After the End

by Brenda Barrett

  "No, what?" They reached the main road and Colleen stopped.

  "I thought we'd get to see forever...But forever's gone away..." Isaiah hummed.

  "It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday."

  Colleen blinked away tears. "We played that at your memorial. I cried like a baby. Could barely open my eyes. I wanted to die too."

  Isaiah swallowed. "But here I am now." He tucked a hair behind her ear. "Are you sure you are comfortable leaving me?"

  "Yes." Colleen smiled and touched her belly. "You will be fine."

  *****

  Enrique was slowly driving on the Whitehouse main road; he'd soon be home. If his mother was to be believed, Colleen was at the villa waiting for him; she hadn't gone back to live with Isaiah. He had spent an unnecessary three weeks grieving. He was equal parts hopeful and fearful.

  Hopeful because he would do anything for that to be true and fearful because he didn't want to be disappointed again.

  He slowed for a car to turn into the scheme and then he saw Isaiah at the entrance of the junction, talking to a girl who looked suspiciously like Colleen.

  He slowed down and then stopped. He felt like a spy, a dirty voyeur, but then he saw Isaiah tuck her hair behind her ears and then saw her smile.

  He would recognize that smile from a thousand miles away. It was Colleen. His heart sank. Was his mother into torture now? Why would she tell him that Colleen was at the villa and not with Isaiah, when clearly she was with him?

  He watched the two of them as they stood and talked and then Colleen moved away, leaving Isaiah with a sad look on his face, his shoulders hunched over.

  Enrique started the car and drove up to where Colleen was walking. She looked across at him and then her eyes widened. "You are here!"

  Enrique nodded. "Where are you heading?"

  "Home," Colleen said, "well, the villa. I am still living there."

  "Oh, I am going there too," he said, acting cool, when he was feeling nothing near that. He was confused and had a million and one questions. "Want a lift?"

  "Yes. Thanks." She got into the car and glanced at him. "You look tired."

  "You look gorgeous. Your skin is glowing." He cleared his throat. "Are you with Isaiah or not?"

  "Not," Colleen said abruptly.

  "Oh." Enrique sighed in relief. "He had his hand affectionately touching your hair just now. It looked like more to me."

  "That was just Isaiah saying goodbye." Colleen relaxed in the seat. "He just signed the divorce papers."

  "He did?" Enrique said, affecting a casualness he was not feeling. He hadn't even known that she was planning to divorce Isaiah. He drove up into the villa, and he couldn't wait to get out of the car.

  He strode to the house, with Colleen following after him slowly.

  He was standing in the middle of the living room, impatience stamped on his face. "Okay, Colleen, put me out of my misery. What is this? Did you choose Isaiah, or what? A couple of weeks ago he certainly seemed to think so. He said you two were together."

  Colleen stood in front of him. "Isaiah was lying. He wanted to break us up. He certainly succeeded. You left here without even a note, and you didn't say anything to me about your conversation with him on the beach. You accepted his lies and you just booted me out. Sent me to him. You claim to love me and then you just left without a fight."

  Enrique cupped her cheek and asked raggedly, "You didn't sleep with him?"

  "No," Colleen said, inhaling his scent. "Oh no. How could you even think that?"

  Enrique dragged her into his arms and they clung to each other.

  "I love you," Colleen said softly. "I don't think I have ever told you that before. I was going to that morning you got in from your walk, but you never gave me a chance. That was when I was going to make my choice. That same morning…it was going to be you."

  Enrique looked at her, his green-gray eyes glowing. "For a long time now I have loved you. This--us, right here, right now—is my dream come true. I love you, Colleen, all of you."

  She stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the mouth, moving against him and feeling him suddenly relax against her, his arms clamping about her like steel bands.

  "I hope you mean this, Colleen," he groaned fiercely, "because I cannot let you go now. I cannot!" He was literally shaking against her.

  "I mean it," Colleen whispered, "and I am not going anywhere."

