Impossibly Forever: Two Books in One (Impossibly Duology) (35 page)

CHAPTER SIXTY

Branden

  
“Come on, Branden!
Let’s go, let’s go! Yes!” Coach Evans shouted from
the sideline. He was as anxious about the coming game as I was. We’d been going
over plays that I had to get acquainted with since I made the team. Now with
only two days left to get it imprinted in my head, there was no time for error.
I was still the rookie, but everyone was counting on me to do my part when the
time came.

  
After practice I went into the locker room to shower. Moya was already out of
work and we’d made plans to meet up at my dorm tonight.

  
I headed out of the school arena and crossed the lawn over to the concrete path
that led to my dorm. When I approached the building, someone I wasn’t
expecting, or wanted to see again, greeted me at the top of the steps. Talk
about bad timing.

  
“What the hell are you doing here, Samantha?” I snapped. Avoiding her, I took
out my ID to unlock the door. “Don’t even bother answering just leave right
now.”

  
This was frustrating as hell. Moya was on her way over and I didn’t want her
seeing my ex. It would probably give her the wrong impression.

  
Samantha strolled up to me and reached for my hand. I moved away, getting even
more agitated.

  
“I only wanted to see you one more time, and then I can let you go for
good.”   

  
“What the—?” my hands flared. “Why put yourself through that?”

  
She forced a smile. “I don’t know…I just had to say it in person.”

  
“Say what?”

  
“What I couldn’t before, on that day I broke your heart. I should have told you
instead that I loved you. That I’ll always love you, and I want you to be
happy.”

  
I scoffed, “I’ll be more than happy when you stop showing up like this and
making things hard for everyone. In fact, I’ll have some peace.”

  
“And I will now,” she bobbed her head fast. “I will.”

  
Her behavior baffled me. Still, I was relieved she was finally moving on. “What
made you decide to give up now?”

  
Putting a few inches between us, Samantha hugged herself and gazed down at the
concrete steps.

  
“Moya,” she muttered. “I saw the look in her eyes. It reminded me of the way
you used to look at me…” she paused, almost out of breath as she stifled tears.
“But it’s not there anymore. Then when she said, the only way she’d give you up
is if you asked her to, something inside me died; because I knew she’d never
let you go, not that easy, not like I did.” The tears flowed freely now. “I
don’t stand a chance.”

  
I combed back my hair, speaking in a calmer tone, “Look, Sam I know it hurts,
but—”

  
“It’s okay,” she stopped me, raising her chin assertively and drying her eyes.
“I won’t cause any trouble for you two. I’ll be all right.”

  
Twisting, she looked at me once more before going down the steps, saying over
her shoulder, “Goodbye, Branden.”

  
I watched as she walked down the concrete path and into darkness, before I
muttered to myself, “Goodbye Samantha.”

  
A feeling of relief engulfed me. I released a long breath then turned and
unlocked the door. Moya walked up as I did.

  
“Hey, just getting in?” she asked, coming up the steps.

  
I stood in the half-open doorway, regarding her without answering.

  
She hooked her arm around mine and regarded me with a questioning look. “Sup?”

  
I shook my head, “Nothing,” then kissed her tenderly on the lips. “Except that
I love you.”

  
Her mouth turned up into the breathtaking smile that sent my heart racing. She
urged me inside and up the stairs, leaning her head against my arm as she
whispered, “I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

Moya

  
I stood before the mirror
in my bedroom, checking my hair and make-up
one last time. This was it. Tonight, Branden would announce that we were
getting married.

  
At the thought of sharing the news with everyone, my heart felt as if it was
going to leap from my chest. I fidgeted with my sapphire blue dress out of
nervousness and started to pace around the room. I worried about their
reaction, my parents especially. Would they even support us?

  
“Moya, time to go,” Momma rapped at my door. She was excited, finally going to
meet Branden’s family.

  
“Coming,” I answered, anxiety prickling my skin.

  
I walked over to my jewelry box and took out his engagement ring, slipping it
off the chain and into my clutch. It was like a relief, knowing I would be able
to wear it again after tonight, since I’d been keeping it a secret for the past
few days. In some ways, it felt like I was hiding our love.

  
Picking up his birthday gift off my bed, I headed out the room and sauntered
down the hall, meeting Momma in the foyer. I glanced at her outfit as she
reached for her black coat off the rack by the door. She looked nice in the
studded gray tunic sweater, black leggings and tall leather boots. Her long
hair was let down. Her curls went up and down like springs on her shoulder.

  
“You look great, Momma,” I complimented.

