Dorothy Mae looked apologetic. “I’m sorry.”
“You fixed Terrance up with some cuckoo bird?” Mamie asked, astonished.
Dorothy Mae plopped down in a chair. “She’s not cuckoo. She has bipolar disorder.”
“Like I said, cuckoo,” Mamie snapped.
“Her mother said she’s fine as long as she takes her medication. And besides, every time I’ve ever seen her, she’s been the perfect sweetheart.”
“Did that raving lunatic look like a sweetheart to you?” Eva questioned. “I mean, good Lord, this doesn’t make any sense.”
“Yeah, Dorothy Mae. How you gon’ fix Terrance up with somebody like that?” Mamie chimed in.
“Oh, like the atheist was that much better,” Dorothy Mae retorted.
“Okay, that’s enough.” Terrance rubbed his head. He had a pounding headache.
Dorothy Mae diverted her eyes in shame.
“I can’t believe this was a setup.” He slammed his hands on his desk. “I want you all to listen up and listen up good. First of all, there will be no more blind dates. No carefully orchestrated meetings. Nothing. Understood?”
“But—,” Eva began.
“But nothing. No more dates, no more setups, no more accidental meetings. Nothing. Period. Do you understand that?” Terrance knew he’d caught them off guard with the firmness in his voice, but this was getting out of control. “I will find my own woman. And if I don’t find her, then it was not meant for me to have one. Do you understand that?”
“Fine,” all three of them muttered.
“Secondly,” Terrance continued, “I’m going home. By myself, and please, unless someone dies, nobody call me until tomorrow.”
Terrance stomped out of the church determined more than ever to end his search for the perfect wife. After all he’d been through, his future wife was going to have to find him, because he was done searching for the real Mrs. Right.
chapter 22
“So is Terrance still mad at us?” Dorothy Mae asked as she put away the last of the dishes in Eva’s kitchen. This was the second Sunday Terrance had skipped out on their weekly meal. This time he didn’t even bother to try to give them an excuse. He just didn’t show up.
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Eva sighed. It looked like their plan to find Terrance a wife was falling apart at the seams.
“Well, last Sunday, I heard he was at Red Lobster having dinner with Savannah.” Mamie said Savannah’s name like it was an infectious disease.
“I wonder if he’s with her again today,” Eva said.
Dorothy Mae suddenly got an uneasy look on her face. “Well, I…ummm, I found out some information that we might be able to use to nip that relationship in the bud.”
Both Eva and Mamie spun around. “What? And you’re just now telling us about this?”
Dorothy Mae sat down, suddenly getting excited. “A little birdie might have told me that Miss Savannah McKinney might actually be a Mrs.”
“What?” Eva exclaimed.
Dorothy Mae reached over in her purse and pulled out a piece of paper. “I had a little background check done on Savannah, and as it turns out she married some hoodlum in 1999 and never got divorced.”
“So you mean she’s married?” Eva asked.
Dorothy Mae laid the marriage license on the table. “Yep. Her husband is in the pen for armed robbery. Shoot, they probably running a scheme trying to take Terrance for his money.”
All three women broke out in huge grins. “A little detail I’m very sure she forgot to tell Terrance,” Mamie said as she picked up the marriage license and scanned it.
“Then it looks like we’ll have to be the ones to break the news,” Eva announced.
“And if this doesn’t get rid of Miss Thang, I don’t know what will,” Dorothy Mae added, finally feeling like they had Savannah beat. “And after we’re done with her, we’ll just see who’s showing who.”
Mamie scurried into the kitchen. “Are you ready to do this?” she asked her sisters.
“Ready as ever,” Eva proclaimed. It had taken a lot of coaxing to convince Terrance to come by. He especially thought they were up to something when Eva invited Savannah. But he’d finally agreed. They’d arrived over an hour ago, and it had been excruciating trying to make it through dinner without saying anything. Dinner had been pure torture. Savannah would smirk at them, then plaster on an innocent look whenever Terrance looked her way. She dabbed at his mouth and fawned over him like he was Jesus himself. The whole thing was sickening. Dorothy Mae had wanted to reveal Savannah’s scam the minute she walked in the door, but Eva had convinced her that they needed to tread lightly.
