Key To My Heart (Love Conquers All)

by Wells, Victoria

  Ava picked up her pace. She was sure he’d be able to help her since he knew the campus inside and out. Just as she was within thirty yards, he shook some guy’s hand he’d been talking to and had began to walk away.

  “Hey! You in the blue shirt! Wait a minute!”

  Chapter 6

  Taking off his reading glasses, Langston rubbed his weary, tired eyes. I’m so tired. I have got to get some sleep before I drop dead.

  Throwing the brief he’d been reviewing to the side, Langston leaned back in the soft leather chair and closed his eyes. His life was spinning out of control, and he had no idea how to bring it back into submission. This morning Zoe had wanted to know why all her friends at school had a mommy and she didn’t.

  Langston had answered the wide-eyed seven-year-old as honestly as he could. He’d explained that she did have a mommy like her other friends. He told her everyone had a mommy. When the child became persistent, asking, “Then why doesn’t my mommy live with us?” lack of sleep and being unprepared for the child’s very valid questions caused Langston to lash out in frustration.

  “Because she doesn’t!” he yelled. “Now hurry up and eat before you’re late for school!”

  Now he had a massive headache, and no amount of massaging was going to make it go away. Behind closed lids he could still visualize Zoe’s bottom lip trembling as she said, “OK, Daddy,” before sliding off the kitchen chair to gather her books and school supplies.

  This was his fault. If he had listened to his father years ago and married while Zoe was a toddler, he wouldn’t have this problem. Zoe would have a mother and she wouldn’t be asking him such difficult questions, questions he couldn’t answer while looking in her innocent eyes. How could he tell his baby girl that he’d destroyed her mother, that he had crushed her spirit, leaving her a broken vessel?

  Bile rose up in his throat from self loathing. Yeah, he was young, fresh out of law school, and wanting to please his parents. Yes, he was a Warrington and he had a reputation to uphold. But he should have been a man. He should have never turned his back on Ava. He should have never abandoned her or his love for her. He clearly remembered their first meeting, even after all these years.

  eee

  Langston turned, certain the feminine voice was calling him. His heart skipped a bit as the pretty, fair skinned student took quick steps in his direction. Mesmerized, his eyes locked in on her average height and slender, but curvy frame, committing everything about her to memory. From the way her naturally dark, curly locks bounced around her shoulders to the way her hips gracefully swayed from side to side and the way her brown eyes sparkled, he locked it all into his memory bank.

  Coming to stop a few feet in front of him, she smiled. “Hi, I remember you from open house. You were my group’s tour guide. Lewis? Right?”

  Langston chuckled. “No. It’s Langston. And you are?”

  Ava turned a shade of bright pink from embarrassment. “Sorry, I’m Ava. I was wondering if you could show me the quickest way to get to Douglas Hall?”

  “Sure. I’m actually headed that way.”

  “Thanks. I’m still trying to find my way around. I don’t want to be late for my first English class.”

  Raising his wrist, he looked at his watch. It was three minutes after one. “Who’s your instructor?”

  Holding up her roster, Ava scanned her class schedule. “It says a Professor Harris.”

  “Come on,” Langston said, gently grabbing Ava by the elbow. “You better hurry. Harris is one mean old bastard. He’ll probably give the class an extra assignment because you’re late.”

  “What!” Ava yelped, not believing a professor would do such a thing, at least not on the very first day of class.

  “Uh-huh, so move it,” he said, urging her to pick up her pace to a slight jog.

  After dropping her off at class, Langston hung around until he spotted Ava coming out of the building. He wanted to help the new freshman navigate the campus and to hip her to the professors, who, if she didn’t watch her step, could make her life a living nightmare. His attentiveness couldn’t have anything to do with the fact that he was totally smitten with the eighteen-year-old, or so he told himself.

