"You can’t be serious, Jacob. You are running off to Florida because of her?" she said, putting her hands on my pants to stop me from buckling them. “Why don’t you just call her parents back and tell them to go.”
"Destiny, stop this. I have to go. She is not only my friend, but her parents are my family’s friends; and she needs me to be there for her." My head was pounding, as I looked into her eyes and saw the hurt in them. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt Destiny. "You would do this if Montie was in trouble," I said, leveling with her. “And, I wouldn’t do anything to stop you.”
Her jaw dropped open, and she let go of my pants. "This has nothing to do with Montie! He is the father of my children. She’s your crazy ex that uses suicide threats to keep you in line. Besides, you have no real connection to Justine."
"Justine and I have history. We’ve been friends since kindergarten. You don’t know the kind of relationship Justine and I have…" I swallowed the lump in my throat as I remembered my old friend, the one that defended me when I used to be a piss ant.
“You’re right. I don’t know the relationship you and Justine have,” Destiny said somberly.
"I mean the relationship we had," I corrected. “Look, it’s not what you’re thinking.”
Destiny walked over to the closet and stood face to face with me again. "Jacob, just hours ago you made love to me. You asked me to be your wife and to spend the rest of my life with you. Now you’re running off to be with your ex-girlfriend," she said, as a tear rolled down her cheek.
I shook my head. "She's an old friend who could be dead by the time I get there. Please understand that this is no more than caring for a friend. It’s the right thing to do."
"A friend who has disrespected me on so many levels, more than once."
“She knows not to ever speak that way to you, or about you, ever again. I got that point across to her the last time we talked. And, I’m not going to socialize with her. I’m going to make sure she’s physically okay, spend some time with her parents and mine and I’ll be returning home.” I stepped around her and picked up my suitcase. I placed enough clothes in it for a few days. I slammed the suitcase shut and called Henry. I would call Ron and Martha once I got in my car.
"I need you to come and pick me up right away, and call Tim and tell him to get the jet ready for a trip to Miami pronto."
"Now?" Henry asked, sounding groggy.
"Right now!"
"Okay boss," Henry said, clearing his throat.
I walked over and pulled Destiny close. "Please don't cry, Destiny. You have to know that I love no other woman but you."
"Just go, Jacob," she said pushing me away.
"She needs me, Destiny. We’ll talk about this when I get back," I said, torn between my present and my past. I placed a kiss on her forehead and said, "I’m leaving the keys to my car for you to drive home. Lock up when you leave."
Destiny's tears tugged at me as I walked out of the bedroom door and up the hall. I could feel a rip in my heart as I got into the backseat of my car. I couldn’t tell what would hurt worse: losing Justine by suicide after having pushed her out of my life, or losing Destiny for trying to be there for a friend.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
DESTINY
Gon' Learn Today
He cooked me dinner. He asked me to marry him. We made love. Then, a few hours later, he’s traveling on his jet to stand beside Justine. It didn’t add up. Did he still love Justine? I was tired of her manipulating our relationship. I looked down at my engagement ring and forced those horrible thoughts from my mind. However, the only reason he would wake up out of a dead sleep calling her name was that they had an emotional connection deeper than what he admitted.
"I need you to come and pick me up right away, and call Tim and tell him to
get the jet ready for a trip to Miami pronto," he'd said, letting me know that his decision was final. When he hung up the phone, he looked torn, but his next words let me know where his heart was.
"She needs me…" he said before placing a kiss on my forehead. He left our bed of lust, leaving me at a loss for words.
"I need you, too," I whispered as his front door slam shut. More tears threatened to fall as I got up and put my clothes on.
The wonderful smell of his cologne lingering in the air impaled my senses. The look on his face as he made love to me was still fresh on my mind.
Then the fire in his eyes when he said, "She needs me…" rushed back. The contents of a person's heart would always shine through. Tonight was that time for Jacob. He and Justine grew up together and she was his best friend before they decided to date. Obviously, they were still fully united. The way he jumped up knowing that something was wrong with her said that they had a deep connection. There was no way in hell or high water I could marry a man that synchronized with another woman.
I brushed my hair back into a ponytail and put on my jacket. Looking around at his mahogany colored room decorated with pictures of American soldiers, I knew it would be my last time in that room. I committed every part of it to memory.
The doorbell rang when I walked out into the hallway. I rushed to the door with a smile on my face. He came back, I thought and opened the door without checking to see who it was. I thought Jacob had come to his senses.