Perfect Timing

by Brenda Jackson

  She swallowed the thick lump in her throat and asked softly. “What meant nothing?” She watched Garrett and knew from the look on his face, the regret lining his eyes, that she hadn’t misread what she had seen that afternoon. Her heart began to ache.

  “It was the night all of us went over to Mark’s place to console him after being cut from the team. Paige was there, too. She didn’t have a way back home and asked me to drop her off at her apartment and I did. She wanted me to walk her to the door since it was late and I did that too. I was in a bad way that night, Mya. What had happened to Mark had me pretty uptight and when she invited me in for a drink I accepted.” He held her gaze for a while before adding. “I was kind of lonely that night and you weren’t here.”

  “So going into her apartment and getting all cozy with her was my fault? Is that what you’re saying, Garrett?” she asked hurt and betrayed.

  “I wasn’t inside her place but a few minutes.”

  “But something happened in those few minutes, didn’t it, Garrett?” She watched him battle with his inner self, with the knowledge that what he was about to say would undoubtedly hurt her.

  “Yes, we kissed. But that’s all we did, Mya. And I knew it had been a mistake as soon as it happened. I felt bad about it, baby. But try to understand that I was lonely that night,” he implored, trying to keep his voice calm. “I was missing you. A lot has been happening between us since we came back from the cruise. Your work became all that mattered to you and this thing with all the players getting cut had me in a bad way. I made a mistake that night, Mya. I know it was a bad mistake but it meant nothing. The kiss meant nothing. And what you saw tonight was me telling Paige that it meant nothing so she wouldn’t get any ideas that I would be coming back for more, because there won’t be anymore. You and the boys are my life, Mya. Please believe that and please forgive me for a moment of weakness.”

  Tears filled Mya’s eyes. “I can’t forgive you, Garrett, and the reason being is that I was lonely that night as well. I had missed you. But I wasn’t that lonely that I turned to my client, Robert Noble, who is a very handsome man, I might add, to ease my loneliness. I didn’t invite him to my hotel room nor did I let him kiss me. I behaved in a manner that was befitting your wife. And the reason for doing so is because everything about me, everything on me belongs to you and no other man. Just like everything about you and everything on you belongs to me. But you let Paige Duvall violate what was mine, Garrett. You gave her that right. She put her tongue in a mouth that belonged only to me. She put her arms around a body that was supposed to be mine. Only mine.”

  “Mya, please—”

  “No, Garrett. You broke your marriage vow to love and honor me as your wife.”

  “No, honey, I do love you and I do honor you.”

  She shook her head as she wiped her tears away. “No, what you did was let another woman disrespect me and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to forgive you for that.”

  “Please, Mya, we can work through this. We love each other. Our love is strong. We’ve had some pretty tough times before.”

  “But never like this, Garrett. There has never been an issue of trust between us.”

  “Yes, but we can still work through this. You’re my life. I love you so much, Mya, you’ve got to believe that.”

  “I don’t know what I believe anymore. I used to believe that I was all the woman you needed, now I see that’s not true. You’ve hurt me, Garrett. You have hurt me so much.”

  “For heaven’s sake! I didn’t sleep with her. It was just a kiss, Mya. You are all the woman I need. Surely, you’re not going to throw away what we have because I had a moment of weakness and kissed another woman! Can’t you find it in your heart to forgive me over a kiss?”

  “No, at the moment I can’t. I can’t erase the picture from my mind of seeing the two of you together today, with her all in your face, all in my space. My mind is too filled with that.”

  “Okay, then we’ll give it some time, Mya. We’ll work through this. All you need is time.”

  “What I need is for you to leave.”

  “What?” he said with wide eyes focused on her.

  “I want you to leave. I don’t want to spend a single night under the same roof with you.”

  “Mya, surely you don’t mean that. I—”

  “No, I want you gone, Garrett. I can’t handle the pain of seeing you every day. You can make arrangements to come by and see the boys when I’m not here but I don’t want you here.”

