A Love Like This (Book 1) (46 page)

Shauna’s phone ring’s again and I pull out my phone hoping that someone called.
 
I can tell that Shauna is watching me.
 
“Are you alright?
 

“Yeah I’m fine,” I say trying to smile.
 
Deon double parks the car in front of Roscoe’s and opens our car door.
 
I turn to face him, “You don’t have to follow us Deon unless you’re planning have chicken.”

“I could eat,” He says lifting his shoulders.
 
Shauna and I look at each other surprised.
 
“Let me park the car and I’ll meet you inside,” He says turning to leave.

*****

Dana rearranges the table settings in the ball room.
 
She directs the wait staff to take the buffet food back to the kitchen to be reheated.
 
She buzzes around the room making sure the gifts are arranged perfectly and Leila’s favorite flowers are on the table.
 
Tucker is pacing the floor on his cell phone.
 
He looks frantic.
 
“Where is she,” he grumbles into the phone.

“I am trying to get her there.
 
What was I supposed to do she wanted waffles.”

“Shauna there are about a hundred people in this place and they’re all are looking to me to get her here.”
 
Shauna excused herself after her cell phone rang for the tenth time.
 
She’s standing in a stall in the bathroom trying to figure how she got roped into getting Leila to her surprise birthday party.
 
Her sister was supposed to make sure she got there but she got tied up with the kids.
 
Sarah vanished with God only knows who.
 
 
Everyone else was so busy planning the party that they forgot all about making arrangements to get the guest of honor there.
 
Shauna called Mike after leaving the gym and took him up on his offer to come down to LA.
 
She was planning to warn Tucker about his ex-girl friends.
 
But as soon as her plane landed her text box was filled with messages pleading with her to stop and pick Leila up on the way to the party.
 
No one told her exactly how she was supposed to get her there.
 

“Alright I’ll figure something out,” she says before disconnecting the call.
 
She marches back to their table quickly.
 
“Mike just called me and said there was some type of emergency.
 
We really have to go,” she says feeling terrible about lying.
 
Leila pays the check, pulls Deon away from his huge plate of food and they rush out the door.
 
She asks a million questions about the nature of the emergency and tries unsuccessfully to contact her family.
 
Shauna keeps her responses to Leila’s questions as vague as possible on the thirty minute drive from Long Beach to Beverly Hills.
 

_____

We pull up in front of the hotel and Shauna, Deon and I step out.
 
Deon hands the keys to the valet and follows us inside the lobby.
 
 
The structure of the hotel has
 
European-
influences.
 
The lobby is filled with paintings,
 
set drawings and original costume designs from 1930 Hollywood film classics.

This hotel is absolutely beautiful.
 
It has arched doorways and shades of green
 
lighting
 
that
 
complement the architectural details.
 
I would love to sit and appreciate the building but my heart is racing.
 
Shauna showed up out of nowhere.
 
We were out having fun when suddenly an emergency occurs.
 
She said she has no idea what the emergency is
 
but we had to get here right away.
 
The whole thing sound suspicious.
 
 
I head towards the front desk but Shauna stops me and directs me to a back room.
 
“Wait,” I say stopping in my tracks.
 
You have to tell me what’s going on.
 
You said there was an emergency.
 
You’ve been turning away from me hiding text messages; what’s going on?”

“You have to follow me and you’ll find out what the emergency is,” she says giving me a look that suddenly makes me realize what’s happening.
 
Shauna nods and smiles before turning to rush down the hall with Deon and
 
I
 
following closely behind her.
 
She pushes open double doors and we step into a pitch black room.

Chapter 23

 
 
 
 
 
That damned old man is always looking out the window
 
she thinks as she watches from her parked car a block away from Leila’s house.
 
Between him, the body guards and the constant traffic in and out of the house she hasn’t been able to get close to Leila.
 
When she hired the guy to attack Leila
 
at Tyler’s party she hadn’t anticipated Leila fighting back.
 
She pulls her cap down over her head and sinks
 
into
 
the seat.
 
She’s prepared to sit there all night if she has to.
 
She managed to get into the house once but someone came home before she could do any damage.
 
She had to sneak out the back door to avoid being spotted.
 
It won’t be easy but I’m going to get you she says to
 
herself.
 
‘She knows he was mine she says out loud
.
 
