Better Late Than Never Read online

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  Cover design by Elizabeth Connor. Cover photograph © Chris Hackett/Getty Images. Cover copyright © 2018 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  Grand Central Publishing

  Hachette Book Group

  1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104

  grandcentralpublishing.com

  twitter.com/grandcentralpub

  First Edition: July 2018

  Grand Central Publishing is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. The Grand Central Publishing name and logo is a trademark of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  The Hachette Speakers Bureau provides a wide range of authors for speaking events. To find out more, go to www.hachettespeakersbureau.com or call (866) 376-6591.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Roby, Kimberla Lawson, author.

  Title: Better late than never / Kimberla Lawson Roby.

  Description: First edition. | New York ; Boston : Grand Central Publishing, 2018. | Series: Curtis Black ; 15

  Identifiers: LCCN 2018003846| ISBN 9781455569762 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781538713709 (large print) | ISBN 9781478967514 (audio download) | ISBN 9781455569755 (ebook)

  Subjects: | BISAC: FICTION / Family Life. | FICTION / Coming of Age. | FICTION / African American / Christian.

  Classification: LCC PS3568.O3189 B48 2018 | DDC 813/.54—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018003846

  ISBNs: 978-1-4555-6976-2 (hardcover), 978-1-4555-6975-5 (ebook), 978-1-5387-1370-9 (large print)

  E3-20180612-DANF

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  A Message for My Readers

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Epilogue

  Also by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  Acknowledgments

  Discover More Kimberla Lawson Roby

  For my husband and love of my life,

  Will, for suggesting that I write

  the first book in this series

  and for loving and supporting

  me year after year.

  For the best mother ever,

  Arletha Tennin Stapleton.

  Thank you for everything, Mom.

  I will love and miss

  you always.

  For my cousin,

  Darlene Tennin Baldwin,

  for always supporting me. I love

  you, and you will forever

  be missed.

  October 23, 1958 – July 2, 2017

  And for all my wonderful readers

  who have read

  every…single…title

  in the series, I am eternally

  grateful to each of you.

  A Message for My Readers

  Dear Readers:

  As much as I always knew that this particular day would come, it still doesn’t seem real. But nonetheless, the fifteenth and final book in my Reverend Curtis Black series is now complete, and you, my wonderful readers, are preparing to read it.

  It is also pretty hard to believe that, as of this very month, January 2018, the Reverend Curtis Black series has been in existence for nineteen years. For nearly two decades, I have been writing about this fictional family who I grew to love and care about on so many levels, and I have to say I’m so glad I did, as each of these Reverend Curtis Black characters will hold a very special place in my heart forever.

  This sentiment alone makes me think about one of my most-asked questions relating to the series, which is, “Who is your all-time favorite character?” For years, I have been asked this question, but even today, my answer remains the same: My all-time favorite character in the series is Curtis’s youngest son, Matthew. I used to wonder why that was, but early on I realized that, of all the family members, Matthew was the one person who genuinely tried his best to do the right thing—not just every now and then, but all the time. He certainly wasn’t perfect, the same as none of us is, but even when he did make mistakes, he always felt great remorse and never fell into a habit of repeating them. He also cared about everyone, his family and others, and he treated people the way he wanted to be treated.

  Another reason, I love Matthew is because no matter how many times his parents hurt or embarrassed him—thanks to their infidelity issues and other public scandals—Matthew never stopped loving them, and he never used his pain or dysfunctional family drama as an excuse to act badly. Instead, he continued being the amazing child whom any parent would be proud to have.

  The other most-asked question I receive is the following: “Is your Reverend Curtis Black series based on a real-life pastor?” Of course, the answer is no; however, I will say this: I have been in church my entire life, and I have seen and heard a lot. So much so that the younger Reverend Curtis Black would be considered meek and mild compared to many real-life pastors I know. Not to mention the great number of ministers nationwide who my readers have shared stories about for years. Yes, I knew about some of what was happening in my home state of Illinois, but it wasn’t until I wrote the first book in the series and traveled around on tour that I learned there was at least one “Reverend Curtis Black” residing in every single city in the country.

  At first, I was stunned, but it wasn’t long before I realized that corruption in the church wasn’t new. What I discovered was that ministers had been involving themselves in scandals well before I or the generation before me were born. The only difference was that, back then, it wasn’t talked about openly. There is no doubt that, behind closed doors, people shared with each other what they knew, but for the most part, problems in the church were discussed in a hush-hush fashion, and many folks pretended that they didn’t exist at all.

