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  “There’s really no way to know that definitely. Endometriosis is actually quite common, especially among women Reginell’s age. Risk factors can range from genetics to not having children to damaged pelvic cells resulting from infection.”

  “So what happens now?” asked Mark.

  “Well, we’ll need to schedule your wife for a minor surgery called a laparoscopy.”

  Inexplicably, it stung Lawson slightly to hear Reginell referred to as Mark’s wife.

  Kina gasped. “Surgery?”

  “It’s a very simple procedure, but it’s the only way to definitively determine if she has endometriosis,” Dr. McNamara told them.

  Mark was still anxious. “Can I see my wife now?”

  The doctor nodded. “Yes, she’s resting comfortably, but she’s awake.”

  “I’m coming too,” insisted Lawson.

  Mark stopped her. “Give me a minute with her first.”

  “That’s my baby sister in there!” cried Lawson.

  “But she’s his wife.” Angel pulled Lawson off to the side. “Let them have a moment.”

  Lawson reluctantly yielded to Mark’s request and watched in the background as he entered Reginell’s room without her.

  “Wow, Reggie’s married! Can you believe it?” asked Kina, still in awe.

  “Mark is looking like a real husband in there with her too,” observed Angel, peeking into the room.

  Lawson frowned. “I think we should be focusing on Reggie’s health, not her nuptials.”

  “She’ll be fine,” Angel assured her. “Depending on the severity of it, Reggie could be treated with something as simple as pain meds or hormone therapy. They may even be able to treat during the laparoscopic procedure.”

  Kina placed her hand over her chest. “That’s a relief.”

  “The main thing with endometriosis is getting the pain under control and making sure it doesn’t spread to other parts of the body. The worst thing about having this condition is the chance that it will make it harder for Reggie to get pregnant,” Angel warned them.

  “Uh-huh,” grunted Lawson. “I wonder why they felt the need to keep the wedding a secret.”

  “I thought we weren’t going to focus on Reggie’s nuptials,” Angel reminded her.

  “We’re not. I’m just saying . . . I’m Reggie’s sister and I share a child with Mark. I would think they owed me a heads-up.”

  “Obviously, they thought otherwise,” remarked Angel, detecting an attitude from Lawson, as well as noting the distressed look on her face. “You’re not upset about them getting married, are you?”

  Lawson huffed. “Angel, they were engaged for over a year, so it’s not like it’s a total shock. I just thought they’d run it by me first.”

  “Run it by you for what?” asked Kina, probing. “They’re grown!”

  “You’re missing the point!” Lawson shook her head. “Anyway, I think the newlyweds have had sufficient time together. I want to go in and check on my sister.”

  Angel grabbed Lawson’s arm. “Wait a minute. You’re okay with this, right? I mean, you’re not jealous or anything, are you?”

  “Angel, my teenage son has knocked up his teenage girlfriend, my best friend has spent the past few days fighting for her life, and we still don’t know if her son is going to make it. I had to watch my baby sister collapse in pain, and now I find out she’s married to my son’s father. There’s really not a lot of space on my plate to add jealousy at this moment. All I want to do is make sure that my sister is okay.”

  Angel let her go. “I’m sorry. You’ve been through a lot lately. I was being insensitive.”

  “It’s fine. For the record, I’m not jealous of Reggie and Mark. If this is what they want, I’m happy for them. I just wish they had told me. It feels like too many changes coming at me too fast. You know I have to have structure and order. My life has been anything but that lately.”

  “Sullivan is finally awake, and Reggie is getting the help she needs. I know she and Mark sneaked off and got married without telling you, but look at it this way—you didn’t lose a baby’s daddy. You gained a brother-in-law!” enthused Kina. “It’s a happy day!”

  Lawson smiled, when all she really wanted to do was haul off and slap that insipid grin right off Kina’s face.

  “The important thing is that Reggie now has a husband who loves her and wants to take care of her, and who doesn’t want that?” Angel fished her ringing phone out of her purse. “Hello?”

