Be Careful What You Pray For Read online

  Be Careful What You Pray For

  Kimberla Lawson Roby

  In loving memory

  of my wonderful friend and fellow writer,

  the talented Mr. E. Lynn Harris

  Contents

  Prologue

  He was almost too good to be true, what with…

  Chapter 1

  It was a fine and very warm first Sunday in…

  Chapter 2

  Oh, that’s it!” Diana Redding screamed at the top of…

  Chapter 3

  Alicia sat up, stacked a couple of pillows behind her…

  Chapter 4

  Lying on his back, JT crossed his feet and locked…

  Chapter 5

  Alicia grabbed a bottle of Perrier from the stainless-steel, dual-door…

  Chapter 6

  Hi, Mom, can you talk?” Alicia said when her mother…

  Chapter 7

  JT drove his black BMW M6 convertible into the driveway…

  Chapter 8

  With most of the church staff being off on Mondays,…

  Chapter 9

  The day had finally arrived. Alicia had just sent off…

  Chapter 10

  Hi, baby,” JT said after walking into the bedroom and…

  Chapter 11

  JT scrolled through the list of contacts in his BlackBerry,…

  Chapter 12

  Hey, girl,” Alicia’s best friend, Melanie, said.

  Chapter 13

  JT pulled open the door, slipped onto the patio, and…

  Chapter 14

  It had been a full week since Diana had agreed…

  Chapter 15

  Girl, can you believe all of this is happening?” Alicia…

  Chapter 16

  It was amazing how extraordinary her father’s impeccably designed mini…

  Chapter 17

  JT lifted his shiny black Montblanc pen away from the…

  Chapter 18

  Thank you so much for treating me to lunch,” Carmen…

  Chapter 19

  The banquet facility for the tenth annual Pastors’ and Wives’…

  Chapter 20

  They hadn’t been home more than ten minutes, and already…

  Chapter 21

  JT lay in bed, his body turned slightly to the…

  Chapter 22

  Alicia listened as the choir sang, but mostly she sat…

  Chapter 23

  JT bit into one of the ribs his other father-in-law…

  Chapter 24

  The five of them had been waiting for at least…

  Chapter 25

  JT read off the number of the account he wanted…

  Chapter 26

  JT had left Diana’s about an hour ago and was…

  Chapter 27

  Rita’s bed was surrounded by monitors and all sorts of…

  Chapter 28

  JT typed in his user ID and password and waited…

  Chapter 29

  Alicia read the latest e-mail from Levi and debated how…

  Chapter 30

  Alicia went inside the hospital, walked through the lobby, and…

  Chapter 31

  JT turned onto his street, pulled in front of his…

  Chapter 32

  It was just after seven, but Alicia lay quietly with…

  Chapter 33

  As traffic slowed and merged into one lane, JT decelerated…

  Chapter 34

  Rita had been gone for two days now, and yesterday,…

  Chapter 35

  The funeral had taken place yesterday, and Alicia, JT, and…

  Chapter 36

  Either you deliver our money by tomorrow afternoon, promptly at…

  Chapter 37

  Hey, baby, what’s up?” JT said, sounding the same as…

  Chapter 38

  JT hung up the phone and smiled. He’d just finished…

  Chapter 39

  One could never really go wrong when choosing a Four…

  Chapter 40

  So, how are you?” Alicia asked Carmen as she drove…

  Chapter 41

  As soon as the choir finished singing, JT got up…

  Epilogue

  Alicia peered through the window of her condo, which was…

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Other Books by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Prologue

  He was almost too good to be true, what with his at least six-foot-two body frame, flawlessly smooth skin, coal-black wavy hair, and pearly white teeth. He somehow didn’t seem real, but Alicia knew he was real because at this very moment, she was sitting directly across the table from him at one of the most upscale restaurants in downtown Chicago. He was by far one of the finest-looking men she’d ever laid eyes on, and there wasn’t a woman she could think of who would disagree with her findings. The man looked that good, and as if that wasn’t enough, he also conveyed exceptional charisma and an alluring smile, and was the founder of New Life Christian Center, a five-year-old church that already had more than five thousand members.

  Yes, Pastor JT Valentine was the kind of man Alicia had been hoping and praying for, particularly ever since her marriage to her first husband, Phillip, had ended just a few months ago, and she could barely contain herself. But since her father, stepmother, and a couple of Pastor Valentine’s deacons and their wives were also dining right along with them, she took a deep breath, drank a sip of water, and coolly leaned back in her chair.

  “Pastor Black,” Pastor Valentine said, and Alicia couldn’t help noticing the very elegant and obviously tailor-made suit he was wearing. “I just want to thank you again for agreeing to come speak at our church this morning. Your words were even more powerful than the last time I heard you deliver a sermon, and I hope you’ll consider blessing us with your presence again sometime in the future.”