  
“Thanks, baby,” she smiled at me. “You look lovely yourself. Is Nessa coming
with us?”

  
“Oh, no,” I took my coat off the rack. “She spent the weekend on campus. She
said she’ll meet us at the restaurant with Warren.”

  
Her hand paused on the door handle. She peered over her shoulder back at me
with pointed eyes. “She’s still with him, huh?” Then she stepped outside and
waited for me on the porch. “I thought she and Calvin would get back together
by now.”

  
“I thought so too, but I think it’s over for real this time. Besides,” I locked
the front door and walked down the porch steps behind her. “She seems really
happy with Warren. I think they’re cute together.”

  
“Well, I guess that’s good then.”

  
We decided to take her car, in case Branden and I stayed behind together after
dinner, which we would.

  
Climbing inside, Momma started the engine and pulled onto the street, saying in
a near whisper, “I hope your father isn’t going to be late and look bad to
Branden’s parents.”

  
“I’m sure he won’t,” I defended, surprising her.

  
Her head snapped around and she eyed me with curiosity before turning back to
the road.

  
“I hope so. He used to be late for everything. But he seemed really interested
in meeting them so who knows, he’s probably already at the restaurant.”

  
I eyed her as we braked at the stop light at the end of the street. Her lips
twitched, forcing to hold back a smile. From her pensive expression, I could
tell her mind was somewhere else—possibly thinking about Dad.

  
When she started driving again, the smile finally broke free, only to withdraw
as fast as it appeared. I wondered if she missed him, if there was a part of
her that wanted to start over with him. I glanced at my lap and picked at the
button on my coat, smiling to myself because secretly, there was a part of me
that wanted them to get back together too.

***

  
“Guess I should cut him some slack,” Momma uttered, as we walked inside the
restaurant and spotted Dad with Vanessa and Warren.

  
I hadn’t seen him looking so formal in a while, wearing a dress pants, purple
shirt, and nice shoes.

  
After giving the hostess our names, Momma and I walked over to them.

  
“Hey,” Dad greeted, appearing jovial. He hugged me then motioned as if he was
going to embrace Momma as well, stopping himself when she glanced away and
looked over at the area we would be having the birthday dinner. She was
pretending to not notice, and he played it off by sticking his hands inside his
pockets and asking me about work and school. Both acted weird.  

  
“How’s it going, Moya, Ms. Douglas?” asked Warren, aware of the sudden
awkwardness.

  
“Good,” I smiled it off.

  
Nessa eyed my parents then winked at me. Clearing her throat, she reached for
my hand and hauled me off to the restroom.

  
“Girl, what’s up with your folks?” she asked the second we stepped inside,
going over to check her red lipstick in front of the mirror.

  
I strolled up to her, shrugging. “No idea. That was odd though.”

  
She dropped her lipstick back inside her purse then turned to face me. “That
was far from odd. Moya, they have some, ahem, tension; like the good kind too.
We should set them up.”

  
“No, they wouldn’t like it if we did that.”

  
“Come on, girl. They obviously still have a thing for each other. There’s
nothing cooler than old flames reigniting.”

  
I tilted my head to the side and folded my arms, finding her remark rather
interesting. “Is that so? What about you and Calvin then?”

  
Scoffing, she cut her eyes and pulled down her body-hugging black dress with
gold embellishments on the sleeves. “It’s not the same thing. Calvin and I are
over. I have nothing but well wishes for him.”

  
“Really?”

  
“Yeah, I don’t love him anymore. I mean, I’ll always care about him, only right
now, I’m focusing on Warren.”

  
I exhaled, “If you say so,” then glimpsed myself in the mirror to check my
hair.

  
The minute Vanessa and I walked out of the restroom, I caught sight of Branden,
his mother, and two other guests entering. He introduced my parents to Mrs.
McCarthy, who looked gorgeous in a sophisticated sweater top and black dress
pants when she took off her jacket. Good thing it was snowing, because I
doubted she’d be able to tread through snow in those heels.

  
 He continued the introduction between everyone else, the two guests
turned out to be a married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Sheraton, who were like family
to the
McCarthys
.

  
I strolled over and draped my arm over his shoulder, kissing him on the cheek.
Mrs. McCarthy stared at me with a smile that made me question whether or not
she was being sincere.

  
“Hello, Moya. Always a pleasure to see you,” she said, slightly rubbing my arm.

  
“Likewise,” I replied in a polite manner. Then I twisted and said, “This is my
best friend, Vanessa.”

  
“Well, hi there, Mrs. McCarthy.” Vanessa was being extra, sounding bubblier
than ever. I regretted telling her how Branden’s mom and Samantha were like
buddies, since it seemed to impact her idea of the kind of person she was.

