Come Share My Love (47 page)

     “You are so crazy boy.  I haven’t laughed so much in my life.”

     “You have got to be kidding.  What, my brother doesn’t make you laugh?”  She didn’t respond as they walked up to the front door. 

     He grabbed her hand.  “We’ll have to do something about that then.  It definitely looks good on you, it’s a melodious sound and you have an amazing smile.”  He was flirting with her.

     “Thank you.”

     Three sets of eyes were on them as they stood on the porch.  Those same three sets of eyes searched each other in wonder.

     How could this, be happening again, Zackary thought.

     Shyla and Brennan walked into the house, still laughing.  All eyes focused on them.

     “Hey everyone?”

     “Hey,” they all spoke at once.

     “What’s so funny?”  Essence asked.  “You two must have had some time.”

     “Bren was just telling me a joke.  He’s a riot.”

Bren, Zackary thought.  She’s already shortening his name.  What the hell could have happened in the last four hours?  And where the hell were they? 

     “Zackary, do you have any idea how funny your brother is?  Not to mention crazy.”

     Of that he knew.  “Yes.”  He nodded as he spoke.  “He’s a real character, that one.”  No one missed the sarcasm that laced his voice.  And he didn’t care.  “What have you two been up to?”

     Just as Shyla was about to speak Braxton walked in.

     “Hey everyone,” he looked around.  His eyes first landed on Shyla and Essence.  “So I get to see this beautiful angel again.”  He kissed her cheek, then moved over to Essence and kissed her cheek.  “Hey beautiful.  How have you been?”

     “I’ve been good, Braxton.  How are you and Venice?”

     “We are fabulous.  She’ll be here around six, looking forward to seeing you.”  Essence nodded. 

Venice was very sweet.  She and Shyla would get along very well.

     “And how are you two blockheads?” He asked Zackary and Felton.  While Zackary still focused his attention on his brother, Brennan and his woman, Felton stated that he was okay.

     Braxton saw that Zackary was focused elsewhere.  He turned back and walked over to Shyla pulling her away from his twin.  “So my beautiful and talented angel, are we still on for dancing tonight?”

     “Of course.” she smiled turning to Essence.  “Girl did you know that Braxton built a club on this property?”

     “Yes I knew.”

     “We’re going there tonight.  He claims we will have a better time than if we were in L.A.”

     Essence watched him.  “I don’t know Braxton.  We have some out of the box clubs in southern Cali, baby boy.  I haven’t come across a club in any state that’s better than ours.”

     “I tried to tell him but he’s not listening.”

     “We’ll see.  Hey little brother did you know your girl could sing?  She got some serious vocals.”  Shyla blushed, but Zackary frowned

     “No I didn’t know.”  Was all he said, but he wanted to add, I haven’t gotten two minutes with her to notice or do anything with her.  You’re all dominating her time like she’s a superstar or something.

     “Well she can blow.  She sang for us at the Inn.”

     Zackary bit back a few explicit words.  “Oh!  What were you doing at the Inn, Shyla?”

     The Inn was Brennan’s baby.  He built it on his part of the land.  It was more like a bed and breakfast.  Regardless, Zackary wasn’t happy.

     “To answer your question Bro, she got a little hungry, so instead of going off the property we just went to my place to feed her.  Braxton was driving by and stopped in.  She sang beautifully.”

     “So you sang for them?”  He sounded angry; she could hear it in his voice.  She didn’t know why but she needed to explain to him that it was nothing.

     “I only sang two songs.  It was with the music.  When Braxton asked me to come over to the club and sing I didn’t see that it would be a problem so we stopped by there for a few minutes and I sang with no music.  It was no big deal, Zackary.”

     No big deal she says.  Of course it was a big deal.  If she wanted to sing for someone it should have been him and only him.

     “Mom said dinner will be ready in an hour.  Everyone is expected to be there on time,” he looked at Zackary.

     “I’m always on time.  You better look at Brennan.”

     “Whatever.  Everybody just be on time.  We don’t want to upset mom.”

Zackary turned to Shyla.  “So you met my mom, too?”  His question came out a little harsher than he intended.

     “Yes,” she said wringing her hands.  “Is that a problem?  She was at her bakery.  I was sampling her desserts and one thing led to another and we were there for a while. We would have been back sooner.”

     “No.  No, it’s not a problem.  I just wanted to introduce you myself.”

     “I’m sorry,” she smiled.

     “Don’t think about it.”  He took her hand in his and kissed it.  Again she smiled.  He couldn’t deny her anything.  His feeling for this woman ran so deep in his system that the slightest thing about her turned him on.  He could hardly contain the rising hardness of his male member.

     “I still haven’t met your dad.  Will you introduce me to him?”

     He smiled.  “Yes.  I can do that.”  It was her turn to kiss his hand.  She was going to try and be fair and honest with Zackary for the rest of the trip.  Essence was right.  She needed to let go of the past and trust in the future.  With Zackary, if it was meant to be.

     “Well I for one need to go and change,” said Brennan.   

     “I better get going, too. Venice should be home in a few minutes.  You’ll meet her at dinner.”

     They both kissed Essence and Shyla.

     “I’ll pick you up in about thirty minutes,” Brennan said.  “Wear something nice.”

     Shyla looked over to Zackary who had now released her hand, hoping that he would say something.  But he said nothing. She put her head down.  Why should she make a commitment when he wasn’t trying to?

     “We’ll change again for the club.  Karaoke tonight ladies and gents, bring your voices.”

     The twins left.  Shyla and Zackary sat and stared at one another.  Neither saying what was on their minds.  Shyla shook her head and got up and went to her room closing the door behind her.  Zackary didn’t even make an effort to call her back or follow her.  But Essence did.

