Places in My Heart (19 page)

Omar's heart sped up, but not from fear. Morgan didn't strike him as a woman who cried, so for her to do so meant something. Pain ripped through his chest. He wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss away the hurt he had caused. He had to find a way to make things right and would do whatever it took to accomplish the task. Even begging.

Chapter 19

W
ednesday afternoon, Morgan started to her bedroom with a cup of tea to pick up where she left off in the mystery thriller she was reading. Being off work this week and unplugging from social media had done wonders for her mind. Halfway there the doorbell rang. Her siblings had been taking turns dropping by to check on her, despite her many protests that she was fine. Since it was the middle of the day, she placed her bet on Khalil. Being owner of the fitness center meant no set hours. She changed direction and went to answer the door. Morgan almost dropped her cup when she saw Omar standing there. She stared into the handsome face that wouldn't leave her memory. He wore a sleeveless tank and shorts, showing off the sculpted muscles of his arms. With his hair flowing loose around his shoulders, the man looked good enough to eat. It took everything within her to stand there and not drag him inside for another round of their special version of “Madden.”

Omar's gaze roamed over her from head to toe and back up again. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Finally he said, “Hey.”

“What are you doing here?”

“May I come in? Please,” he added when she didn't move.

She stepped back for him to enter. He moved past her and continued to her living room. Groaning inwardly, she closed the door and followed. She sat as far away from him as she could and didn't say one word.

“I brought these back.” He held up an envelope.

She recognized it as the one she had finally sent. “You could've saved yourself some gas and mailed them.”

“I didn't sign them.”

“Why not? I thought that's what you wanted.”

“I never said I wanted to opt out. You did.”

Morgan set her cup on the table and massaged her temples. There was no way she could continue to represent him under these circumstances. “Omar, I can't—”

“I don't want to opt out on us, either.”

Her head snapped up. “What are you talking about?”

“I love you, Morgan, and I was wrong. I'm sorry I accused you of going to the media behind my back.”

As much as she wanted to hear those words, it was too late. “How about I accept your apology and we move on.”

Omar raked a hand down his face. “Move on? I
can't
move on, not without you, baby,” he said emotionally.

Fighting to remain impassive, she stood and walked to the door. “You don't have a choice.”

He crossed the room and turned her face toward his. “I can't give you up, sweetheart. You mean too much to me. I'll go, but we're not over...not by a long shot.” He brushed his lips across hers and then left.

Morgan rested her forehead against the door, still feeling the effects of the soft kiss. She wanted to give in so bad, to feel his arms around her again. Why did this have to hurt so much?

She had just gotten settled with her book when the doorbell rang again.
Please don't let it be him
. Sliding off the bed, she went out front and, this time, peered through the peephole. Sighing in relief, she opened the door. “Hey, Vonnie.”

“You look a mess,” Siobhan said, brushing past Morgan. “It's a good thing I stopped by.” She dropped down on the sofa. “You must have talked to Omar.”

“How do you know that?”

“Your face says it all. I remember having the same look when things went south with Justin and me. What happened?”

“He just left a little while ago. He didn't sign the papers opting out of his contract, and he said he's not giving up on us.”

“And how do you feel about that?”

“I don't know. One side of me says great. The other side is afraid something like this could happen again.”

“Does he still think you blabbed to the media?”

“No, and he apologized.”

Siobhan patted the space next to her, and Morgan slid onto the sofa. Siobhan grasped her hand. “Well, it sounds like he's owned up to his mistake. How do you feel about Omar?”

“I love him.”

“And how does he feel?”

“He says he loves me.”

“Honey, understand that relationships are not always cut-and-dried. And lasting ones will require some sacrifice on both your parts. He's made his position clear. If you love him, the only thing left for you to decide is whether you'll be happy without him in your life.”

Morgan laid her head on her sister's shoulder. “How did you know that Justin was the right one?”

“I didn't, but my heart did. And so will yours.”