  Lawson and Kina watched as a stunned look washed over Angel’s face. After a few minutes, she hung up the phone, seemingly in shock.

  Lawson moved closer to her. “Angel, is everything okay?”

  Angel swallowed hard. “Um . . . no.”

  Kina placed her hand over her heart. “Oh, my God, what’s wrong?”

  “That was Duke. He . . . he was arrested.”

  Chapter 11

  “We may look like we have it all together on the outside,

  but looks can be deceiving.”

  –Kina Battle

  “You have some really great friends, Kina,” stated Desdemona when they returned to Kina’s house after the visit to the hospital. “You’re very lucky.”

  Kina hung up her jacket. “I don’t know about all that,” she muttered.

  “You don’t think so?”

  “I know I’m blessed. I have this beautiful home, an awesome son, and winning Lose Big has opened all kinds of doors for me and given me opportunities that I never even dreamed of, but life hasn’t always been this gravy.”

  Desdemona followed Kina into the kitchen and took a seat at Kina’s maple-top breakfast bar. “Yeah, I heard that you had sort of a strained marriage.”

  Kina opened the refrigerator and pulled out the leftover chicken from dinner. “More like a pained marriage! It was doomed pretty much from the onset.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “First off, E’Bell and I got married really young. We were only eighteen. We didn’t have any money and barely had an education, but I was pregnant. E’Bell’s parents were traditional. They put a lot of pressure on him to do the right thing.”

  “So it was a shotgun wedding?”

  Kina thought back. “Not really. I mean, in those days, E’Bell and I were in love. We were the quintessential high school sweethearts. I was the cheerleading captain, and he was the football team’s quarterback. We were the perfect couple, until it all fell apart.”

  Desdemona pulled a small pad from her purse and began taking notes. “What happened?”

  “E’Bell, or rather ‘Give ’Em Hell’ E’Bell, which we all called him, was this hotshot athlete. He was born to play football. Nobody could touch him on the football field. He had colleges all over the country throwing scholarship money at him,” Kina said, recalling the past fondly. “Then we found out I was pregnant. Instead of going to college to play ball, he chose to stay home and marry me and raise our son. He ended up a janitor at the same school he used to play for. That did something to him. He had always dreamed of playing for the NFL. Once that dream was shattered, he ended up taking it out on me and Kenny.”

  “Is that when the abuse started?”

  Kina nodded. “He never forgave me for taking his dream from him. He resented us and said we were the reason he was a failure. I believed him and blamed myself too. That’s why I stayed with him as long as I did, enduring that abuse year after year. Then I discovered that the reason he didn’t go to college wasn’t me. It was because he had never actually graduated high school. Unbeknownst to us, E’Bell couldn’t read. When I confronted him about it and tried to leave, he beat me within an inch of my life. That’s when Kenny shot him. My son was trying to save me and killed his father in the process. To this day, E’Bell’s parents haven’t forgiven me. They don’t believe that he was illiterate or that he tried to kill me. In fact, they think I put my son up to killing him. How ridiculous is that?”

  “Wow!” Desdemona released a breath.
“You have such an incredible story! This book can pretty much write itself.”

  “Girl, we all have stories! Sullivan got caught in a big cheating scandal a few years ago. It was only last year that they found out that Charity is the pastor’s biological child.”

  Desdemona was taken aback. “Oh?”

  Kina pinched off a piece of chicken and ate it. “Yeah. Sullivan’s husband is a pastor and is always busy with the church. Unfortunately, Sully is the kind of woman who requires lots of attention. When she doesn’t get it, look out! Don’t get me wrong, though. Sullivan has a big heart, and she is a wonderful mother. She loves her babies. That’s why we’ve been so worried about Christian. There’s no telling what she might do if he doesn’t make it.”

  “I’ll be praying for him. What about Angel? She seems pretty levelheaded.”

