Games (28 page)

“What I saw was you carrying half-naked
Shannon to your bed.” Her voice quivered. “To the same bed that you shared with me.” She pounded his chest repeatedly. “How could you? How could you even think of doing the same things to her that you did to me in the same bed?”

He didn’t stop her from hitting him, but absorbed the blows without resistance. She inflicted more pain on her fist than she did to his steel-like torso. Frustrated and exhausted, she gave up and gave way to more tears. If she noticed the drops trailing down Brian’s cheeks, she did
n’t show it. 

“I dated Jason for six months and not one time did I remotely consider sharing my body with him.” She held her index finger up for emphasis. “Not one time did I allow him to touch me intimately, because I didn’t desire anyone but you. I can’t believe I was so stupid.” Then the thought came to her, “Is this your way of getting back at me for Jason?  Is this the real reason why you wanted me to wait two years for you? So you could continue messing around with her? Have you been sleeping with
Shannon the entire time?”

Brian shook his head as
if to clear it. “Sweetheart, I—”

“I told you not to call me
‘sweetheart’ ever again,” she snarled. “I hate you!”

Brian heaved and wiped his face. “Shay, I swear I have never slept with
Shannon. I have never even had the desire to.”

She stepped back and folded her arms. “So what were the two of you doing half
- naked in your room?”

“When I came from the shower she was there. I don’t even know how she got inside the house. When she wouldn’t leave on her own, I picked her up, but only to put her out, not take
to her to bed. Shay, I promise that’s what happened.”

Brian’s gentle and sincere tone tore into her resolve, but she hid the effect.

Brian’s lips moved as if he were praying as he stepped closer to her. “Shay, you know me. I love you and I would never hurt you like this. I have never lied to you.”

Shay lowered her head so she couldn’t see the tears in Brian’s eyes.

“You’re the only woman I want and the only woman I desire. Please, you have to believe me.” He held his arms open to her as he’d done countless times in the past.

Shay felt that familiar tug in her heart. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to run into his arms and forgive him. She would have if an image of Brian and Shannon in bed together and the smirk on
Shannon’s face hadn’t flashed before her eyes. She immediately stiffened.

“Get out!”

“Shay—” Brian tried to put his hands on her shoulders, but she pushed him away.

“Don’t ever touch me again. Don’t ever speak to me again.”

“But—”

“Stay out of my life.” She released the clasp on her wrist. “I don’t want you and I don’t want this!”
she screamed and threw the silver heart he had given her at him. He caught it just before it hit him in the face. She quickly turned away from him, ignoring the hurt in his eyes.

***

Brian stood there for a moment praying she would change her mind. He waited for her to turn back around and tell him she really didn’t mean what she had just said. He waited for her to yell or hit him again, anything that would make things go back to the way they were. Shay didn’t do any of that.

Finally, he stepped close behind her and whispered in her ear. “No matter what you may think, I love you. I will always love you.” 

On his way out Brian laid the silver chain on her dresser. When she heard the door close, Shay fell
onto her bed and cried until she couldn’t cry anymore.

On the other side of the door, Brian cried tears of his own.
Between his sobs, he heard Shay’s and that made him hurt more. But as long as she shut him out, there wasn’t anything he could do about it. He couldn’t comfort her against her will. Before he composed himself enough to go downstairs to face his father and Julia, he prayed for Shay’s heart to soften and heal. He prayed she’d reopen her heart and let him back in.

Julia and Reggie waited anxiously in the kitchen. Both were pacing. 

Julia didn’t waste any time. “Brian, what’s going on?”

Brian sat down at the table and rubbed his forehead and tried to calm the storm raging within him. He didn’t speak.

“Brian, what happened tonight?” Reggie’s voiced bordered on frustration and irritation.

Brian took a deep breath and began the horrid details. “Shay walked in on me in my bedroom
—with Shannon.” He hung his head down, not daring to look his father in the face.

Julia’s cappuccino skin turned red and she fought with everything in her to keep from lashing out at Brian. Fighting to gain control of her anger, she stood and leaned over the sink.

In all the time he’d known his father, Brian had never heard him yell outside of preaching. Tonight that would change.

“What was
Shannon doing at the house and why on earth was she in your bedroom?” Reggie yelled.

Brian swallowed hard and
summoned the strength to meet his father’s gaze. “Dad, I honestly don’t know how she got inside the house. All I know is when I came out of the shower there she was in my room, barely dressed.”

Julia whirled around. “Exactly what did Shay walk in on?”

“I told Shannon to leave, but she wouldn’t. I was going to physically put her out.” Brian swallowed hard again. “When Shay walked in that’s what I was trying to do. I had picked Shannon up and I was about to carry her outside. That’s the truth.”

Julia didn’t say a word, just turned and faced the sink again.

Reggie had no problem voicing his anger. “How did Shannon know you were home?”

Brian thought back to the conversation he’d had with her earlier in the week. “I told her I would be home today.”

Reggie banged his fists on the table and Brian and Julia jumped. “How many times have I told you to limit your communication with Shannon? How many times have I told you to watch her? Telling her when you will be home is like giving her an invitation!”

Brian hurt even more now because this was the first time he had disappointed his father. His whole world was crumbling right before his eyes. The woman he loved had just ended their relationship and now Mama J was so angry that she couldn’t stand to look at him. Brian lowered his head again in an attempt to hide the tears he felt threatening to escape.

“Hold your head up!” Reggie ordered.

Finally, with much effort he looked his father in the eye. “Dad, I’m sorry. You’re right I shouldn’t have told her my plans. But the truth is, I didn’t invite her in. She was there when I came out of the shower, barely dressed with my bed
linens turned back. I had no intentions, and still don’t, of sleeping with Shannon. Please, Dad, you have to believe me.”

