Chapter 19
“Mouse?”
“Mouse, you can come in now.” Diamond called as she continued to stare at the man she’d grown to love in the short amount of time she’d been married to him. Maybe she’d always been a little in love with Ben and couldn’t entertain it because of Bryce, but now that Bryce was out of the picture, she was able to let her feelings for Ben grow, and her heart was racing because she had a very important question to ask him after she told him the whole story.
And from the look on his face when she’d walked in on him, she knew the answer; she just needed to hear him say it.
Because obsession and love were two different things, and after becoming married to him, she realized she didn’t want to just be his obsession anymore.
She turned when she heard the jingle of keys and chains approach the room they were in, and then a tall, slim, Black woman, wearing all black and tattoos running from her neck to her uncovered arms, where silver rings adorned her fingers. Mouse had a nose ring, her hair was shaved close to her head, and she wore big, hooped earrings; on her feet were black and white high-top sneakers. She had big lips, but sharp cheekbones and an aquiline nose and a small scar along her right cheek. Mouse’s features didn’t make her a beauty but would work well in a photo. Diamond could see her height and the type of features she had being in fashion magazines, but Mouse did not allow you to take photos of her at all, and if you knew her like Diamond did, that wasn’t what Mouse was interested in doing.
She bent her head slightly to come through the door and stood there quietly staring at the pictures of Diamond on the wall before her dark eyes met theirs, and she bent her head, patiently waiting.
Diamond turned to Ben. “This is Mouse. I met her at one of our shelters where she is staying until she gets on her feet. I was having a problem on my laptop, and she fixed it for me. We started chatting, and I realized how good she was.”
Diamond smiled at Mouse. “She created my virus.”
Ben's gaze went to her and then to Mouse.
“Damn.” He whispered.
“Why?”
She continued to explain to him what she’d told the family. “I also got Mouse to help me set up the security software for the charity fund. She created the illusion for you that the money was missing and that I was going to need your help getting it back; she then created one for my account that would make it seem that the money was transferred to my account and that I had a malicious virus attacking me.
Afterward it was to disappear, and everything would go back to normal afterwards. We didn’t know that you were going to try and transfer the money out the same day we put our plan into action. She got an alert and blocked it. I didn’t find out about it until I went back to work what you had done. But I couldn’t very well come and accuse you of doing something that I already did.”
“Why?” he whispered again.
“I needed something to get your attention and thought that if we worked together to get this money back, you would start paying attention to me again. I didn’t think everything would spiral out of control and that you’d force me to marry you. The ploy was only to last for a day or two before it was resolved. Gaining your attention again, but then I had to keep it going because of my circumstances and that you seemed very excited about the virus.” She couldn’t keep the bit of jealousy out of her voice that she’d felt when the virus took away some of his focus.
Diamond continued. “I also didn’t expect you to use your money and deposit it into the account.”
“I see.” He turned to Mouse, taking her in as she waited, not saying a word. Both Ben and Mouse were similar in that respect. Mouse said very little and kept to herself. The only time she’d shown any life was when she’d been helping Diamond with her plan, never once asking her why.
“You are hired by BenAm, by the way.” He said to Mouse before turning back to Diamond.
“No.” Mouse stated firmly.
Ben turned, eyeing Mouse speculatively. He opened his mouth, but Diamond needed to get everything off her chest, and then he could deal with Mouse later.
“Please listen to the rest of what I want to say, and then you can decide on what you want to do after that.”
He returned his attention to her, his eyes and face reflecting nothing.
“I didn’t plan for this to get so out of hand; like I said, it was just to get your attention, but then you stepped in and said you would help under one condition: that I marry you.”
“I should have been surprised and appalled at what I just got myself into and the guilt I should feel for what I’d done. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was right for me, that you were right for me and had been all along. I was just using the excuse of making you notice me and to make my life exciting again. But the real truth that I admitted to myself was that I wanted you. And I didn’t put up a fight. I wanted to see where we could go from here. Just you and I with no interference from family and friends. You were more than I’d ever hoped for in a man and a husband. You woke me up sexually and emotionally. I was seen and treasured, but I didn’t know if I was loved.”
She licked her suddenly dry lips. "Everything changed for me, and now I need you to not just be obsessed with me anymore but in love with me. Diamond the person. You showed me that night in the bathroom what it felt like for someone to look into your soul and accept you for who you were. I didn’t know that was what my lonely heart was missing. You made me feel things I never felt before. I found out more about myself with you when I look into your eyes.”
Diamond couldn’t lose him and hoped that despite the hurt he’d just felt and her manipulation of him, he was in love with her.
They both were broken in their own ways, but together they were a whole.
She turned to Mouse. “Can you wait outside for me? I will take you back to the shelter soon.”
“We will drop you off; we have business to discuss, and I won’t take no for an answer. Just ask anyone in the family.”
Mouse’s dark brown eyes stared at Ben for a fleeting second, and then she shrugged and then silently exited the way she came in.
Ben faced her, his head tilted. “Does this mean that the end of the year is off the table?”
She smiled, hope pouring through her. “Depends.”
“On what?”
Her lips trembled. “If you love me or not, can you forgive me?”
His eyes widened, and he turned, pointing to the pictures behind him.
Diamond shook her head. “No, for the mess I made with our families. And that wall is your teenage boy obsession of me. Do you love me? The flesh-and-blood woman, me, Diamond?”
He walked up to her and cupped her cheek. “I am not always good with expressing myself when it comes to emotional stuff, Diamond, but with you it is easier to feel and love. I will continue to work on that for you. But my obsession was born because I saw you, Diamond, and wanted the light you shone so brightly that day and every day that I am in your presence. Your light, it pierced my darkness. I love you.” He whispered solemnly.
“And when I do get closed off, I need for you to not give up or run away but hit me over the head, attend counseling with me when it gets too bad, and know even if I don’t say it all the time, that I love you.”
“I love you too. We are a crazy pair, perfect for each other." She grinned and then reached up, planting her hands on her husband’s chest and kissing him with the love she felt for him and he for her.