CHAPTER FIVE

The next day, Brent made his way to the courthouse. She was fast asleep when he left that morning, sleeping like his angel, and he didn’t have the heart to wake her up. Not that he wanted to anyway. He knew it would only turn into an argument about last night and why he didn’t show up or, if Pop or somebody else told her he did show up, why he left the way he did. What was he going to say? I saw you with that great-looking black guy and was jealous? He would never reveal his insecurities that way, not even to MaKayla. But it would have been the truth.

But by noon he was missing her something awful. He just wanted to see her face and make sure she was going to be okay. He was at the hospital earlier with his rookie, and he was grateful to God the kid was going to pull through. But that whole night still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

He went by her office first. When her secretary told him she was still in court, he made his way to the courthouse. But when he found out she was trying a case in Judge Clayton’s courtroom, he couldn’t get up those stairs fast enough. He wasn’t a kid anymore. He couldn’t fly up those stairs with ease like he used to. But he still made it to the fourth floor in near-record time.

But the trial had just ended and although other members of the prosecution team were still muddling around in the courtroom, MaKayla was nowhere to be found.

“Hey Brent.” It was one of the assistant DAs.

Although they attended the same high school, he couldn’t recall her name. “Hey there. My wife still around here?”

“Yes, she is, matter of fact. She’s in Judge Clayton’s chambers.”

“Is there a group meeting or something?”

“No, just her and the judge.”

Brent found that odd, considering none of the other prosecutors were in there with her. And it was, of all the judges’ chambers in that courthouse, Alvin Clayton’s chambers. He thanked her, played it cool, but his heart was pounding as he made his way to Clayton’s office.

Although he was certain MaKayla would never cheat on him because she wasn’t and would never be that kind of girl, he always wondered if that would remain true if the right man, the man of her dreams ever entered her orbit. And ever since Alvin Clayton hit town, and he saw for himself how chummy they were becoming, he wondered if Alvin could be that one man that could change her. That could take her away from him.

He didn’t know if it was truth or bullshit, but he’d always heard how black guys preferred a full-figured woman with a body like MaKayla’s. How they even craved that kind of woman. Would do anything to have her. And MaKayla had the gorgeous face to match that body too? For all he knew Alvin Clayton could be obsessed with his wife!

That was why he didn’t knock. He barged right on in as if he wanted to catch them in the act. And what he saw stopped him in his tracks.

Alvin was seated behind his desk and MaKayla was standing beside him, leaning down and showing him something in a file folder. But what Brent saw before the judge’s eyes could divert or MaKayla could stand erect, was that Alvin was staring down her blouse and their arms were touching each other as MaKayla stood there. But as soon as they heard that door open, Alvin looked up and MaKayla stood up.

“Brent,” she said, “what are you doing here? Did Ash call?”

Brent was still staring at Clayton. “Everybody’s fine.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question,” he said to her, although his eyes remained fixated on the judge.

“I’m having an in-camera with Judge Clayton to see if some confidential evidence can be used in one of my cases.”

Then the judge smiled a smile that seemed totally fake to Brent. “ In-camera means in private,” he said as if Brent hadn’t been in law enforcement most of his adult life. He knew what in-camera meant. “But beyond that point,” Alvin added, “has anyone ever told you it’s impolite enter an office without knocking, or for a man to wear a hat inside a building?”

“Has anybody ever told you to mind your own fucking business?” Brent shot back.

Although Alvin continued to smile, MaKayla was shocked. Where did that kind of hostility come from? “You’re out of line, Brent, way out. And you know it.”

Brent settled down. He knew it. “Can I talk to you?”

He could see hesitancy in MaKayla’s eyes, but she agreed and followed him out of the judge’s chambers.

Once in the corridor, they stood beside each other at the railing that overlooked the courthouse atrium. It was a beautiful view, but neither one of them noticed it. “You okay?” Even though he was a naturally broody man, MaKayla knew when it was a normal broodiness or more than normal. She could tell it was more than normal.

But like always he kept it buried within and said he was fine.

“I found out this morning, when I got to work, about the shooting last night at Noah Lamm’s. One of the ADAs handled it last night but didn’t bother to notify me until this morning. But he said one of your rookies were shot?”