  From that day forward Langston made it his mission to befriend Ava. Although he was smitten with her, he initially kept his feelings to himself. He seriously doubted if she would be interested. He never thought of himself as handsome. Girls like Ava never gave him a second thought. Growing up he’d always been teased because of his complexion. Tar baby, black boy, midnight, and blacky were some of the cruel names he’d been called. Even when he outgrew that lanky, awkward, geeky stage and morphed into six feet two and 195 pounds of solid muscle, girls still never gave him the time of day. The only ones who showed him any hint of interest were those his mother attempted to fix him up with. She was obsessed with her son marrying into a cultured family.

  And the young women’s parents weren’t much better than his mother. Many of them were eager and ready to give their blessings to a union between Langston and their daughters. His being the sole heir to the Warrington fortune and one day running the law firm that had been in his family for five generations was well worth forcing the coupling if need be. This became painfully evident one evening at a dinner party his parents hosted.

  Langston and his frat brother, Jeremy, had helped themselves to six bottles of liquor from his dad’s bar. As they made their way down the hallway, their destination the back door, they heard voices coming from the library. Not wanting to get caught red handed, Langston and Jeremy quickened their steps. They’d promised the other frat brothers that they’d supply the booze for their party tomorrow night. Unfortunately Langston heard his name just as he was passing the library, which caused him to stop walking.

  “Momma, I don’t want to go out with him,” Christina Williamson pouted.

  “Girl, stop acting so foolish and pull yourself together. Do you know you’ll be set for life if you marry Langston?” Christina’s mother hissed between clenched teeth. The simple girl was being downright stubborn.

  “Momma, I don’t want to marry him. He’s too black. I’ll have ugly black babies just like him,” Christina whined. “I won’t do it. Daddy said you can’t make me.”

  “I don’t care how black he is. You will go out with him. Do you understand me?” Closing in on her daughter, she roughly grabbed her by the upper arm. “Your father doesn’t know anything. If I say you’re going out with him, you’re going with him. Do I make myself clear?” the woman growled out at her daughter

  “Yes, Momma,” Christina finally agreed.

  Langston had never been so hurt or humiliated in his life. Stunned, his legs wouldn’t move as he stood rooted in place. Christina and her mother nearly collided into him and Jeremy as they exited the library. Awkward silence filled the air. One look into Langston’s pained face spoke volumes to both mother and daughter. Their private conversation hadn’t been so private after all.

  Luckily Ava turned out to be so different from the other girls. Whenever Langston saw her around campus with her friends, she never slighted him, and she never acted as if she didn’t know him. She always had a smile and a “Hey, Langston, how you doing?”

  If she saw him sitting alone in the library, she’d quietly approach. Without asking, she’d gently place her book bag on the table, pull out a chair, and take a seat. Once settled, she’d ask, “Do you mind if I sit here?”

  For hours they’d sit in silence studying. Well, Ava studied. He’d sit there staring at the book in front of him as if the words had suddenly turned German. Every time he tried to concentrate, he found himself looking up at Ava, studying her instead of the notes from his political science class.

  One evening as he walked her back to her dorm he got up the courage to ask her out.

  “Ava, are you doing anything Friday night?”

  “No. Why?” Ava asked as she looked up at Langston.

  “I…I…do you want to go see a movi
e?” Langston wanted to kick himself. He was stuttering like a babbling idiot.

  Shrugging her shoulders, she answered, “Sure, we can go see a movie.”

  Say something, fool! She just said she’ll go out with you! “For real?” Not that, idiot!

  Ava giggled. “Yes, for real. What’s wrong with you?”

  Langston chuckled. “Nothing. I’m just surprised you said you’d go out with me.”

  “Why? You’re a nice guy, Langston,” Ava said as she stopped in front of her dorm building.

  Hunching broad shoulders, he told her the truth. “Girls who look like you don’t go out with guys who look like me.”

  Ava titled her head to the side. When she spoke, her voice came out in a gentle caress. “There’s nothing wrong with the way you look.” Standing on tiptoes, she kissed his cheek. “See you on Friday,” she said before running into the building.

  That night Langston Warrington fell in love with Ava Peretti.

