Nothing Can Come Between Us

The light from the TV flickered on and off and pulled me out of my sweet slumber. I felt the weight and warmth of his body on mine. I glanced down at the man lying between my legs and smiled. The combination of his smooth tawny brown skin, tattoo-covered muscular chest, perfectly manicured goatee, and fresh-cut waves was a sight to see. Jayceon Alexander Robinson is the finest man I have ever seen and the best thing that ever happened to me. He’s my haven, my safe place.

After the eventful and somewhat chaotic day that we had, this was the perfect ending. My big brother, Jarod, and my best friend, Victoria, had their dream wedding in London in a picturesque garden. It was so beautiful and romantic, but there were a few snags here and there. Such as my cousin, Adina, bringing my uninvited ex and father of my child, Trent Gates, to the wedding. Just when I thought that we were cool and on the same page, Trent started acting up again. He really needed to understand that it’s over for us. Hopefully, he’d get it sooner than later. Despite a few mishaps, namely my ex, it was still a great day filled with joy, love, and hope.

Since my beautiful daughter, Halo, was with my parents, I had an empty and quiet house. Something I haven’t had in over a week. A few of my friends, Karli, my pregnant sister, Camden, and her husband, Tyler Gates, crashed at my place for the nuptials. So, the peace, quiet, and getting some alone time with my fiancé was dearly appreciated.

I repositioned myself to get more comfortable, so I could go back to sleep. Jay’s eyes blinked open and then he stared at me in confusion. When he realized nothing was amiss, he nuzzled into the softness of my stomach and closed his eyes. After a few moments, I felt him go limp and cradled his head closer to my chest. I kissed the top of his head before I laid back and closed my eyes.

I was nodding off when I heard footsteps and faint sobs. The only people left on the property were Rick Hassan, my bodyguard, and Janae Robinson, my fiancé’s little sister. It was very unlikely for Rick to be crying, so I knew it had to be Janae. My heart sank because I knew Rick finally did it. He broke her heart.

I carefully sat up, not to disturb Jay, and saw her silhouette. I reached for the lamp and turned it on. As soon as the soft light filled the room, I caught her approaching my kitchen. Her amber eyes were red and puffy, clearly from crying.

“Janae? Is everything okay?” I whispered.

She stopped and quickly wiped her face.

“Yes. I’m sorry that I woke you. I just need... some... more tea. Rick’s all out,” she said unconvincingly.

“Oh, I’ll get it for you.”

“No. You two are comfortable so don’t worry,” she mumbled.

I carefully unwrapped myself from my fiancé. He was out, unfazed that he was no longer on me. I made my way toward the kitchen. Then I guided her to the island and started on that tea she claimed to need. I went to the pantry and pulled out tea bags, sugar, and honey. Then I went to get my favorite teacups and teapot, a gift from my Jiddah, from the cabinet and placed them on the counter. As I filled the teapot, I noticed how hurt and distracted she was as she stared off into space. Something was definitely wrong with her. After I placed the teapot on the burner, I grabbed her hand in an attempt to comfort her.

“Janae, what’s wrong? We’re sisters, and I’ll always be here for you,” I said just above a whisper.

She opened and closed her mouth several times and then the tears started to flow again.

“Whatever it is, you know I’m here for you,” I reassured her.

“I know,” she cried.

I went around the island and placed my arms around her. Her body shook as she silently sobbed on my shoulder. I warmly caressed her back, trying to keep my tears at bay. I knew how it felt to love someone that didn’t love you back, at least not the way you needed to be loved. She pulled away from me and lowered her head.

“I’m so stupid for falling in love with him. I knew… I knew he didn’t want more, but I didn’t care. I just want him,” she cried.

As much as Rick denied having feelings for Janae or came up with excuse after excuse on why they shouldn’t be together, I knew deep down he wanted her. He allowed fear and his pride to get in the way. If he didn’t get it together, he was going to lose the best thing to ever happen to him.