But now was the time. They had wrapped up dessert and Terrance had leaned back in his chair, stuffed. He had his arm around the back of Savannah’s chair and she was eating it up.
Eva, Dorothy Mae, and Mamie walked back in and stood over the dining room table.
“Mrs. Lewis, thank you so much for that awesome meal. I wish that I could cook like that,” Savannah purred. “Specially since I see how much T-baby loves your cooking.”
Eva didn’t respond as she struggled to keep a scowl from her face.
Dorothy Mae began blurting out, “Terrance, we have something we’d like—”
Eva held up her hand, cutting Dorothy Mae off. “We just wanted to talk to you guys a little bit, that’s all,” Eva said as she sat down. “Mamie, Dorothy Mae, sit down.” Eva shot them a glare to let them know she had things under control. They shot her a look back to let her know they were tired of waiting.
“Well, Savannah, it looks like things are getting a little serious between you and my nephew,” Eva said.
Savannah squeezed Terrance’s hand. “I hope so.” She smiled lovingly at him.
Eva had to fight back the bile building in her stomach. “So, is he someone you could see yourself building a future with?”
Terrance suddenly became uneasy and sat up. “Aunt Eva!”
“I’m just asking the girl,” Eva calmly responded. “You wanted us to get to know one another.”
“No, it’s no problem,” Savannah replied, thinking to herself, Are they actually finally coming around to give me a chance? “Terrance is definitely the type of man I could see myself spending the rest of my life with.”
“Yeah, because Terrance ain’t never robbed nobody,” Dorothy Mae spat.
Terrance shot his aunt a confused look.
“Excuse me?” Savannah said.
“Nothing,” Dorothy Mae replied, looking at Eva like she wished she’d hurry up with her line of questioning.
“I think what my sister is saying is that Terrance is a good man,” Eva continued.
“I know that.” Savannah was starting to get suspicious. Something just didn’t feel right.
“Then why are you trying to run games on him?” Mamie snapped, finally jumping into the conversation.
“Aunt Mamie, what in the world are you talking about?” Terrance asked.
Eva leaned back, giving Mamie the go-ahead to spill the beans.
“Did your little Pop-Tart here mention that she was married?” Mamie barked.
Terrance moved his hand from Savannah’s grasp. “What?”
“Yep, been married eight years to some thug in prison who’s doing time for armed robbery,” Mamie announced, as she, Eva, and Dorothy Mae all glared at Savannah.
Savannah, however, didn’t seem fazed as a small smile crossed her face. “So it seems you’ve been doing some digging?” Savannah said, finally figuring out their game.
“We sure have, you lying floozy,” Dorothy Mae said.
Terrance looked at Savannah. “What are they talking about? Are you married? To somebody in prison?”
Savannah kept her eyes glued to the three women. “If your nosy aunts had kept digging, they would have seen that I never married anyone. My janky cousin, who had warrants for her arrest and didn’t want to risk going to jail, stole my birth certificate and driver’s licen
se and got a marriage license in my name so that she could marry her convict boyfriend.”
Mamie threw up her hands. “Oh, come on. You can’t come up with a better lie than that?”
Savannah shrugged. “It’s not a lie,” she replied nonchalantly. “If you’d had dug a little deeper, you would have seen that not only did I file a police report, but the marriage under my name was reversed.” She turned to Terrance. “I have the paperwork at home and it’s a matter of public record.”
Eva, Mamie, and Dorothy Mae looked like they didn’t know what to believe. Neither did Terrance, who was rubbing his head.