  His face softened with love, he bent his head to claim her lips in a kiss…that began gently but soon deepened into consuming passion. They were hungry for each other, aware of each other's love now. Enrique pulled back, his breathing ragged with emotion.

  "So to be clear, you are single now?"

  "As soon as the papers are filed, which can be as soon as tomorrow," Colleen said. "Oh, I am also pregnant, I found out yesterday."

  Enrique chuckled. "My mom told me a couple of days ago. She is overjoyed that she is going to be a grandmother."

  "But she never said a word. I didn't even suspect--well, not until the dizzy spells." Colleen laughed.

  He rested his forehead against hers, his hands clasped together at the base of her spine, their two bodies molded together. "I have suffered agonies the last few days, imagining you to be reconciled with Isaiah."

  "I think he came back too late," Colleen said. "I was well and truly hooked on a guy with gray-green eyes and a smile that makes me feel as if I am the only woman in the world."

  He sighed. "I wish to God I had stopped and communicated with you about what Isaiah said when we met that morning by the beach! I could have saved myself so much torment. To imagine you and Isaiah together has been absolute hell for me.

  "I should not have believed what he said to me on the beach; I know you. We should have talked. I have never known what it was to be so murderously jealous before. You are my first and only love, Colleen."

  "And you are the love I waited for." She smiled shyly. "My last and only love."

  He gave a deep, shuddering sigh. "I have so longed to hear you say that, I can hardly believe it. Do you think we should remarry again here, or have a big splash this time?"

  Colleen laughed. "This rushing into marriage thing is becoming a habit. Maybe we should wait."

  "No," Enrique groaned. "I know what I want, and I can't have you technically single for any longer than is necessary."

  He swung her up in his arms, bending to kiss her before opening the bedroom door.

  "At the end of the week," Enrique whispered, "same minister, same place and this time it will be all the sweeter because I'll know that I am yours and you are mine completely."

  "Completely," Colleen said, her eyes glowing.

  Epilogue

  Ten Years later

  They were jogging down the beach, as was their regular morning ritual every time they came to Jamaica. Their three children, Ariel, Tomas and little Franco, were playing behind them, hollering and howling loud enough to wake the dead.

  "You'd think they had never seen the beach before, the way they are behaving," Colleen chuckled.

  Enrique laughed, a carefree sound that sounded suspiciously like his three children.

  "You are the reason why we don't come back here as often," he reminded her. "You are so busy with your catering firm that we hardly have time to travel."

  "You can't go blaming that on me," Colleen said, poking him in the side. "You encouraged me to expand. ‘Do the cooking show, Colleen. Write the cookbook, Colleen.’ You push me too much and rush me into things."

  Enrique laughed and grabbed her around her waist. "You know, I only have your best interests at heart."

  "Eww," Ariel said behind them.

  Colleen looked at her nine–year-old and chuckled. Ariel looked so much like her Aunt Renata it was uncanny. Same gray-green eyes, same pout to the lips.

  "Why don't we drop them off over at Hibiscus Lodge and then spend the day in bed?" Enrique murmured against her lips.

  Colleen laughed. "We have to visit my parents and then
I have to go say hi to Miss Lou. Remember I promised to do the cakes for Dan's wedding?"

  "Oh yes, Dan's wedding. I hope it will not be as awkward with us there as it was at his graduation, with him insisting that we be a part of the family picture."

  "Well, you did pay his way through college," Colleen chuckled, "and I am still his big sister."

  "I am fine with Dan; it's Isaiah I can't stand. Are you going to see him today?" Enrique groaned.

  "But of course, he lives nearby. I usually stop by to say hi." Colleen laughed. "You are not still jealous of Isaiah, are you?"

  "No," Enrique protested, "but I get the feeling he still has the hots for you."

  "You are so sweet when you say that." Colleen hugged him around his waist.

  "It's true." Enrique pulled her closer to him. "Last year when we came out here, he told you that he would still take you back, remember? And he said it loud enough for me to hear!"

