Safe Place Series Read online

  “You’re right.” I looked at my sister’s glowing brown skin and big bright eyes. Even her twist out was curlier and more on-point than usual. “Enough about me, Mrs. Holloway. Have I told you that you are absolutely glowing? What is Channing doing to you, sis?”

  She grinned. “Honey! If I told you, I’d have to kill you, but I will say this, marrying Channing was the best choice I’ve ever made. Things have been wonderful; I’m still in awe of how compatible we are.” Kemara’s smile fell slightly, and I sensed she was suppressing something.

  “Have those crazy men from the brotherhood been bothering you guys?” I asked.

  “No, not a peep from them. We haven’t even heard anything from his father and brother.” Her eyes met mine, and that slight bit of somberness appeared in them again. “It’s that we’ve been trying to have a baby, and it’s not happening quite as fast as we hoped.”

  “These things take time, sis. Don’t worry about it yet, just keep having fun trying,” I said chuckling. “Besides, everyone won’t be as fertile as I am; if I think about a baby, I get pregnant.”

  She snickered. “I wish me and Channing had that problem. Well, it wouldn’t be a problem for us because we want the babies. We’ve wanted this from the moment we got married, and I’m starting to fear it might never happen.” Kemara fiddled with her hands, so I reached over and grabbed them into mine.

  “Kemara, you have to keep an open mind. Your baby is coming, and it’s going to be a healthy and gorgeous baby. It’s only a matter of time before you two will be amazing parents. I’m claiming it,” I said.

  Kemara’s smile returned.

  “Thank you, sis. It’s not like we haven’t been having fun trying, and the ways Channing has been trying…my God.” She started to fan herself.

  “You two are too cute, but that’s way too much information,” I said and laughed. “I think you’re going to have a girl. I just feel it.”

  “That would be my dream come true, Tameka.”

  “I know. You always wanted a little girl,” I said.

  We talked about little girl names until the food arrived. Just as the waitress left the table, Kemara said, “Tameka, I almost forgot to tell you! I found the cutest piece of fabric the other day to make a sofa cover. When we’re done eating, let’s go to my house so I can show it to you?”

  I looked at Kemara thoughtfully. It was a beautiful thing to watch my little sister grow into a woman, the sight made my heart swell.

  “Yeah, sure. I’d love to look at your fabric,” I said while still trying to wrap my head around what married life had done to my sister. Getting excited about fabric for sofa covers, how did that happen?

  She smiled. “I’ve been making all kinds of things lately. I used to be only focused on my job, but now I’m getting the house ready for our new edition, so I’ve been very crafty.”

  “Married life agrees with you, sis.”

  Seeing her so at peace and in love with Channing took my mind away from my messed up situation with Rodney. I took a bite of my nachos and looked at my sister again wondering if I’d ever find love again.

  Chapter 2

  Jeb

  Incidental Reunion

  Channing handed me a beer. I took a swig and sat down on the couch. I’d been through the wringer over the past few months, and I missed having my cousin to talk to. He was one of the very few people I could count on. Channing would never double-cross me like an old friend had just done.

  “This is just what I needed, cuz, a cold Modelo.” I worshipped the bottle a little longer, taking long gulps, trying to feel the buzz. I wanted to zone out and forget my relationship issues, and boy, did I have them?

  “Don’t mention it, cuz.” Channing sat back in his chair and surveyed me with his piercing eyes. “What’s up with you? You look like you have something on your mind,” he probed.

  I peered over the top of my beer bottle as I took another drink. Channing looked ten times better than I felt at the moment. As a matter of fact, he looked like life was treating him just grand. I was glad at least one of us was living good because life was kicking my ass.

  “If you would’ve asked me that two months ago, or even a month ago, I would’ve told you things were going amazing, never better, couldn’t ask for anything more. But now? Now, everything has gone to shit.”

  “Everything? Cuz, what the heck happened since the last time I talked to you?” he asked with confusion etched on his face.