  “And just where am I supposed to go?”

  “Back to your girlfriend.”

  “Mya, you are being irrational about this. Paige is not my girlfriend. I explained how things happened. It was just that one night and that one kiss. A night and kiss I will regret for the rest of my life. Surely you’re not making me leave my home for that.”

  “No, not just for that, Garrett, but also for the lack of respect and the violation of vows.”

  “Mya, please—”

  “No!” She said, crossing her arms in front of her. “Either you leave or the boys and I will. I will not sleep under the same roof as you so please pack your things and go.” She then walked around him to leave the room. Grabbing her car keys off the kitchen table she went outside and got into her SUV. She needed to take a drive around town to relax her nerves and she hoped that by the time she returned Garrett would be gone.

  Garrett’s hands shook as he placed the last piece of clothing into the luggage, not believing what was happening. It was evident from the way Mya was handling things that he had hurt her deeply. His heart ached at the thought that he had put that look of pain in her eyes.

  He took a deep breath, wondering where he could go. He decided to call Mark and Danielle to see if he could at least crash on their couch for the night then tomorrow he would have to look into finding more permanent housing.

  He shook his head. No, he needed temporary housing. His permanent house was here with Mya and his sons. Hopefully in time she would see that, and hopefully in time she would forgive him for his transgression with Paige. He loved Mya with all his heart and admitted that he had made a mistake. A huge mistake. It was one that was costing him his family.

  Going into the living room he picked up the phone to call his coach. A few minutes later he was hanging up the phone after telling the man that he needed to miss practice tomorrow for personal reasons.

  Garrett walked out the door, locking it behind him. The vision of Mya standing in their bedroom crying tore at his heart and he knew he would feel just as betrayed if he had found out that she had kissed another man. So in a way, he understood her hurt but still, she should have let him stay with her to work things out. She had no right to throw away what they had together.

  When he got inside his Mercedes he leaned over the steering wheel as emotions tore into him. He felt ashamed for what he had done and he felt angry for being such a weak person and allowing it to happen. Inhaling deeply he leaned back and picked up the cellular phone next to him. He needed to hear his father’s voice. He needed to tell someone what a fool he was.

  “Hello.”

  “Dad? It’s me, Garrett.”

  “Garrett, how are you, son? Is everything okay. How are Mya and the boys?”

  “Not good,” he said choking out the words. “I screwed up, Dad. I’ve really screwed up. It involves another woman and Mya wants me to leave. She doesn’t want to be with me anymore. I’ve hurt her. I’ve hurt her bad.”

  There was a long silence and David Rivers didn’t say anything. Garrett could hear his mother in the background asking what was wrong. Finally, his father spoke.

  “Look, Garrett, I’m not going to ask for any details but I will give you some good advice. You and Mya have been together too long to throw anything away. What I want you to do is pray and seek counseling from your minister.”

  “I don’t have a minister, Dad.”

  “Then find one. What about that minister you used to have?”
>
  “Reverend Stonewall? The one who committed adultery? Just what can he tell me?”

  “For starters, something about forgiveness. Before Mya can forgive you, you must seek forgiveness for yourself. If you ask me, the best person to talk about something like this to is someone who’s been there.”

  Moments later after pulling out of the driveway, Garrett had to concede that his father did have a point about Reverend Stonewall. Sister Stonewall had forgiven her husband for his indiscretion—which was worse than what he’d done—and they were still together.

  After checking his watch Garrett made a quick decision. He headed toward the subdivision where he knew the Reverend lived. It was Wednesday, prayer meeting night, and he hoped he would be quick enough to catch Reverend Stonewall before he left for church.

  CHAPTER THIRTY–FIVE

  As Maxi paced the floor, worriation was evident in her face. She wondered where Mya was. She had tried calling her a few moments ago and she still wasn’t home. Taking a deep breath she glanced down at her watch. It was past ten o’clock. She had left several messages on Mya’s answering machine asking that she return her call but she hadn’t heard from her.

