All I'll Ever Ask (The Greatest Love Book 1) (8 page)

“Mr. Adams, are you there, sir?” Mark, one of Ben’s leads, snapped his attention back to the call. Ben, had to think for a moment of the issue the team was discussing and then he responded adamantly. “Yes, it is imperative and mandatory that all cases are closed in the unit database, within two-hours of leaving the client’s site. This can be done in your company provided cars before leaving the premises, as each engineer and field agent has a mobile hot spot, mobile device, laptop, and tablet. There is no reason for any employee to be in the red with compliance, in closing cases. UNDERSTOOD?”

After the call wrapped up with yes sirs, and no problems, Ben took his personal mobile device out and scrolled down his contacts to Cam’s picture. He needed to hear her voice. However, before he could make the call, his doorbell rang. Benjamin opened the door to a distressed looking Kevin. “Kevin, what’s up man? Come on in, you look like something is on your mind.”

Kevin walked in and proceeded to Ben’s living room and flopped down on the brown leather sofa. Kevin sighed and rubbed his hand across his head and then his face. Ben sitting across from Kevin in a brown leather lazy boy chair, bent forward to get a closer look at Kevin.

“Man what is going on, something else happened with Paige, or work?”

Kevin looked at Benjamin, with defeat all over his face. “Ben, man it’s all of the above. This entire day, week, and month has been a struggle. I told you about the fight Paige and I had, that is on my mind and my heart man. Today, when I got back in the office after being gone for three days, because I have a momma and girl that behave like they are starring in a reality TV show, my voice mail had twenty-five messages, email was full, and I had to present to the grand jury today. To make matters worse, not one of my witnesses showed up and the defense attorney had a field day serving my behind to me. Meanwhile, my mom is calling me nonstop, ranting about Paige and that she may need plastic surgery.  What can I do? I apologized man. She is my mom and my girl literally beat her behind!” Ben took that “my girl” reference and jumped in.

“So you and Paige back together?”

Kevin gave Ben an incredulous look, “no I haven’t talked to Paige since she stormed out a couple of days ago. But I am not going to lie, I miss her like mad.” Ben was thrown by the statement. If anyone ever physically assaulted his mom, no matter what reason they had, there would be no more thoughts of them, not to mention missing her. However, Ben knew Kevin had it bad for Paige, so he just listened.

“Ben I know I should just be done with her. I have so much on my plate, not to mention I am still trying to find the fool who hit Camille. I am just not ready to walk away from Paige. I’m just giving her time to cool down.”

Ben was not shocked by that declaration but he had to ask a question. “Kevin, I cannot tell you what to do or how to feel, but I need you to explain why you can’t live without Paige?”

Kevin looked up at Ben with a smirk, “Aww man…that girl is unpredictable and buck wild. But she is loyal and has pride in everything she does. I don’t know why my mom pushes her buttons and Paige lets her, but if that were not the case we would be a match made in heaven.”

Ben asked, “are you sure that’s it?”

  Kevin flashed all thirty-two of his pearly whites, “Buck wild is an understatement for Paige in the bedroom. That girl does things to me that brings me to my knees. There is no way I can live without her.”

“Is it worth your mom getting hurt and Paige serving time?”

Kevin said with his hands up. “Of course not, I just don’t know what to do. Maybe I need to go to church with you and Camille.”

Ben put his hands on Kevin’s shoulder while speaking to him, “we would love to have you at church, and because you my friend, have a problem only Jesus can handle. Come on let’s grab some sodas and catch the game.” Kevin looked confused, “Soda? Jesus man, what is Camille doing, to have you drinking soda? You don’t have some alcohol? Dawg, I need a real drink!”

Ben shrugged and said, “No, Camille and I are on bent knees in prayer together my friend, trying to do it, the good book’s way.”

***

Karen’s apartment

Karen did not make it past her couch, after she left work early. She did not pick up Nikki from daycare, she needed time to sort through her thoughts. She laid on her couch crying, as she could not believe the blow up she just had with Camille. Camille was like family to her and Nikki. Karen could not understand why sleeping with someone she already had a child with and planned to be with forever, was wrong. Didn’t a commitment count? Why should she miss out on love? Frankie only wanted the best for her and their family. He stood up to his ex-wife for her, an ex-wife that he admitted was his best friend. Would he have done that, if their love was not real? Karen was a wreck, going back and forth in her mind about the commitment she made to Christ and the future she wanted with Frankie. Would Frankie end things if she did not continue a sexual relationship with him?