Reggie studied Brian’s face as if searching for the truth.  One thing Brian wasn’t was a liar. But his disobedience may have cost him his relationship with Shay. “I take it Shay didn’t believe you?”

Brian shook his head. “No, she didn’t.” He couldn’t say anymore without breaking down.

Julia knew Brian told the truth. She knew Brian and she knew
Shannon. Julia was well aware Shannon only attended church for Brian’s benefit and hadn’t changed much. But that knowledge didn’t remove the pain she felt for her daughter.  Julia was smart and a woman, therefore, she knew how women thought. She listened as Reggie and Brian tried to figure out how Shannon gained access to the house. Todd wouldn’t have let her in under any circumstances. She finally turned around and asked, “Brian, do you still keep an emergency key underneath the planter out front?”

Brian’s facial expression answered her question. She unfolded her arms and walked over to Brian and placed her hand on his shoulder. She spoke friendly, but stern, “Brian, I love you, but you had better clean up this hot mess you’ve help
ed create—fast.” Julia stormed from the kitchen to go check on her daughter.

She found Shay lying across her bed, shaking. She discarded the used tissues and
lay down next to her. Shay didn’t say a word; she just cuddled under her mother like she used to do when she was a little girl. Julia stroked her hair while Shay released a fresh batch of tears.

“Mama, how could he do this to me?” Shay asked between sniffles.

“Honey, are you sure he did something wrong?”

Shay raised her head and looked at her mother’s face. “I know what I saw.”

Julia was careful with her. “What did you see?”

“I saw Brian about to have sex with
Shannon,” Shay stated unequivocally.

“Did you
see
them in bed together?”

“No, but he was carrying her to his bed.”

This is just how the devil works, in illusion and delusion
, Julia thought. It was pointless to try and convince Shay otherwise. Right now, Shay wasn’t open to reason. Julia didn’t ask any more questions. Instead she sang Shay’s favorite song to her until she fell asleep.

The following morning after Julia finished her meditation time, she checked on Shay. “Baby, it’s time to get up, if you’re going to make service.” Julia sat on the bed and brushed hair strands from Shay’s face.

Shay moaned and stretched then frowned.

“You look so much like your father when you do that.”

Shay groaned. “Mama, you always say I act or look like my father when I act crazy or do something stupid.”

Julia giggled softly. “Baby, every day and all day long, you look like Sean Hampton spat you out. I just provided the incubation. As for your craziness, I have to blame that on somebody, why not him?”

Shay grinned at her mother passing the buck, and then sobered. “Mom, I don’t feel like going to church today. I want to stay here in this room forever.”

“Shay, I think you should come to church with us. Praising God always makes me feel better when I’m burdened.”

Shay turned away from her mother. Just the mention of God made Shay want to cry. How could she tell her mother she believed Brian’s betrayal was God’s way of punishing her for committing fornication? “Mama, if I feel better, I’ll be there.”

“I remember how it feels to have a broken heart so I won’t push the issue.” She did say a quick prayer before she left.

Shay tried to fall back to sleep, but the cell phone disturbed her solace. She looked at the numbers on her alarm clock and identified the caller. It was Brian. He always called her at eight o’clock to pray and wish her a good day.  The beep sounded indicating she had a new message. She waited a few minutes before checking her voicemail.

Shay, I’m so sorry that you are hurting right now and that I’m the cause of that pain. If I could change the last twenty-four hours, I would. But I can’t. Shay, I told you the truth, nothing happened. I don’t want Shannon. I only want you. I love you, always.

Before erasing the message, Shay listened to the daily prayer he left for her.

***

Brian stared at the phone in his hand then placed it back on his nightstand. No surprise to him, Shay was avoiding him. He lay back on his bare mattress and tried to figure out how things took a turn for the
worse so fast.  He was angry with Shannon for her role in the whole mess. When he returned home last night, she was nowhere to be found. But he was also angry with himself for getting involved with her in the first place. His father was right; he should have ended his association with her long ago, especially after the stunt she’d pulled at her apartment. But he hadn’t and now he would have to pay for it. By his calculation, the price was way too high for the offense.

Brian punched the pillow and reflected back to the conversation he’d had with his father in
Arizona.
I can wait for Shay because I know she was created just for me
. In the weeks to come, those words would be his only consolation. He would find out if he really meant them or not.

Julia stared out of the twenty-fifth
-floor office window at the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges like she’d done countless times before, in hopes of finding an answer to her problems.  The rolling movement of the sky-blue waves on the water always seemed to bring her peace, but not today. As founder and CEO of Pinnacle Developments, Julia was accustomed to handling problems with architects and building contractors and tenacious inspectors, but that was nothing compared to the problems she now faced at home.

It was hard, but she and Reggie had managed to keep
Shannon’s fiasco from Alysse and the rest of the family. If Alysse knew the stunt she’d pulled, Shannon would be on the run for the rest of her life.

Three weeks had passed since Shay and Brian’s
breakup and despite praying daily, sometimes three times a day, nothing appeared to be changing. With each passing day, maintaining a neutral position became more difficult. She couldn’t understand why Shay was so bent on believing the worst about Brian. No matter what approach Julia took, Shay wouldn’t listen to reason. In Julia’s opinion, Shay knew Brian better than anyone. Shay knew Brian was not a devious and deceitful person. Brian had always been honest. True, he was a little naïve when it came to women and relationships. To be honest, Brian was just plain ignorant when it came to any female besides Shay. But he was always honest. Besides that, he loved the very ground Shay walked on.