Lena knew he was angry but she didn’t know what else she could say or do to make him see reason. Why couldn’t he understand that things needed to be back on a professional level between them?
When they reached her car, he asked before opening the door, “So what was tonight about, Lena?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do. Why did you let me make love to you tonight if you knew things would be over between us?”
When she didn’t say anything he shook his head, understanding completely. “So it was one of those kinds of nights.”
She raised her head and met his gaze. “What kind of nights?”
“Nothing but sex, pure sex and nothing but sex.”
She cringed. His words had made it sound so dirty. “Why are you giving me a hard time about my decision, Morgan? I would think you would be overjoyed.”
He stared at her before moving aside and opening the car door for her. “Yes, you would think that and you know what, Lena? I’m going to announce my candidacy without you or anyone else beside me.”
When she got inside the car, she watched as he walked over to his own, and instead of getting in he stood there, staring at her. She held back the tears that threatened to fall. Why couldn’t he see that everything she was doing was because she loved him?
“Let me get this straight,” Kylie said, glaring at her best friend. “You actually told Morgan you couldn’t marry him because he’s decided to run for public office?”
Lena was glad they were the only two in the house. They were in the kitchen. She was sitting at the kitchen table when Kylie stood at the counter folding laundry.
Chance was out playing the usual Saturday morning basketball game with his brothers; Marcus and his latest girlfriend had left earlier for the mall, and Tiffany had gone to spend the weekend with her grandparents.
“Calm down, Kylie. I wouldn’t want Chance to blame me if you went into labor early. And yes, I told him I couldn’t marry him. It would not have been a real marriage anyway.”
Kylie tossed the items she was about to fold back in the laundry basket and came and sat across the table from Lena. “And just what do you mean it would not have been a real marriage?”
Lena sighed. She knew that Kylie would be upset because she had held all the facts of her pending engagement to Morgan from her. “First promise that you won’t get mad.”
Kylie rolled her eyes. “I won’t promise you anything because I’m already mad. I can’t believe you let Cassandra Tisdale and her band of Merry Hussies get to you.”
“They didn’t get to me.”
“Sounds to me like they did. So let’s get back on track. What do you mean that your marriage to Morgan would not have been real?”
Lena didn’t say anything for a long time. Then she said, “Morgan and I entered into a business agreement.”
Kylie lifted an arched brow. “What kind of business agreement?”
“I was to marry him and have his baby.”
“What!”
“You heard me. He asked me to marry him just to have his baby.”
Kylie stared at her for a long moment. And then she did the one thing Lena hadn’t expected. She burst out laughing.
And she continued laughing to the point where Lena began getting slightly irritated. Personally, she didn’t see anything funny, she thought, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest and glaring across the table at Kylie. “Excuse me, I hate to interrupt, especially when I’ve evidently brought so much amusement into your life this morning, but can you please explain to me what the hell is so funny?”
Kylie stopped laughing, slightly. She then got up and went to the kitchen counter and grabbed a paper towel to dab at her eyes and said, “I’m so sorry, Lena, but Morgan pulled one over on you.”
Lena’s glare deepened. “Meaning?”
Kylie dabbed at her eyes some more and chuckled a few times before saying, “Meaning, he would have told you anything to get you married to him.”
Lena inhaled deeply, still not knowing just what Kylie meant. “Kylie, I’m going to count to ten, and if you don’t get that rump of yours back in this chair and tell me what you’re talking about, then you will be going into labor early.”
Kylie saw the threatening look in her eyes and knew her best friend meant business. “All right, all right,” she said, coming back to sit down at the table.
“Now talk.”
Kylie raised her eyes to the ceiling. “You’re so smart I’m surprised you hadn’t figured things out, Lena. Think,” she said, reaching across the table and tapping a finger against what at the moment she considered her best friend’s thick skull. “For months Morgan has been after you. He asked you out several times.”