Flaw Less (12 page)

“Mark doesn't want Reggie, not for anything outside of the bedroom, at least.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I know Mark,” insisted Lawson.

“Did you know he was going to ask her out?” Lawson shook her head. “Then maybe you don't know Mark as well as you
think
you do.”

—
Angel King

 

 

Angel came home exhausted from Lawson's. Duke greeted her with opened arms when she walked into their home. “There's my beautiful fiancée.”

“Hey, baby.” She kissed him. “Where are the girls?”

“Upstairs, washing up before dinner.”

Angel couldn't fathom the prospect of preparing yet another meal. “It's been such a crazy day, Duke. Why don't we just order a pizza for the girls and make it an early night?”

Duke caressed her back. “I was sort of hoping for a home-cooked meal.”

“Well, you're home. Why don't you cook it?” she snapped.

“The occasion warrants something a little more special than pizza, and you know my home-cooked specialty is cereal.”

Angel slid out of her jacket. “What's the occasion?”

“Channing is flying in today for Thanksgiving. I'm picking him up from the airport in about an hour.”

Angel felt a rush of anger. “Thanks for the warning, Duke! This house is a wreck. We're not prepared for company.”

“Chan is not coming here to inspect our house. He's coming home to see his family.”

“Wouldn't you rather take him out?”

“Angel, he's been flying all day. I'm sure he wants to sit back and relax, not deal with waiters screwing up his order and obnoxious patrons.” He kissed her hands. “Please, baby, for me. . . .”

Angel rolled her eyes. “You're going to owe me big time, Du'Corey King!” she warned him.

He winked at her. “You know I'm good for it.”

“Yeah, I know
exactly
what you're good for,” grumbled Angel.

Duke pulled her into his arms. “And you love every minute of it.”

 

 

“This is so frustrating,” screeched Angel into the phone with Lawson as she hunted for a boiler in Theresa's seemingly never-ending collection of pots and pans. “I don't understand this woman's organizational system at all. Who even buys this much cookware? It's like Pots 'R' Us in here!”

“You're just stressed out, Angel. Calm down; it's just dinner. Don't make such a big deal out of it.”

“It's not ‘just dinner,' Lawson. It's the way he just expects me to drop everything to—”

“You need some help in the kitchen?”

Angel didn't recognize the low tenor voice speaking to her. “No, I got it. I just . . .” She turned around. It felt as if the world had stopped spinning the moment she laid eyes on him. He was far more handsome in person than he was on any of the pictures of him she'd seen. Angel told herself to blink and to breathe.

“I have to admit, I love seeing a woman in an apron. Something about it is wholesome yet sexy.” He smiled. Even on crutches, he had a swagger about him that rivaled any movie star on the red carpet. “Hi, I'm Channing. You must be Angel.”

“Hi.” She managed to climb down without killing herself or taking her eyes off of his luscious butterscotch skin. “Lawson, I'll call you back.” She dropped the phone.

“Oh, you didn't have to get off the phone. I just wanted to come formally introduce myself. Obviously, I've heard a lot about you, but with me spending most of my life on foreign soil, we've never had a chance to meet face-to-face.”

She shook his hand. “It's a pleasure to finally meet you. How's the leg?”

He looked down at the cast. “They didn't amputate it, so anything short of that is good.”

She laughed a little too hard—a telltale sign for Angel that she was giddy and far more attracted to him than she should've been.

“I hear congratulations are in order . . .
again
. When is the big day?” asked Channing.

“What day?”

“Your wedding,” he answered.

“Oh, right! Um, late spring. June fifth.”

Channing nodded. “Okay. I hope I'm able to fly back for it, and I apologize for just showing up out the blue. I was supposed to fly out Saturday, but I couldn't resist the chance to be home with family for Thanksgiving.”

“It's okay,” she said quickly. “I'm glad you could make it for dinner.”

“Really? Duke kind of hinted that you were less than thrilled about having an extra mouth to feed.”

