Ms. Perfectly Imperfect: BBW BWWM Interracial Romance (3 page)

Sure, he was handsome but so were a lot of other men she met. Her world was full of good-looking men, and she was never swayed by their physical appearance or charm. But there was something different about Dr. Collins. He was a good soul. Layla was amazed at her own assessment. She didn’t even know the man, but somehow it was easy to read the sheer goodness that radiated out from him.

“I’ll take you to the right department.”

She followed him as he led her up another flight of stairs. It was kind of him to show her the way when he could have just as easily told her where to go.

He stopped in front of a door. “This is it. Just go inside, show them your papers, and they will deal with the rest.” He smiled. “Would you like me to come with you?”

She took the papers from his hand and sucked in a deep breath of air. If that little girl could be brave, so could she. Charlotte was battling cancer whereas she was merely dealing with hair loss. It was kind of him to offer. “Thank you. I’ll manage.”

“Layla,” he said as she stepped towards the door. “That’s your name, right?”

“Yeah.” She tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “It is.”

“It’s highly unethical of me to—do this, but I was wondering if you would like to go out with me sometime?”

She blinked her eyes. Did he just ask her out? “I’m engaged,” she blurted out.

“Ah! Well, never mind then.” He waved a hand.

For some strange reason, she felt bereft as if she had committed some major blunder but the truth was that she felt committed to Gage. Even if she weren’t, this wouldn’t be a good time to embark on a new relationship. Given what she was going through, she needed a lot of support and that could only be given by someone who loved her. Gage was that man, and not this stranger.

“Good luck,” he said before striding back from where he came.

Layla felt bad about turning him down. He seemed sweet and eager, but she loved Gage. She watched the doctor walk away, and then with a final fortifying breath, she opened the door and stepped inside to face her demons. Whatever happened next, she planned to deal with it the same way she dealt with everything else in her life; and that was with aplomb and confidence.

Life might throw a bunch of problems her way, but she intended to be strong enough to deal with them. Nothing could faze her. She was as steady as a rock, now and always.

Chapter Three

You don’t have to be anyone other than who you authentically are, and you sure as hell don’t have to spend your time and energy trying to convince people that you’re worth keeping around.
~Daniell Keopke

Layla resisted the urge to adjust her hat as she sat in the restaurant with her future parents-in-laws. This would be their first meeting and she hoped they would be able to get past this awkward space and move into a better future.

It didn’t help that the looks they gave her were full of ire and suspicion. What did they expect her to do? Did they think she was going to throw a tantrum in public or perhaps break into her signature moves? Rather than say something mean or derogatory, she curbed the impatience that bubbled in her heart and smiled sweetly at them. “Shall we order?” She accepted the menu from the waiter. “They have a wonderful variety of seafood.”

“I don’t like seafood,” Gage’s mother sniffed haughtily.

“They have other things too,” she said quickly. Why the hell were they behaving like this? What did she ever do to them? Layla was surprised that Gage couldn’t see the open hostility that emanated from his parents. Or perhaps, he was deliberately ignoring it.

Gage’s father wrinkled his brow as he read the menu. “Pretty pricy place.”

“It’s all right, dad. Just order what you want.”

“We never taught you to throw money away like this,” his mother sneered.

“It’s not wasting, mom. We’re celebrating.”

“What are you celebrating? Have you set a date for the wedding as yet?” The look on his mother’s face clearly told her this news wouldn’t be taken well.

“It’s the first time you’ve met Layla. I think it calls for some kind of a celebration.” Gage smiled. He didn’t look perturbed by their rude behavior. Perhaps this was normal in their family.

Layla wasn’t sure if she felt the slightest bit comfortable with this development. She’d always known that his parents didn’t like her, but this was downright humiliating.

“Hmph.” His mother snorted. “I’ll have the steamed chicken with oregano and mustard.”

Gage put aside his menu. “Sweetie, can you please order the beef for me?” He rose from his seat. “Excuse me. I’m going to the washroom.”

Layla felt this terrible urge to yank him back into his seat. She didn’t think it was possible for her to survive alone with his parents for even a few seconds. When he left, she smiled at them and glanced at the menu again, as if she was ready to memorize it.

“You do know that this isn’t going to work out,” his mother hissed the words.

Layla glanced up, not sure if she heard correctly. “What do you mean?”