  Colleen was in hysterics; she laughed, digging her toes in the sand and clutching Enrique to her.

  "Last year, I was pregnant with Franco and Isaiah was sitting beside his wife with his baby daughter asleep on his shoulder at the time. He was teasing you. I think he knows that you are severely possessive of your wife and he loves to rile you up. Relax, my love. He's happy. I am happy."

  Enrique kissed her and then looked over at the horizon. "It is going to be a nice, sunshiny, perfect beach day."

  "No, actually, it is going to rain," Colleen corrected him. "I am a fisherman's daughter, remember."

  "I say blue skies." Enrique looked down at her; the love shone from his eyes as brightly as ever.

  But Colleen was right. It rained that day. It rained all week, but that didn't stop them from having fun.

  Author's Notes

  Dear Reader,

  THANK YOU for reading After The End! This book was a treat to write. I have always wanted to write a book set in Whitehouse, Jamaica. It is a sleepy fishing village, with a really lovely land and seascape. This book is similar to another book I have written entitled Full Circle, just to let you know in case you want to check out something along the same line.

  My next series is the Scarlett Series, based on the Scarlett family; they have some pretty interesting stories to tell. Those books are mainly set at another gorgeous spot in Jamaica called Treasure Beach. Another low-key fishing village with beaches and amazing sunsets.

  Before you go, if you liked After The End, please leave a review where you bought this ebook.

  You can also check out my BOOK LIST, for upcoming books and their release dates.

  If you have comments or suggestions, I welcome them. You can reach me and receive a reply at brenalbar@gmail.com.

  You can be among the first to hear when I have special prices and new book releases by signing up for my mailing list. It will take you less than 50 seconds to signup. Click here to signup.

  Keep scrolling for an excerpt from Scarlett Baby, Book 1 in the Scarlett Family Series.

  Thanks again. All the best,

  Brenda

  Keep reading for an excerpt

  from

  Scarlett Baby

  Good friend, why did you have to go... The Kenny Rogers song that belted across the expanse of the yard held his heart tightly and squeezed.

  Yuri sat heavily in one of the white plastic chairs that his mother had thoughtfully placed around the yard. His eyes were stinging and he swiped his hand over them impatiently. He was bone tired. It was a long journey from Kingston and his tedious middle management job. He had a headache, heartache, a toothache, all of him ached... Excuses.

  He held his head down. He was determined not to let the tears fall. He was sure if he tried to think about something else the song would release its hold on him but it kept pulsing through his head.

  He breathed a sigh of relief and inhaled a refreshing gulp of air when the verse faded away...and in my memories you'll always be a good, good friend to me... He had barely, just barely saved himself from an embarrassing crying jag.

  He was relieved when his cousin, who seemed to be standing in as the deejay, put in a Temptations album and left it to play. But even that was nostalgic, especially when he heard the first notes from Soul to Soul. If he was being so tearful now, he wondered how he was going to hold up tomorrow at the burial.

  Burial. He hated the word. And he hated it even more when it was attached to his grandfather. Dolby Scarlett had always been more than family. He had been a really good friend to him. They had shared countless memories and numerous confidences, but now he was gone. Though why he should feel the grief so sharply he didn't know. His grandfather had a good inning, one hundred years old. A solid century.

  Maybe he was feeling so ripped up inside because he had not been able to get time off from his job to come home and see Pops one last time. Six months ago when he had returned home, he had poured out all of his confused feelings and maddening failings to Pops and his grandfather had confidently told him that it would all work out. He wished that he had had a more upbeat conversation with Pops that last time.

  "Want a drink, honey?" his mother asked, looking at him sympathetically. "You haven't had anything to eat or drink since you arrived."

  "No thanks, Mom." His voice was low and choked up. "When I’m ready I'll come and get it and maybe socialize then."

  His mother patted his hand and moved away, too busy with the scores of people who were trailing into the yard to question him further.