“I don't know where he got that idea from,” she lied.

“That's good. I'd hate to put you out.”

“Oh, I don't mind putting out.” She winced when she caught the Freudian slip. “I mean, it's no big deal, honestly.” Angel swallowed and wiped her sweaty palms. “I bet Duke and the girls are wondering where dinner is. They're not a bunch who like to be kept waiting.”

“I think all of us Kings have that in common.” He smiled flirtatiously. “We've got to have what we want when we want it.”

Angel finished the dinner and brought it out to her starving family. Knowing she was cooking for such a handsome guest made the task a little less arduous. Duke blessed the food, and they all began digging in.

Angel passed the salad bowl to Channing. “I bet it feels good to be home, huh?”

“I'm happy to see my family, obviously, but my heart is out there on the ground with my combat unit.”

Angel fixed Miley's plate. “The troops have my utmost respect and my prayers, but I'd be lying if I said I agreed with everything you all are doing out there.”

Channing blinked back. “Exactly which part don't you agree with, Angel? Liberating people? Taking down oppressive dictators? Feeding starving children on the street?”

“No, occupying another country without sensitivity to their culture, their beliefs, and their way of life. I don't think imposing our will on them is right. Neither is bombing villages and killing innocent civilians.”

Duke attempted to diffuse the exchange. “Angel, chill out now. We're trying to enjoy a nice dinner.”

“Well, Duke, I'm sure there are families all over the country who would love to be having a nice dinner with a loved one who's life was sacrificed for a senseless war.”

Channing countered her argument. “Since when is fighting for freedom senseless? This country was built on the backs of soldiers. It's ‘senseless wars,' as you put it, that provide the freedom that you're able to enjoy.”

“So the torture and killing of innocent people and the increased risk to our own national security are just causalities of war too?” challenged Angel. Channing was starting to become less attractive.

Channing gulped down his glass of tea. “It's war, Angel. Sometimes it gets bloody and gruesome. All of it's not pretty and, yes, sometimes innocent blood is shed. But as they say, sometimes the needs of many outweigh the needs of a few.”

“Fine . . .” Angel heaped food onto her plate. “You tell that to the parents having to bury their son today or to the child whose mother isn't around to kiss him good night because she's on her third or fourth tour of duty.”

“Every soldier knows the risk involved when he or she enlists. To most, dying for their country is honorable.”

“I don't know what's so honorable about dying on foreign soil, maimed and gasping for life, never even being able to tell your family good-bye.”

“You watch too much sensationalized television,” charged Channing. “You have no idea what's on going out there.”

“You're right. It's probably much worse than the politicized version we get on television.”

Duke rubbed Angel's shoulders. “Baby, go easy on him. The man has been fighting in a war zone. He put his life on the line for us and almost lost his leg in the process. That's a heck of a sacrifice.”

Angel turned to Duke. “I know all about sacrificing for this country.”

“Chan, I hope you're not offended. My fiancée can be a little passionate and high-strung.” He kissed her on the cheek. “But we love her anyway!”

Angel pushed Duke away. “You don't have to apologize for me! I haven't said anything I didn't mean.”

“I know, baby, but don't you think you're being a little hard on him considering what he's been through?”

Angel faced Channing. “I'm sorry if you think I'm being insensitive, but this is a very touchy subject for me.”

“Angel lost her father in combat,” explained Duke. “He was killed in the first Iraq war.”

“My father was everything to me,” Angel told him. “He was a soldier, but he detested senseless killing, and he had great respect for other people's differences.” She took a breath. “His death devastated my family. I would never want to see anyone else's spouse, sibling, child, or friend go through what we went through. My mother has never completely gotten over it.”

Channing now understood her combativeness. “I'm sorry for your loss, Angel. For the record, no one looks forward to being deployed, separated from loved ones, and not knowing how or if you're going to return. However, it's what we signed up to do.”

She nodded. “I respect your commitment and loyalty to this country.”

