Chapter 41: Have I found a man?
"Never exin- your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway." ~ Elbert
Hubbard
***
Two yearster.
Change of scenery, change of familiar surroundings, change mise en sc??ne was all it took ; was all I
needed. Moving on and getting over something or someone are two different things and I seemed to be
failing dismally at both.
New York was beyond beautiful, a busy city. I liked it here. I liked being close to my family, my brother
would baby sit time and again. We would visit my parents every weekend or they would visit us here.
Work was hard at first but Derrick was with me throughout the whole way, I could finally say I am the
CEO of a legalw firm with plenty of professionalwyers who are always at a client''s devoir. I called
Richard Le roux every time I had some challenges, he was always willing to listen and assist where
ever he could. He had helped me from when I was an intern at hisw firm and even now he was still
assisting me because he had alot experience and had my best interest at heart. I appreciated all the
people that stayed in my life. People who weremitted to keeping me in their lives as well.
One of them being Gray, after a year silent treatment, antagonizing animosity, breach of trust breaking,
dissatisfaction and the blues; Grayson and Derrick Collins finally fixed their rtionship as father and
son. I helped them mend their rtionship in any-way that I could because the fracas between both
parties was also taking a toll on me since I considered both of them to be very important people in my
life. Derrick finally epted his son for who he really is and apologised for hurting him even though he
had no knowledge of it. My friendship with Grayson grew rapidly and I trusted him more than anything
or anyone he was and is my life line. The twins loved him, he instantly became family with my parents
when I invited himst thanks giving although my father didn''t like the idea of his sexuality, he didn''t
judge him or treat him indifferently.
Alma Le roux was initially someone I had always seen as a friend but I soon realised it wasn''t the case
in her end of the line. She saw me as a naive girl who was obsessed with her brother. With time you
realise who was really there for you and who wasn''t as well as who tried to pull you down. It didn''t take
a fool to realise that she had always been the one delivering the news about whatever Angelo did, most
of them being things that would hurt me. Angelo''s engagement, Yasmine''s pregnancy, she always
seemed excited to tell me news that would rip of my heart from my chest and cause me pain. That
certainly wasn''t a friend. I distanced myself from her over these two years. I congratted her when
she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, I said happy birthday to her, i said merry Christmas, i said Happy
thanks giving, she said Happy new year; that''s how it was. We didn''t have a proper conversation, we
just had one of those forced conversations whereby she would pretend she cared about me and ask
how i was doing or if I had found a man...typical.
Typical, have I found a man?
Speaking of finding a man, with so much on my te I hardly had time to do any of that. I won''t lie and
say I didn''t search for a bit because I did but something from my past just seemed to ruin anything and
everything. My trust was broken, it wasn''t easy for me to trust any man that I dated. I was constantly
insecure about many things. Bottomline is all the three rtionships I had in thest two years only
lasted less than four months before I felt like I couldn''t do it anymore. I never had sex with them, it''s as
if my body didn''t want to function in another man''s arms and that infuriated me alot. There were many
encounters where we would be getting down to it only I wouldn''t get aroused, i would instantly get
turned off. Grayson set me up on a few disastrous blind dates, which I don''t even want to remember
besides everything I didn''t have time for my love life. I had work and I was also a full time mother, there
were just so many responsibilities and my priorities were only set on two and that was my work and my
babies.
Well they ain''t getting any younger because today is their eighth birthday. I still feel like they are my
babies even if they turn fourty they will always my babies.
"The Pearson''s son is here and Ray you know how distasteful that little boy is." Cathy alerted me with a
frustrated sigh. I smiled because I truly appreciated her as well. Cathy Harrison was my new profound
friend well not really new considering we had known each other for about a year and a half now. She
was simply a nice person with her beautiful dark mnin skin. Cathy and I met at the twin''s school
meeting for all the parents. Her daughter Chloe is Ashley''s best friend even Ashton was jealous
because the girls had became inseparable.
"Ricky will have to behave otherwise I''m sending him back home with an uber." I giggled cing the
party packs on the table outside near the pool where the kids where running around in their trunks and
swimming costumes whiles others were swimming in the pool.
"Evan be careful there.." I yelled at the little redhead boy who sat on the edges of the pool clearly afraid
of the water.
