Our Promise

Chapter 1

Chapter

One

Furthest Thing from Perfect

Ican’t do this.

The thought hit Bernard “Benny” Collins like a ton of bricks as he sat across from his ex-girlfriend, Tara Vaughn.

“You haven’t touched your dinner,” she said, concerningly.

In an attempt to give their relationship a second chance, they had been slowly spending more time with each other. He agreed she could cook him dinner tonight, but that had been a mistake. Coming home to her wasn’t like it was before.

Benny’s eyes lifted from his plate to Tara’s beautiful face. “Can I be honest with you?”

For weeks he had been convincing himself he could overlook her infidelity, but too much damage had been done.

He wasn’t the same man he was six months ago before he found out she had cheated.

Forgiving her was easy, compared to moving on and trying to rebuild.

It was hard figuring out where to go from there.

It all seemed so simple after they made up, but he learned it was far from simple. Everything had changed and would never be the same. He realized in the past few weeks that love just wasn’t enough.

“I wouldn’t expect anything more from you. What other way have you been?” She released a nervous chuckle.

“You’re right, but I don’t want to hurt your feelings.”

They were in such a fragile state, but it was her fault. She had done the damage, and he appreciated her trying to repair them, but it wasn’t working for him.

Tara lowered her utensils to her plate. “Just say it.” She placed her elbows on the table, lacing her fingers.

“I can’t do this. This is not going to work.”

He watched her transform. Her body slouched. Her face contoured into a deep frown. “Benny, you said you would try.”

He did. He promised he had tried, but coming home to her was like being doused with ice water. Shock and almost disgust. He was mature but not mature enough to get over her cheating. It was a nagging thought that no matter how much he tried to put it out of his mind, it slipped to the forefront.

He wondered if she cooked for the other man like she did for him. Had she made love to him like she did to Benny? It was torture that he wouldn’t put himself through any longer.

“How many times do I have to say I’m sorry?” Tara asked with pure desperation.

Actually, he was tired of her apologies. The man she was longing for, the one she was craving to have back, was long gone.

He hated to admit it, but she had made him bitter. For months after, he was hostile, tearing into anyone who looked at him wrong. It wasn’t until he had a talk with his father two months ago did he come back to the Benny they all knew and loved.

The chime of his phone broke the silence in the room. He looked down at it to see it was a text from his brother.

Brother G: Can you pick up Jo and Elle?

Benny said, “I have to go.” He stood from the table, placing his napkin on his plate.

“Benny, we’re talking.” Tara stood, following behind him as he made his way to his bedroom. “What is it? Work or family?”

She had been with him on and off for four years, so she knew with success came responsibilities. His family’s brand and business, Cup of Jo, was his responsibility. Now his family, they were more important than his business. He would go running every single time they called.

“Either one always came before me,” Tara accused. “You want me to tell you something that will hurt your feelings?”

That stopped Benny in his tracks. He turned to her with a thick brow lifted.

He was curious about what she might say, then he realized whatever she could say wouldn’t affect him. She couldn’t hurt him any more than she already had, and he had healed from that pain, so there wasn’t any more she could say.

This whole interaction was another reason Benny knew they wouldn’t prevail this second time around.

“I’m not doing this with you, Tara. I’ll pay you for the grocery and throw in a little extra for your time.”

He watched her take her shoe off, so when she threw it, he easily ducked it.

“Fuck you, Benny! Now you want to treat me like I’m nothing!” she yelled.

Tara ran up, swinging.

“Aye, aye, aye. Stop!” He caught her wild arms and clamped them to her sides. “We never did this and we’re not about to start. Just get your stuff and leave, please.”

He watched her face change from anger to sorrow.

“Okay, okay.” She wiggled her arms, and he released her.

She reached up slowly to grip his face. “I’m sorry.

Baby, please. I love you so much. You know how much courage it took me to come to you, begging for a second chance? We can work this out. I know we can.”

Benny removed her hands from his face. He looked into her watery, red eyes and said, “We’re done.”

And he knew they were really done, because he didn’t feel an ounce of regret when those words left his mouth.

“You know what…” Tara started but stopped.

Benny could tell she wanted to stand her ground, but he hoped she realized there was no foundation for her to stand on. She had destroyed it. No matter how much she tried to validate her reason for cheating, she was the one who broke them up and ruined their relationship.

Tara ran to grab her coat and purse, then she raced to the door. He heard her whimpers as she went to collect her things, and he still felt nothing until she left.

Relief washed over Benny. He went to the front door, locking it. He checked the window and saw Tara reversing out of his driveway.

He released a heavy sigh. He walked to the dining room and began to clean when another text came through on his phone.

Brother G: Aye, are you busy with the cheater? I know you see my text. Let me know something. I’m not in the city. I only ask cause Jo don’t want Trey to pick them up but if that’s her only option… Oh well. Let me know.

Benny sucked his teeth at the first sentence of Gavin’s text. He had something for him the next time he saw him. However, he would focus on the second part of his text. Apparently, his sister needed “rescuing.”

Spoiled ass.