Channing smiled. “So are we cool again?”

Angel blushed. “Yeah, we're cool. Nothing wrong with a little difference in ideology, right?”

“You're right,” replied Channing.

“Well, you know what Aunt Jackie used to make us do after a big fight,” Duke said. He gave his cousin a slight shove. “Go on over there and hug it out!”

Angel laughed nervously and shook her head. “Oh, that's not necessary, Duke.”

“No, it's cool,” disputed Channing, rising from his seat. “I mean, we're practically family now.”

Channing held out opened arms and invited her in. Angel accepted, inhaling his cologne as he held her.

She released him before the hug could be considered anything but amicable. Angel knew they'd soon be family, but what she felt in that embrace was anything but familial.

—
Kina Battle

 

 

“Sullivan, that husband of yours knows he can preach!” declared Kina after they all returned to Sullivan's house following the church's Thanksgiving Day service for dinner. “It felt like he preached that sermon just for me.”

Lawson removed a pan of dressing from the oven. “It never hurts to be reminded that this battle we're waging is a spiritual warfare, not a physical one. When we find ourselves at odds with one another, it's good to remember that.” She glanced over at Sullivan, who sat quietly while everyone else scurried about preparing dinner. “By the looks of it, Sully, you're fighting your own spiritual warfare over there with yourself. What's going on with you? You've been quiet since we got here.”

“I'm just a little preoccupied today. The holidays have that affect on me,” she explained.
The holidays and Vaughn
, she thought, racked with guilt following their baby-making liaison. She discovered that sinning wasn't as easy or painless as it used to be.

Lawson slipped off her oven mitts. “You and Charles okay?”

Sullivan grimaced. “He keeps saying that everything will work out. I suppose at some point I ought to believe him.”

Angel whisked ingredients for the gravy. “If you think your marriage is so shaky, why are you trying to have a baby?”

Sullivan pitched off a little of the dressing. “I think having a baby will bring us closer and remind us of all the love there is still left between us. Giving him a child is my way of proving to him how committed I am to our marriage; my way of atoning for having an affair.”

Lawson swatted her away from the dressing. “Sully, you don't atone for cheating by having a baby. If you want to atone for your affair with Vaughn, just don't have any more affairs with Vaughn.”

Sullivan cringed, struck with the memory of the romp at his apartment. “Could you not say his name please?”

“Are you the only one who gets to holler out his name?” ribbed Reginell, relegated to tea making now.

“At least I know his name, which is probably more than you can say for majority of the men you wake up next to,” hurled Sullivan.

“Come on now, it's Thanksgiving. Let this be the one day out the year that the two of you don't argue,” pleaded Kina.

“Kina, did you invite your little friend to join us?” asked Angel.

Kina was annoyed. “If you mean Joan, no. She's spending Thanksgiving with her family in Florida.”

Lawson wiped her hands on a dishtowel. “So what's the status on that whole thing?”

“We're friends,” Kina replied.

Reginell smirked. “Are you friends of a beneficial nature?”

“No!
Why are you making this about sex? Joan and I enjoy each other's company. Sex hasn't even really come up.”

“And when it does?” prodded Lawson.

“I'll deal with it then. Joan understands that I need to take things slowly.”

“Just remember that the Bible calls same-sex relations detestable.”

“The Bible also says you shouldn't date relatives. Did you remind Reggie and Mark of that?”

“Hold up! When did
I
get into this?” protested Reginell.

“When Mark got into
you
,” replied Sullivan and scratched her head. “So what's your therapist saying about all this, Kina?”

Kina avoided eye contact with anyone. “She's fine with it.”

“She actually considers this to be a healthy development?” Sullivan shook her head. “What kind of quack-job therapist is she?”

“Dr. Shaw is not a quack.” Kina exhaled. “She's . . . She's no longer my therapist.”

Lawson grew concerned. “Why did you change therapists?”