  Mya had called her from her cell phone around five o’clock and told her she had just left Garrett at the house packing. She had not gone into the details of their conversations but she did say he had admitted to kissing another woman.

  Maxi jumped when she heard the phone ring and raced over to it. “Yes?”

  “Maxi, it’s me.”

  “Girl, where have you been? You had me worried. I’ve been trying for hours to reach you.”

  “I know. I can tell by the number of messages you left. First I drove around town a while then stopped at a café and got something to eat. When my cell phone rang I thought it was Garrett and started not to answer it. Then I realized it could have been Mrs. Butler concerning the boys. But it was Garrett’s mom.”

  “Oh. Did she know about you and Garrett?”

  “Yes, he had called them earlier. From what I understand he didn’t go into a lot of details but he did tell them we were having problems and were separating for a while.”

  “How did Mrs. Rivers handle that?”

  “Well, you know Ma Rivers. Garrett may be her baby boy but she never takes sides and I’ve always appreciated it. She just wanted me to know that the family would be praying for us and that she hoped things worked out. She also told me that she was still my mother as well as Garrett’s and if I needed to come home for a while to do so. I’ve always been so blessed having her for a mother-in-law.”

  “Yes, you have. But you still haven’t said where you’ve been for the past five hours.”

  “Mrs. Rivers suggested that I go talk to my minister. Since the one we have at the church I’m attending is fairly new, and I haven’t been going often enough to know him that well, I decided to go to Reverend Stonewall’s new church.”

  “Reverend Stonewall?”

  “Yes, he was the minister of my church before he left to start another church elsewhere.” Mya didn’t want to get into a deep discussion as to why Reverend Stonewall had left.

  “Well, did you? Did you go to Reverend Stonewall’s church tonight?”

  “Yes, they were having prayer meeting and I joined in on that. Afterwards, I talked with him a while in his study. He told me that Garrett had dropped by his house to see him earlier tonight.”

  “And how do you feel about that?”

  “Right now I’m still incapable of feeling, Maxi.”

  “That’s understandable, Mya. You’re probably still in shock.”

  “Probably. Right now I’m feeling more hurt than anything. It was easier to talk to Reverend Stonewall than I thought. And he did tell me that Garrett sought God’s forgiveness tonight and that I should find it in my heart to forgive him as well. The problem, Maxi, is that I don’t know if I can forgive Garrett. Even though he didn’t sleep with that woman, I still feel betrayed just the same.”

  Maxi nodded. She could understand why. Mya had always felt secure in her relationship with Garrett. During all the years she had known Garrett, he had never shown any interest in another woman. Of course there had been girls at school who had shown interest in him but it had meant nothing to him. Mya had been wrapped around his heart pretty tight. Mya and football was all he had ever cared about. “Do me a favor.”

  “What?”

  “Take a shower, go to bed, and get a good nights sleep. Do you have to go to work tomorrow?”

  “No, I’m going to take the day off and spend time with the boys. I have to get them prepared for the fact that Garrett won’t be coming home to them every day like he used to. Daniel and David are crazy about their daddy.”

  “And he’s crazy about them, Mya. You know Garrett will still come to see them, even if the two of you are separated. I hope you don’t plan to stop him from doing that.”

  “No, of course I won’t. I won’t make my sons suffer because of what is happening between me and Garrett.”

  “Good. Now do like I ask and take a shower and go to bed. I’ll call you tomorrow to make sure you’re okay.”

  “Thanks. Are you and Christopher still planning on going to Las Vegas this weekend?”

  “Yes. I haven’t spoken to him in a couple of days. He called Monday night to say he had made all the necessary arrangements. I’m to meet him in Atlanta on Friday evening, and then we’ll catch a plane to Nevada together.”

  “I’m so happy for you, Maxi.”

  “I’m happy for me, too. I’m glad I went to Detroit to see him.”

  “I’m glad you went, too. You deserve happiness, Maxi. I love you.”

  “And I love you, too, Mya. And I believe that things will work out for you and Garrett.”

