Plea

Chapter 1

Chapter

One

Venus

January

A low growl escaped me as I shoved my phone back into my purse.

This was the third and last time I’d be calling my fiancé, Trent.

He’d swear he wasn’t answering because he was at work, but I knew that wasn’t true.

Trent wasn’t answering because he didn’t want to be bothered with what I wanted to talk about.

There was a time in our relationship where I would be in denial about that truth.

I’d allow myself to be pacified by the lie that he was too busy to answer my calls.

The more time we spent together, and the more I got to know him, the more I realized Trent was the kind of man to make time for who and what he wanted. And right now, that was not me.

With a sigh, I forced a smile to lift the corners of my mouth as I headed back into the hotel.

I was here to do the final planning for my party.

The Rose Valley Hotel ballroom was where I decided to celebrate the one year anniversary of my salon—The Beauty Bar.

Initially, I planned to have the party at the salon, but so many people RSVP’d that I had to change venues within three days of opening ticket sales.

The tickets were a thousand dollars each, and they would cover food and unlimited drinks along with mommy makeovers and products for baskets that my team and I were making for women in hospitals and homeless shelters.

There was also an add-on for high school and college students to have their hair done once a month for free depending on the style, for up to one year.

My expectations for community support were grossly low.

A part of me thought I’d go to the intimate dinner I’d planned with my family and staff and get maybe fifty RSVPs to the party, but so far, over five hundred people had RSVP’d.

Every time I thought about how many women I’d be able to help, I cried, and I was not the emotional type at all.

“Y’all ready?” I asked my sisters and mom as I entered the ballroom.

“Yes, but I want you to look at this one last time,” Mama said with a warm smile.

She was my first best friend, then my sisters.

I was grateful that she had us so close together.

We had a built in best friend circle, but that didn’t stop us from butting heads over the years.

It was three of us total, and I was the middle daughter.

We had an older brother too, but I wasn’t currently claiming him.

Daddy said we were so much alike that we often had issues, and I could accept that as truth.

Right now, Valentino and I were not on speaking terms because of my engagement.

I remember the day my big brother broke my heart like it happened yesterday.

It was a year and a half ago. Trevor and I had taken a trip to Houston for my birthday.

We spent the weekend partying until the sun came up.

To this day, I still don’t know how we were making it from one destination to the other beyond it being the grace of God.

I’d never been that drunk in my life and certainly wouldn’t have been riding around with a drunk man, but in that moment, I don’t think either of us realized just how drunk we were.

On the last night of our trip, his cousin met us at the hotel to pregame before we went to a lounge.

She was the only person in his family that really welcomed me in outside of his father, so when she asked us to come turn up with her for my birthday, I happily agreed.

With both of them buying me shots of brown, which I never drank, it didn’t take long at all for me to reach my limit.

While they handled the tab, I was leaned against the wall by the door.

An African man I’d never seen a day before in my life tried to convince me I’d come with him and tried to get me to leave with him.

I was so out of it I could barely speak, but I was cognizant enough to know he was giving all the stranger danger vibes.

My head shook repeatedly as I pointed toward Trevor and Amber.

When they headed back in our direction, I saw a side of Trevor I didn’t know existed.

He beat that man beyond recognition before carrying me out of the lounge and taking care of me for the rest of the night.

The next morning, he proposed over breakfast, and I didn’t hesitate to say yes.

Apparently, I should have said no because he hadn’t asked my older brother for my hand in marriage.

I didn’t realize that was why Valentino had been ignoring my phone calls until we went to a party about two weeks after that.

Valentino walked right by me as if we hadn’t shared the same womb space and heard my mother’s heart beat from inside of her.

I was so shocked by his actions it took me a second to process the fact that my brother was ignoring me.

When I called him out on his rude behavior, he said he didn’t want to talk to me because I hadn’t allowed him to meet my man before agreeing to marry him.

We hadn’t talked to each other since that public, passionate altercation.

While I wouldn’t go as far as to say I didn’t miss my brother, I would say I didn’t miss him enough to apologize for something I didn’t think I’d done wrong.

I didn’t know Trevor was going to propose to me on that trip, and if he cared that much about meeting him, he could have come around more.

Family events were always weird when the both of us showed up because we said nothing to one another.

Eventually, we started avoiding each other to keep our family from feeling the tension.

Until he apologized, I’d continue to act like I didn’t know his ass.

He was so stubborn and used to getting his way as the oldest sibling, but I wasn’t the little girl who clung to his leg anymore.

The respect he demanded, he also had to give.

My eyes shifted toward the folded napkin designs my mother held as I opted not to sit down.