  “I would be happy to, and I’m glad you were satisfied with what I had to share today.”

  Pastor Valentine chuckled. “‘Satisfied’ isn’t even the word. You have been the one man I’ve truly looked up to for a while now, even before I accepted my call into the ministry, so having you accept my invitation has been the highlight of my year.”

  “Well, I’m glad and it was an honor.”

  “And I also want to thank you, Mrs. Black,” he said to Charlotte, “for taking time to make the trip here as well. I know you live only about an hour and a half away, but I do still remember what it was like for my wife, God rest her soul, and how demanding a first lady’s schedule can really be.”

  “This is true, but unless our son, Matthew, needs me to be home to attend one of his football games or something else school related, I pretty much travel with my husband to most of his out-of-town speaking engagements. Which actually works out fine because Matthew loves staying with my aunt when we’re gone, and Curtis doesn’t travel nearly as much as he used to anyway.”

  Curtis lifted a forkful of Caesar salad from his plate. “No, these days, I tend to turn down far more opportunities than I take on, but after traveling around the country for so many years, I eventually decided that I wanted to spend as much time as possible with my family.”

  “Totally understandable,” Pastor Valentine said, and then looked at Alicia. “So, Miss Alicia, and I guess I’m sort of changing the subject a bit, but your father tells me that you’ve written the next worldwide bestseller.”

  Alicia smiled. “Well, I don’t know about all that, but I did just finish writing my first novel.”

  “That’s really impressive. It takes a lot of patience and diligence to writ
e a book, fiction or nonfiction, so I’m very proud of you.”

  “Thanks,” Alicia said, smiling at him again, her stomach fluttering.

  “She worked on it just about every single day over the last six months, and it’s great,” her father added. “She definitely poured her heart into it and that makes all the difference, regardless of what anyone is writing.”

  “It really is wonderful,” Charlotte said. “I read it in one sitting, the same as I do with all the other books I read by well-known authors.”

  Pastor Valentine raised his eyebrows. “Wow, then maybe I should read it, too. That is, if you don’t mind sharing it with me.”

  “No, I don’t mind at all, and actually, I would love to have someone else’s opinion. Someone who doesn’t love me so unconditionally that they would tell me anything as long as it doesn’t hurt my feelings.”

  Everyone laughed and then her father said, “You’re right. I do love you, but at the same time, I would never tell you something was good if it really wasn’t.”

  Pastor Valentine turned his attention to Alicia again. “So, you’ll send me a copy next week?”

  “Yes, I’ll mail it tomorrow,” she said, and it was all she could do not to blush like some teenage schoolgirl. She was pleased to know how interested he seemed to be in her work but what she was most thrilled about was how interested he was in her—something she could tell more and more as they continued making eye contact. The chemistry between them was discreetly intense, and it was the reason Alicia suddenly realized something. JT wasn’t just some man she was attracted to. It was true that she’d known him for only a few hours, but at this very moment she knew he was the man of her dreams. She knew it with all her heart.

  She knew she was going to be the next Mrs. JT Valentine. No doubt about it.

  Chapter 1

  Seven Months Later

  It was a fine and very warm first Sunday in May, and Alicia sat in the front row of the church, admiring her wonderful husband. He was actually sitting right next to her but was only minutes from heading into the pulpit to deliver his sermon. Alicia and JT had been happily married for one full month now but she was still in awe of his entire being, the same as she’d been the first day she’d met him. It was still so hard to conceive of how truly blessed she was to have found him—the perfect spouse, who, ironically, was ten years her senior, just like her first husband had been—not to mention how soon it all had happened. She’d sent him her manuscript as planned, he’d called her two days after receiving it, saying he’d read it and loved it, and the next thing Alicia had known, they’d found themselves on the phone for two hours. They’d talked about everything imaginable, and one thing had led to another. He’d driven over to Mitchell the next day to take her to dinner, and just one month later, JT had presented her with a three-carat, princess-cut, solitaire diamond ring. He had slipped the huge rock onto her finger and had asked her to marry him. For a few seconds, however, and only a few seconds, Alicia had been speechless and in tears, but then she had quickly told him yes three different times. She could still remember how happy she’d been, happier than she’d ever been in her life, and how even though they’d been together only for six short months, she felt as if she’d known this man for years.

  There was one unfortunate aspect, however, that she couldn’t push out of her mind: Her father didn’t approve of JT and still hadn’t accepted the idea that she’d gotten married to him. She’d tried her best to forget her father’s words and all the reasons he’d given in terms of why she needed to end things with JT—reasons he’d given her for the umpteenth time the night before the wedding. But she couldn’t.

  “Baby girl, I really wish you’d think long and hard about what you’re getting ready to do tomorrow,” her father said. “Because all JT Valentine cares about is money, power, and women, and he’ll never do right by you.”

  “Daddy, why can’t you just be happy for me? I mean, why can’t you just support my decision the same way you did when I married Phillip?”

