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“You look great, baby. I have missed you so much.” Gerald was standing in her face smiling and spitting game as she seethed, ready for revenge of any kind.
“Can we sit and—”
“Umff!” Aubree swung her fist back and made contact with his mouth, knocking Gerald off his feet into the table. She grabbed at him ready to let her fist tell him how she had been, but Ivy snatched Aubree up as patrons nearby started moving out of their seats. After hearing the commotion and seeing Aubree tussling with Ivy, Nova and Davis ran over to stop her before she went ham on Gerald. Aubree had tears running down her face as she watched Gerald pick himself up off the table, and Davis carried her toward the back of the coffee shop near the restrooms. She didn’t notice that Allie and Chanel stood by the table watching as the attack went down. Gerald had finally infiltrated her new world. There was no way to protect her family and friends any longer without exposing her secrets to everyone. Nova and Ivy left Aubree with Davis as her attempted to calm her down as the tears flowed down her face and sobs tore from her racking her body. The day of reckoning had finally arrived, and all the options had been taken away from Aubree. Once Davis and Aubree made it back to the table, Nova decided fun day was officially over. They loaded up the SUV with their shopping bags, themselves, and headed back to the house. The vehicle was blanketed with quietness and concern for Aubree. Allie didn’t want to get in Grant’s business, but she was concerned about Aubree’s emotional state because there was definitely something Aubree had gotten involved with.
On the ride to the house Aubree sat in silence while Chanel went on and on about how much fun she had today. Aubree felt the world was closing in on her with Mario and Tone lurking around, and with the reappearance of Gerald, now a decision had to be made. As soon as they crossed over the doorway, Aubree ran past Mrs. B and Grant to the bathroom. Mrs. B pointed at Grant then towards the bathroom.
Mrs. B blew out a breath. “I need her to have the bling of a ring before Chanel gets a new sibling because you are not going to stop giving her the ding-a-ling.”
Grant left the room to check on Aubree. He found her in the bathroom crying and throwing up her lunch and knew that something was going on with her. He held her until she stopped, helped her to get cleaned up, and carried her to bed for the evening.
Later that evening, Grant received a series of urgent text messages from Celeste. The messages contained images with the message“This is who you chose”.
The pictures were of Aubree in the parking lot with two men. One man was close on Aubree with his hand on her inner thigh and his other hand on her breast. The second man held her against the car by her neck. Celeste would do anything to get back in his good graces, so he didn’t put it past her be messy. Especially since she decided Aubree was the reason he ended their relationship, and she was ready to exact her revenge on Aubree. Grant ignored the text messages from Celeste and placed his phone on the nightstand. For all he knew the pictures could be photoshopped because the alternative really wasn’t an option. If they were real, that would mean Aubree had been lying to him; not with words but by omission.
But only Aubree could answer those questions for him. He would give her the opportunity to tell him in the morning before he assumed the worst. But he would not play the fool this time. As he heard her friends say earlier, this was about the trust issues that Aubree had with everyone but Davis. When Grant woke the next morning, Aubree and Davis were gone with no note. Grant sighed, “Maybe there’s some truth to the pictures that I received from Celeste. Damn.”
Chapter 24
“Aubree, honey, you have got to tell that man the truth before someone else tells their truth about you. Be honest with him. If not, you aren’t any better than Fuck-Boy.”
“What if he doesn’t forgive me? What if he—" Davis stopped her ranting.
“You won’t know until you talk with him. You know he suspects something is going on with you, and he is probably thinking the worst.” Davis placed his hand on Aubree’s shoulder. “I know it seems unfair, but you have to tell him before one of those thugs decides to reveal themselves to Grant.”
Aubree closed her eyes to keep from crying about the choice she had to make, giving up Grant. Grant would be another failed relationship for her in a long line since childhood. Relationships in her life had never been healthy, always taking and requiring more of her but less of the other person. Beginning with her parents, she did everything she thought would make her parents love her, to stay with her, but those chose something else. Her grandmother seemed to only love her when she was obedient but berated her when she followed a different pathway. Gerald was the puss and scum parasite that sucked the life, finances, and joy from her life and never once thought Aubree deserved anything. Gerald reappeared with his fake concern and fake smile were crueler than Mario and Tone’s presence.
