No Ordinary Love (22 page)

Casey could still remember it as if it happened yesterday.

“I can’t keep it,” she’d said to her friends as she paced her bedroom back and forth. Even then her support team of Catrina, Briannah, and even Alieas had ached with her through the emotional decision. None of them agreed with her decision to abort the pregnancy, but all were supportive.

Catrina who had been emotional, said, “You can keep it. Stop saying that. You have a good job, you’re an adult. You have a man who is willing to take care of and love both of you.”

Catrina’s opinion was all heart, Casey thought. She understood that Catrina’s emotions and personal views on abortion made it difficult for her to agree. At any point before this experience, Casey reflected that her own would have been similar.

“Y’all don’t understand,” she’d pleaded to them.

Briannah shook her head. She didn’t, but it was not her place to judge. “It’s your body and your decision, Casey. We all just want you to make the right one,” she’d said.

The right one for y’all, Casey had thought.

Alieas could feel the tension in the room and wanted to avoid any words that if spoken would be regretted. “Casey, it’s your choice. We love you and want you to do what’s right for you.” She could remember Alieas coming to her, taking her face between her hands, and looking directly into her eyes. “Just know that this is not something to be taken lightly. Give yourself a lil’ more time and pray about it,” she had advised.

The tears fell as she pulled her face away. “I have prayed about it and my heart is unchanged. I’m probably going to burn in hell. I just don’t have—”

“What if you can’t have another baby?” Catrina interrupted.

She had been trying to maintain the role of supportive best friend, but what Casey was doing was against all their beliefs. The thought of Casey’s selfish reasons brought tears to her eyes. Life was such a gift. Being able to get pregnant was such a gift. How could she be so careless about it, and expect them to have the same attitude?

Briannah had sent Catrina a cautious look of warning. It took everything in Catrina to look past her personal views.

“I’m just asking, Casey,” Catrina had said. “I love you, and this won’t change that.”

In the end, Casey was still her best friend, and she would be there no matter what. Catrina had gotten up from her seat, went to Casey, and hugged her tightly. Both women rocked for a minute.

That’s how Daemon had seen them when he stepped into the doorway. He’d cleared his throat to make his presence known. Casey looked over at him but didn’t speak.

“You want me to come back?” he’d asked.

Casey shook her head as she stepped away from Catrina. “No.”

“We’re going to give y’all some privacy,” Briannah had told him.

Catrina nodded and wiped her eyes. “Yea, just call us later.”

Daemon waited until they all made their exit before he spoke again. “You told them?”

Casey nodded. “I did, and they don’t agree. Not that I thought they would,” she had murmured as he pulled her into his embrace.

Casey held on to Daemon as she cried silent tears, occasionally accompanied by a small hiccup. “You don’t either. You don’t really think I’m right either,” she told him.

“Babe, it’s not about what I think is right or wrong. Not about what anyone else thinks or wants. You already know what I say. You already know what I want,” Daemon had said as he stroked a calming hand over her back.

So unselfish, she’d thought. Casey moved to put a comfortable distance between them. It was a distance that she’d began creating since the moment she’d found out that she was pregnant with another man’s child. She’d been faced with all her insecurities building up from that moment.

“You don’t want that. How could you be okay with me having another man’s baby?”

“What choice do I have?” His voice had been rough with temper but tapered down by patience. “If it weren’t for me fucking up, you wouldn’t even have been with dude. Please don’t say that this is for me,” he had told her, capturing her hand in his.

Casey had touched his cheek. His sincerity to her dilemma felt almost gut wrenching. He judged that she was being small and weak, she assumed and had convinced herself that it was the truth. She couldn’t see past the fact that they’d have a baby they would have to share with another set of parents for the rest of their lives. That another man’s name would appear on the child’s birth certificate. She couldn’t imagine the split holidays spent away from the child.

“D, I know my reasoning is selfish but, y’all think it’s so easy.”