  And to be honest, had my husband, Will, not suggested that I write about the problems that occur in some churches, I’m not sure I ever would have. Especially since there are, in fact, so many wonderf
ul men of God—honorable pastors with great integrity—ministering everywhere. However, because I had decided from the start that I would always write about real-life issues, even in a fictional format, I had shared with Will how, for my third book, I wanted to write something that everyone would either know about or, at least, have heard of. It was then that he recommended this particular topic, and from there, Reverend Curtis Black was created.

  Still, when Casting the First Stone was released, it was never my intention to write a sequel or create a series. But after writing my fourth and fifth novels, which had nothing to do with Reverend Curtis Black, readers began asking me when I was going to write another story about him. I was shocked to hear that people wanted to read another book centering on a wayward pastor who saw nothing wrong with committing one sin after another on a daily basis. But, sadly, readers everywhere knew him in real life and could relate to the storyline.

  So as it turned out—after my literary agent, the late Elaine Koster, encouraged me to give my readers what they were asking for—I wrote the second book in the series, Too Much of a Good Thing, and then the third, The Best-Kept Secret. My plan was to call my series a trilogy and then move on to other characters for good. But as fate would have it, I went on to write a new title in the series almost every single year until December 2017, the month I finished writing Better Late Than Never. This is also the book I believe has the most different storyline of the entire series.

  In the past, Curtis has subtly mentioned how terrible his childhood was…how once he’d left for college, he’d never looked back…how he’d pretended that he didn’t even have a biological family…how he’d remained estranged from his mom and sister until his mother’s passing…and how he hadn’t seen his sister ever since. That is, until now, in Better Late Than Never. So, of course, it is Curtis’s reconnection with his sister that forces him to relive all the trauma and abuse that he endured as a child, and readers will finally witness very disturbing scenes through Curtis’s own painful, vivid memories.

  It has always been my desire to tell this aspect of Curtis’s story, but the reason I waited to do so until the end of the series was because I first wanted to bring Curtis full circle. I wanted him to grow spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, and become a true man of God. I wanted him to become a loyal and faithful husband to Charlotte and become an even better father than he already was to his children. I wanted to show that anyone, no matter how deceptive, cruel, or sinful they might be, can turn their lives around for the better. My goal was to prove that even the worst person can change if he or she wants to, and Curtis most certainly has. Which is the reason it was finally time to reveal how awful his childhood truly was, and how it definitely helped shape him into the not-so-likable man he became. By no means does Curtis’s disturbing childhood justify all of the many sins he committed, but it does explain one very important thing: Whatever happens in your childhood, good or bad, will affect you for the rest of your life. It shows how crucial loving and caring for a child really is and that when that child doesn’t receive either, life for him or her as an adult doesn’t always turn out so well.

  Then, as far as my feelings about the series as a whole, very few plot twists surprised me—maybe because many of the characters had no problem saying or doing the unthinkable. But the one thing that did shock me with Better Late Than Never was the fact that, as I was writing certain scenes about Curtis’s childhood and those relating to his sister’s illness, tears streamed down my face. Partly because of what my characters were having to suffer through, and partly because Curtis and his family members have become very real to me. They became very real to me a long, long time ago, and I have truly cared about their well-being. I wanted them all to become better people and be happy. I wanted each of them, not just Matthew, to begin treating others the way they wanted to be treated. Most of all, I wanted them to adopt and maintain strong Christian values and high moral standards—to love, honor, and respect God, no matter what. I wanted for them what I want for myself and all of humanity: to simply be the best people we can be.

  There is yet another question, though, that I’m sure I’ll begin receiving soon and that is, “What will you miss most about the series?” And the answer is this: I will so miss reading email messages and social media comments from all of you, asking when the next Reverend Curtis Black book is going to be released! I will also miss reading your awesome feedback about the characters, the individual storylines, and how you could relate your own lives to the series. But more than anything—and yes, I am in tears as I write this sentence—I will miss the way you have loved and encouraged me as a writer for so many years. Your love for the Reverend Curtis Black series quickly turned my writing career into the kind of success I wasn’t expecting, and I am eternally grateful to all of you. Your support has meant everything, and while I will certainly continue doing what I love—writing and speaking around the country—I won’t ever forget my Reverend Curtis Black series experience or your kindness.

