Real Love 6 (I'm Still In Love With You)

  I’m Still in Love With You

  (Real Love Series – Book 6)

  Christian Novella

  H. H. Fowler

  Copyright © 2015 H. H. Fowler

  Smashwords Edition

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  All characters, names, descriptions, and traits are products of the author’s imagination. Similarities of actual people – living or dead are purely coincidental.

  ****

  Connect with H.H. Fowler on Twitter:

  @fowlerguy1

  Blog: www.churchboyz.org

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/www.churchboyz.org

  Dear Reader,

  Off the coast of the Bahama Islands, there is a fictional place called Devin’s Cay. The series consists of seven books, which could be considered standalones, but are intricately tied to each other. My hope is that you will be entertained, inspired and illuminated.

  If Only You Were Mine (Book 1)

  Second Chances (Book 2)

  Hungry Hearts (Book 3)

  If Loving You is Wrong (Book 4)

  Love the One You’re With (Book 5)

  I’m Still in Love With You (Book 6)

  Love Knows No Bounds (Book7)

  CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  From the Desk of H.H. Fowler

  Hurt me with the truth, but never comfort me with a lie

  Unknown

  Chapter One

  Sasha couldn’t sleep. And she wondered if it was because of the exciting news surrounding her or if she was beginning to fall in love with her husband all over again. Maybe it was both. Thank God the next day was Saturday, because she wouldn’t be able to function in the classroom after the fiery session they’d just had. In any event, she was envious that Drake had been able to fall into a deep sleep so quickly. Why was it that she had to be the one wrestling with insomnia when it was Drake who had tired her out? She sat up and allowed her gaze to rest on the flat screen TV. The Anderson Cooper talk show was on, discussing various types of germs and how to prevent the spread of them.

  The talk show host went on to explain that cell phones were filthy, the reason being that cell phone users were always touching their phones, and in effect, were transferring bacteria to their devices. It was estimated that 1 in 6 cell phones had fecal matter on them and that cell phones had 18 times more harmful bacteria than that of a door handle in a public restroom.

  How gross to be watching such a thing after making out with her husband for what seemed like half of the night, but personal hygiene was very important to Sasha. She was relieved to have stumbled across the information – though she didn’t usually take her phone into the bathroom anyway. Now she had an even better reason not to. However, Sasha didn’t know that she was about to go against her new set of rules. Her phone began buzzing with messages, one after the other.

  This concerned Sasha greatly, because the last time her phone kept buzzing this early in the morning, she and Drake were lured into a church that almost burned down with four hundred people in it. What could it be this time? John Dewy was in prison, locked away from hurting anyone again. Were his goons after them now? Against her better judgment, Sasha reached for her phone and clicked into her email messages. There were three of them, all sent within three to four minutes of each other. The first email had no title. It was from someone named Anonymous_Eyes. She then clicked into the body of the message which brazenly stated:

  You’ve been a naughty little girl, Mrs. Beckford. I know what you did three weeks ago in the boy’s locker room. And just in case you’re wondering if this is blackmail…it is. You have less than 15 hours to convince Levi to return to Xavier High and accompany the boys’ basketball team to the national tournament.

  The second email read:

  Oh, don’t even think about going to the police because I won’t hesitate to blast your dirty laundry for all eyes to see.

  By the time Sasha clicked into the third email, her hands were shaking – actually, it felt as if her entire body was experiencing tremors, which signaled she was about to go into a panic attack. And not wanting to disturb Drake with her reactions to the emails, she quietly slipped out of the bed and locked herself in the bathroom. The third email was the deadliest of them all.

  You wanna know what I know? Take a peek by clicking on the video below:

  Sasha clicked on a link that led to a five-second clip of her and Levi getting busy in the boy’s locker room. Granted it was only a prolonged kiss, but the way Levi had pushed her up against the wall, lifting her feet from the floor, made the scene seem raunchier than it really was. Her expression evinced pleasure, as did her grip, which was firmly wedged into Levi’s back, kneading the muscles that protruded against her hungry fingers. There was no room for any misinterpretation. The clip clearly showed that she wanted Levi and Levi wanted her.

  Was this a satire, some silly joke being played on her? Deep down, Sasha knew better. That kiss in the boys’ locker room had happened and someone had seen them. Questions were: Who and how was this individual able to record her and Levi without being detected? Because Sasha could have sworn that she and Levi were alone. They’d been arguing intensely right before the kiss. Had they become so oblivious to their surroundings that they subconsciously negated the possibility of being caught? How foolish and irresponsible of them to take such a risk!

  If the kiss was caught on camera, Sasha fretted, then certainly the entire heated exchange – prior to the kiss – had to have been recorded also. Sasha cringed at how her words could be misinterpreted as a woman who was not happy in her marriage. Why was this person threatening to expose something so private anyway, which had been buried almost immediately after it had occurred? It was fruitless now, trying to tell Drake about it. Sasha played the clip over and over again, if only for the shock value to wear off and to allow reality to set in. Because she simply couldn’t believe that she was caught in yet another compromising position with Levi.