  “You know Rochelle and I were dating, and…” I paused and tried to figure out how I wanted to say this. When I first started dating Rochelle, Channing had been the first one to tell me about her reputation. I assured him she was a different person, and now I had to come back with my head tucked between my legs.

  Channing nodded. “Yeah, I know you two are dating…and?”

  “Well, things were great with her, and I thought she was the one,” I said. I caught myself and coughed when my voice cracked a little.

  “I’ll admit I thought you two weren’t going to make it in the beginning, but then I thought you two being so much alike worked for you,” Channing said.

  “Yeah, people thought we were meant for each other. Everyone did,” I said as I remembered both the warnings I was given about getting involved with her, as well as, the special moments we shared.

  “I know, but you couldn’t resist having a sexy thing like Rochelle digging you,” Channing inserted with a smirk.

  “Actually, you’re right, man. She made me feel like I was on a red-carpet when I took her out. We were good together,” I acknowledged.

  “Excuse me if I’m really not seeing the problem here,” Channing said. “What has changed?”

  I started telling him about Rochelle and the reason we’d split. “Men fell at her feet, and she knew it. That’s why her ego was the size of Texas, and I didn’t have a problem with her ego, but it did cause us to do a lot of breaking up to make up. The making up part was fun, but I had no option but to let her go for good when she cheated on me with Tyler,” I said. My blood boiled just from thinking about the man I considered a friend for years sleeping with my ex.

  Channing’s eyes were wide in shock. “You’re BS-ing me, Jeb. I know Tyler wouldn’t bang Rochelle,” he said.

  “That’s what I thought until I walked in and saw it with my own eyes. We got into a huge fight because of his betrayal,” I said.

  “Tyler hasn’t seen a woman he doesn’t want to bang. Why do you think I didn’t invite him to my wedding? He has no boundaries whatsoever,” Channing said gruffly. “I’d hate to have to kill a man, but if he got out of line with Kemara, that’s exactly what I’d do to him.”

  “You’re right. I knew he was a dirtbag, but I didn’t think he would be one to me,” I admitted.

  “Well, you’ve been going through the wringer, but at least now you got that dirtbag from around you. Good thing you got rid of Rochelle too because if it wasn’t Tyler, it would have been someone else.” Channing shook his head. “Damn, you’re going to need another beer.” He went to the fridge and pulled out two more beers. When he came back into the room, he handed one to me.

  “I needed to get that off my chest, but you’ve been in the honeymooning phase, and I didn’t want to bother you with it.” I popped open the beer bottle and savored my first sip. “Ah man, this is good. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. But you know you could have called me anytime,” Channing said. “This is an interesting switch up though. I remember when all you dreamed of was threesomes and swapping out girls like they were going out of style.”

  “Yeah, man. I used to be a dog, no two ways about it, but I didn’t cheat on Rochelle. I was good to her,” I admitted. “I thought she was the one.”

  I thought about the first few months with Rochelle, and it should have been clear from the start she wasn’t the type of woman to take home to meet the family. Her arrogance was annoying. Her eyes were always roaming. Yet she made me feel like I was the man who cou
ld tame her, and she was the woman who could tame me.

  “Well, be glad you didn’t spend years in a relationship only to find out she was a cheater,” Channing said.

  “I guess that’s a plus.”

  “It’s a damn big plus. Have you talked to her since the big fight?” he asked.

  “No. She’s called a few times, but I don’t want to hear her excuses. What’s done is done,” I said. It took months to get the image of my friend on top of her out of my mind, so there was no way I wanted to talk to Rochelle and drudge up those thoughts.

  “I hear you. Move on, and don’t look back,” Channing advised.

  I was glad he didn’t say ‘I told you so.’ He’d definitely warned me about Rochelle’s promiscuity back in her college days.

  “On a better note, I’m glad you and Kemara are having the time of your lives. You look happy, so I assume the sex is still amazing.” I hit him on the shoulder.