Karen thought about the singles ministry Bible Study, where Pastor Caine gave the singles the scripture, 1 Corinthians 6:18-20. He explained how Christian singles were to resist committing sin, with their body. She remembered how she looked at her body when she got home, after hearing that it was a temple for the Holy Spirit that dwelled inside of her. With tears streaming down, she got up and read the entire passage out loud. Flee fornication, every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committed fornication sinneth against his own body.  Karen sobs were now audible. She threw the bible across the room. It was better not to know this. Now she had to be honest with herself, she wanted to slap Camille for being right. What she did with Frankie and everyman she had ever been sexually intimate was wrong.

Karen, continued to wail as if death had occurred, she had a problem. How could she have it all, The Man and Peace with the Lord. Karen continue to weep as her wails turned to deep moans of agony. Her stomach cramped and her head ached, because her spirit was willing, but her flesh was weak. Her sobs lasted for what seemed like hours. She was sinking deep into despair when the doorbell rang. She slowly dragged her aching body off of the couch. On the way to the door she glanced at her reflection in the wall mirror, her eyes were red and swollen. Karen just shook her head, trying to snap out of the pity party she was giving herself. When she opened the door, there he stood with flowers in one hand and toys in the other. The tears she was trying to hold back burst out, as if a levee to her heart had broken. 

Frankie hurriedly nudged her into her apartment, sat down the flowers and toys and grabbed Karen to him. “What’s wrong sweetie, what has happened, is Nikki okay? Frankie asked while holding Karen around the waist and rubbing her hair as her head rested on his chest. Karen with sobs and hiccups, tried to tell him but nothing she said made sense. He led her to the couch and positioned her on his lap and said, “Karen, I can’t help honey, if you don’t calm down and tell me what is wrong. Come on baby girl, tell me the problem.”

Karen took deep breaths and tried again, this time her words came out audible. “I’ve messed up with you, Frankie. I should be setting a good Christian example for Nikki but I did not think twice, before sleeping with you. I made a commitment to honor Christ and be holy but when you told me we could try. I let all my newfound standards and vows go.” Karen wiped away the tears that were now falling again and continued. “I want to be a good woman Frankie, no more self-sabotaging, only to have to spend months and years repairing the damage I’ve done to myself. But I am not prepared to lose you before we get started, I just can’t.” Karen fell back on the couch and shielded her face with her arm. She began to cry again. She knew she looked a mess in front of Frankie. Snot was running from her nose but she could not stop crying.

Frankie was at a loss, he thought their being intimate was a good thing. However, Karen was crying as if she committed murder. Frankie knew the importance of acknowledging a higher power for strength, he called on God’s power frequently, as a recovering alcoholic. He never gave thought to something as wonderful as lovemaking, could cause Karen or anyone, to feel so much guilt. He went to God through prayer in Jesus’s name for his sobriety and his family’s wellbeing. By all accounts, he considered himself a Christian. Was she implying he was not? He needed to ask Karen questions, because she was obviously leading to something he may consider a deal breaker for their relationship. Looking at her now, he knew she was not up for questions. All he could do at this time, was to console a sobbing Karen. He wondered if he would lose her to this guilt. After an hour, Karen was asleep tucked into her bed. She had cried for so long, her body was shivering while she slept. Frankie knew it was time for Nikki to be picked up, he decided to let Karen rest and he went to get their daughter.

Frankie beamed with pride as he scooped up Nikki in his arms. He rarely picked up Dawn and Autumn from daycare when they were this age because Shayla did that. But having his baby girl lead him around to introduce him to her teachers and friends at the daycare, was a memory he would cherish forever.  When he had her locked in the car seat, he left Karen a message that Nikki would be with him for the next few hours and not to worry. He was headed straight to Benjamin’s for some advice. Maybe he or Camille, could give him a clue on how to help Karen. Hopefully, in the process, he could save his new family.