  Chapter 7

  Stepping off the elevator, Ava took bold, confident strides toward the sleek, contemporary receptionist’s desk. Her gaze scanned the open, spacious area. Expensive African artwork brilliantly framed every wall. Plush seating and a beautiful, hand-carved antique mahogany coffee table holding a vase of blooming white lilies made the waiting area inviting.

  Glancing at the name plate on the desk, Ava wore a smile that didn’t quite reach her sparkling eyes. “Grace, is Langston Warrington III in the office this fine morning?”

  “Yes, he is. Do you have an appointment?” The receptionist smiled, showing off a set of porcelain veneers, totally oblivious to Ava’s sarcastic drawl.“Thanks,” Ava sneered as she swiftly bypassed the toothy, grinning woman.

  Langston’s eyes suddenly popped opened, drawing him out of his reverie. Some type of commotion was going on behind his closed office door. What in the hell is going on out there?

  Running down the hall, the middle-aged, redheaded receptionist was hot on Ava’s heels, trying to keep up with her thunderous footsteps. “Miss! Miss! Please! You can’t just barge into Mr. Warrington’s office!”

  Hand on the doorknob, Ava flung open the door. “Watch me,” she said. She had come too far to back down now. Her entire physical, emotional, and spiritual beings depended on this impromptu meeting. Well, impromptu for Langston. She’d been planning it all week. She wasn’t about to let some frantic, toothy woman stand in her way.

  Grace wore an expression of horror as Ava blew into her boss’s office unannounced. This was unacceptable. He’d told her early that morning that he didn’t want to be disturbed. It wasn’t often that her boss came into the office out of sorts. But when he did, she did a pretty good job of fielding all his calls and rescheduling any appointments that weren’t related to upcoming court dates. So far she’d been able to keep Mr. Warrington from being disturbed. She’d even been successful at holding his mother at bay when she demanded to speak with her son, even though it meant lying to the older woman by telling her that Langston had briefly stepped out of the office. But now this well dressed, professional looking woman had blown into the office with the force of a twister, taking Grace by surprise.

  “Mr. Warrington… sir…I’m sorry. I tried to stop her,” Grace explained while waving her hands in the air.

  Langston stood and held up his hand to silence the anxious woman. “It’s all right, Grace. Please close the door behind you.”

  “Yes, sir,” she mumbled, closing the door gently. From her boss’s calm demeanor, she gathered that he wasn’t upset with her. Good. He shouldn’t be. Trying to stop that woman from charging into his office would have been like her stepping in front of the Metro and holding up her hand to bring it to a standstill.

  Ava and Langston stared at one another for what seemed like forever. Ava’s chest constricted as she struggled to breathe. After jabbing him with a deadly glare, she had expected her next action to be a summersault across the desk to scratch out his eyes. She wanted to yell at him, to cuss him out. She wanted to ask him why. Why had he broken every promise he’d made to her? Why had he taken her heart, leaving her empty and cold? Most of all she wanted to ask him why he hadn’t loved her as much as she had loved him.

  For a quick moment, Ava’s fiery gaze lost its passion. Looking into her former lover’s face, she had anticipated an arrogant shell of a man, a man who didn’t or wouldn’t make any apologies for all the pain he’d caused her. However, what she saw was far from what she’d imagined. Before her stood a man that was troubled. The weary, tired eyes and slumped, broad shoulders were a dead giveaway. For the life of her, she couldn’t fathom why. Hadn’t he gotten what he’d wanted? To be released from the burden of her and their child, which threatened to ruin his career, forfeit his inheritance, and embarrass his highly cultured family. Well from where she stood, he’d gained everything he wanted in life and more, whereas she had lost everything.

  Although she was completely angry with him, there was something in his eyes that made her want to reach out to him, if only for a fleeting moment.

  Is it possible? Langston wondered. Did I conjure her up? Ava, his Ava was in Washington, D.C, standing in his office.