“You are not stupid for loving him. Rick is a great guy, and he cares about you more than he admits. He gets in his own way a lot. He thinks he doesn’t deserve a beautiful woman like you and a family. I’m not making excuses for him. I hate that he has hurt you. But I just want you to understand him and understand that you can’t force anyone to love you…. You deserve love. It’s up to you to make the right decision for you,” I said.

“I know.” She sniffled. “I can’t help the way that I feel about him… And to make this more complicated, I’m pregnant. Please don’t tell anyone. Not Rick, and especially not my brother,” she whispered with pleading eyes.

My mouth slightly opened in shock, and I had to force myself to keep it closed and keep my expression neutral. My mind was trying to process everything. Janae’s pregnant by Rick. It explained a lot. Her feeling sick lately. The pregnancy test Jayceon found in my bathroom that he thought was mine. Then I thought about her and what she was probably going through, like the uneasy feeling of being unexpectedly pregnant and not sure what to do. I’ve been there, and I knew how it could change everything. I couldn’t magically make her problems and feelings disappear, but I could be there for her.

“I won’t. I swear. You know that I got you. I’ve been in your shoes. I promise to support you in any way that I can.” I reassured her as I rubbed her back.

“I know. But it’s…. I don’t know what I’m going to do, Hayden.”

“Janae, you don’t have to know right now. One thing I’ve learned is to take it day by day. Give yourself time and grace to make the right decisions for you.”

“Okay.” She sighed and then stared off again.

“It’s going to be okay.”

She nodded, and I could tell she didn’t want to talk anymore. I backed away to give her some space and quiet. I brainstormed what I could say to make her feel better. Nothing came to mind as I watched her stare off into space. The kettle sang with a high whistle that caught my attention. I made my way to the stove to turn it off. I quietly made both of us a cup of chamomile tea. The sweet, floral fragrance and citrus aroma lingered through the kitchen. Then I placed a cup in front of her. She stared at it for a while before she took a sip and gave me a faint smile. Tea has always brought out my sense of grace and calm. I hoped it could bring Janae a temporary sense of peace. We continued to drink our tea in a comfortable silence. She looked up at me and put her teacup down on the counter.

“I’m so sorry about what I said to you at the wedding,” she said, breaking the silence.

“Janae, it’s okay. You already apologized, and it’s forgotten.”

“No, I was wrong. I called you weak, and I put you in my brother at odds because I was so unhappy and mad with myself. I projected my hurt on you and him. What you and my brother have is so beautiful, and I wish I could have just a morsel of it. Jay loves you so much, and he thinks you’re the bravest person he’s ever met. And he’s right. Hayden, you are so strong. You dealt with so much, and you didn’t let it break you. You didn’t let the hardships and trials stop you from being happy and to love again. I’m so proud of you, and I admire you more than you could ever know,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Tears filled my eyes and began to flow at her kind and heartfelt words. She had no idea how much her words meant. I’ve been struggling with the perception of myself. So many of the people I loved thought I was this helpless weakling with no backbone. They also felt that they always had to protect me because they thought I couldn’t protect myself. It hurt that they felt that way, and it toyed with my confidence. Janae’s belief in me and words of encouragement made that doubt subside.

“Janae, I- I don’t even know what to say. Thank you. You mean so much to me,” I cried.

Janae is more than my friend and future sister-in-law. We have a soul-reaching eternal bond of sisterhood and love. She’s the raw and vulnerable friend, the one who’d wear her heart on her sleeve. We could laugh and cry with each other. I love her for being so honest and trusting. I hoped that everything worked out for her.

“No, you don’t know what you mean to me. Thank you so much for listening and being there for me even after what I said to you,” she sobbed.

“Nae, it’s okay. We’re good, sis. Come here,” I sniffled.

She came around the kitchen island. We wrapped our arms around each other. She squeezed me a bit tighter before we let go. It seemed a if she was more relaxed and happier even if it was temporary.