  “Angel’s current boyfriend, Duke, is her ex-husband, who cheated on her and left her for his pregnant mistress, whom he later married. She died a few years ago, and now Angel is raising that woman’s kids. Angel also took care of Duke’s new wife when she was dying, which we all thought was a little odd. But, hey, who are we to judge?”

  “It takes a strong woman to be able to do that.”

  “Or a stupid one! But for whatever reason, she keeps going back to him, no matter how many times he screws up. In spite of all that, I think the biggest drama in our group is between Mark, Lawson, Reggie, and Garrett.”

  “Why?”

  “You see, Mark and Lawson had a one-night stand when we were in high school. Lawson got pregnant, but she never got to tell him, because he moved to Virginia to go to college,” related Kina. “Anyway, Lawson and Garrett got together, and he agreed to raise Namon like his own. Fast-forward to five years ago. Lawson and Mark ended up teaching at the same school. She hadn’t seen him since the night they conceived Namon, and was afraid to tell him that they had a child together. They had this weird sort of attraction going on, until Mark found out he had a thirteen-year-old son whom he knew nothing about. Boy, was he pissed!”

  “I bet!”

  “He threatened to take Lawson to court and sue for custody unless she married him.”

  Desdemona was rapt by the story. “What about Garrett?”

  “She and Garrett were engaged but not married yet. I think Lawson was strongly considering marrying Mark. In the end, though, she married Garrett, and Reggie hooked up with Mark. The rest is history.”

  “Goodness gracious! Has Lawson ever thought about writing a book?”

  “It would be more like a continuing drama. Mark loves Reggie, and Lawson is gaga over Garrett, but she and Mark still have this undeniable chemistry.”

  Desdemona bristled at the thought. “And their significant others don’t mind?”

  “I don’t think they’re aware of how deep it is, but there’s definitely something there. In fact, they kissed not too long ago. Lawson said it was on impulse and didn’t mean anything, but I guess that’s easier than admitting the truth.”

  “Dang, you all have lived nine lives. I’m still trying to get through one!”

  “Yeah, we may look like we have it all together on the outside, but looks can be deceiving. We all have had our crosses to bear. Most of us are still carrying them.”

  Desdemona nodded, steadily taking notes.

  Chapter 12

  “The Lord will see to it that you’re vindicated.”

  –Angel King

  Duke paid the babysitter and thanked her for watching his daughters after he and Angel returned to his home from the police station.

  “Well, that’s one call I never want to get again!” said Angel once they were alone.

  “That’s one call I never thought I’d have to make!” replied Duke. “Thanks for coming to bail me out. I’m sorry I put you through that.”

  Angel set her car keys down on the coffee table, and Duke helped her out of her coat. “I think my heart stopped when I heard you say that you were in jail. Thank God I was able to get you out. I wouldn’t be able to stomach the thought of you having to spend the night in that place.”

  “You and me both!” Duke exhaled and flopped onto the sofa. “Sitting in that holding cell, I couldn’t get my mind off what you said before I left.”

  “What was that?”

  “You told me not to trust Mya. I should have listened.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up about it. Not even I could’ve predicted that she would take it this far!” Angel softly broached the inevitable question that had to be addressed. “Duke, I know your mind is probably racing a thousand different ways right now, so I didn’t want to press you at the station or in the car. And I don’t want you to think I’m accusing you of anything, but I’ve got to ask. Exactly what went down between you and Mya in LA?”

  Duke ran his hand over his face. “Nothing, as far as I know! I mean, we flew out to LA, and everything seemed cool. We met with our clients and accomplished everything we went out there to do. We came back, and the next thing I know, I’m shackled in handcuffs and being charged with sexual assault!”

  “But there had to be something. What could she have against you to substantiate these claims? They can’t just take her word for it without any proof, can they?”

  “Obviously, they can.” Duke rubbed his wrists, still sore from the handcuffs.