  Every so often whenever he looked at Zoe, he’d think about Ava. When he allowed himself to visit the past, he remembered her innocence, remembered how she was the first girl to sincerely like him, and not because of his family’s status and money.

  Because she wasn’t from the area, Ava hadn’t a clue who the Warringtons were, nor did she care. People’s pedigrees didn’t impress her. All she cared about was surrounding herself with people who were kind and had good hearts.

  In the beginning of their relationship he’d been reluctant to tell Ava about his family. However, as their feelings began to deepen, taking on new meaning, he knew inevitably he had to tell her the truth if they were to have any sort of a future together. Most of all he’d prayed once she found out about his family’s wealth that she wouldn’t shape shift on him into a gold digger.

  When he finally got up the courage to tell her about his lineage, Ava had put her hands on her hips, stared him in the eye, and said, “And that should mean what to me? I don’t need nor want your family’s money.”

  As Langston looked at Ava now, he saw that she was still as beautiful as ever. Over the years she’d put on at least ten pounds, nicely filling out her once slender hips and thighs, which were now thicker and curvier. He definitely appreciated the new Ava. What man wouldn’t? A tinge of jealousy reared its ugly head. He’d bet his life men were coming on to her all the time.

  Langston wasn’t surprised Ava had grown into a self-assured woman. Confidence wrapped around her like a smooth, silky second skin. That was evident in the way she came charging into his office looking like a beautiful warrior ready for battle.

  Straightening slumped shoulders, Langston stood to his full height. This wasn’t Fantasy Island where his dream of having his one and only true love back in his arms again would be granted. Ava had come to him for a reason. And it wasn’t to say, “Hi, I was in the neighborhood and wanted to catch up on old times.”

  Langston came from behind his desk. “Ava, what are you doing here?”

  Langston’s inquiry made Ava cock her head to side as if she didn’t understand the question. I know this man did not just ask me what I’m doing here. All that sentimental crap she was feeling just a few seconds before flew right out the window. She’d wanted to approach him like she had some sense, but now he’d pissed her off just that quick. He could have at least said, “How have you been since I cut you off at the knees?” But, no, he had to come out of his face with an asinine question.

  Ava walked slowly toward her former lover. Lifting a pink manicured finger, she poked him so hard in his solid chest, her nail almost cracked. “I’ll tell you what I’m doing here. You and your family took someone from me and I want her back,” Ava hissed between clenched teeth, looking up into his eyes.

  Langston’s solid frame swayed sli
ghtly. How did she know? Confused, he stammered, “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying I want you to tell me what adoption agency you dealt with so I can track my child down. I want my daughter, Langston.”

  “Now wait a minute—”

  Before Langston could finish his sentence, the office door swung open. The second twister had blown through.

  “You no good common whore! How dare you show your face around here! I thought we got rid of you!”

  “Mother!” Langston barked, irritation lacing his tone. Ava had demanded Zoe. He had to handle her very delicately. The last thing he needed right now was Beatrice’s interference, slinging nasty insults at the mother of his child.

  Ava swung around so fast she got a flash of vertigo. Quickly stabilizing, she was back on her square. Curling her hands into fists, Ava felt her nails digging into her palms as she glared at the older woman. Growing up she had been raised by her parents to respect her elders. But this here elder was getting NO respect. She had this coming for years.

  “Beatrice, you better go ’head with that common whore mess before I take you outside.”

  Stunned by the menacing tone Ava had used, Beatrice’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. Ava advanced a step in her direction, causing the older woman to quickly go to her son’s side for protection.

  If she hadn’t been so heated, Ava would have laughed at the old coot. The woman moved rather swiftly for an old bird.

  “Whoa, hold up, Ava! Don’t threaten my mother!” Langston bellowed, jumping between Ava and Beatrice. Despite the fact that his mother was out of line, he still felt a duty to protect her.

  Shielded by the safety of her son, Beatrice said, “Humph, I told you she was trash.”

  “I got your trash! You mean old goat!” Ava yelled, returning the insult as she reached for the older woman, but she was body blocked by Langston.