  Only difference, this time her infidelity could go viral and turn into a major scandal. Her teaching career would be over and also her marriage. And Drake, as loving and as patient a husband as he was, would never forgive her. How could he ever handle another secret being kept from him, especially with it having to do with her and Levi? Sasha would be surprised if Drake didn’t leave her for good this time.

  She dropped to her knees between the toilet and the tub and began to pray fervently. Oh my dear God… I have gotten myself into another jam…I should have told my husband, but Lord, I was afraid that he would have abandoned me again…I need You to intervene on my behalf and cancel this plot of the enemy against me…

  Chapter Two

  Levi Johnson was a name that Levi wanted Devin’s Cay to erase from its memory. There wasn’t much of an incentive to stay on the island anyway after all the letdowns and the ongoing anguish he’d endured. He was actually relieved that things had turned out the way they did between him and Sasha. She was happy with Drake and he was happy with Yasmine. However, it wasn’t eas
y for him to resign from Xavier High. He was heartbroken over the decision, because he knew those boys, particularly Myles Deveron were depending on him to coach them straight through the national basketball tournament.

  But Levi was fortunate enough to have gotten his former high school basketball coach to sit in for him during the week of the games. It was the best he could do, considering he’d given the boys little notice about his resignation. Levi couldn’t blame the boys for holding a grudge against him, but he had to get out of Devin’s Cay while the getting was good. In short order, he would also send in his resignation to the Blue Marlin, as soon as he got around to putting up a “For Sale” sign on his three-bedroom house. With no ties holding him to the island, he and Yasmine could migrate to the Caymans and begin their new life together.

  He tapped on the door of the guestroom, peering in at Yasmine’s command. “Are you ready, Mrs. Johnson? We’re gonna be late if we don’t leave now.”

  Yasmine blushed. “I’m not Mrs. Johnson, yet.”

  “But you will be in a few hours,” Levi beamed. “So you better get used to me calling you by that name.”

  Yasmine looked down at her five-month baby bump and rubbed it as if she’d finally begun to feel some connection to the little mutt growing inside of her. “You must be crazy to want to marry me and accept some other man’s baby as your own. I couldn’t do it.”

  “You say that like I’m gonna change my mind,” Levi said. “I’m marrying you, girl, and that’s final. Besides, you don’t want little ‘junior’ to come into the world without his parents being married, do you? Where I come from, my peeps would say that is not ‘proper foundation’.”

  Yasmine shook her head, her smirk visible in her eyes. “Junior? You’re naming the baby after you?”

  “What’s wrong with Levi?”

  “I actually love your name, but what if it’s a girl?”

  “Then we’ll name her Levina – after my paternal grandmother…it doesn’t matter, because he or she will be ours. I’ve got this thing all figured out, girl. Just sit back and let me handle this.”

  Yasmine shook her head again. “You’re crazy. I don’t get why –”

  Levi’s cell phone came alive, swallowing Yasmine’s last set of words. Levi pulled it from his pants pocket and stared at the caller ID. The look on his face was not new to Yasmine. She’d seen it many times when Levi was either thinking or speaking with or about Sasha. But she was okay with it, because she knew Levi was doing his best to distance himself from Sasha and from the agony of unrequited love.

  “It’s her, isn’t it?” Yasmine inquired.

  Levi nodded slowly.

  “Are you going to answer it?”

  “I don’t know…” Levi looked up at Yasmine, appreciating the support he felt coming from her. “Should I?”

  Yasmine shrugged. “It’s up to you…you know yourself better than anyone and how well you can handle your emotions.”

  “Well, that’s all I need to hear.”

  Levi pushed the phone back into his pocket, ignoring the ring. It stopped, only to ring again within a few seconds.

  “Boy, what a way to spoil the mood,” Yasmine joked. “Maybe you should answer to see what she wants. It could be important.”

  “Nope…I’m not letting that woman get back into my head. She’s famous for whisking in and out of my life as if I was a revolving door. Too bad if it’s important. I want no part of it.”

  “Awwh, that’s not nice to say.”

  “Stop teasing,” Levi said firmly. “Sasha has had her chance…let her be happy with Drake, because I’m happy with you.”

  “Nice comeback,” Yasmine grinned. “I think those words need to be rewarded with a nice, sloppy kiss, from yours truly.”

  “Don’t tempt me like that,” Levi warned. “Because I’m trying to respect your body, at least until we’re married.”

  “It’s just a kiss,” Yasmine said playfully. “I’m not telling you to rip my clothes off of me and devour me with your sexy lips, though that would seem more like the ideal situation I would want to be in right now.”

  Levi’s grin was lecherous, as he made his way over to Yasmine’s waiting lips. “You are something else, girl. I already foresee that I’m gonna have a lot of fun with you.”