  “Because JT is nothing like your first husband. Yes, he’s a minister like Phillip and he’s thirty-three like Phillip, but that’s where their similarities pretty much end. JT is all about JT, and when it’s all said and done, all he’s going to do is cause you a mountain of pain.”

  Alicia pleaded with her father to understand. “He loves me, Daddy. He really does, so I’m begging you. Please, just give us your blessing.”

  “I can’t do that. I can’t be happy about any man who I know is going to hurt you in the end.”

  “Daddy, the only person who’s going out of their way to hurt me right now is you.”

  “I’m sorry for any harm this may be causing you, but I can’t help the way I feel. I can’t help the fact that I’m able to see straight through this man you’re so desperately in love with. Or should I say who you think you’re in love with, because I’m not sure if you actually love him for him, or if what you’re really in love with is the amount of money he earns.”

  “I really resent that, Daddy. I resent it, and I’m shocked that you would have the audacity to say something like that to me. I love, trust, and believe in JT with all my heart, and regardless of what you or anyone else thinks about him, JT is the one.”

  Alicia sighed at her last thought and remembered how her father hadn’t said another word and how he’d eventually walked out of her bedroom. Then, that afternoon, he’d pleaded with her one last time to reconsider, but when he’d finally realized she’d made up her mind to go through with the ceremony, with or without him, he had reluctantly escorted her down the church aisle and given her away.

  JT peered at the crowd in front of him, and Alicia gave him her undivided attention, the same as everyone else in the sanctuary. “It is so good to finally be back in the house of the Lord,” he said. “Although I must say, while I really did miss seeing all of you, I definitely enjoyed having an entire month off to spend with my beautiful new bride,” he said, and a vast number of “Amen’s” could be heard throughout the congregation. “Most of you know how hard it was on me when Satan robbed me of my first wife two years ago and how I never thought I’d find true happiness again. But I’m here to tell you today that through God’s grace, not only did I find true happiness, I also found the kind of genuine love every man ought to experience at least once in his lifetime.”

  “Glory to God,” one woman said.

  “Praise His holy name,” another added.

  JT glanced down at his wife. “Sweetheart, stand up and say hello to everyone.”

  Alicia smiled, stood, faced their parishioners, and waved. Many of them smiled back at her, chuckled, and chattered approvingly among themselves, and Alicia felt like a celebrity. In the beginning, she hadn’t known how receptive the members of New Life Christian Center would actually be toward her. Especially since they’d clearly been very fond of their former first lady and also because JT hadn’t known Alicia very long before popping the big question. So, she was very relieved to see how pleased they were to have her there.

  She continued waving in a number of directions and then took her seat.

  JT grinned and said, “And just for the record, don’t think that the only thing my wife has are her noticeably good looks, because she’s also a very talented writer. She’s written a novel and once she finishes up a few revisions, it’ll only be a matter of time before multiple publishers begin making offers for it.”

  The congregation applauded, and Alicia appreciated their kindness and obvious support of her endeavors.

  “Most of you know, too,” JT continued, “that I have lots of new goals for NLCC and a vision of how quickly I want to see our ministry grow, so I thank God for giving me a woman who loves me the way Alicia does and for all of you, the people who make all that I’m trying to do here so possible.”

  Alicia listened as JT spoke more about his future plans for the ministry, but she couldn’t stop thinking about her new husband and how attentive and generous he’d been
over the last seven months. He’d given her dozens and dozens of roses, spent every minute of his free time with her, and had surprised her with the kinds of gifts most women could only dream about. Alicia had wondered if she would ever find a man who loved her the way Phillip had but at the same time earned a salary that was well into six figures, and she was happy to say she’d found every bit of that and so much more.

  Over the years, she’d heard a number of people insisting that it simply wasn’t possible for any one person to have everything all at the same time, specifically lots of wealth and a perfect marriage. But Alicia was pleased to know that she and JT had proved every single one of them wrong. JT was such a loyal and honest man of God—the kind of man who had made it clear from the start that even though he was dying to make love to her, he wanted them to do the right thing and not have sex until after they’d taken their vows. He’d talked a lot about how he didn’t want them doing anything that would defy God’s Word or something that might diminish their very strong moral values and how he was more than willing to wait. Needless to say, Alicia couldn’t thank God enough for bringing such a decent and wholesome man into her life. She was thankful that the fairy tale she’d prayed for actually wasn’t a fairy tale at all. She was elated to know that the fabulous life she and JT were so happily living was clear-cut reality.

  Chapter 2

  Oh, that’s it!” Diana Redding screamed at the top of her lungs, and JT felt like he was going to pass out. His heart beat violently, he panted uncontrollably, and it was all he could do to try to catch a few breaths of air. In all honesty, he felt like he was going to die…but it was a chance he was always willing to take when it came to this wildcat who was old enough to be his mother.