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Authors: Shana Burton

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Chapter 23
“You're my husband and my best friend. I
thought I could tell you anything.”
—
Lawson Kerry Banks
 
 
Garrett came into the kitchen to grab something to drink. He found Lawson hunched over a mountain of books and paperwork.
“I guess I don't have to ask how you'll be spending the rest of the night,” he grumbled.
She didn't look up. “No, you don't. All this stuff is due first thing in the morning.”
“Can I do anything to help?”
“That depends.” Lawson put down her pen. “What do you know about the War of 1812?”
“That it was fought in 1812,” he quipped.
The joke irritated her, and Lawson continued to work.
“It's okay to smile, you know.” Garrett rubbed her shoulders. “You're so uptight. I think you need me to put my special touch on you.”
Lawson shirked away from him. “Could you
not
do that right now?”
“Do what—touch my wife?”
“No,
irritate
your wife,” she snapped.
Garrett was taken aback. “So I irritate you now?”
Lawson exhaled and kissed his hand. “I'm sorry, baby. It's not you, it's work and grad school and Namon and Mark and Reggie. . . .”
“Mark and Reggie?” Garrett stepped away from her. “What do they have to do with it?”
“Nothing,” huffed Lawson. “Let's talk about something else,
anything
else.”
“I think we need to talk about
this
. You've been on edge all week, and from the way you're acting, I'm guessing it has something to do with your sister and new boyfriend.”
“It has nothing to do with them as a couple,” she lied and swept her hair behind her ears. “I'm just under a lot of pressure right now.”
“No more than usual. In fact, you were handling things fine before Mark started seeing your sister.”
“Can you blame me?” Lawson exclaimed. “It's not
exactly
an ideal situation.”
Garrett leaned against the refrigerator. “That depends on how you look at it. I mean, for the longest, you've wanted Reggie to find a good man. While I'm not Mark's biggest fan, I do know that he's a stand-up guy. I realize your sister dating your baby's daddy may be a little taboo, but, hey, who are we to stand in the way of true love?”
“I'm sure it's more like
true lust
between those two,” grumbled Lawson.
“Then there's even less for you to worry about. Let them do their thing.” He wrapped his arms around Lawson. “And speaking of lust . . .”
“The Bible is very clear,” argued Lawson, thwarting his advances. “No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations.”
“What about approaching my sexy wife for sexual relations?” Lawson crossed her arms and pouted. “Look, babe, all you can do is tell 'em. They're both adults, and they're going to do exactly what they want to do. Hopefully, you'll let me do exactly what
I
want to do as well.”
Lawson broke away from him. “Will you get off me? I'm trying to have a conversation with you, and all you can think about is getting in my pants!”
Garrett threw up his hands and backed away. Lawson tried to reach for him, but he moved out of her grasp.
“Honey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that.”
“No, I think you said exactly what you meant. What I don't understand is why this is bothering you so much. You have a man. Why does it matter to you who your ex is sleeping with?”
“It doesn't, not in the way you're suggesting. This isn't even about Mark. It's about my sister and her incessant need to make bad choices.”
“Maybe you should worry less about Reggie's choices and more about your own,” Garrett replied.
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“Lawson, I love you, but I'm not going to stand here and listen to you whine about your old boyfriend and his new girlfriend. Do you know how disrespectful and insulting that is to me?”
“I'm not trying to disrespect you, Garrett. I'm telling you because you're my husband and my best friend. I thought I could tell you anything.”
“Then tell me this—do you want to be with Mark?”
“If I wanted to be with Mark, I'd be with Mark,” she fired back. “But I love
you
. I married
you
.”
“Yeah, that's what your lips say, your actions say something totally different, though.”
“You're missing the point, Garrett.” She gave up and slammed shut the textbook. “You know what?—I don't even know how the conversation even got here. Let's just go to bed and call it a night.”
Garrett shook his head. “Nah, you go. I think I'm going to go out back to shoot some hoops to clear my head.”
“You were itching to go to bed five minutes ago.”