“Davis, I’m just tired of having to fight for someone to love me and for someone to know I need love too. I deserve to be a priority and not an afterthought.” A single tear journeyed down her cheek which Davis caught on his finger tip.
“Well then, let Grant be the one to be the love you deserve. Let him love you, but you have to trust him with your heart. You have to trust him. Nova and Ivy too.” Davis was right; she did have to trust that their love would cover and forgive all that she had been through.
They drove the rest of the way to Grandma Margrett’s house in silence with the radio playing. When they pulled into the driveway, Aubree noticed a brand new pearl white Mercedes Benz parked across the street with the driver sitting inside. Davis and Aubree got out of the car and walked up the drive to the door where Grandma Margrett stood waiting for them.
Margrett rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth. “Not today, punk ass.” Davis and
Grandma Margrett remained on the porch while Aubree met Gerald in the driveway. Just looking in his face made her want to punch him again dead in his mouth. She wanted to hurt him physically for all he had done to her.
“What the fuck are you doing here at my grandma’s house?! There is nothing we have to say to each other ever again. You left me with nothing and didn’t even have the decency to call and tell me fuck off or something! No, you left me, so excuse me if I don’t feel the need to give you my time!” Aubree screamed. She was tired of accommodating Gerald’s needs. She was in this mess because of him.
“Breezy, it wasn’t like that, baby. I was coming home to you like I always do. I just needed to work some things out before I came back for good. You were my world, everything I did was for you. Everything!”
“No, everything you did was done to me to hurt me. I am ashamed of all the things I had to do in order to survive. You didn’t do anything but make me a hustling ass hoe for you. I took out loans, I robbed Peter to pay Paul! I sold my soul and body!” Aubree pointed a finger at her chest. “But you just quit and walked away, a luxury I could not afford.”
“Aubree, I know I hurt you. I was trying to give us something better, give you something better. What do you want me to do, say I’m sorry? I’m sorry, Breezy. I apologize for not being the man you needed me to be.” Gerald pleaded with her.
“That’s real fucked up. Why are you here?”
Gerald squared his shoulders. “I need you to give me the money. Where is the money? It is not at the house or any house we have lived, so I need you to tell me what you did with it.”
“I don’t know anything about any money. What are you talking about? And if I did, you think I would give it to you with how much you owe me? You have lost your mind five times over.”
“This is not a game! I need the money now. You don’t understand what you are doing. They will kill me if I can’t give them the money.” Done with the conversation, Aubree turned to walk away. Gerald grabbed her arm, turned her to face him, and jacked her up by the front of her shirt.
“Aubree, I don’t have the time for these scorned victim games you want to play. I apologized, but I need my money you stole from me today. Don’t make me turn your little perfect world on its head. Where is the money?” Gerald’s breath hit the side of Aubree’s face as he spoke. They had had plenty of arguments, but never had Gerald put his hands on her. She struggled to pull herself away until a single shot rang in the air.
“Get your hands off my baby, or you will meet your maker today. Your people will be planning your funeral!” Grandma Margrett had the rifle pointed to his head. “Get on this porch now Aubree!” Aubree moved as if the hounds of hell were chasing her until she was in Davis’ arms shaking. Gerald stood in the driveway staring at Aubree as if she would fold and tell him about the money. Gerald’s actions continued to reveal the man he would always be toward her, then broken promises, and the way he sacrificed her well-being for nothing that benefited him.
Margrett turned to face Aubree and Davis. “I don’t want to hear any more excuses, tell me the truth, Aubree. What have you gotten yourself into with that fool?” With tears rolling down her face Aubree told Grandma Margrett every detail of her relationship with Gerald even the darkest parts about working at the Black Dungeon. She refused to look her grandma in the eye as she was talking because she knew what she would see. She had heard it all her life and did not want to hear it now. Davis added that the men that Gerald had been involved with were in Dawson Falls following her around demanding to get the money from her.