Savannah scooted back from the table, a victorious look across her face. She wanted to straight curse these women out, but for once, she had the upper hand. Everything she’d said had been the God’s honest truth, and when she proved it to Terrance, it would bolster her credibility to a whole other level. No sense in ruining it by going off on his aunts.
“Ladies, I’m sorry that you feel like you had to resort to digging in my past to try and find a reason to keep me from your nephew,” Savannah said as she stood up. “I care for him, I really do. And I’m sorry that that’s not enough for you.”
Savannah walked into the living room and grabbed her purse. She turned toward Terrance.
Eva sat stunned, not really sure what to say. She glared at Savannah. Was that heifer about to cry?
“Terrance, I’m truly hurt,” Savannah said, her voice cracking. “But it doesn’t change how I feel about you. Could you please take me home? I’ll show you the paperwork, which thankfully I’ve kept, and we can even call my cousin if you’d like. I pressed charges and she got probation for forgery so she can tell you everything I said is true. After that, I hope that you’ll understand I have no secrets from you.”
Terrance turned to his aunts. He wasn’t quite sure what to believe. But if Savannah was indeed telling the truth, he’d be hard-pressed to forgive his aunts for this one.
“I can’t believe you guys sunk this low,” Terrance muttered as he got up and followed Savannah out the door.
chapter 23
Beat it. Please. I’m bringing him home.
Savannah had quickly texted that message to Tyra while Terrance stepped out to gas up his truck.
They had ridden much of the way in silence, with Terrance simply offering up a meek apology for his aunt’s actions.
“I understand. You’re their baby,” Savannah had replied, rubbing his arm. Inside, she was turning backflips. This couldn’t have turned out better if she’d planned it herself. As soon as she got home, she planned to show him the police report, the marriage annulment, and the affidavit her cousin had signed so that Savannah wouldn’t be held accountable for anything that fool Rico, the man her cousin had married, might do. Yep, after Terrance saw all that, it was on. Their fate would be sealed. He would be so angry with his aunts, and so pleased with the dignified way that she’d handled herself, that he would have to give their relationship a serious chance.
Twenty minutes later as he pulled in front of her apartment, Savannah turned to Terrance. “I know you’re always in a hurry. But please come inside so I can show you the papers. I don’t want there to be any doubt, and I don’t want anyone to be able to say I had time to doctor up or create some papers.”
Terrance ran his hand over the back of his head. He didn’t need this drama in his life.
“Please, for me. It would crush my heart if you thought that I had been lying to you.”
Terrance forced a smile, then cut off the engine. He quietly followed her up the walkway to her apartment.
Savannah inhaled thankfully when she didn’t see Tyra’s car. “I hope my roommate didn’t leave the apartment a mess. If she did, you’ll have to excuse it. Even though it’s kinda small, it can be hard to keep clean.”
Terrance just grunted. He wanted to tell her the cleanliness of her place was the last thing he was interested in.
Inside, Savannah set her purse down and went straight to her bedroom. Terrance followed her and watched as she pulled a box off the top shelf in her closet. All kinds of emotions were running through his head.
“Here.” Savannah handed him the box. “It should be at the top of the stack of papers.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“I want to. I want you to trust me.”
Terrance slowly took the box and sat down on the bed.
“I’m going to go get a glass of wine. Would you like anything?”
He shook his head and slowly lifted the top of the box.
Savannah couldn’t help but smile as she headed toward the kitchen.
Terrance took a deep breath as he began perusing the papers. He felt both relief and disgust as he read the police report and subsequent affidavit. Everything Savannah had said was true, which meant his aunts had crossed the line. This was the last straw. They’d gone too far, and he couldn’t blame Savannah if she never forgave them.
Terrance eased the papers back in the box, placed the box back on her closet shelf, and made his way into the living room. Savannah was seated on the leather sofa, her legs crossed, slowly bobbing her head to the light jazz that was filling the room. She had a glass of wine in her hand and seemed lost in thought.