“I didn't change. I just decided I don't need therapy anymore,” stated Kina. “I have the Lord, and I have all of you. You all know me better than anyone.”

“Yes, we're your friends and all, Kina, but you've been through some stuff we aren't equipped to handle,” cautioned Lawson.

Angel faced Kina. “Do you have any idea what you and Kenny have gone through and the psychological impact it can have for years to come? Kina, your husband used to beat you, and your son witnessed that. He made you feel responsible for his failed football career; you carried around the guilt from that for over ten years, only to find out it was a lie and that you'd endured all that pain for nothing. On top of that, Kenny shot and killed his father. You both watched him die. That's a lot for anyone to process. While we have the Lord, who the Bible calls a wonderful counselor, we also have people on earth ordained and appointed by God to help us. I believe that God can give you a miraculous healing, but until then, you and Kenny need to get back in counseling immediately.”

“Kenny still goes,” revealed Kina.

“When's the last time you went?” asked Sullivan.

Kina didn't answer.

“When is the last time you went, Kina?” asked Lawson in a stern voice.

Kina replied in a voice barely above a whisper. “Around August or September.”

“That's
why you've been so confused and making questionable decisions,” Angel concluded.

“Spending time with Joan isn't a questionable decision. She's a good person. She's kind, she listens to me, she—”

“She's a lesbian!” blurted out Lawson. “And you're not!”

“I may be,” asserted Kina.

Lawson rolled her eyes. “You're not a lesbian, Kina. You're lonely and confused. Leading her on isn't fair to you or to Joan.”

“Is your problem that I'm seeing a woman or is the problem that I'm finally standing up for myself and not doing what you want me to do?”

Lawson squinted her eyes and responded with a terse, “What?”

Kina spoke with a newfound confidence. “You all won't admit it, but I think you like it when I sit around being contrite and obedient, doing whatever
you
think is best, living my life according to
your
standards. You're just as controlling as E'Bell was. If I want to be with Joan, I'll be with Joan. I don't need permission from my cousin, my therapist, or my friends to do so.”

“What about God? Do you need His permission?” inquired Angel.

Kina retreated quietly to the stove without answering.

“I'm glad to see you're less pissy than you were when I called you last night,” Lawson said to Angel, who was polishing the silverware. “How was the dinner?”

Angel opened her mouth to speak, but a girlish giggle came from her lips instead.

“Umph, I know that look,” said Sullivan. “I guess we all know how Duke snatched that frown off your face last night.”

“Last night, I met the most gorgeous, most charming, most provocative man ever!” announced Angel.

Sullivan gave her a side-glance. “I thought those kinds of adjectives were usually reserved for Duke.”

“They still are. His cousin Channing was the guest of honor for dinner last night. What a man! Obviously, the apples don't fall far from that family tree.”

“You're not going to make a play for Duke's cousin, are you?”

“Of course not!” she balked. “I just said he was fine.”

“You said a lot more than that,” teased Sullivan.

“Well, that's all I meant!”

Lawson laughed at the two of them. “Will this Adonis be joining us for dinner?”

“No, Channing, Duke, and the girls are eating with Reese's family.”

Sullivan frowned. “Why didn't you go with them?”

Angel examined her work. “Apparently, Thanksgiving was one of Theresa's favorite holidays. They're all spending the day doing and eating all of her favorite things. I didn't think I should be a part of that.”

“Why not?” quizzed Reginell. “You're family now, and she was your friend too.”

“I know. I just wasn't up to spending the day in her shadow.”

Reginell was distracted by a text message coming through on her phone. “Um, I'll be right back. I've got to handle some business.” She took off before anyone had a chance to question her.

“What's up with that?” wondered Kina. “Do you think she went to go see Mark?”

Lawson shrugged. “Who knows? With that child, ‘handling some business' could mean anything.”

Kina smiled. “Call me crazy, but I think they make a cute couple.”

Sullivan cleared her throat. “I believe we've already established that you're a little cray-cray, and, no, there's nothing ‘cute' about Mark mating with Reggie. It's borderline incestuous.”

