An Unexpected Love (Women's Fiction/BWWM Romance) (8 page)

“Shit.” Layla stopped midway in the hall
before getting to her room.

Cross stood beside her. “Got a visitor,
huh?”

She sighed. Patrick watched her with that
accusatory expression he always had before they got into an argument.

“You all right?” Cross whispered.

“I’m fine,” Layla assured as they approached
Patrick.

He greeted her with, “Hey, beautiful,” and
held out the carnations. “Your favorites.”

She hesitated before taking them. “Thanks.
I…uh…didn’t expect to see you tonight. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“Thought it would be nicer if I just
stopped by.” He put his hands in his pockets. “Who’s your friend?”

She gestured to Cross with the flowers. “This
is Cross Evers.”

“Hey.” Cross held out his hand. “It’s nice
to meet you.”

Patrick didn’t take his hand. “Is it
really?”

Layla glared at him.

“Yeah,” Cross said. “Is there a reason I
shouldn’t be glad to meet you?”

“Don’t take the bait, Cross.” Layla held
the flowers to her side. “I had a nice time tonight.”

“Me too.” He rubbed her arm. “You’re a
great dancer.”

She giggled as she said, “Thanks.” Then she
glanced at Patrick. “Almost forgot how good I was since I haven’t been dancing
in I-can’t-remember-when.”

Patrick cleared his throat.

“I’ll see you in the morning.” Cross
kissed her cheek. “Oh, I forgot. My son’s coming tomorrow to visit me. I’d love
for you to meet him.”

“That would be lovely.” Layla smiled. “The
next time my daughter comes, I’ll introduce you.”

Cross smiled. “Great.”

Patrick cleared his throat louder.

“See you, Layla,” Cross told her.

“Goodnight, Cross.”

He went down the hall. A condescending
smirk spread across Patrick’s face.

Layla opened the door and went inside her
room. “What?”

 
“Nothing.”
He followed. “It’s just that I pictured you in here depressed and miserable, but
instead you’re acting like you’re at Club Med. How’s this supposed to look to
me?”

Layla set the flowers on the dresser. “I don’t
give a damn how it looks.” She lowered her voice when a nurse passed her door.
“We’re not married anymore. I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

“Who is that guy?”

She sat on the bed and kicked off her flip-flops.
“Cross Evers. Is your memory that bad?”

“You know what I mean. Who is he to you?”

“He’s a friend.”

“A friend?” He leaned against the dresser.
“None of my friends kiss me on the cheek or feel me up when we’re slow dancing.”

“You saw us in the gym?”

“You damn right, and don’t play me like a
fool.” He nodded. “It looks like a lot more is going on here than friendship.”

“What do you want?”

He walked to the bed and started to sit
down.

“No.” She gestured. “What do you want,
Patrick?”

“I missed you. I told you that on the
phone.”

She took the clamp out of her hair. “Why
do you miss me?”

“What the hell kind of question is that?
Don’t you miss me, even a little bit? I just didn’t think it would be so hard
to live without you.”

“How are the girls? How’s Aliyah?”

“I didn’t come here to talk about the
girls.” He sat beside her and took her hands. “You know, I’m a man of pride,
and I’m stubborn as hell...”

“Oh, you don’t have to tell me that.”

“I made the biggest mistake of my life
when I let you go.”

“I don’t understand any of this.” She slipped
her hands from his and stood. “Are you saying you want to try again? You can’t
be serious.”

He stood and pulled her to him. “I love
you so much, Layla. There’s no other woman I’ve ever loved as much as you.”

“I don’t believe this.” She paced,
stroking her hair. “I cannot believe that your ass is standing here saying this
shit to me now. We just got divorced.”

“I know, and it’s killing me!”

“Well that’s just tough, Patrick! You
shouldn’t have always been so busy treating what we had like some competition
you had to win. You should’ve been a man and admitted you were wrong.”

“Would it have mattered if I said I hadn’t
wanted a divorce, since you were so quick to throw things away?”

“I refuse to even entertain this,
Patrick.” She walked to the door. “It’s over.”

He sighed.
“Layla.”

“I’m not in love with you anymore.” She
held her breath. “I haven’t been in a long time. What I felt for you is gone,
and I don’t think it’s ever coming back.”

He approached her. “I won’t let myself
believe that, Layla.”

“It’s true.” She closed her eyes as a tear
fell. “You took who I was away. You chipped at me—little by little, for years—until
I had nothing left. I already didn’t have my sanity, and you took everything
else away.”

“What the hell did I take?”

“My independence, my job, my confidence … everything.”

“I did what I felt was best for you.” He
held her by the arms. “Please know that.”

“I think you believe that’s true.” She
sniffled. “But in the process, you killed me, Patrick. I’ve been a shell of
myself. I’ve been alive but not living. I can’t do that anymore.”

“I’m supposed to believe that after twenty
years and two beautiful daughters…it’s over? Papers and a court doesn’t mean
it’s over, Lay.”