She hoped it would tell her something soon, because the only thing she knew was that her heart hurt.

* * *

Omar dropped down heavily on his bed and removed his shoes. It had been four days since he walked out of Morgan's house, and his concentration during practice was at an all-time low. She had told him he had no choice but to move on, but his heart had decided otherwise. He fished his cell out of his pocket and turned it on. Almost immediately, a series of chimes sounded, indicating several missed messages. He had two emails and a text from Jaedon asking Omar to call as soon as possible. He sighed wearily and prayed there was some good news about his case against Roland. He decided to read the emails before calling. The first one detailed the second meeting with Roland's attorney and gave Omar hope that this nightmare wouldn't last much longer. Since the agent's arrest a week ago, the media had been hounding Omar between practices. He just offered a standard “no comment” and kept it moving.

The second email was one forwarded from Alonzo. He was able to get a picture of the woman who had been meeting with Roland. He clicked on the attachment and felt his eyes widen. Omar quickly dialed Jaedon's cell.

“Hey, Omar,” Jaedon said. “I'm glad you called.”

“I just got home from practice and saw your messages. Roland is out on bail?”

“Yes.”

“Probably using money that doesn't belong to him.”

“That's a possibility, but I've asked the judge to freeze all his assets until we can sort it out. Did you get a chance to look at the picture Zo took?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it his secretary?”

“No.”

“No? Do you recognize her?”

“I do.” He filled Jaedon in on what he knew and the last time he had seen her.
The article.
“I have to go. I'll call you back in a little while. There's someone I need to talk to.”

“Is everything okay?”

“No. But, I'm hoping I can fix some of it. I'll fill you in when I call you.”

Omar disconnected, put his shoes on and left. Thirty minutes later, he pulled up in a driveway, hopped out and went to ring the doorbell. The door swung open.

“Drummond? What are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you.”

Malcolm eyed him briefly. “Come in.”

He followed Malcolm through the foyer, living room and kitchen to the family room.

“You want something to drink?”

“No, thanks.”

“Something happen with my sister?”

He brought up the picture by way of answer. “Recognize her?”

“Yes, but why is she with Roland?”

“I think they may be responsible for that bogus story about my contract.” It would have been easy for Roland to plant that false story with all his media contacts.

Malcolm muttered a curse. “What are you planning to do?”

“Let Jaedon handle it. If he can prove they were in it together, it'll clear Morgan's name.” The article insinuated that Morgan had revealed the information as a way to boost her credibility.

“Why do you care?”

“I messed up, but I love your sister. If I can get her back, she'll never shed another tear.” They engaged in a stare-down for several tense moments before Malcolm nodded. “What about Morgan? She needs to know.”

“Since there's no practice tomorrow, I'll go by the office. My brother Brandon and I will handle it.”

“Can you let me know how she is afterward?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks, man. I'll keep you posted on what Jaedon turns up.” They talked a few minutes more. Then Omar drove home and called Jaedon.

Monday morning, he was seated in Jaedon's office, listening to Alonzo.

“This photo was last week, a day before Roland's arrest. You can see him handing her an envelope.”

And two days after that story ran, Omar thought grimly. Two days after he made the biggest mistake of his life. He handed the photo back. “Since she works for the Grays, Malcolm said he and his brother would handle her.”

“If the police can get a confession out of her, it would be easier to nail Roland's butt to the wall,” Jaedon said.

“Yeah, let's hope.” That still didn't get him any closer to reconciling with Morgan, but he wasn't giving up.

* * *

Morgan stopped short at the large floral arrangement sitting in her office when she arrived on Monday. Her family was going overboard. Rounding the desk, she plucked the card off and read.

You are my heart.

Omar

Her eyes slid closed. Why was he doing this? She missed him,
missed
him. She reread the card. What was she going to do? Tucking the card into her jacket pocket, she moved the arrangement to the small conference table and sat in her chair. She had agreed to continue working for the company at least until the end of the year, and she was on solid ground with her new job. Her commission from Omar's contract gave her a window of comfort.