  “We’ll see. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight.”

  Maxi hung up the phone then bowed her head and said a silent prayer for her two friends. She had just lifted her head when she heard the sound of her doorbell. She wondered who would be paying her a visit at this late hour. Crossing the room she squinted her eyes when she glanced through the peephole in her door.

  Her heart jumped and she brought a hand and held it to her chest. It was Christopher. She quickly unlocked the door. “Christopher?”

  Christopher stood under the porch light looking at Maxi. For a moment he couldn’t form words to say anything. He just wanted to absorb her beauty, her presence, the essence of everything that had ever been right in his life.

  “Christopher? Aren’t you going to come in?” She looked at him closely, shocked to see him. “What is it?”

  He continued not to say anything and she took a step back when he came inside.

  Maxi closed the door behind him. She wondered what had brought him to Savannah, a town he’d sworn he would not return to? She noticed he did not glance around the room. His eyes stayed glued to her. She reached out and touched his hand. “Christopher, please tell me what’s wrong?”

  He captured her hand in his then said. “I’m going to have to withdraw my offer to give you a baby unless you agree not to let anyone know I’m the father.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Maxi didn’t say anything. Neither did she withdraw her hand from his. In fact she did the opposite. She tightened her hand around Christopher’s. She remembered their weekend. She also remembered his phone call to her Monday night. He had sounded excited as if he was looking forward to their weekend together in Las Vegas. So what had happened since then? She watched as he looked down at their joined hands and felt tension radiating from him. “Are you going to tell me why?” she finally asked quietly, meeting his gaze.

  He lifted his head and met her gaze. “It will be for the best.”

  “Shouldn’t I be the one to decide that, Christopher?”

  “Yes,” he agreed, still looking at her. “You should and you probably will agree with me once I tell you why.”

  “All right, let’s hear it.”

  He
glanced around the room for the first time, liking what he saw. The décor of her home reflected her, soft and warm. “Is there someplace where we can sit and talk?”

  “Yes.” She led him through her living room and into her kitchen. “I was just about to have a cup of coffee. Do you want one?”

  He shook his head as he sat down at the table. “No, thanks. Isn’t it kind of late to be drinking coffee?”

  “Not if you have papers to grade.” She sat in the chair across from him. “Okay, Christopher, let’s hear it.”

  He reached across the table and enfolded her hands in his, feeling a need to touch her and be connected to her in some way. He gently stroked the back of her knuckles, liking the way her hands felt in his. “Although I haven’t lived a celibate life, I’ve always been selective. I made sure any woman I slept with understood that sleeping with me was just what it was—a good time in bed and nothing more. Well, it seems that one of the women I’ve been involved with off and on for the past three years got married and didn’t tell me. The last time she came to town, two months ago, we were seen together. Someone, for whatever reason, took a picture of us kissing. The photograph was sent to me.”

  Maxi shrugged. “So what’s that got to do with me? I know you hadn’t lived a celibate life.”

  “No, but don’t you see the implications of someone taking that picture and sending it to me? As far as I can tell it could very well be some sort of scandal in the making, Maxi. Since I’m single and she’s the one who’s married, I can only assume that someone wants to expose her extramarital activities and will use me to do it, although I didn’t know she had gotten married when I slept with her this last time.”

  Maxi nodded. “I still don’t understand what that has to do with me.”

  Christopher lifted a brow. He knew Maxi was too smart to be dense. Either she was deliberately playing dumb or she really didn’t understand. “I’m talking about a possible scandal, Maxi. People in this town who know enough about my past will think you’re crazy for having my baby, and I won’t put you in the position of defending yourself in the wake of this new possible scandal. Nor do I ever want a child of mine to grow up embarrassed that I am its father. The only way I’ll agree to get you pregnant now is if you promise to tell no one—and I mean no one—that I’m the child’s father. A person’s name and reputation means everything. I’ve been involved in a scandal before so it will be old hat for me. But I won’t let you get involved in one because of me. I can’t and I won’t.”