Angrily, Daemon had stepped away from Casey. It hurt him that she thought so little of him that he would not accept the child as his own. Had she not done the same for Karea? And to this day treated her no different from if she were their own child? How was he not capable of that same love?

“This is not about what anybody else thinks. You want people to agree with you, and they don’t. But they’ll be there for you, because they love you and know that even if they don’t agree, this isn’t easy for you. At this point, take that and stop attempting to seek out approval of other people, because you’re not likely to get it.”

“So you would raise this man’s baby as if he were your own. Be able to look at me for the rest of our lives and not feel some type of way because he’s not yours?”

“I want you to know that sometimes love can overcome any barriers that you’ve come up with in your mind. You love Rea like you gave birth to her. Why do you doubt that I would do the same?”

“This isn’t what I dreamed of, D.”

“Grow the fuck up, Casey,” he sighed. “Life is what happens while you dreaming about shit. Real life not some fuckin’ novel you read.”

“So you think I’m not being a grown up about it?”

Daemon walked back to her. The last thing he wanted to do was argue with her on the subject. Whatever her decision, he would stand by it. “I’m not trying fight with you, babe. Not about this, not about anything.”

After the procedure had been completed and she’d emerged from the recovery room, Daemon had been standing there waiting for her. He’d held her as she cried inconsolable tears in the midst of two strangers signing up for the very same procedure.

During the months to follow, Daemon had held her hand and soothed her hurts. He handled her heart and mind with care as she fought to come back from the dark place she’d ended up.

“You look beautiful, Case,” Catrina told her, putting an end to Casey’s mental and still emotional trip into the past.

Casey shook her head to ward off those demons.

The classic off white lace cap-sleeve A-line gown with the keyhole back and beaded sash that flowed flawlessly into a cathedral train had been designed specifically for her. Casey had originally seen the dress in a collection at David’s Bridal as a trumpet gown, but didn’t like the idea of the mermaid design for her figure. With Briannah’s help she was able to create a dress that combined the top with its sleek cut and lacey bodice and flare out the skirt so that it would appear fuller, and not as confining as the trumpet, considering she was a bit fuller on her lower half.

Briannah had added platinum and diamond accents to embellish the design and make it her own as much as she had made it Casey’s. The attention to detail proved to be absolutely arresting, leaving all onlookers breathless.

She smiled, nodding. “I know, Bri did such a good job. This is even more beautiful than I expected.”

“You really do look beautiful, Mom,” thirteen-year-old Karea told her.

Casey turned to the child and smiled; the girl who she had once glanced at with apprehension was now one of her greatest joys and most important persons in her life. After the DNA test revealed that Daemon was the child’s father, she had eased into their life seamlessly. At first just a day out of the week, and then a weekend a month, summers, and then suddenly she was there forever. Sadly, Tamika suffered a Sickle Cell crisis that ended her life six years ago, and in the time since, the bond between the woman and child had deepened. “Dad is going to think you’re gorgeous,” she added.

“He already does and just remember that all dress details are a secret, Rea,” Carina told the girl.

Karea nodded. “I know. I only told Shiana. She thinks mom looks like a model,” she explained of her best friend.

Casey smiled and let out a burst of laughter. “I guess that’s definitely a compliment,” she added with a touch of sincerity.

“You funny as hell,” Catrina told her absently, glancing at her watch. “I don’t know what Briannah is doing. How could she manage to be late for a fitting in her own boutique is beyond me! Rea, go ask Sonya to call and see what’s taking your aunt so long.”

“Oh, please… Briannah? She could manage to be late for anything, but I already talked to her. She’s taking care of something really important,” Casey informed Catrina.

Catrina frowned and said, “What could be more important than this? You’re in the damn dress already.” She took a seat on the plush silk lilac colored couch in the bridal suite of Briannah’s very successful downtown boutique.

“I’m the one who got anxious and damn near forced Sonya to help me in it. Briannah will probably kill me, and we came early.”

“Early is on time during wedding planning time,” Catrina murmured.

