Guilty of Love (32 page)

Hallison sorted through the sale items
at Bath & Body Works, overfilling her basket with mix-and-match
scents. After leaving the store’s check-out line, she grabbed
Cheney’s arm and scurried to the after-Christmas sale at Victoria’s
Secret before zigzagging across the mall to a used book/CD
store.

“
Hallison!” She
frowned.

“
What?”

“
Thanks for inviting me to
go bargain shopping with you, but so far I haven’t been able to
keep up with your safari hunt.” Cheney panted.

“
Oh, sorry,” Hallison
apologized, chuckling. “I’m trying to keep my mind off Malcolm.
I’ve been avoiding him, yet I crave him like a hot
bath.”

“
Considering every other
word is Malcolm, I’d say you’re torturing yourself.”

“
I know. He’s been calling,
but I haven’t answered. I thought I could handle Malcolm Jamieson,
but his skills are no match for me.”

“
Really? I didn’t get that
impression when I first met you. Can’t say I’ll give sound advice
if you want to talk about it. I feel like my head isn’t screwed on
tight.”

“
Thanks.”

As the women entered an “oldies but
goodies” book/music store, beautiful lyrics serenaded customers
while they browsed.

“
I think I’ll get Grandma
BB a Boyz II Men CD…wait.” Cheney paused. “Is that
Patti?”

Tilting her head, Hallison listened.
“Yeah, it must be her
Love Songs
CD.”

“
I like that
song.”

“
Yeah, I’m pretty sure
that’s
You are My Friend
. After so many years, that woman
has held on to her diva status,” Hallison said.

“
The words remind me of
Parke. The man has been there for me, whether I wanted him to or
not.”

“
Ah, the royal Jamieson
prince. Since meeting you, he’s changed. Whoa, here’s Freddie
Jackson’s new CD.” Hallison pulled the CD from a stack. “Malcolm
seems more determined now than before our big argument. I suggested
we cool off.”

“
You know, I was a little
jealous when I first met you and Malcolm. I saw how much you two
adored each other. I thought I had that once. I was wrong. I don’t
know if I can survive another risk like that again. Parke’s
playfulness pulled me out of my slump. Now, his seriousness is
scaring me.”

“
Believe me I know it
doesn’t seem as if we can live without them. Let’s pay for these
and grab a bite to eat. Bargains make me hungry. I wanted that man
so much.” Hallison sighed and mumbled. “Demons.”

“
Demons,” Cheney
repeated.

They entered the madhouse of the food
court. With their orders in hand, the two found seats, and offered
quick prayers. Hallison feasted on McDonald’s while Cheney had
Chinese bourbon chicken.

“
I’m so glad we got
together. This was perfect timing since I’m on vacation this week
with nowhere to go and nothing to do. My best friend is somewhere
in China. I do have family, yet I’m alone, and I have a twin, but
our conversations are few. Maybe it’s my imagination that he’s just
tolerating me because we’re connected.”

“
Don’t let Parke know that.
He’s very resourceful in finding activities.”

“
Yeah, don’t I know it?
I’ve already experienced one. The other day, he branded me, and
I’ve been a basket case ever since.”

“
What do you mean branded
you? Tattoos?” Hallison stopped chewing.

“
No, the man kissed me
senseless. For Christmas, Parke gave me one gift that was this
little bottle filled with handwritten notes. It was kinda cute, so
Christmas night, home alone, wanting to know what else Mr. Jamieson
has in store for me, I untied a scroll. The message read
Seductive smiles and drugging kisses.
Mr. Jamieson
delivered.”

Hallison had a knowing smile before
draining the last of her soda. “I know Malcolm’s lips are pure
seduction. That’s what started my internal battle.”

“
Honestly, Parke overwhelms
me. Girl, I thought I was deep-frozen, numb, and practically
heart-dead to experience any emotions because of a crushing breakup
years ago, but Parke said his kiss was a Diomande courting
tradition.”