  “You better believe it, my dark and handsome stud. But I don’t see why we can’t start practicing now. It’s just a kiss I’m asking for.”

  “Well, if you insist…”

  “Of course I insist.”

  ****

  The Smithson Hotel – 9:44 a.m.

  Armando turned over in the bed, suddenly aware that Annalise was not lying next to him. This is not good for me to still be asleep while she’s up, especially being in the mood she’s in. He pitched up and swung his feet to the floor. However, a quick look to his left revealed Annalise’s position. She was sitting in a chair, arresting him with that infamous cold stare of hers.

  She twiddled her fingers at him. “Hello, sleepy head. You’re finally up.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Why? So that you can go to her and make me jealous?”

  “What?” Armando rubbed the sleep out of his eyes to make sure he was good and ready to deal with his wife’s erratic behavior. “What’s gotten into you this morning?”

  “Wrong question, Armando,” Annalise lashed out. “You should have asked me to tell you about the dream you were having about Rena.”

  “What?”

  “You babble in your sleep, remember?” Annalise said rhetorically. “Rena, Rena, Rena…you kept repeating her name, just like that.”

  Armando rested his forehead in the palm of his hand and sighed. “Annalise…”

  “Yes, darling?” Annalise scooted her chair so close to the bed that their knees pressed against each other’s. She then placed a well-manicured hand on his thigh. “I’m not making it up. You’ve been calling out to her for the longest. How do you think that makes me feel, being your wife? I’m the one carrying your baby, not her! I swear, Armando, if she comes near you again, I’m going to hurt her real bad.”

  “You’re not going to hurt anyone,” Armando said, swiping Annalise’s hand from his thigh. He then stood to his feet. “Get your emotions together before –”

  “Before what, Armando? I have a nervous breakdown?”

  “I wasn’t going to say that –”

  “Of course you were…you always say that when you don’t want me to tell you the truth about anything. How many times do I have to tell you that you are too handsome to take it for granted? Shucks, even men are hitting on you now…and you had better not be messing around on me with no dude –”

  “Don’t bring that gay stuff around me,” Armando said, pointing at her. “Leave that confusion in Trinidad, because I didn’t bring you along on this tour to embarrass me, or to torment me with your suspicion. And you should not be too quick to cast judgment, considering the filth I took you out of.”

  “You just had to throw that in my face, didn’t you?”

  “Well, you pushed me to say it.”

  Annalise grew quiet, as she’d been forced to remember parts of her tumultuous relationship with Trinidad’s Prime Minister’s daughter, Sabrina Wheelie. A huge celebration was in session, as it was the night of the inauguration of David Wheelie. He and his political party had just won the election for this first time since the party began fifteen years before. Government officials, along with other high ranking delegates were present, sharing in the festivities of the evening. Even Armando and his band had been invited to perform their latest release, “Hot like Fire” – an intoxicating arrangement that drove the crowd into a gyrating frenzy.

  Sabrina had invited Annalise as her secret date. Problem was: Sabrina was engaged to be married to the son of one of her father’s business associates, but she hadn’t told Annalise about it. Annalise was coming out of the bathroom when she saw Sabrina’s fiancé had leaned toward Sabrina’s lips and drew her into a prolonge
d kiss. Annalise went into an emotional shock, rousing every demon of anger in her soul. She’d slammed the bathroom door so hard that the entire building seemed to shake from the impact.

  “Get away from her!” Annalise yelled, jerking the man away from Sabrina. She glared at him after pushing him a good distance away. It was a good thing they were in an area where some privacy could be maintained, because Annalise’s actions were exceedingly boisterous. “She’s not some whore for you to be kissing on like that,” she said. “What the hell’s the matter with you?”

  Obviously confused, the man looked at Sabrina for an explanation. “What’s this woman’s problem?” he asked. “Do you know her?”

  Sabrina looked as if she would pass out from embarrassment. But she recovered just enough to keep the nerves out of her voice. “This is Annalise Finley…a good friend of mine. And as you can see, she’s very protective…”

  “Well, you had better introduce us,” the man said, “because I find it unusual that she would be such a ‘good’ friend of yours and has no idea of who I am.”

  Annalise stared at Sabrina, her lover for all of ten months and someone who Annalise would kill for in a heartbeat. “What is this man talking about, Sabrina?”

  Sabrina hanged her head for what seemed like a long time. “This is Mark,” she finally mumbled. “We are engaged to be married next year. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

  Sabrina looked up to get a peek at Annalise’s reaction. It appeared as if Annalise didn’t hear her, but Sabrina knew she did. Tears were beginning to well in Annalise’s eyes and her countenance had turned an ashy grey. She was a forty-two-year-old woman who’d never been with a man – or with a woman for that matter until she’d come in contact Sabrina, a voluptuous female who was fifteen years younger than Annalise.