***

It was like the 1980’s movie, Three Men and a Little Lady. Nikki had Frankie, Benjamin, and Kevin strung, out for hours. She had them playing tea party, watching episodes of Shopkins, and finally she “let it go,” while they watched Frozen. She fell asleep before the movie was twenty minutes in. All three men were worn out and grateful that the three-year-old had succumb to siesta.

Frankie cleared her leftover kid’s meal from her cartoon dinner tray. Uncle Benjamin had purchased the dinner tray the last time she and Camille was over. Frankie was grateful for the bond Karen and Nikki had with their family and friends. They were all becoming his family, as well. Which led him to joining Ben and Kevin in the game room. The room was definitely a man cave. It had a 100-inch, flat screen television mounted to the wall, with a digital surround sound system. The furniture was oversized brown leather sofas and lazy boy chairs. There was a pool table, three different gaming systems, and a bar that did not appear to be stocked with alcohol, which Frankie was grateful for. There were Energy drinks and bottled water instead. The men set at the high top table, talking as if they were having a meeting of knights, at the round table. As soon as Frankie sat down, Benjamin got to the point.

“So Frank, I am sure you did not just come over to let Kevin and I know what babysitting felt like. How are things going with you and Karen?”

Frankie dropped his head and said, “Man I came for advice. Karen and I moved our relationship to the next level a couple of days ago. It was magic. I never felt anything like what we shared before, even after being married to Shayla for years. So today when I got off, I rushed over to her apartment with flowers in had for Karen and toys for my baby girl. I was thinking I was going to recreate the magic before we had to pick up Nikki. But what I got was a sobbing Karen, it was like she had committed murder or her best friend had died. I tried to console her so I could figure out what was wrong. But she only babbled stuff about her letting Jesus down and not keeping her vows and commitment.” Frankie ran his hand across his head and dropped his forehead on his arms as he folded them on the table. Ben reached over and patted him on the back.

“My friend you are dealing with a woman of Christ, who feels guilty for backsliding.”

Frankie lifted his head, “backsliding from what?” Frankie was so confused and Benjamin could see it all over his face. Kevin just looked on because he was just as lost, coming from a Catholic background.

Benjamin raised his hands in surrender. “I understand how you could be confused if you did not grow up in the church. Fortunately for you, I did. See when a woman has committed her life to Christ and become saved, she can no longer commit sin. One of those sins is fornication or sex outside of marriage.”

Frankie was puzzled, “What? Why? Because she is a sex addict and she has to abstain like, I am a recovering alcoholic?” Benjamin shook his head no. “No it’s not that she is a sex addict, she has accepted that her body is the temple of the Lord’s and has to be free from sexual sin, until she is married.” Frankie was not believing his ears. “Ben, I attend church almost every Sunday. I haven’t heard I can’t have sex, if I am in a committed relationship. But then I really don’t know what Shayla’s pastor is whooping and hollering about, half of the time. I know that I go to God as my source. He is my higher power to help me with my sobriety. So you mean to tell me Karen is not a Christian if she makes love to me, that she is going to Hell, because we are not married?”

Benjamin could see the rise in Frankie’s temperature, as he had been there with Lauren and all the other women he dated until Camille. He would let them know he was not ready for marriage and was not practicing celibacy. However, with Camille, he was honoring the vows to the Lord and honoring her body, as the temple of God it was. It was hard to hold out, because Camille’s body looked like it was the truth. He thought for a few minutes on what to say to Frankie, knowing that he that won a soul, was wise. It was not lost on him that Kevin, a non-believer was in their company, as well. Kevin and Paige definitely needed Jesus in their relationship. “Frankie, the best thing I can tell you, is to talk to Karen. It’s great you have given her this time to get a cooler head, but you must talk this out. Then I advise you to attend a bible class at our church, for dating, while saved. It is called don’t stir up or awaken love, until it pleases. It covers why Christians should abstain from sex and gives great direction on how to avoid getting caught up. It has been a blessing for me and Camille. I am not telling you it is easy to abstain but this class will give you the biblical reference to show why it is the Lord’s will. If Karen is worth it, you will attend the class with her and wait until she is ready.”