I had bought this house only because the twins pestered me about wanting a huge pool. They hadst
seen their father six months back. Richard and Martha would always request that theye spend
their summers in Los Angeles and honestly I didn''t mind because I could get some work done while
they were gone but I would miss them dearly because the house would be dead silent without them.
Whenever they went for their summer vacation at their grandparents ce, i knew they would also get
some time to spend with their father. I had notid my eyes on him ever since the incident at the airport
last time I heard Yasmine had lied about the pregnancy, i don''t know much and I didn''t want to meddle
in his private life, i clearly had mine to mind. I knew I made the right decision because we couldn''t just
pretend nothing had happened for the past seven years that he had not deliberately hurt me time and
again. I couldn''t let that go just because he let left his fianc??e on the altar for me. I needed to start
over, i needed a do over and that''s what I had achieved in the time I had cut him off from my life. I was
so used to having him around that it took sometime to ept everything that had happened and let it
sink in.
"Sorry I''mte, you know how crappy Tim''s car is and he still won''t sell it because his dead grandpa
gave it to him." Grayson said rolling his eyes. "Hey Cathy." He said hugging Cathy then me right after.
"Where are those little rascals ?" He removed his shades cing his two gifts on the table.
"The jumping castle." I replied with a smug on my face, i was honestly happy with the way thing were
right now in my life. Tim soon showed up cing his own gift on the table. He greeted us with warmth.
Tim was always a nice person, i actually considered him a friend considering he was my best friends
boyfriend. Timothy Howe, his full name. How could I forget when Gray met him at a charity event in
Seattle. He couldn''t stop bbering about the young man with short brown hair with wavy curls that
almost covered his beautiful facial features. His gentle warm brown eyes seemed to have hit Grayson
with a cupids arrow.
"They should get all dried up now and get inside because it''s time to cut the cake." I said cheerfully.
"I will get that done while you fix everything inside." Cathy suggested.
"Anything I can do." Tim asked giving me a gentle toothy smile.
"No, everything is already done you can grab some drinks for yourself and Gray." I smiled walking
away, i instantly turned back to Grayson and Tim. "And Gray no alcohol this is a eight year olds party." I
added making Gray roll his eyes.
"You are no fun, Queen." He waved his hand hesitantly sitting on the chairs near the pool. The sun was
all out so it was a good day to have a the pool party. The kids seemed cheerful about it.
While fixing and getting the huge cake from the refrigerator there was a knock on the door. I was
caught off guard so I nearly dropped it but thankfully, I ced it on the kitchen ind. Walking towards
the door, I hesitantly opened without checking the peep hole. My heart instantly started pumping faster,
it seemed like it hadn''t done that in years or maybe i was just getting paranoid.
Têxt ? N?velDrama.Org.
He looked so different, if not more handsome with his defined cheekbones that had a bit of stubble. His
neatlybed jet ck hair, he had always been tall but now his chest was much broader.. had he
been working out? Even from under the suit you could see his defined muscles. He always looked
magnificent in a suit but now he seemed more matured. His forest green eyes met mine and I held my
breath. Why was I feeling like this? The warmth between my thighs was intense, it had been long since
Ist-
"Hi Raina." He took me out of my daze. It sounded as if I had not heard his voice in years.. ofcourse
you haven''t dummy.
"Uhm hey Angelo, how are you ?" I opened the door a little wider for him.
"I''m fine thanks, i hope you don''t mind me arriving unannounced, i was here first business and I just
thought why not spend this year''s twins birthday with them." He gave me a smile that seemed to boil
my insides. Nothing had changed, he was still the same Angelo just more matured in so many ways.
"Uh- you are right on time. We were about to cut the cake." I said with haste. It had been years and I
just didn''t know how to act around him.
This is still the same man whom you used to suck off so act normal because you both have been way
toofortable with each other. - my conscious mocked me.
The kids were already set around the huge table, thankfully Cathy had already done my part by adding
the cake to the table. This wasn''t a huge party there were just fourteen kids from the twins school and
some from church.
"Follow me." I told him taking ahold of his huge gifts, my fingers slightly grazed and electric shocks
seemed to travel both our bodies.