By late morning, she had made a dent in the paperwork that had piled up while she was gone. Her head came up when a knock sounded. She smiled. “Hey, guys. Are you supposed to be the welcome back committee?” Her smile faded. “What is it?” She studied her brothers' grim expressions. Malcolm closed the door, and then he and Brandon took the chairs across from her desk.

“Is something wrong with Dad...or Mom?” Morgan came to her feet.

“They're fine,” Brandon said. “Sit down, sis.”

She gave a relieved sigh and slowly lowered herself back down.

“We know who leaked that story about Omar's contract,” Malcolm said. “He came to see me last night and showed me a photo.” He handed her his phone.

Frowning, she took the phone. She brought her hand to her mouth and stared in disbelief. “
Evelyn
and Roland? But how did she—” Morgan remembered the day she found Evelyn standing over her desk. “Oh, no. This is my fault.”

Brandon shook his head. “This isn't your fault.”

“It is. I left my notes on the desk.”

“Every employee here signs a confidentiality statement when they're hired. She knew the rules. And she was paid twenty thousand dollars. That is a crime and we'll be pressing charges.”

“What!”
Morgan jumped from her chair.

Malcolm sighed. “You need to calm down, Morgan.”

“And
you
need to pray I don't caress her face with my fist when I see her.” She charged around the desk.

Malcolm hopped up, wrapped his arms around her and blocked the door.

“Get out of my way, Malcolm! And let me go!”

“No can do, sis. Dad called the police, and she's probably been taken in already.”

She wrenched away from him and slammed her hand on the desk. Her chest heaved and her heart pounded in her chest. She wanted to strangle the woman. Bracing her hands on the desk, Morgan closed her eyes drew in several calming breaths. All this drama and for what? “Did she say why she did it?” When neither Brandon nor Malcolm answered, she opened her eyes and angled her head in their direction. The two brothers shared a look.

Finally Brandon answered. “She was angry because she had to be transferred to you and didn't like someone younger than her telling her what to do.”

“She tried to wreck my life because I'm younger than her,” she said, almost in disbelief.

“And Roland was trying to find a way to get back at you and Omar. Apparently he wasn't too thrilled by that set-down you gave him,” Malcolm added.

“How do you know all this?”

“When we showed her that picture and told her she was looking at some jail time, she started singing like Jill Scott,” Brandon offered. “My guess is that she's probably going to throw Roland under a bus and back it over him. Added to the other charges against him, he'll definitely be looking at some jail time.”

“I hope so.”

Brandon rose to his feet. “You going to be okay?”

Morgan nodded.

He placed a kiss on her forehead. “I'm going to check with Dad. I'll call you later.”

“Okay.”

When he left, Malcolm ran a comforting hand down her back. “Just so you'll know, Omar made sure the reporter will correct the story.”

“How is he?”

“About as miserable as you,” he said with a chuckle. “This is why I'm staying single.” He shuddered.

She rolled her eyes. “Go home.”

He laughed. “I'm just sayin'. Way less drama.” He hugged her. “You coming on Sunday?”

“Have I ever missed a home game?” It would be the first preseason game.

“No, but you didn't have a vested interest in one of the players, either.” He winked and exited.

Morgan leaned against her desk. She needed to make a decision about this relationship soon.

* * *

By the time Sunday rolled around, she was still confused about what to do. She loved Omar, but fear had a grip on her. If it didn't work out, she didn't think she would be able to take it. She didn't want to feel that kind of pain in her heart again.

Brandon and Justin were already in their seats when she arrived. She greeted them with hugs. “Where's Siobhan?”

Justin laughed. “She said she wasn't sitting out here in this heat.”

“Yep, that's Vonnie,” she said, joining in his laughter. The smile froze on her face when her gaze connected with Omar's out on the field.