“I’m
telling
you it’s over.” She grabbed the doorknob. “Goodbye, Patrick.”

“I want you back.”

“I’m sorry. I feel nothing for you.”

His voice cracked. “Nothing?”

“I mean—not outside of you being my kids’ father—no.
I feel no desire or passion or anything else for you.”

“Are you sleeping with Cross?” He inhaled
with his jaws puffed out. “Are you fucking him?”

“No, I’m not. But if I were, it’s not your
business.”

“You can’t throw us away.” He grabbed her.
“I won’t let you.”

“Let go of me!” She pushed him. “You don’t
run me anymore, Patrick. I’m not going back to you. It’s over! If you had
treated me right the first time, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“Sure is convenient that you feel this way
with your new friend around.”

“He has nothing to do with this.” She
stuck her finger in his face. “For your information, Cross has given me more
support and encouragement in the few weeks I’ve known him than you did in our
entire marriage.”

“Is that so?”

She put her hand on her hip. “It
is
so.”

“You’re making
me
out to be the bad guy?” He touched his chest. “Yet I was the one
who held everything together while your ass spent most of our marriage in this
place!” He hit the door. “
I
practically raised the girls.
I
kept
things going when you had breakdowns so bad you couldn’t even comb your damn
hair.”

She started to speak, but disgust willed
her against it.
 

“If it weren’t for me, we’d have lost
everything. You’ve played the victim ever since we got married.” He looked her
up and down. “And you wonder why Aliyah resents you so much.”

“Get out.” She held on to the door. “Get
out!”

People peeked in from the hall.

“I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true,”
Patrick said.

“Get your ass out of here right now!” She
grabbed his hand and pulled him the door. “How could you say something so cruel
to me?” Tears ran down her face. “Talking about how I couldn’t do something
during a breakdown and throwing it in my face that my daughter hates me?”

He reached for her. “Layla.”

 
“No!”
She slapped his hand down. “This is the real Patrick. Right here. It’s not the
one who brought me these damn flowers.” She yanked them off the dresser and
threw them at him. “Thanks for reminding me why I shouldn’t regret the
divorce.”

“Layla…I…”

She slammed the door in his face.

Three Weeks Later

Someone knocked on Layla’s door at
Wellington.

She laid another blouse in her suitcase as
she said, “Come in.”

Cross came in. “Hey…I…” He stared at the
suitcase and the rest of the clothes stacked on the bed. “What’s going on?”

“She’s leaving.” Gertie stuck her head in
the door. “Yup, party time is over for Layla.”

“I don’t know about it being a party,
Gertie.” Layla put more clothes in the suitcase. “But thanks for having me.”
She winked.

“Always a pleasure, but I hope you don’t
have to come back anytime soon.” She smiled.

“Me either.” Layla avoided looking at
Cross. “Can you give us a moment, Gertie?”

“Of course. I’m sure you wanna say goodbye
to each other.”

As Gertie walked out, Cross slumped to the
bed with a dumbfounded expression.

“You were getting ready to leave, and you
weren’t gonna tell me?” he asked.

“Of course I was.”

“Exactly when were you gonna tell me? When
you’re getting in the damn car?” He picked up a blouse and threw it down. “You
were gonna shout out the damn window?”

“Cross.”

“You’re
leaving
?” He leaned over on the bed to where his face was only
inches from hers. “You’re really leaving right now?”

“I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“How about just open your mouth and say
it?” He moved from the bed. “Is this what you normally do? Get people to care
about you then you just leave?”

“I tried so many times to tell you, but I
didn’t know how.” She grabbed a blouse. “This is hard for me, too. I’m gonna
miss you a lot.”

He stood against the wall with his arms
crossed. “Right.”

 
“I’m
serious, Cross. You don’t know how deeply you’ve touched me. Because of you, I
feel better than I have in years.” She caressed the blouse. “But I can’t hide
in this place forever. I got a life and two young ladies who need me and…damn
it…” She threw the blouse in the suitcase. “It’s time I’m there for them. I
can’t keep disappointing them or myself.”

“What am I gonna do?” His eyes filled with
tears. “You’re the only thing in this place I look forward to.”

“You know what you have to do.” She walked
to him and rubbed his arm. “You’ve gotta leave, Cross. You can’t keep hiding.
You know damn well you don’t belong here.”

“It’s so hard.” He wiped tears. “Out there
I have nobody.”

“That’s not true. You have your son and
even your mother.” She touched his face. “And I told you that you have me too.
When I make a promise, I keep it.”

He hugged her. “You’re the closest friend
I’ve had in a long time.”

She put her arms around him. “I care about
you very much.”

He kissed her cheek. “I’m in love with
you, Layla.” He let her go. “I’m so damn in love with you.”

She turned and walked to the bed. “My
mom’s throwing a party for me tonight. She always does when I get out.”

“Did you hear what I just said?” He marched
to the bed and turned her around. “I said I’m in love with you, Layla.” He
pulled her into a passionate kiss that stole every breath she owned. “I wanna
be with you.”