Terrance spent a moment watching her. She really was beautiful. Maybe she was a little rough around the edges because it was all she’d ever known. Maybe, with a little refining, she could really be a first lady the church would accept.
He inhaled and walked over to the sofa. She lightly smiled as he sat down next to her.
“I don’t even know how to begin telling you how sorry I am,” he said, his voice soft and low.
“Don’t worry about it. Your aunts are just concerned about you, that’s all. They want to make sure you’re getting with the right woman.”
“But they were so out of order.”
“Sssshh.” She reached over and handed him a glass of wine.
Normally, Terrance wasn’t much of a drinker, but after the day he’d had, he needed something to ease his nerves.
He took the wine, sipped it, and leaned back. “I’m sorry, Savannah. I just don’t know what to do about my aunts. I love them, but they are getting totally out of hand.”
Savannah couldn’t believe her luck. Terrance was exactly where she wanted him. She gently caressed the back of his neck as he continued to vent. He spent the next ten minutes going on about how his aunts had run his life for as long as he could remember.
“It’s been this way my whole life and I’m tired of it. They run off anyone I’m remotely interested in, and I think I just got to the point where I stopped even trying. I just immersed myself in my work, and soon dating didn’t become as important to me.” He sighed.
“I know your work is important, but while you’re taking care of everything and everyone else, it might be nice to have someone take care of you,” she softly said.
Terrance turned to her and smiled. Savannah could tell the wine was getting to him. His glass was empty again. She’d already filled it twice. She wanted to refill it again, but she didn’t want to break the moment.
She took her chances and gently laid her head on his shoulder.
“Thank you for listening.”
“That’s what I’m here for, baby.” She slowly looked up and kissed his cheek. She waited a moment to gauge his reaction. When he closed his eyes, she kissed him again, this time on the lips. It was a simple kiss at first, but when she felt his shoulders relaxing, she added intensity and allowed her tongue to flicker along his lips.
Terrance moaned, a part of his brain telling him he needed to stop before he crossed a line he wasn’t sure he was ready to cross. But it had been so long since he’d felt a woman’s touch. He had really been trying to live a godly lifestyle, but it had been difficult. And sitting here with Savannah now kissing his neck wasn’t making things any better.
“Terrance, don’t you want me?” Savannah whispered.
Terrance
finally opened his eyes. He stared at her. Both she and Monty were right, he had to start making himself happy. And right about now, nothing would make him happier than making love to her.
“Yes, Savannah, I want you so bad,” he moaned.
Without another word, she stood and guided him back to her bedroom. Terrance followed, his mind in a daze. As she slowly undressed, he couldn’t help but mutter, “God forgive me,” before taking his clothes off as well.
chapter 24
Terrance had never been more confused. As good as making love to Savannah had been, he’d felt extremely guilty afterward and vowed that it would not happen again. But since he’d been hanging with Savannah regularly for the past three weeks, that was proving difficult. He had prayed and fasted in an effort to stay strong. He’d also asked that she respect his decision to abstain from sex. Still, it was hard.
“But I don’t understand what’s so wrong with two people who are obviously feeling each other to share themselves in such an intimate way,” she’d said one night as they sat in his townhome watching movies.
That night, she was clad in a miniskirt that left little to the imagination and a low-cut, tight blouse.
Terrance shifted, trying to ease his uncomfortableness. “Savannah, it’s just that I can’t, as a man of God, get up every Sunday morning and preach one thing and live my life a totally different way. It would be hypocritical.”
Savannah rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on, T-baby. It’s not like pastors don’t have sex. Shoot, half of them are no good anyway.”
“I think that’s a slight exaggeration. But the bottom line is, all I care about is this pastor.” He pointed to his chest. “And I want to live a godly life.”
He could tell she didn’t agree, but she’d stopped pouting and ceased trying to get him into bed at every turn. Now, they’d settled into a comfortable routine. And while he did enjoy spending time with her, she still didn’t feel like “the one.”
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