. Please . . .”

  “Just stop, Levi, there’s really no point. We need to put an end to this before it gets any worse. We’ve had more problems in these last two days than some people have their entire relationship. So why even continue? My mother was right when she said I fell in love with letters. I tho
ught it would make a romantic love story of how we fell in love through the mail and danced off in the moonlight to live happily ever after. But in reality we’re too different to ever really work. And I don’t think we need to wait another year or two to come to that same conclusion. I personally think you and Nina need to give it another shot because she’s still in love with you. And since raising Levia is only up to the two of you, y’all should be doing it together. So if you don’t mind, I have a plane to catch.”

  “What can I do, Jade? Please tell me what to do to make this right.”

  “Nothing, Levi . . . there’s nothing you can do.”

  “Don’t say that. We can work this out, baby. I’m willing to do anything to make it work. I can’t lose you, Jade. Please don’t do this.”

  Jade pushed passed Levi and went downstairs. Ignoring his pleas, she thanked William and Ruby for welcoming her into their home and apologized for wasting their time.

  “What’s wrong, Daddy?” Levia asked, as she came out of her room.

  “Nothing, honey, go lay back down, okay?”

  “I don’t wanna lay down! I want pancakes,” she stomped.

  “Listen, I’ll make you pancakes in a minute. Right now I need to talk to Jade, so go sit down somewhere.”

  Levia threw a full blown tantrum, screaming and flailing around. Before she knew what was happening, Levi snatched her by the arm and yelled for her to shut up! They all were shocked by his response, most of all Levia. He’d never raised his voice or been aggressive with her in any way. Levi was scared and overwhelmed and couldn’t deal with an argumentative child at that moment. His whole world was collapsing and he had no idea how to stop it.

  Ruby made Levia a plate and told her to sit down and eat. She stared at her granddaughter, daring her to complain. Without a word, Levia sat down and ate every bite of the bacon, eggs, grits, and toast while her father cried and begged Jade not to go.

  Everything inside of Jade was urging her to get on the plane and never look back. Yet, there was a part of her that wondered if she was giving up too soon.