  He grabbed a magazine and flung it at my head. I had to dodge to avoid impact.

  “Don’t ask me about what I do with my woman? Our intimacy is our business,” Channing said, looking like a mad man guarding a precious treasure.

  When he talked about Kemara, his face lit up with passion. When I asked about his intimacy with her, he turned into a pit bull. That was the type of woman I dreamed of, the kind to show up and light my world. Someone so amazing I dared tell another man about her for fear he might try to take her.

  I was tired of the type of lukewarm relationships I had been in. I had sought out trophies, not a companion. Vainness no longer fulfilled me. I was on the market for an amazing woman. I wanted to share the same type of adoration Channing captured when he tied the knot with Kemara. I wanted to find the one girl out there that was made for me.

  ***

  Channing and I had been talking for about an hour about life, marriage, work, and my new project of fixing up a ’67 Mustang when the front door screeched opened, and Kemara’s voice rang out, “Honey, I’m home!” She rounded the corner and immediately offered me a warm smile. “Oh, hey, Jeb. I didn’t know you were here.”

  All I could see was Tameka. Her eyes interlocked with mine for the briefest moment before she peeled them away and focused her attention on her nails.

  Channing stood and pulled his wife into his arms. Within seconds, he’d wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into a deep kiss. It was like watching a romantic movie, except this time I did so willfully. I glanced at Tameka, and her expression told stories of how she wished someone would hold her and kiss her like that. I could give her that and more if she’d stop running away from me.

  “Welcome home, baby,” Channing said, gripping Kemara’s backside into his palms. He greeted her as if she’d been away on a long trip.

  “Thanks, baby. That was a nice welcome,” Kemara replied in a low tone. Channing whispered something into her ear, and she giggled like a teenager. Kemara turned in his embrace and faced me. “Jeb, do you remember my sister, Tameka?”

  I wanted to say, ‘how could I forget her?’ Instead, I stood to my feet, walked over to stand in front of Tameka, and extended my hand to shake hers. Electric shockwaves coursed through me as our hands touched, and I was reminded of the time I held her in my arms as we danced.

  “Of course, I remember Tameka.” She still owes me a dance. “It’s good to see you again,” I said in a gravelly tone.

  Her intense brown eyes spoke volumes as she pulled her hand away as quickly as she had extended it.

  Who hurt you, Tameka? Tell me his name, so I can go ruin the bastard.

  “You have something to show me, right?” she asked Kemara.

  “Come on, sis. I’ll show you the fabric,” Kemara said.

  Tameka followed Kemara out of the room with her hips swaying raptly. She wasn’t wearing a form-fitting gown like she had at the wedding, but the rhythm of her hips I would never forget. When the two women were out of sight, I turned to Channing, and he was smirking like a Cheshire cat.

  I did my best to mask my feelings and asked, “What?”

  “You want a towel to wipe off that drool?”

  “Man, I’m not drooling.”

  Channing chuckled. “I thought I was going to have to haul your ass out of the room they just went into. Your eyes followed her like a growling dog.” Then, Channing barked, eliciting a chuckle out of me.

  “I’ll admit that she’s really easy on the eyes. I mean really easy,” I stated and licked my lips. I could already taste her on them. “But how’d you do it?”

  “Do what?” Channing asked with a raised brow.

  “I mean, coming from where we come from, how do you handle a relationship with a black woman?” I asked in a low tone.

  Channing’s hazel eyes held the same faith they had on his wedding day. “That’s easy to answer. Nothing else matters but the love we have for each other. When you find the one, you will do anything to be with that person. Kemara is the one for me, and I knew it when I saw her at that gas station. The moment I looked into her eyes, I knew everything my father taught me was a lie. There was no way a woman so beautiful and kind could be my enemy. When she smiled, my world came undone. I made up my mind right then to leave the brotherhood and everything they stand for.”