“Oh, God stop being the stuffy, proper, counting every second wedding planner, please enjoy. Your best friend is getting married. Be my maid of honor for two hours instead of being my planner,” Casey pleaded.
It fits perfectly
, she thought as she swayed from side to side with a blissful hmm.

“I’m both. And let’s note, I’m always the planner, or the bride’s maid, never the bride,” Catrina pitifully responded.

Casey peered at Catrina through the mirror. “Shut up, it’s your birthday. We’re going to have a good time tonight.” Casey could barely contain the excitement she felt due to the upcoming surprise party for Catrina’s thirtieth birthday. They had successfully pulled it off without their friend suspecting a thing. As much as Catrina hated being surprised, she loved attention. She could almost imagine Catrina’s frown and then quick smile of appreciation at them doing something so special for her.

“Aghhhhhh!” Catrina let out an exaggerated scream. “Thanks for reminding me of another year passing, and I’m still single.”

Casey shook her head. “Please, you are not single,” she reminded Catrina.

“Oh, okay, I forgot. We’re now counting sleeping partnerships as actual relationships these days,” Catrina quickly said of her two year off and on relationship with Shawn Dean, a corporate tax attorney. She lived off the theory that you might as well be single, if you weren’t with the person you wanted to be with. Which could be countered by Casey’s theory of: if you couldn’t be with the one you loved, you love the one you’re with. Catrina smirked at the thought, and knew that a speech would come, if she didn’t stop pouting.

“Girl, please. He got a key. And you know Shawn love you, and if you would stop playing, you could probably have him in the committed relationship you so eagerly seek.” Even saying that, Casey already knew Catrina’s love wasn’t easily given, and to date she had only been in love once.

“He called me this morning, you know. Just to wish me happy birthday,” Catrina revealed, not even lifting her head to look at her friend.

Casey turned and would have bent down to her friend, but not in her dress. She instead tilted her head with sympathetic eyes.

Catrina looked up at Casey as she played nervously with her pen. “I don’t get it. I just don’t get it. After all this time, he seems completely happy in Atlanta with Mi-Chelle and their life but he still flirts with the idea of us being able to be more than friends.”

Casey could see the clear confusion in her friend’s eyes, the sadness that took over them for a minute before they brightened again. “Well, we are all grown now, and y’all did agree to be friends. Right?”

Catrina nodded. Eight years ago that had been her way to deal with their difficult situation. Years of family events and vacations had eased her ability to be in the same space as him. Sometimes the spaces were more intimate than she’d been willing to admit to her friends.

“That’s when he lived in Atlanta and was never coming up here and I had no intention of really having to see him or even talk to him on a regular basis.”

Casey tilted her head to the side and contemplated the news she was going to break. They’d made a pact all those years ago that all news was to be shared if it could affect someone’s life. “D mentioned something about him moving back here by the end of the year. Something about opening a payday loans firm here.”

Catrina straightened up from her lounging position. “I think he said something to me about moving back to Philly in passing,” she flagged and stood up. “Whatever, doesn’t matter to me none.” She shrugged.

“Oh my God, Casey, you look so beautiful,” Briannah rushed in looking fresh and bubbly in a yellow pastel bubble dress and a matching yellow orchid hair pin tucked in her swept side ponytail. “I knew that you would.” Briannah smiled even as she immediately went into designer mode fussing over the fall of the cathedral veil and dress.

Half distracted, she glanced up at Catrina. “Happy Birthday, boo,” she exclaimed. “Since you’re the first of us to cross that thirty mark, we taking you out tonight to celebrate. I’ma get that ass so drunk, Shawn will be a happy man by the end of the night,” she added when she was sure Karea was out of earshot.

“Whatever. And why you so late?” Catrina questioned. “You know I have a tight schedule today,” she added.

Briannah stepped away from Casey long enough to take hold of Catrina’s face to place a large kiss on her cheek. “Who cares? Who works on their birthday? I already got all those appointments switched. There will no wedding planning today my friend. Soon as I’m done with this one, we hitting the spa.”