“He was, yes. But thank God he’s going to pull through.”

“Thank God!”

Then silence ensued.

MaKayla hated to break the mood, but as DA she had a ton of work to get to. “So what’s up?”

“I wanted to see you.”

MaKayla smiled. “I always want to see you,” she said and gave him a hug.

But as they held each other, a sense of sadness overtook them both. They didn’t want their relationship to be where it was. It was as if they had fallen into a funk and couldn’t get out of it. So they kind of stopped trying.

Brent’s eyes squeezed shut as he held MaKayla. He loved everything about her: from her heart and character to her sweet scent, her radiant face, and her so-smooth dark skin, to her voluptuous body. She had a body type he didn’t think turned him on at all. He’d been around thin, hipless, small butt women most of his life and assumed that to be the definition of beauty. Until he met MaKayla. Until he felt her in his arms and made love to her. His entire idea of beauty and grace and sophistication completely changed after he met MaKayla.

And the older he became, the more she turned him on. The more he wanted her. The more he needed her. But also the more he kept his true feelings tucked away from her to protect his heart.

When they stopped embracing (it was MaKayla who pulled away first), he told her about what his father had phoned and told him that morning. “Pop’s invited us to dinner tonight with him, Jenay, and Tony. At Rita Lynn’s.”

MaKayla saw Big Daddy last night, at Peg’s retirement party, but she hadn’t seen Jenay in a minute. “I’d love to have dinner with them. What time?”

“He says eight. Says we’d better be on time too.”

MaKayla laughed. “That sounds like Big Daddy. I’ll be there.”

“Want me to pick you up or meet you there?”

“Better meet me there. If you have a call out, I want to have my own car to get home.”

Brent said nothing, but she could tell inwardly he was saying okay.

And then they just stood there. So much to say. Too much to say. But MaKayla was not like Brent. She couldn’t just lock her emotions away. She spoke up. “I missed you last night.” Then she added casually, as if it didn’t bother her at all, when it bothered her greatly: “I heard you were there too.” The fact that he had been in a shooting that same night, before he arrived, lessened her anger about his appearance and then disappearance. But it still stung. She could have comforted him!

“I was there briefly.”

“Why didn’t you come say hey?”

Brent looked around. That broodiness, which kind of went hand in hand with stressfulness, was heightened. “I just didn’t.”

They looked at each other in quick-release glances, as if they were peeping rather than looking. And it was a shame because MaKayla didn’t think she could love any man as much as she loved Brent, and Brent knew he could never love any woman as much as he loved MaKayla. And the thought of their marriage failing because of their inability to admit the problem, to tackle the problem, and to learn from the problem was beginning to consume both of them. And another thought too: Was it worth it to them? Was that the real problem?

“I’d better let you get back to work,” he said in his usual sweep it under the rug fashion.

And she was his enabler. “Yeah, I’ve got a trial this afternoon to prepare for. See you tonight.”

Brent leaned in, kissed her on the lips, wishing to linger there but knowing they both had work to do. He pulled away.

She watched him as he began walking away. With that strongman persona, and those thick thighs and physique women loved, she knew she was up against it with a lot of females that wanted Brent too. And she knew many of them felt they were better suited for him with their tiny bodies and their big blonde hair - real or bleached - and their big, blue eyes - real or contacts - but she also knew who Brent wanted to be with wasn’t up to them. It was up to Brent. And he made his choice.

She just wondered, sometimes, if he regretted the choice.

But as she moved to go back into chambers, she remembered something else. “Brent!”

He turned around too.

“All the kids are asking if they could stay a few days longer with Ashley and Frankie. They said their parents will go along with it if you do. I told them it’s a no if you object.”

He had hoped she had stopped him to say that she loved him. “They must be enjoying themselves.”

“They are. Your sister is a girl who knows how to have fun. And she and June have been close for a long time.”

“That’s true.” He gave a weak smile that disappeared as quickly as he revealed it. Although he preferred to have his family under the same roof. The way MaKayla was always working so late, the house felt empty. But he was not a selfish man. “I don’t object,” he said.

“They’ll be happy to hear it.”

Then they stared at each other a few seconds longer, said their goodbyes once more, and then they both turned away and went back to their seemingly separate lives.