“
Don’t have me falling out
of this chair waiting for you to explain. What did Parke Cuckoo
Jamieson VI do?” She made Cheney laugh. Hallison was
glad.

“
First, we had this big
snowball fight on Christmas Day, a sort of battle for our
relationship.” Cheney blushed. “It was fun. I was cold, but while I
was sitting in his SUV, he kissed me and the meltdown
began.”

“
Maybe Malcolm gave him
some pointers,” Hallison teased, winking.

“
I don’t know, but Parke’s
lips descended on mine with so much gentleness, I wanted to cry.
After all that horseplay, he was delicate.”

Cheney leaned across the table.
Hallison eagerly met her halfway. “I don’t remember his lips
leaving mine, but the next thing I knew, he was placing soft kisses
against my ears, he said, so I can recognize his voice. He
confessed my brows had hypnotized him long ago. He branded them, so
I’d see and desire only him.”

“
Stop,” Hallison
interrupted. “I’ve been holding my breath. I need to swallow this
food caught in my throat, so I can breathe.” She turned her head
and noticed a young woman at the next table, reading a Bible while
eating lunch. Feeling uncomfortable, Hallison refocused her
attention on Cheney. “Wow. For the record, he didn’t get that from
Malcolm. Were you still conscious during this branding
procedure?”

“
I must’ve been in a trance
because I couldn’t move to slap him, but there’s more.”

“
I’m listening and
learning.” Hallison nodded.

Cheney picked at her food. “He called
it tribal worship, kissing my nose so I could inhale his closeness,
then his lips lingered on my forehead so my mind would understand
him.”

Making a time-out signal, Hallison
eyed her eating companion. “Whew! That’s romantic.”

“
Wait. I lost it when he
kissed my fingers so I can touch his soul.”

Hallison fanned her flushed face. “So
why the sad face?”

“
Because he wants and
deserves so much more. Those demons you mentioned earlier, well,
mine won’t let me give him what he wants.”

Demons and angels.
Hallison
stole a peek at the woman who was reading the passages like they
were an action-packed adventure. “Yeah, I’m fighting my own demons
from the past, too.”

“
Do you really think Parke
branded me?”

“
African or
African-American, yes. Tag you’re it.”

***

Parke grinned at the thought that
Cheney was still playing hard to get. For three days, he called
her, leaving sweet messages and encouraging her to keep shaking the
bottle for her dreams to come true. She hadn’t returned his calls.
He snickered, recalling the snowball fight. He hoped Cheney
believed that Diomande tribe stuff he made up. Free the rest of the
day after meeting with clients, Parke decided to cruise by her
house.

Bitter wind chills wreaked havoc on
the city. Temperatures plummeted so fast, residents were caught off
guard. As Parke turned the corner, he could see Cheney down the
street, walking a circle around her car. He pulled into her
driveway and got out. Cheney’s panicked expression alarmed him.
“What’s wrong, honey?”

Tears filled her eyes. “My locks are
frozen. I’ve got my first orientation meeting with the foster care
people in forty minutes. It won’t look good if I’m late or miss
it.”

Reaching for her hand, Parke pulled
her closer. “Hop in. I’ll drive you. You should’ve called my cell.
Where are we going?”

He could tell she was about to
protest, but didn’t. Opening the passenger door, Parke ushered her
inside, then brushed a soft kiss on her cheek. Cheney relaxed. “The
Division of Family Services in Clayton.” She whispered, “Thank
you.”

Tracing her eyebrows, Parke couldn’t
believe how silky they were. He smiled as he backed away, grinning.
“For the kiss, or giving you a lift?” He shut the door and walked
around to the driver’s side.

“
The lift is definitely
more valuable to me, right now.”

“
I’ll make you pay for that
comment later.”

As Parke drove, he snuck glances at
Cheney while she fidgeted in her seat. Grasping her hand, he linked
his fingers through hers, before kissing each finger. “So, you’re
really going through with this. Are you going to be
okay?”