  Just as I mentioned above in terms of the way I feel about my characters, you, too, will remain in my heart forever—the only difference is that you will remain there in a much deeper and profound fashion. I will, of course, never be able to thank you enough, but please know that I sincerely thank God for you and that I love all of you so very much.

  With much appreciation and many blessings to you always,

  Kimberla Lawson Roby

  Chapter 1

  After all these years, Curtis still thought about many of the terrible things he’d done to so many people. But thank God—more than a decade ago, he’d finally changed for the better. It had been hard, walking the straight and narrow, but today, this second Sunday in March, he was still a true man of God, a faithful husband, a loving father, and the best grandfather on this side of heaven.

  In addition to that, there was the church he’d founded nearly twenty years ago, Deliverance Outreach. Even now, as he sat inside his massive first-floor study, reviewing the sermon he would deliver in a couple of hours, he smiled with gratitude. They’d finally moved into the newly constructed building, which seated five thousand people, but already the congregation filled it near capacity every Sunday. Originally the membership had consisted of only five thousand parishioners, with four thousand attending regularly. But after Curtis’s eldest son Dillon’s church had burned to the ground, more than half of that congregation had joined Deliverance Outreach. So, because of this, Curtis had seen no other choice except to begin holding two services again, the same as they’d done at the smaller building. He wasn’t complaining, though, not when he was very glad to see so many people wanting to belong to a church, and most important, wanting to hear and learn God’s Word.

  Curtis read through more of his sermon, which was entitled Keeping God First, No Matter What, and for some reason he thought about Raven, his former daughter-in-law. Like any Christian should, he had forgiven her, but there was no way he would ever forget the trouble she’d recently tried to cause him; not to mention the other time she’d betrayed him. Years before, she’d worked as his chief financial officer and had stolen six figures from the church, and then last year, she’d publicly lied to her online following, as well as to the members of her church, about being sexually assaulted. She’d claimed that a well-known pastor had raped her, purposely leaving many folks nationwide to assume that she was referring to Curtis. She hadn’t mentioned his name, but rumors had quickly begun circulating, and had Dillon not gone to great measures to stop his ex-wife, Curtis wasn’t sure how things might have turned out. At the very least, his reputation as a pastor would have been tainted and possibly ruined for good, not to mention his family would’ve had to endure yet another horrific scandal. But Dillon had stepped up and protected his father and made sure Raven was arrested and sent to prison.

  Curtis leaned back in his chair, thinking about his own sordid past again. At first he wasn’t sure why, but then he realized it was likely because he couldn’t help taking at lea
st some responsibility for the way Raven and Dillon had turned out. They were both adults, but Curtis knew he hadn’t been the best example for any young minister. He knew he hadn’t lived up to the true calling God had placed on his life, and that it was he who both his son and former daughter-in-law had learned their deceptive ways from. He’d indirectly shown them how to become the kind of clergyman—or in Raven’s case, clergywoman—who only cared about three things: making lots of money, gaining extreme notoriety, and becoming as powerful as possible. From leading women on and sleeping with as many of them as he wanted, to fooling innocent members of his congregation out of their hard-earned income, to denying his own son Dillon for too many years to count, to having two children with other women while he was married to someone else, to blackmailing folks who wouldn’t do what he asked…Curtis had done it all.

  He certainly wasn’t worthy of his Heavenly Father’s forgiveness, not with the way he’d hurt his family, his parishioners at three different churches, and even strangers. But God had delivered him from every ounce of the life he’d once led, and he couldn’t be more content. He and Charlotte were truly happy, and he was finally on great terms with all four of his children, all at the same time: Dillon, Alicia, Matthew, and Curtina. Then, if that wasn’t enough, the four of them were very close. This hadn’t always been the case, particularly when it came to Dillon and the rocky relationship he’d had with all three of his siblings, but God had worked everything out and they loved each other the way brothers and sisters should.

  Curtis smiled and picked up the sterling-silver-framed photo of his handsome seven-year-old grandson, MJ. He was nearly the same age that Matthew had been when Curtis had met him for the first time, and MJ was the most important family member to everyone. His dad, stepmom, aunts, uncle, grandmother—and of course, Curtis, too—spoiled him as often as they could, and Curtis loved his little grandson with every part of his being. So yes, life was good, and Curtis couldn’t help shedding a few tears of joy.