If I did, she’d want to sit here and talk about the decorations for another hour, and I was ready to get back to work.

It wasn’t my intention to let Trevor’s lack of excitement dim mine, but that was what was currently happening.

“That’s fine, Ma. I don’t really care too much about that.”

She chuckled as she set the napkins back on the table. “Someone’s in a mood. What did Trevor say to piss you off?”

“He probably didn’t answer her and that’s why she’s mad,” Mariah, my younger sister, said.

“I’m not mad,” I lied, and Paisley, my older sister, immediately called me out on it with…

“Girl, please. We know you and that fake smile. What did he do?”

Plopping back down in my seat, I huffed and decided to be honest with them. “He didn’t answer, and that was my third time calling him. I’m over it now.”

“Well maybe he’s busy with work, baby,” Mama reasoned.

With a huff, I shook my head. “No he isn’t. He can answer his phone at any time. I know he’s just ignoring me.”

“Why would he do that?” Mariah asked.

“Because he’s an asshole,” Paisley grumbled, answering before I could.

Mama swatted at her arm as her eyes rolled. She knew we cursed, smoked, drank, and did whatever—she just didn’t like to hear it or see it.

“He’s the typical, ‘I’m not interested in parties and planning’ kind of man.

He thinks paying for something is all he needs to contribute.

He’s been the same way when it comes down to the wedding planning.

I’ve had to literally take care of everything while all he’s done is hand over cash and cards,” I confessed.

“That obviously bothers you,” Ma said. “Have you talked to him about it?”

With a pout, I shook my head. “Not recently. He’ll just say he’s not into that kind of stuff. I appreciate the way he shows up, but I just… wish he showed up more. I don’t like feeling alone when I have a partner.”

“You’re not alone, Sister,” Mariah countered. “We got you.”

“I know that, and I really appreciate it,” I assured her, taking her hand into mine.

I made sure to look all three of my favorite ladies in the eyes as I added, “I just mean, the whole point of me getting married is to have a life partner, and I don’t feel like I’m getting that.

Like, I haven’t been able to talk to him about the party planning, and this is something I’m so happy about and proud of.

Unless it’s about giving me money, he shows no interest in the event.

And with the wedding, I can barely get him to approve things let alone make suggestions.

Maybe I’m expecting too much from a man but—”

“Let me stop you right there,” Mama said, lifting her pointer finger. “Not all men are disinterested in things like this. In fact, most men are interested in whatever their woman is interested in. Whatever makes her happy. It might not be something he’d care about on his own, but for her, he will.”

“That’s true,” Paisley confirmed. “Before me and Mateo got married, I dealt with the most nonchalant men. I knew Mateo was the one when I told him how much we loved theater.” We all smiled at the memory.

“He researched it, went to New York to find places to take me, then planned a trip so I could experience a weekend of Broadway. He might have been damn near bored to tears, but my excitement made him happy, and I love that for me.”

“Not everyone is blessed with a man as sweet and thoughtful as Mateo, Paisley,” I said with more bite than intended.

“But you can be,” she said.

“Have you been honest with Trevor about how you feel?” Ma asked, causing me to shake my head.

She released a heavy breath. “I don’t advise you enter your marriage feeling as if you can’t be honest and open about how you feel.

I also don’t advise marrying a man that doesn’t make you feel like he’s your partner.

Some men will never show that care and interest, and that’s okay if that’s okay with you.

If it’s not, you need to let him know. If he can’t give you what you want and need, that’s a sign that he isn’t the man for you, baby. ”

“Is it really that big of a deal?” I asked earnestly, knowing if I brought this to Trevor, he’d downplay it. “He’s going to say he’s just not into this.”

“It’s about the principle,” Mama clarified.

“He doesn’t have to be into this, but you are.

If you can’t communicate with him about how you feel and get what you need, that’s a sign you aren’t emotionally validated and safe with him.

If he can’t do something as simple as engage with you about party and wedding planning, how can you trust him with the big stuff life and marriage will throw your way?

These are the tests to determine a man’s true character. What is this situation saying to you?”

I considered her words in silence before promising to talk to him about how I felt.

She was right. I’d never deny Trevor was willing to give me any amount of money I wanted or needed, but that was all he provided consistently.

I wanted a man that provided more than money.

I wanted a man that provided his time, attention, affection, and care.

I wanted a man that wanted to increase my happiness, not intentionally do things to steal it from me.

I wanted a man who didn’t decrease the value of the things that were important to me just because they weren’t important to him.

There was no denying the fact that I wasn’t sure if Trevor could be that man, but I’d need to know if he was or wasn’t before I took his last name.