“Thanks again. I feel much better.” She smiled for the first time.

“It’s good to see you smile. Speaking of smiling. You want to know something funny?” I smiled.

“Please,” she said as she picked up the teacups off the counter and put them in the sink. “I need a laugh.”

“Well, your brother thought I was pregnant. He was so excited because he found a pregnancy test in my bathroom. I wonder why.” I smiled and leaned on the counter.

“Oh, really?” Her eyes went wide and then she blushed. “Now, we know that it was mine. I took the test in your bathroom, and I just stared at the results in shock. Then Karli knocked on the door and I panicked. I don’t even remember what I did with it. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I was just shocked that he thought I was pregnant. I thought maybe it was Karli or one of my cousins. You never came to mind.”

“Unfortunately, it was me.” She sighed heavily and her head dropped for a moment and then she looked up at me. “Anyway, do you want another baby?”

“I do. Maybe two or three more.”

“Aww. You and Jay would have the most beautiful babies, just like Halo. Jay would be so happy. He loves kids, and I know he wants another baby. After he lost Jeremiah, he was a shell, just going through the motions until he met you and Halo. I hope he gets to experience fatherhood again.”

Jay rarely talked about Jeremiah. I didn’t bring him up or asked him to talk about his son because I didn’t want to remind him of his grief and loss. Losing a loved one is tough and heartbreaking. So far, I’ve been blessed to not experienced it yet. Whenever he’s ready to talk about it, I’d be there to support him.

“I know, and he will, but not now. We want to have kids after we get married. He has Halo. He’s her dad too,” I said.

“True. He’s so good with her. You’re lucky. Remember that.”

“I know.”

“Know what?’ Jayceon said.

Janae and I jumped from his unexpected presence and turned around at the same time. The way he snuck up us was controlled, fluid, and soundless like a Navy Seal. I wondered how long he was standing there and how much he heard.

“Baby, you scared us half to death. I thought you were asleep,” I said.

“I was until I noticed you weren’t next to me. It’s almost 4 in the morning. Why are you two up? What’s wrong?” he inquired.

I saw the panic in Janae’s eyes before she tried to mask it. I knew I had to save her.

“Nothing, babe. We just couldn’t sleep from all the excitement this weekend. So, we just had some tea and had girl talk. We were talking about how lucky I am to have such an amazing man like you,” I said, telling a partial truth.

“Okay.” He raised his eyebrows as if he didn’t believe me. “Y’all should get some sleep.”

“We will. Good night, big bro,” Janae said.

“Good night,” he said.

“Jay, I’ll meet you in our bedroom. I’m going to get Janae settled in the guestroom since it’s empty now.”

He nodded and then headed to the bedroom. I grabbed Janae by the arm and guided her to the guestroom. I knew she didn’t want to be with Rick tonight. I was kind of surprised he didn’t come over here and get her.

“Thanks, HayHay. I just didn’t want to be around Rick right now. He probably didn’t even notice that I left.”

“Welcome. And try to get some sleep, okay?”

She hugged me again before I left. Then I went to my bedroom. Jayceon was in the bathroom. I went in there to brush my teeth. After we finished, we got in bed. Just when I was about to turn off my lamp, Jay stopped me.

“Babe, are you going to tell me what’s really going on with my sister? I know something is wrong,” he said.

I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to lie to him, but I promised Janae I wouldn’t tell him or anyone else about her situation.

“It’s personal, Jay. It’s not my place to tell you or anyone.”

“Okay, fine, don’t tell me,” he said, in a frustrated tone.

“Jay.”

He turned over, ignoring me. After I turned off the light, I sat in the dark, trying to figure out how I was going to be loyal to Janae and honest with my man without getting myself into some mess.

Thank you for reading my 8th novel. Please read parts 1 and 2 in “Everything That Came Between Us” first.