  “It was a strong connection, huh?” I asked, knowing that was the way I felt about Tameka. “What about your parents? How did you deal with their disappointment.” I wanted to know because my father held the same prejudiced beliefs. If I were ever to find love in another race, I would have to face off with him.

  “Everyone knows how my father felt. He nearly killed my wife to get rid of her, so my parents probably aren’t the best example of how to deal with interracial relationships. My mother has come around, but our folks are extreme, as you know,” he said.

  “I wonder if Dad is capable of doing something as horrific as Uncle Chad did,” I thought aloud.

  “I’ve learned not to underestimate people, even if you love them. I knew how my father and brother felt about black people, but I didn’t know they would go so far as to hurt the woman I loved. In the end, my mother was someone we could count on, but all-in-all the situation with my dad and brother was horrible. I never want to face that again. Yet, at the same time, I would do it all again for Kemara. I love her, man.” Channing paused reflectively. “Wait, do these questions have anything to do with the way you just undressed Tameka with your eyes?”

  “No, I just wanted to know in case I ever date another race.”

  “I knew it! It’s all over your face. You like Tameka.”

  I smiled and humped my shoulders. “I really just wanted to know how to deal with my father if I ever date a black woman. I’m not going to lie, though. Since you married Kemara, I have thought about it,” I said.

  My mother, Maggie Holloway, passed away three years earlier, leaving my father and me as the only two in our immediate family. I had no doubt introducing a black woman as my girlfriend would make him disown me. I didn’t believe he would go as far as to kidnap and torture Tameka as Channing’s father, my Uncle Chad, had done to Kemara, but he would question my judgment and feel betrayed. Dad wasn’t a violent man. All he did was shake his head when Channing announced who he was going to marry, and he said it was a shame what Channing was doing to break up the family.

  Channing’s voice broke into my thoughts. “I planned to marry a cute little blond, have a few kids, and live up to my father’s obligations in the brotherhood, but it just didn’t go that way. When it comes to love, you don’t always have a choice of who you fall in love with, and that’s how it hit me,” he said.

  “I have never been in love, but I’ve heard there’s not a whole lot you can do when the love bug bites you,” I said as Tameka walked back into the living room talking about how beautiful a piece of fabric was.

  Kemara followed behind her. “What have you guys been gabbing about?” she asked.

  “Just guy stuff,” Channing said. “What have you ladies been do
ing?”

  “I showed Tameka that fabric I got the other day. Lady stuff,” said Kemara, her eyes beaming as she glided over to Channing. He put his arm around her waist, and she nestled against him until they looked like a picture you would see on the cover of a novel.

  I glanced at Tameka to share the moment with her, but she quickly averted her attention to Kemara.

  “Picking out fabric patterns is Kemara’s new thing,” Channing said, chuckling.

  “I learned pretty early not to bother asking for his advice.” Kemara draped her arm around his shoulder and looked up into his eyes as if he were the only man in the world. “But, even though he can’t spot a good fabric pattern if it were right in front of him, I love him anyway,” she murmured as she kissed his cheek.

  “Mmmm, thank you, babe,” he murmured as he placed butterfly kisses on her lips. “I love you more.” Their ability to block out everyone in the room and tune in to each other was something for the record books.

  Tameka pulled her jingling keys out of her purse. “I’m about to go. It was good to see you guys again.”

  Kemara left her husband’s embrace and walked over to Tameka to hug her. “See you soon, big sis.”

  “Take care, little sis,” Tameka said.

  “Call me later, okay?” Kemara said.

  “I will.” Tameka turned to Channing. “See ya, brother.”

  He nodded. “Bye, Tameka.”

  “It was good to see you again, Jeb,” she said quickly.

  The sound of my name coming from her couldn’t have been any sweeter to my ears. I was honestly surprised she acknowledged me.

  “The pleasure was all mine, Tameka,” I said, tilting my head to watch her walk away, and the moment she walked out the door, I felt lonely. I got up and took a step to walk behind her until Channing spoke up.