“It might look all good now, but when…
if
…you get married, he wouldn’t be able to tolerate the kind of lifestyle that you lead. Women like you, the ones who flaunt their bodies and lure men, are not really his type. I don’t know what he sees in you,” his mother muttered hatefully. Her gaze darted in the direction her son had wandered off to as if she wanted to say everything before he came back. “It’s a mistake, and the sooner you realize it, the better it is for everyone.”

It was almost as if she was punched in the face. Never before did anyone talk to her in such a manner. The woman must be insane, and probably her husband too, because he stared at Layla as if he agreed with everything his wife said. So, they didn’t like her.
Big deal.
She could live with that because Gage loved her. If it were anyone else, she would’ve given them a piece of her mind, but Layla swallowed the anger threatening to engulf her. “You don’t know me, Mrs. Shelton. If we got to spend some time together, you’ll realize that I’m not such a bad person.”

“It’s not about being good or bad, although how you can excuse away your shameless behavior with such ease, I’ll never understand…You don’t fit into my son’s life, and you’ll never be accepted into our family.”

Just as Layla opened her mouth to speak, Gage slipped into his seat. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Layla said quickly.

His mother put her hands on the table. “I’d decided early on, not to talk about it in the open, but I’ve now come to the realization that some things need to be said out loud.”

“Mother,” Gage protested.

“You don’t want me to speak about it. I understand.” She raised a hand to silence her son. “But I feel that I must tell her what to expect if she marries you. We, your father and I, are not happy with this decision. You’ve rushed into it, and I’m afraid that it’s going to end badly.”

Layla glanced at Gage, sure that he was going to tell his mother off any moment now. So, he was well aware that his parents didn’t like her. He hid that fact from her probably, because he didn’t want to hurt her. Now, she finally understood why she never saw them before. But this was crazy. They couldn't insult her so openly and expect to remain on good terms with Gage. Surely, he would tell them off. This wasn’t fair. She hadn’t done anything to them, and yet they continued to harass her.

Gage glanced away. Rather than say something, he just looked in another direction as if he couldn’t even hear his mother’s humiliating words.

“You shouldn’t get married,” his father added.

Layla couldn’t take the insults anymore. What the hell was going on here? The man she counted on to protect her, to stand in front of her like a shield, was actually looking the other way as if he couldn’t even hear the conversation. Although there was a lot that she could have said to shut them up, she didn’t want to make matters worse by opening her mouth. They accused her of being below their expectations, but it was actually they who failed their son.

And Gage failed her.

She stood up. “I’m leaving.” She straightened her spine, stared all of three of them down, one at a time, then spun around, and waltzed off.

Gage marched behind her. “Layla, listen. I know they’re not talking sense, but just bear with me. Ignore what they’re saying.”

She whirled to face him. The quick movement made her fashionable hat tip, and as she captured it with her hand, Layla was well aware that the bald patches on her head were clearly visible for a few seconds.

The horrified look on Gage’s face told her that he didn’t miss anything.

The murmurs that started among the people who were sitting closest to them told her that some of them saw it too. She glanced back towards the table where his parents were sitting. The open hostility on their face made her feel even more demoralized. Humiliated, she forgot what she was about to say. She rammed the hat back down on her head. “I should go.”

Gage reached her before she could hail a cab on the street. His hand clasped around her arm. “What the hell is going on here? Your hair—it’s…”

“It’s falling out. I went to the hospital a few days ago to do some tests. They don’t know…but they’re doing everything to find out the reason behind it.”

Letting go of her arm, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted to do so after I knew something more about it. This isn’t the right time to talk about that.”

“So when is the right time? After you’ve made all the decisions?”

“Don’t talk to me like that. You’re the one who sprung that surprise on me. We’ve been seeing each other for two years. It might have been better if you’d told me at some point that your parents didn’t like me. At least, I would’ve been prepared.”

“What did the doctor say about the hair loss?” he asked as if he didn’t hear her accusations.

She couldn’t believe that they were still talking about it as if she hid something monstrous from him. He was the one she needed to lean on and instead, he glared at her in an accusatory manner, as if she committed some grave error. “The doctors don’t know anything as yet.”

When she stomped away, he made no attempt to follow her.