“
Yes. I think it’s a sign
from God for me to be a mother, even if I’m on loan.”

“
I wish I could convince
you otherwise. Foster children may not give you your happy ending.
I can.”

“
Can you?” Cheney faced
him, seemingly challenging him. “I’ve already had an unhappy ending
that I wrote with my own sins.”

Parke’s heart sank. His mind screamed,
Annette, help
. Parke groaned, the things he was about to do
for love, but he loved her and would do everything in his power to
make her whole again.

***

Without a good-bye or thank you,
Cheney hastily exited Parke’s SUV before it came to a complete stop
at the curb. Gusty winds propelled her toward the revolving doors
of the Missouri Division of Family Services building. She inhaled
the cold air. “I can do this despite you, Rainey.” Cheney couldn’t
believe her twin wouldn’t vouch for her as a reference. She figured
she couldn’t depend on her sister or parents, but
Rainey?

“
You sure can,” Parke
whispered close to her ear as she neared the elevator. “What does
your brother have to do with this?”

Cheney whirled around. “What are you
doing?” Her heart pounded against her chest. She didn’t know if it
was from her nervousness about the program or the fact Parke had
been her rescuer ever since she had moved back home. She recalled
one of his notes:
Let me rescue you
. “And how did you get in
here so fast? What did you do, park on the sidewalk?”

“
Nope, across the street, a
guy was just pulling out. I made a u-turn and—”

“
Never mind.”

“
Okay, now tell me what’s
going on with your brother.” His intense stare said Parke would
patiently listen. She hadn’t really looked at him when he picked
her up. Scanning his attire, she hinted at a smile. It was the hat
he removed that she liked. “You look nice.”

Parke lifted a brow. “So do you. Now,
stop stalling.”

“
Okay.” She paused,
struggling to repeat what she wanted to forget. “When I confided in
Rainey that I needed a reference to become a foster parent, he said
sure.” She swallowed. “My foster care recruiter called this morning
and relayed that Rainey’s exact words were ‘Investigate her past
thoroughly to make sure she’s mentally stable to accept the
responsibilities of caring for children.’ Why would he say
that?”

“
I don’t know. I’m sorry
you don’t have your family’s support, but you have mine. Did you
try and call him?” Parke sighed heavily.

“
I’ve left messages, but he
hasn’t called back. His comments were a surprise.”

The elevator opened and Parke ushered
Cheney inside. “Take a deep breath,” he instructed, stroking the
length of her nose. Disregarding others in the elevator car, he
leaned close to her ear and whispered, “I told you I’m a warrior,
and I’ll fight your family or anybody else to make you
happy.”

Inhaling and exhaling his cologne
Cheney’s emotions were too jumbled to protest, so she complied and
leaned into his chest. Once they were settled in the large
classroom, Parke asked questions, talked to other prospective
parents as if he initiated the process. Every so often, he would
stop and look her way, giving her a reassuring nod and
communicating his support and his love. He left her side only to
get them refreshments.

“
You’re serious?” she
whispered when he returned with a cup of coffee for her.

Folding his arms, Parke didn’t blink.
“Yep.”

“
I think that woman is
Wilma.” Cheney grabbed his hand and stood. “C’mon, let’s go
introduce ourselves.”

“
Miss Applewhite?” Cheney
queried as she walked up behind her.

The short, pump woman turned around.
“Yes?”

“
Hi, I’m Cheney Reynolds.
We’ve spoken on the phone.”

“
Oh yes.” Wilma smiled,
extending her hand.

“
And this is one of my
references, Parke Jamieson.”

Wilma tapped her pink-polished nails
against her unpainted lips. “That name sure sounds familiar. Are
there others? I mean do you have numbers behind your
name?”

Parke frowned. “Yes, I’m the sixth,
why?”

She shrugged. “Funny, seems like I
heard it before.”

“
I’m one of her references.
Remember?” Parke pointed out.

“
Of course. I’m sure if we
would’ve met, I would’ve remembered such a good-looking man as
yourself.”