“How would that be possible if you’re
hiding in here?” She closed the suitcase and picked it up. “You said the world
was my oyster. Isn’t it yours too?” She got her purse off the dresser and took out
a piece of paper. “Here is my cell number, house number, and email address.” She
scribbled the information and handed it to him. “I’m only a phone call away.”

“
That’s
too far for me.” He folded the paper and put it in his pocket. “I don’t suppose
I can interest you in a game of dominoes? If I win, you stay?”

“If you want to see me again, then you
have to see me outside these walls.” She kissed him. “Goodbye, Cross.”

****

“I mean it.” Warren Whitaker maneuvered
his fat body around the kitchen table as he examined the German chocolate layer
cake. “I’m sixty-five years old, and that’s too old to be having any drama tonight.”

He peeked over his glasses at his
stepdaughter Valerie. Valerie snatched a cracker out of her mouth.

“Why are you looking at me?”

Shanti and Aliyah giggled in the doorway.

“Seriously.” Valerie finished the cracker.
“Like I’d do something to ruin Layla’s party.” She turned to the curvy,
light-skinned woman behind her. “I wouldn’t do that, Momma.”

“With all due respect honey…” Vanessa got
the frosted vanilla cupcakes out of the refrigerator. “You know how you get
around Corrine.”

Valerie twisted across the kitchen. “I
don’t see why the heifer has to come here in the first place.”

Warren leaned up with his lips poked to
the side. “Don’t you think Layla would want both of her sisters here?”

Valerie looked at her manicured fingernails.
“As long as Corrine stays out of my face, everything will be fine.”

Shanti glanced at Aliyah. If only she had
a dollar for every time her aunt had said that and then exploded the minute
Corrine walked through the door.

“Lord, Jesus.” Vanessa set the cupcakes on
a plastic tray. “I used to love it when we got together, but lately you and
Corrine have ruined every party or reunion we’ve had. For tonight, can you just
remember its Layla’s time? Please?”

“Fine,” Valerie spat as she sashayed out
of the kitchen.

Shanti smiled at her grandmother. Leave it
to Vanessa to hold it down when everyone else acted a fool. Shanti and Vanessa had
a lot in common. Neither could stand confrontation or arguing and preferred to
settle things through conversation. If push came to shove, both could handle
their business. But they usually injected common sense into even the most
chaotic situations.

Shanti looked at Aliyah again.
You got on Aunt Val, Grandma. Now get on
this one beside me.

“Oh and another thing.” Vanessa turned from
the counter with her finger up. “Sweetie pie, can you please be nice to your
mother tonight?”

Aliyah stuck her neck out. “You talking to
me?”

 
“Who
do you think?” Warren pushed his glasses up. “You’re the only one been acting
like a fool. I told you to stop being that way with your momma. She won’t be
here forever.”

Aliyah rolled her eyes. “I should be so
lucky.”

“
Liyah
,” Shanti
nudged her. “Don’t say that.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Hush your mouth right now,” Vanessa said.
“You know you don’t want anything to happen to Layla. Let’s not forget that’s
my daughter too. So watch what you say. If something happened to Layla tomorrow,
you’d be the first standing up here crying.”

“
Shit
.”
Aliyah huffed.

“And watch your mouth in my house.”
Vanessa stared her up and down. “I don’t even recognize you anymore,
Liyah
. What happened to my sweet grandbaby?”

“Yeah, what is wrong with you, girl?”
Warren’s belly wobbled when he leaned up from the cake. “What the hell did
Layla do to have you acting like this?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Shanti
said. “It’s getting old,
Liyah
. It’s getting real
old.”

“Whatever.” She pulled at her tight pants.
“We need some music up in this piece. It’s dead as hell.” She walked out the
room in four-inch, backless heels.

“Has that child lost her mind?” Warren
pointed to the doorway. “Tell me I’m wrong, but she didn’t just come to this
house in them tight-ass pants and them hooker-heels.”

“You think this is bad?” Shanti walked
across to her grandmother. “You should’ve seen what she had on this morning.”
She grabbed a cupcake. “The outfit made Nicki
Minaj
look like a choir girl.”

“Patrick lets her walk around looking like
that?” Warren licked frosting off the spoon. “Hell, you put her on a street
corner in that outfit, and men would be rolling up with coupons.”

“She doesn’t listen to him.” Shanti
savored the moist cupcake. “She does what she wants.”

“And what does she do?” Vanessa went to
the cabinet and got a sack of paper plates and plastic cups. “Besides dressing
like she belongs on a pole?”

“We
know
what she does.” Warren passed his wife a look. “We’re just hoping we’re
wrong.”

Vanessa took the plates out of the plastic
wrap and stacked them. “I’ll talk to her.”

“Good luck,” Shanti mumbled as she finished
the cupcake.

Obscene rap music blasted from the living
room.

“What the hell?” Warren waddled toward the
doorway.

Vanessa set the cups down and rushed past
her husband. “Uh-uh. Not in my house.”