  He watched the buzzing activity but felt detached from it. In this community a death in the family warranted some amount of preparation. And Pops was so well known that on the eve of the big sendoff it was almost like a party. His parents had set up a shed where people were cooking; he recognized that Fred was leading the procedures there. He was the official dead yard cook. He was stirring a pot almost as tall as he was; the scent of the goat head soup wafted to where he was sitting.

  He spotted family members he hadn't seen in ages. They were gathering around in clusters. He overheard conversations about grave digging and which suit they would put Pops in for the viewing. Yuri avoided eye contact with anyone who would want to involve him in their decisions.

  He answered greetings in a desultory manner, even had a conversation with a family friend or two, and watched as the late June sun bathed the spacious yard in a mellow yellowed hue. It was, ironically, the perfect evening to be in Treasure Beach. It was not too hot yet, nor was it cool—June had just begun. It was just right. The skies were endlessly blue, with not a cloud in sight.

  His family had always lived in this spot in Great Bay. The half-acre of shrub land was located a few feet from the sea. It was rocky in some places, fertile in others.

  Through the years they had wrangled with the stony soil and deleterious effects of the wind and had managed to get a few trees growing.

  He was sitting under one now, a red plum tree. Its gnarled limbs were devoid of leaves. It was that time of the year when it would shed; in a few weeks it would be loaded with leaves, and then the juicy red plums would take over the tree. His grandfather had loved to munch on them.

  He closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair. He heard the gentle lapping of the sea a few yards from where he was sitting, the buzz of chatter near the house, a dog barking, somebody coughing, his father's voice and then his sister's finer, sweeter tones responding to something that his father said, and then the lump of grief that was stuck in his throat subsided.

  He felt a shadow before him and he opened his eyes slowly.

  Terri was standing before him. She had a drink in her hand, she pushed it at him.

  "Drink."

  "What is it?" Yuri asked, his voice husky.

  "Fruit juice. Daddy blended it for you."

  "Ah." Yuri took a sip and then drained the cup’s contents into his mouth. It was good. His father always did a mean fruit juice.

  Terri pulled a chair and sat beside him. "You left your bag on the veranda; that's how I knew yo
u were here."

  "Sorry." Yuri sighed. "I couldn't go into the house. I felt a bit..."

  "Overwhelmed," Terri finished for him, "crazy with grief. I understand. Though I am sure with how tight you and Pops were, this must be worse for you than anyone else, even Daddy."

  Yuri nodded. He didn't have to respond. He glanced at his sister; the sun bathed her in a golden glow. He realized that he hadn't seen Terri for months now, and he hadn't even greeted her properly.

  "Hey," he smiled at her.

  Terri smiled back; she was a strikingly good-looking woman. She had dark brown skin, clay red hair and light hazel eyes.

  Grandfather's eyes.

  The only one in the family to get them as far as he knew. One could never tell how many Scarletts there were because of Peter Scarlett, his grandfather's youngest child. It was said that Peter sired quite a few children. It was just last year that he met his cousin, Oliver.

  And Grandfather's hair. The red-brown combination was prominent with Pop's brothers and sisters and their offspring. His little niece Dahlia had gotten it too.

  "How long have you been here?"

  "I came in last night." Terri sighed, "I am flying out tomorrow after the funeral."

  "That sucks," Yuri murmured.

  "No, it's fine. At least I got the time off." Terri grimaced, "I am sort of getting weary of the job."

  "You were so excited when you started last year." Yuri grinned. "You were going places, France, Switzerland and all over. What changed?"

  "The thrill wore off." Terri shrugged. "Enough about me, tell me about you. You look as if you aren't sleeping much."

  "True." Yuri nodded. "I know I look like hell."

  "No, never. Stop fishing for compliments, Big Head." Terri elbowed him. "You have always been seriously good-looking and even though you are my brother I can see that you have a little Shemar Moore thing going on."