Garrett looked her squarely in the eyes. “You'd be surprised how much can change in five minutes.”
Chapter 24
“So you're going to let a
man come between us?”
—
Lawson Kerry Banks
 
 
“Wow . . . Now
that's
what I call a tree!” declared Angel, admiring their handiwork after helping Kina decorate the church's Christmas tree in the vestibule.
Kina stood back and looked. “Yes, it's beautiful. I hope the pastor likes it.”
“I can't imagine why he wouldn't. He likes everything else you've done around here,” revealed Sullivan.
Kina was pleased. “Your husband is a great boss, and this is such a wonderful place to work.”
“Oh my God!” shrieked Reginell, staring down at her phone.
Lawson looked up. “What?”
“Someone just sent me a text,” she answered with hesitation, as if she was trying to get her thoughts together.
“It's called text messaging. Welcome to the nineties,” Sullivan replied sarcastically.
Kina looked over Reginell's shoulder. “What does it say? Who's it from?”
“It's from Mark.” Reginell held up her phone. “He said he loves me. That's the first time he's ever said it.”
“Aww, Reggie, that's so sweet!” gushed Kina.
“Is it?” Sullivan frowned. “He didn't even have the guts to tell her in person.”
Reginell slowly broke into a smile. “You, guys,
Mark loves me!
” she squealed.
Lawson grabbed the phone out of Reginell's hand and read it for herself. “Apparently so.” She handed the phone back. “Maybe he meant agape love, you know, that whole Christian brother-sister love.”
“I don't think so,” said Angel. “Just look at that Kool-Aid smile on her face!”
“Are you going to say it back?” asked Kina.
Reginell exhaled, still beaming. “I don't know.”
Angel set a box of unused ornaments down next to Reginell. “Well, do you love him?”
“I don't know.” Reginell lifted her eyes. “I think so.”
Lawson eased in between them. “Wait a minute! Reggie, you are
not
in love with Mark. The two of you have only been out a few times.”
Reginell cut her eyes at Lawson. “That doesn't have anything to do with how we feel about each other.” She turned to Sullivan, Angel, and Kina for support. “Should I text him back? No, I think I should call him, don't you?”
“I think you and Mark need to stop this nonsense!” advised Lawson. “The two of you are no more in love than Kina and Joan.”
Reginell stepped to her sister. “What is your problem with Mark and me? Why are you hatin'? You don't think I'm good enough for him or something?”
“That's ridiculous, Reggie. You're my flesh and blood. If anything, I don't think anybody is good enough for
you!
”
“So what's going on, Lawson?” asked Angel. “Are there some lingering feelings between you and Mark?”
Lawson exhaled. “No, it's just . . .”
“What?” pumped Reginell.
“I get it,” piped in Sullivan. “You don't want your sister sloppin' up your leftovers like some beggar.”
Lawson shook her head. “It's not even that. It's . . .”
“Just say it, sweetie,” coaxed Angel.
“It's not that I want Mark because I don't,” explained Lawson. “I love my husband. He's the only man that I want.”
Reginell put her hands on her hips. “Then what is it?”
“I hate that Mark . . .” She took a deep breath. “I hate that he wants
you
, all right?” she said at last. “Where was this kind, sensitive, caring guy when
I
needed him? When I was drowning, trying to raise our son by myself, where was he then?”
“Lawson, he didn't know,” Kina reminded her.
“I know that. All those years I was raising my son alone, I convinced myself that Mark was this jerk that Namon and I were better off without, but he's not. Mark has turned out to be a really good guy and—”
“Do you know how selfish and crazy you sound right now?” charged Reginell.
Lawson was convicted. “Yes. I want you to be happy, Reggie. I do. I want you to find a good man and get married and have babies . . . just not with him.”
Kina wrapped her arm around Lawson. “It's okay, honey.”
“No, it's not!” screeched Reginell. “Why are you even worried about Mark and me? You have a husband, and you have a good life. All I want is a little piece of happiness for myself, and it sucks that my sister—my best friend—can't support me!”