  “I can’t understand why she’d bring up these fake charges against you.” Angel sat down next to him. “So did you all argue? Was there some kind of misunderstanding?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. The most she can say is that we had a glass of wine with dinner, and that wasn’t a crime the last time I checked.”

  Angel was a bit unnerved by this new development. “It is if she’s underage. I thought you said she’s twenty.”

  “She’s twenty-one. She was carded, so no crime there.”

  “Did you do or say anything that could be misconstrued as sexual harassment? Did you touch her in any way?”

  Duke seemed reluctant to answer the question. “We talked. Admittedly, the conversation may have gotten a little flirtatious at times, but it definitely wasn’t anything to warrant sexual assault charges.”

  Angel became quiet and solemn. “So you flirted with her.”

  “If you can even call it that,” argued Duke. “Just a couple of jokes and innuendos here and there. It was all very PG.” Duke saw the doubt in her eyes. “You believe me, don’t you, Angel? I swear, I didn’t touch that girl! Not to brag, but I’ve never had to force a woman to do anything. And why would I go after that little girl when I have a woman like you waiting for me at home?”

  Angel caressed the side of his face. “Don’t worry. I believe you.”

  “Thank you.” Duke was comforted. “Even though these charges are completely bogus, I’m hiring a lawyer first thing in the morning.”

  “I think that’s a good idea. I know you didn’t do what she’s accusing you of, but you still need good representation.”

  Duke nodded. “Can you believe she had the police come up to my job to arrest me? I was fingerprinted and booked like a common criminal, and I’ve never even so much as gotten a speeding ticket!”

  Angel’s heart went out to him. “As terrible as that must’ve been for you, I’d rather it happened there than here. Can you imagine how frightened the girls would’ve been to see you taken away in handcuffs?”

  “Yeah, I know. I guess I should be thankful that it’s my colleagues, not my daughters, who think I’m a rapist.”

  “Honey, no one thinks that,” Angel assured him. “Mya is not going to get away with this. The Bible speaks against bearing false witness, and the Lord will see to it that you’re vindicated.”

  “I’m not worried about being convicted by the Lord. I’m worried about being convicted by the law!”

  “He’s a lawyer in a courtroom. By the time this is over, everyone will know that Mya is lying. We will clear your name in no time, I promise.”

  “I wish it was that simple, Angel, bu
t the fact is that this nightmare is just getting started.”

  “It doesn’t matter. We’re not going to be negative or assume the worst outcome. We serve Jehovah Nissi. The Lord is our banner of love and protection.”

  “That’s exactly what I need Him to be right now!”

  “And He will be! I’m sure you’re emotionally exhausted.” Angel rubbed his shoulders. “Do you want something to eat or drink?”

  Duke shook his head. “The only thing I want to do right now is kiss my girls good night, hop in the shower, and pretend this whole scene never even happened.”

  “Okay, try not to let them see how upset you are. Kids are very perceptive, and you don’t want to scare them.”

  “I won’t.” He stood up, then leaned down to kiss Angel. “I’ll be back in a sec.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  Before going upstairs, he turned around. “You have no idea how much it means to me to have you on my side,” said Duke. “What means the most to me is that you never doubted my innocence for a second. I love you for that.”

  She smiled. “I love you too, baby.”

  Angel was relieved that Duke had faith in her and her belief in his innocence. Now she just needed to convince herself.

  Chapter 13

  “If your intentions aren’t honorable, I suggest you leave

  now, before anyone gets hurt.”

  –Kina Battle

  Kina gasped. It took her a moment to recognize the gray-bearded figure at her door the following afternoon. He looked so much like her dead husband that she feared she was looking at a ghost. Her fear morphed into anger when she realized who the unannounced and unwelcomed visitor was.

  “What are you doing here?” asked Kina, confused.

  “Don’t I get a hug?” He enveloped a stunned Kina.

  “No, not after not coming around for five years!” She quickly broke away from him. “What do you want, Elvin?”