Layla felt as if her world just collapsed around her. First her hair, then Gage’s parents, and now—him. What else did she have to endure before this nightmare came to an end? She hated it. It was terrible to feel that no one loved her enough to offer her some level sympathy, to gather her in their arms, and tell her that everything was going to be all right. She wanted Gage to do that. He was supposed to be her rock, but instead he was more worried about his parents and about the implications of her hair loss on his life.

It’s just the shock, she decided. Surely, he felt devastated
for
her but couldn’t express himself. She didn’t tell him, and perhaps that’s why he was upset.

Only once she was home did she allow herself to let loose the tears that pooled in her eyes.

Couldn’t she get a break anywhere?

What the hell was going on in her life these days?

Everything seemed to be falling apart, and she didn’t quite know how to put it back together. When she closed her eyes, much to her surprise, the image that floated up to the top of her thoughts was of the handsome Dr. Collins. Layla opened her eyes in a flash. Why would she think about that man? She didn’t even know him…yet, somehow, she felt that if he was around, he would’ve been able to offer some comfort.

Layla fell into an uneasy sleep, and when she woke up in the morning, she was greeted by the sight of more hair piled on top of her pillow. The sight triggered fresh tears to spring to her eyes. While mourning the loss and wondering if the doctors would soon get to the bottom of this mystery, her cell phone rang.

It was Gage.

She picked up. “Hello.”

“Layla, what’s going on with you? You’re going through something terrible, and you didn’t even mention it to me.”

Layla picked up a lock of her hair and curled her fist around it. No good morning. No declarations of love. Instead, he launched straight into an argument. “I didn’t want to tell you before I knew for myself what was going on.”

“Is it a disease?”

“I don’t know, Gage. I’ve no idea what it is.”

“How long has it been going on?”

“A week or two, I guess.”

He let loose an expletive. “You’ve known about it for weeks, and yet you didn’t tell me!” She heard him exhale a deep, gush of breath. “Look, Layla. I don’t think this is going to work out.”

She felt too distressed to make sense of his words. “What isn’t going to work out?”

“I need some time to rethink this decision.”

She still didn’t get it. “Which decision?

“About us getting married.”

It felt as if a truck rolled over her. Where was the sympathy she expected? Where were the quiet mummers that everything was going to be all right? She wanted him to soothe her, calm her, but instead he was stepping away as if she were a leper—and right after she tolerated the humiliation that his parents piled on her lap.

Another woman might have yelled and cursed, but she was too overwhelmed to talk. “Fine, Gage. Call me when you know what you want.” She hung up.

Would she ever hear from him again?

Would he come back?

She didn’t have a clue. All she knew was that this man wasn’t the one she got engaged to. Gage, the one she loved, was always kind and loving. This man only seemed to be concerned about his thoughts, his needs, his image. She didn’t like it.

Not one damn bit.

Layla took a bath and slipped into a pair of jeans and a royal-blue cami. She felt too drained to give more thought to Gage and his horrible behavior. Perhaps she made a mistake by not telling him, but this wasn’t the kind of response she expected. While she pondered over the possible implications of his behavior, the doorbell rang.

Without thinking, Layla opened the door.

Her mother breezily strode in without looking at her. “Good morning, darling. It’s been a while, so I thought I should drop in to take a look at you. You’re so busy with your life that you’ve forgotten about me.”

“That’s not true, mom.” She wanted to run into the bedroom and cover her head with a scarf, but it was too late.

Her mother already turned towards her. “I tried to call you two days ago, but your phone was switched off. I was—” Her mouth fell open, and the high-pitched scream which emanated from her lips pierced the air. She pointed at Layla’s head, ran forward, and grabbed her shoulders. “What’s wrong with your hair?”

She glanced down at her mother who was almost a foot shorter than Layla’s almost 6-foot frame. “It’s falling out.”

“Falling out? What do you mean?” she shrieked.

This wasn’t a good idea at all. Layla wished she could’ve kept her predicament from her mother for some time. Mary, her mother, never reacted positively to any change. She wouldn’t take it well. “I’ve been to the doctors already, mom. They’re trying to find out the reason behind it.”

Her mother’s hand flew to her chest. “Your hair. Your beautiful hair!” Her slate-gray stare looked incredulous. “What—” Mary shook her head, as if her brain was not processing what she saw with her own eyes. “How—”

Layla’s gaze traveled to her mother’s hair which was exactly the color of hers. Or had been when Layla boasted a head full of hair. It was the one thing she’d inherited from her mother. Actually, it was the only thing they had in common.