“Reggie, I would be supportive if it was anybody else, you know that!”
“But it
is
him. Mark is the one I want.”
Lawson appealed to her sister's sensitive side. “Even if it hurts me?”
“This ain't about you, Lawson! Mark doesn't want you. He wants me. You have Garrett, who loves you. He loves you so much that he's practically begging you to give him a baby, but you're here trying to break up my relationship. What you need to do is focus on your own man before you lose him too.”
Kina moved in between Lawson and Reginell. “Okay, let's just settle down and fall back for a minute.”
“No,” insisted Reginell. “I'm not backing down because Lawson is too stouthearted and jealous to be happy for me. I'm not giving up Mark either.”
“Well, I, for one, can see where Lawson is coming from,” spoke up Sullivan. “This is some Jerry Springer, trailer-park mess! How are you going to date your sister's baby's daddy, Reggie? What's Namon supposed to call you now—Aunt Stepmother? It's confusing to me as an adult. What's a kid to think?”
“I could see if Mark and Lawson had some long, beautiful romance, and I came in and stole her man, but it's not like that,” said Reginell. “They had a one-night stand, and she got knocked up. It's no different from—”
“What you do every day?” supplied Sullivan.
“It's no different from what
people
do every day! Lawson, you just need to live your life and let me live mine. How many times do I have to remind you that you're not my mama?”
“I'm not trying to be. Look, you asked me to be honest and tell the truth. I did that. Don't get mad with me if you don't like the answer. Some people just can't handle the truth.”
“No, Lawson,
you're
the one who can't handle the truth, which is that Mark chose me. You can either deal with it or get dealt with.”
“There's no need to make threats, Reggie,” cautioned Kina.
“Believe me, y'all ain't seen nothing yet, but you will, Lawson, if you don't back off.”
Lawson stood aghast. “So you're going to let a man come between us? Your very own sister?”
“No,
you
are!” Reginell stormed off, slamming the door behind her.
Angel rubbed Lawson's back. “Do you want me to go after her?”
Lawson sighed. “If you think you can talk some sense into her.”
“Or
knock
some into her,” added Sullivan as Angel raced to catch up with Reginell. Sullivan turned to Lawson. “Are you all right?”
Lawson rubbed her forehead. “I don't want to lie. We're in church.”
Sullivan laughed a little. “I want you to know I understand.”
“You do?” Lawson was grateful for the empathy.
“Yeah, I know this sounds a little selfish and shallow. . .”
“Selfish and shallow is what you do best, Sully,” teased Lawson.
Sullivan playfully elbowed her. “Like I was saying, it sounds selfish, but once mine, always mine! Even if I don't want a guy, that doesn't mean anyone else can have him either, especially not someone I'm close to.”
“I don't know if I should be relieved or ashamed. You just made me sound very egotistical and self-absorbed.”
“Not egotistical . . . just a little territorial and with good reason! Mark isn't just someone you once dated. He's your son's father. The two of you will always be connected. If he and Reggie seriously hook up, it could get messy. What if they have kids? How would you explain that Namon is both their brother and their cousin? It's just too weird.”
“But she's my sister, and he makes her happy,” Lawson conceded. “Who am I to mess with that?”
“No one, if it was that simple, but it's not, and you both know it.”
Lawson sighed. “I don't know, Sully. I hate feeling this way, not to mention what it's doing to my relationship with Reggie.”
Sullivan bit her lip. “What is it doing to your relationship with Garrett?”
“Garrett and I are fine,” she insisted.
“Honestly?”
“Yes, he knows Mark is no threat to him.”
“Are you serious? Lawson, you slept with Mark, and you have a child together. Mark will always be a threat to Garrett.”
“My husband isn't insecure like other men. We're solid, Sully. Trust me.”
“If you say so . . . Just don't let Garrett see you get so worked up about Mark. I don't care how solid you think you are, no marriage is written in heaven, and even the most solid foundation can be destroyed by a single crack.”

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