  
“Nice meeting you, Vanessa,” Mrs. McCarthy wrinkled a brow, finding her
strange. She twisted and motioned for everyone to walk over to the private
section she’d reserved for the dinner.

  
I lingered behind with Branden, squeezing his hand. “You ready for this?” I
whispered.

  
He kissed my forehead and said, “You bet I am.”

  
When we reached the long table with cushioned dining chairs, I looked around
and realized Mr. McCarthy wasn’t here.

  
“Isn’t your dad coming?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

  
He shrugged; an uncaring expression on his face. “No idea. I told him about the
dinner last week so it’s up to him if he wants to show up or not.”

  
The clinking of glass pulled my attention away. Mrs. McCarthy was standing at
the end of the table while the waiter went around pouring us champagne. She
held her glass up and announced, “A toast to kick things off.”

  
My parents stood on the other side of the table, next to the Sheratons, while
Vanessa and Warren were placed by me and Branden. We all raised our glasses and
waited to hear what Mrs. McCarthy was toasting to.

  
“First, I’d like to thank all of you for coming out tonight and sharing this
wonderful evening with my family.
And to my son, for having
tremendous courage and strength in making it this far, and for putting up with
me.”
We chortled in unison. “I love you, Branden. Happy Birthday, and
may all your dreams come true.”

  
“Cheers!”

  
Turning to him, I leaned in for a quick kiss before we sat down. As the
atmosphere built with loud and jovial chatter, Mr. McCarthy graced us with his
presence. I could have sworn I heard Branden let out a sigh of relief, seeing
that his father showed up alone.

  
“Hello everyone,” he announced himself to the room. The only one who dismissed
his arrival was his estranged wife.

  
He sat down at the end of the table and reached over to squeeze Branden on the
shoulder.
“Happy Birthday, son.
Sorry I’m late.”

  
“You’re not, actually dinner hasn’t even been served,” Branden joked.

  
He peered away from his son to acknowledge me. “Moya, how’ve you been?” his
grin was different from usual, glancing back and forth from me to Branden. I
had the feeling he knew already.

  
As the evening progressed and Branden cut his cake, it seemed everyone got
caught up in their own conversation. My dad and Mr. McCarthy hit it off,
talking about business and branching out. Branden and Warren were drawn into
it.

  
And while Momma shared stories with Mrs. McCarthy about me, Vanessa and I got
more acquainted with Mr. and Mrs. Sheraton. Turned out they were both
professors at St. John’s College in Annapolis where I was considering getting
my masters.

  
I’d almost forgotten we had some big news to share until Branden walked over
and towed me away to the end of the table. Placing his hand at the small of my
back, he tapped on his glass and brought everyone’s attention to us.

  
“Moya and I have something we want to tell you guys.”

  
They all eyed us with curiosity. Feeling shy all of a sudden, I moved closer to
him, finding courage in his warmth as my heart started to race more than ever.
This was it. He was going to tell them our secret.

  
Branden peered into my eyes and kissed me on the cheek, whispering, “Put it
on.”

  
With trembling hands, I opened my clutch and took out the ring, slipping it on
my finger. The diamonds glistened in the chandeliers hanging above the table.

  
“Girl, is that…?” Vanessa freaked, slowly covering her mouth.

  
I lifted my hand so they could see it clear, that I was soon to be Mrs. Branden
McCarthy.

  
“We’re engaged,” he said boldly, confirming it.

  
Momma gasped. The wine glass fell from her hand. Dad didn’t utter a word. His
body stiffened with a firm look on his face.

  
Mr. McCarthy laughed and clapped his hand, and then he slapped Warren on the
arm in sheer excitement. Warren raised a glass towards us then chugged his drink.

  
Glancing at Mrs. McCarthy, she peered over at the Sheratons, looking at each
other in awe. Everything seemed to stop inside the room. Finally, I released
the breath I didn’t realize I was holding, and said, “We’re getting married
this summer.”

  
That only made it worse. Dad scoffed and marched off past us, Momma went after
him or maybe to leave as well. I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t want to go after
them only to hear that I was making a mistake.

  
Vanessa threw her hands up in the air. “Have you two lost your minds?” Then her
face relaxed, a laugh burst through. She hurried over and draped her arms
around me. “Oh
my gosh
, congratulations!”

  
I couldn’t believe it. “You’re happy for us?”

  
“Of course I am,” she giggled, hugging Branden as well.

  
“But you’re both still in college…” Mrs. McCarthy muttered, sitting down with
her face buried in the palm of her hands.