     Essence entered the room and sat beside her lying form.  “You okay?”

     “Yeah.  I’m fine.  Why wouldn’t I be?”

     “Then can you please tell me what the hell just happened out there.”

     “What?”

     “Don’t play crazy with me, girl.  Why would you make plans with Brennan and not Zackary?  You’re playing with fire and with two brothers.”

     “I’m not playing with fire or brothers.  I didn’t make plans with anyone.  What the hell do you think you witnessed out there?”

     Essence ignored that last comment.  “Then why didn’t you speak up?  Why didn’t you tell Brennan that you
were here with Zackary and that he would be escorting you to the club?”

     “Why didn’t Zackary say something?  I looked over at him; he released my hand and said nothing.  He’s the man, shouldn’t he tell another man that I’m his or any woman for that matter.  And it doesn’t matter that they’re brothers.  Zackary kissed my hand and I kissed his in front of everyone but he wouldn’t take the next step.  If he really wanted to be with me he would have done just that.  But he didn’t.”

     “I don’t know Shy.”

     “What is there to know?  He should have said something.  Take up for me just once, will you, Essence.”

     “This isn’t about sides Shy.”

     “I think it is.  Why can’t I have Brennan as a friend?  He’s a fun guy.  And Braxton as well.  I can talk to them.”

     “But you came here with Zack.”

     “Correction, I came here as Zack’s guest.  He’s not trying to be with me.  He’s been running around all day with that Halle damn Berry clone.”

     “Her name is Connie and she is very nice.”

     “So what.”

     “So, you’ve been running around with Brennan.”

     “No.  I was sitting here alone after a couple of hours when Brennan came up and spoke to me.  Besides, I can be myself with those guys.  They’re fun and more like brothers.  Brother’s I’ve never had.  I can play with them because I’m not in love with either of them.”  Shyla realized she may spoke too fast. Had she just made a slight confession?

     “Come again.”

     “Nothing.”

     “You just said you were in love with Zackary.”

     “That is not what I said.  What I said was-”

Essence put her hands over her mouth so she would not finish the obvious lie.

     “Sit down before a bolt of lightning come down and strike you for that lie you were about to release from your mouth.

     They sat facing one another.  She asked Shyla to look her in the eyes and tell her that she wasn’t in love with Zackary Trellis.  But before she let her mouth go to hear her answer she threatened her.  “And before you speak remember about the lightning bolts and the fact that I can read you like a book.”  She released her mouth.

     “Okay Ess.  Here is the truth.  I am not going to lie to you.  I am not able to answer that question because, it may not be true.”

     “May not?”  Essence jumped from where she was seating.

     “Okay, okay.  That statement is not true and I am in love with Zackary.”

Essence sighed in relief.  “How long have you felt this way?”

     “I don’t know Ess.”  She shrugged.

     “Estimate.”

     “Ess!”

     “I’m waiting.”  She was not going to have to drag it out of her.  Not this time.

     “Almost immediately.”

     “Shyla!  That’s almost two years.”

     “Definitely before Jamaica.”  She sighed in relief.  It felt so good to finally have it out.

    “How come you held it in and haven’t told him?  Do you know what kind of a relationship the two of you could have had by now?”

     “Yes but it’s not guaranteed.”

     “Shy, he’s an exceptional man and you are an exceptional woman.  Why pretend?”

     “
I’m scared Essence.”

     “W
hy are you scared?”

     “I don’t exactly know.  You know I’m not good with men.  They use and abuse.  They take advantage and stomp all over your heart.  I don’t want to deal with that.”

     “Zackary is not like that.”

     Shyla rolled her eyes.  “All men are like that.”

     “No,” she shook her head.  “That’s not true.”

     “I want to believe that, I really do, but how can I.”

     “He was upset when you left with his brother.”

     “Yeah right.  You couldn’t prove that by the way he acted when we were all in the living room just now.  Besides he was out there for over two hours with Connie and Lord only knows how long they had been in that damn corral.”

     “Shy I’m serious.  Zackary has it bad for you.  He was pacing wondering what was taking you so long to get back, he called both of your cell phones but got no answer and was about to come look for you when Brennan’s truck pulled up.  Oh my God, and when the two of you strolled in laughing he was too through.  He wanted to clock Brennan and I wanted to clock you.”

     “W
hy?”

     “Shyla don’t you get it?  That man out there is in love with you and you leave more than four hours ago with his brother.  You don’t know that man.”

     “Truth be told, Ess, I don’t know Zackary either.”

     “But you know of him and way more than you know his brother. 
And whose fault is it that you don’t know Zack?  He’s really upset.  All he talked about was introducing you to his girls and his parents.”

     “Well, I didn’t know that. And I met his mother.” she smiled and pulled Essence to sit with her.  “Essence she is so nice.  I thought that Sister and Mother Beacon from church were the nicest women I had every met but I was wrong.  After just a few minutes with Mama V, I saw how special she was.”

     “Zackary wanted to do it,” Essence said gloomily.  “I guess because he wanted to see you come together with his mother.  How were you introduced?”

     “What?”

     “How were you introduced to his mother?  Brennan had to tell his mother something when you met.”

     “I was introduced as Shyla, Zackary’s girlfriend.  She hugged me Ess and it felt so good.  It was warm and soft, not strange.  It seemed as if she already knew who I was, like she was waiting for me.”

     “Did you tell them anything different?  Like you were only his friend or acquaintances, or you were my cousin.”

     “No I told her the truth.  I told her that I cared for him.  I just couldn’t seem to lie to his mother.  I didn’t say I was in love with him.  She somehow knew that already.  Brennan and Braxton gave each other high fives.  They were really excited.”  But Shyla didn’t seem overjoyed.