Joann was the oldest out of him and his younger brother, Gavin, but she was the most spoiled since she was the only girl.

Their coffee shop, Cup of Jo, was named after her and their mother.

Though his mother rarely dealt with the place and Jo only helped occasionally.

Other than his father, no one was as dedicated as him to his family’s business.

So, when Benny finished college, he went straight to work, building the coffee brand and the shops to the successful corporation they were today.

He currently had two locations. One in Charlotte, where he lived.

It was also where his distribution center was located. His newest location was in Raleigh.

Benny typed a quick response to Gavin before he went down the hall to change.

He would add on some layers to fight the January chill.

Once he had on his undergarments, he covered them with dark gray sweats and a white long-sleeved shirt.

He slid his feet into a pair of white sneakers, then slipped into his coat.

Back in the kitchen, he grabbed his wallet and keys. He couldn’t help but look at the mess in his kitchen and shake his head.

He should have made Tara clean up before she left.

Benny pulled up to Cheers Bar and Grill, parking in the loading zone.

“What’s up, Benny?” Joseph greeted him when he came through the door. Benny met him at Cheers on his twenty-first birthday, and they had been cool ever since.

“Not much. Where my sister and her big head ass friend?”

Joseph laughed. “In the back. Tonight is Crunk and Karaoke. I’ll take you back there.” He came from behind the bar, leading him around the room. “I’ve been keeping an eye on them. I told Jo to call one of y’all to come get them. It’s only about to get crazier as the night goes on.”

Benny grabbed his wallet, pulling out a few hundred-dollar bills and handing them to Joseph. “Thanks for looking out.”

“Always, man.” He slipped the money in his pocket. “Jo’s got my girl in a chokehold, so I’m sure you’ll be getting this right back. She won’t go anywhere else for coffee.”

Benny wore a cocky smile. He loved reviews like this.

“That’s what we like to hear.” He looked around when they arrived around the corner from the bar.

In the back, close to the stage, he spotted Jo and Lorielle almost immediately.

They were next in line for karaoke. “I got it from here, Joseph. Thanks again.”

Benny was almost at the stage when his sister spotted him.

“Benny!” Jo screamed as she climbed up on the stage, waving at him. She swayed a little as she claimed the mic from the host.

He grabbed Lorielle as she was going up the stairs and walked her ass right back down them. He pulled her along as he turned his attention to his sister.

“Come on, Jo, time to go home.” He held his hand out to help her down.

“One song,” she begged.

“You can’t sing sober. Now you and Elle want to be K-Ci & JoJo. Get down from this stage.”

“Sorry, y’all. Our ride is here.” Jo passed the microphone back to the host, who had the crowd give them an applause as they made an exit.

Benny walked away, shaking his head. He held both women’s hands as he led them to his car.

“It was crunk night. I was going to sing, ‘It’s Going Down’ by Yung Joc.”

“Then I did you a favor,” he said as he opened both the passenger door and the back door.

Jo claimed the back, lying across the seat.

“Don’t throw up in my car, Jo,” Benny warned with a mug.

He would be pissed if she vomited in his all-black luxury SUV.

Then again, he was relieved it wasn’t his other car.

The luxury two-door car was all black, just like the SUV, but the features and speed on that one was out of this world. That one was his baby.

“I don’t have to throw up. I’m a champ when it comes to this drinking shit.”

Ignoring her, Benny closed the door once her feet were out of the way.

Lorielle laughed as she climbed into the front seat. He walked around where he claimed his seat behind the wheel. “Put y’all seat belts on.”

“Thanks for coming to get us, Benny.”

Lorielle’s sweet voice was smooth as butter. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath so he could focus.

Benny felt her staring. It was like lasers on his face, a burning heat that stirred something in him. It was why he had been doing everything to keep his mind on the task at hand: getting them home, then taking his ass back home.

“You heard me, Bernard?”

Benny knew not to look at her, but he couldn’t fight it a second longer. His eyes traveled over to hers.

Low lids did nothing to conceal the passion in her eyes. Usually, she hid her desire for him well, but with alcohol in her system, she was unable to keep her true feelings at bay. She wanted him, and damn, he was ready to give himself up on a silver platter.

“Put your seat belt on, Lorielle.”

That fight with Tara and rushing to pick them up made him ill-prepared. He didn’t have his defense up to protect him and his heart from Lorielle.

Lorielle Elise Dawson was temptation, an attraction he tried to resist since she insisted there wasn’t a chance for them. But he had this strong feeling inside him that said she was afraid of losing her heart again.

He didn’t blame her.

That was why he hadn’t been applying pressure, but that was going to change tonight. Benny was a businessman. He didn’t take no lying down. He fought. He persevered. When the time was right, he would make her his.

Lorielle closed her eyes, and a goofy smile spread across her face as her head fell back. “I don’t know if I can.”

He watched her fumble with the seat belt with amusement before he pushed her hands out of the way. He grabbed the belt, pulling it over her body, and clicking it into place.

“You good back there, Jo?” he asked.

She reached between the seats, giving him a thumbs up.

Benny shook his head. “It’s going to be a long night.”