Kina disagreed. “I don't think a good man should go to waste just because Lawson slept with him once more than a decade ago. I could see if Lawson wanted him, but she doesn't. She's in love with Garrett. You're fine with Mark and Reggie dating, aren't you, Lawson?”

Lawson pressed her lips together and grabbed a covered dish. “It's getting late. We should go ahead and start setting the food out on the table.” She scampered out without responding to Kina's question.

“I guess that's a no,” surmised Angel after Lawson left.

 

 

Charles clanked a butter knife against his glass to gain everyone's attention once the table was set and the food brought out. He rose from his position at the head of the table, passing his eyes over the nine faces seated around the dinner table.

“It certainly is a blessing to be able to share this wonderful occasion with all of you. You know, the Word tells us to ‘give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His faithful love endures forever.' Thanksgiving shouldn't just be the third Thursday out of November. For the Christian, there shouldn't go one day where we don't give thanks to the Lord for His many blessings.”

Lawson looked lovingly at her husband and son, seated to her left and right. “Amen.”

Charles continued. “Each year at this time, however, I like to take time to publicly thank God for everything He's done for me. If y'all don't mind, I'd like for each of us to go around and tell the Lord and each other what we're thankful for.” He turned to Sullivan, who was seated to his right. “Honey, you want to start?”

“Sure.” Sullivan smiled politely and stood up. “As most of you here know, this past year was a challenging year for my family and me. Through God's grace and mercy, we've started to reclaim everything the devil tried to steal from us, and I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful to be blessed to live in this beautiful home, but that would mean nothing if I didn't have all of you to share it with. I'm so thankful for you, Lawson, Kina, Angel, and even you, Reginell, for being the sisters I never had.

“I'm eternally thankful to have a husband who loves me unconditionally.” She turned to Charles. “Charles, I know I'm far from perfect, and I know I probably keep you on your knees in prayer more often than you'd like to admit, but I love you. You may not be God's gift to women, but you're God's gift to me. I just thank you so much for loving me. No matter how many times I break your heart, you still love me. I believe our Heavenly Father is the same way. He keeps right on loving us no matter what. I'm thankful for that.”

Charles hugged his wife. “I love you too. Thank you for loving me.”

Angel rose. “Um, like Sullivan, this has been a trying year for me too. Twelve years ago, I met the man I was destined to love for the rest of my life. It was a fairy-tale wedding, but it ended in a bitter, painful divorce. Not only did I lose my husband, but I lost my child too. If it wasn't for the ladies seated around this table, I probably would've lost my life as well.”

Angel took a few seconds to swallow the lump in her throat. “But God had another plan. He saw me through that painful time in my life, and like Job, He called me out of the storm. He blessed me to finish college, start my own business, which allows me to use my gift as a nurse to minister to other people, and He brought all of you into my life. The biggest miracle of all, though, is that He brought me back to the only man I've ever loved. Just to show the goodness of God's mercy, He allowed us to be reunited by the very person who drove us apart. It was through Theresa's love for Duke and, eventually, her love for me, that Duke and I are together again. We have the family that I thought we'd lost forever, and I'm just so thankful that God used Theresa to help me open my heart to receive forgiveness and be forgiven and to love without limits.” She raised her eyes toward heaven. “Thank you.”

Namon staggered to his feet. “I just want to say that I'm thankful for my mom. I know she's sacrificed a lot for me, and it hasn't always been easy for her, but she did it because she loves me. She works hard to provide for our family; she teaches me about God and the Bible; and she's never too tired to go to one of my games or help me with my homework or to yell at me when I mess up.”

They all laughed. Lawson wiped a tear from her eye as Namon went on. “I'm also thankful that I have, not one, but two dads now. For a long time, I didn't have any. It was just me, my mom, and my Aunt Reggie. Now, I have all of you here and my little sister Mariah, and that's what I'm thankful for.” He sat down.