 
That black bitch walks past
me with her nappy hair and smug look
 
as if I don’t exist,”
 
she says to the empty car.
 
She watched Leila get into the town car that should have been for her.
 
She watched
Leila wrap her legs around Tucker in the hall.
 
She listened outside Leila’s dorm room as they made love loudly.
 
“I can’t believe Tucker let her come between us,” the woman says starting to cry.
 
She brushes away her tears and takes out her cell phone to call Tucker.

_____

I guess I knew they were going to plan something but I didn’t expect a party of this magnitude.
 
The lights turn on in the expansive room and everyone I know jumps out and yell surprise.
 
Even though I know
 
its
 
coming I still scream like a crazy person.
 
Deon unsnaps his gun holster when my family starts walking towards me.
 
They don’t seem to notice.
 
I touch his arm and whisper.
 
“They are very unstable people Deon.
 
I’m not sure what you’re supposed to be protecting me from but if you pull that gun out they will band together and rip you apart.”
 
Deon swallows hard, re-snaps the holster and stands next to me watching everyone.
 
My mom is the first one over.
 
“Happy birthday baby,” She says giving me a bone crushing bear hug.
 

“Did you do all of this?”

“I had plenty of help from
 
Pookie
 
and Tucker.
 
He’s a good boy,” she says starting to tear up.

“Oh
 
mom don’t
 
cry,” I say hugging her and fighting back my own tears.

“I’m fine baby.
 
I’m just so proud of you.”

“Thank you
Momma
,” I say kissing her on the cheek before she moves aside to make room for my daddy.

He bends down and kisses my forehead.
 
“Happy birthday baby,” he says.

“Thank you daddy, how long have you known about this.”

I feel guilty when
he says, “Not much get’s past
me. They started planning it before you arrived.
 
Tucker chose this hotel.”

“Daddy I have to tell you something,” I say feeling my armpits prickle.

“Tucker and I had a long talk at lunch today,” he says rubbing my hair.
 
I avert my eyes.
 
He kisses my head again and walks away.
 
He’s a man of few words.
 
I almost never know what’s going on in his head.
 

I twirl on my heels to look around the room.
 
Everyone I love is here.
 
They all come over hug me and wish me happy birthday.
 
My aunt Clara walks over and squeezes my butt, “That big ass white boy must be putting it down.
 
You done came back here with grown woman hips.”

“How are you auntie,” I say moving her hand away from my behind.
 
I see Tucker in a corner talking to Mike so I excuse myself.
 
 
Wanika
 
and a couple of my cousins are standing a few feet away staring like women on the hunt.
 
Tucker and I make eye contact.
 
I comb through the crowd stopping to hug nearly everyone in the room on the
way.
 
Tucker moves towards me but
 
Wanika
 
blocks his path before he’s able to take two steps.
 
He watches me while talking to her.

“Why were you ever friends with her?” Keisha asks.
 
I didn’t even notice that she was standing near me.

“I have no idea,” I say walking towards Tucker.
 
He excuses himself and cuts through the crowd.
 
My heart still flutters when he flashes those dimples at me.
 
He takes my hand and pulls me away from the crowd.

“I think my dad knows were married,” I whisper to Tucker as we walk.
 
He doesn’t say a word.
 
He just smiles and continues to walk across the room.
 
Music starts playing and the room gets dim.
 
I notice that everyone in the place is watching us.
 
“Tucker what’s going on,” I ask as he stops in the center of the room.
 
He turns to face me and clears his throat.

“I asked your father for permission to marry you today. Of course he already knew we got married in Vegas.”

“I swear no one in this family can keep a secret,” I say looking around the room.

“That doesn’t matter,” he says bending down on one knee and pulling out a giant diamond ring. “I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life.
 
Something was missing before I met you.
 
You make me laugh.
 
Sometimes you make me crazy but I can’t imagine not having you by my side.
 
Leila Bradley will you do me the honor of becoming my wife.”
 
He pauses for a second, “again.”

I smile through my tears and nod yes continuously.
 
He slides the ring on my finger.
 
I bend down to kiss him then look around at all my friends and family.
 
Everyone, even
 
Wanika
 
is smiling and offering congratulations.
 
Tucker picks me up and hugs me.
 
Through the corner of my eye I see someone who looks completely out of place.
 
She’s the only one in the room who isn’t smiling.
 
In fact the woman looks enraged.

Chapter 24