Can't Let Go - A Contemporary BWWM Romance (23 page)

Kevin
leaned in and kissed my mouth hard and with passion.

“I’m
tired of the games,” I said to him. “I just want to be with you.”

“Really
Kevin?” Rashida interrupted our moment once again. “After everything we’ve been
through? The talks we’ve had?”

I
didn’t know why Rashida was fighting for him. He clearly didn’t want to be with
her. It was a lost cause, and now she was just making a fool out of herself.

“I
was an idiot to believe a single word you ever said to me,” Rashida added.
“Good luck with that, Ayla.”

She
pointed to Kevin like he was some sort of repulsive toad and spun around on her
heel only to bump into Antoine who was standing there with a dumbfounded look
on his face.

“W-what’s
…” Antoine stammered. “What’s going
on here?”

“Yeah,
you two definitely owe him an explanation,” Rashida said with her hand on her
hip. I wished she would just butt out. She was really starting to annoy me.

Kevin
stared down at the ground awkwardly as I fidgeted nervously.

“I
don’t know how to say this, Antoine,” I began as I looked up at him. “But I
can’t marry you.”

Antoine
looked devastated, but I knew this was just the way it had to be. There was no
easy way to go about this and there was nothing more that needed to be said.
Nothing he could say or do would talk me out of my decision to be with Kevin.

“Ayla,”
Antoine objected.
He was going to fight for me
,
I knew it
. “Can we speak privately?”

He
shot me a look before nodding to Kevin and myself in an attempt to ask us to
leave.

 
“No, Antoine,” I said. “I’m sorry.
There’s nothing more to talk about. Let’s not make this harder than it is.”

“So
that’s all I get?” Antoine said with a huff. It was rare to see him get angry,
but I could tell he was reaching his boiling point. “A year together.
A whirlwind romance.
And this is what I get? No explanation
and you won’t even talk to me?”

“Just
go, man,” Kevin said to Antoine as he slipped his arm around my waist. “Let’s
not make this harder than it is.”

I
saw tears well up in Antoine’s eyes and watched as Rashida reached over to take
his hand. He promptly yanked it away and walked off. The sight of Antoine
stomping away in his black and white tuxedo, throwing his blue floral
boutonniere on the ground, was nothing short of heartbreaking.

I
felt bad for him, but I knew his happiness wasn’t going to come from a marriage
to me. Somewhere out there was someone else better suited for
him.
I was doing the right thing for the both of us. I was
sure of it.

I
turned towards Kevin and stepped into his embrace once again. I could stay
wrapped up in his arms forever.

“Take
me out of here,” I said to him.

He
slipped my hand into his and pulled me towards the nearest exit where we ran
off towards his car.

Driving
away from the church, from the awful scene that had just taken place, was like
a breath of fresh air bringing new life into me. It was a new beginning with an
old love, and I was sure I’d done the right thing. The life I’d nearly resigned
myself to would have been filled with boredom and malcontent. That life
would’ve turned into one of resentment and self-loathing.

Sitting
next to me was my future. Things with Kevin were never going to be perfect,
that I knew, but they would always be fun and exciting. Kevin injected the
passion in my life that I had missed so much.

I
reached over and squeezed his hand.

“Where
to?” he asked.

“Out
of Harrisville,” I said.

“You
got it,” he replied as he merged onto the interstate.

Flying
down the road at 70 miles per hour with the windows down, my tightly pinned
curls loosened and my hair was flying everywhere, but I finally felt free.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shayla Harris is a twenty-seven year
old accountant from Athens, Georgia. When she’s not working or writing, she
enjoys walking her bichon, Fifi LeDogue, and spending Fridays with her boo and
Saturdays with her crew. You can almost always find her with a cup of hot tea
and a good book in her spare time. This was her debut novel, and she sincerely
hopes you enjoyed it!