Now You Wanna Come Back Read online

  Now You Wanna Come Back

  Anna Black

  www.urbanbooks.net

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  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

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Teaser chapter

  Urban Books, LLC

  300 Farmingdale Road, N.Y.-Route 109

  Farmingdale, NY 11735

  Now You Wanna Come Back

  Copyright © 2020 Anna Black

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior consent of the Publisher, except brief quotes used in reviews.

  eISBN 13: 978-1-64556-041-8

  eISBN 10: 1-64556-041-4

  ISBN: 978-1-6455-6040-1

  This is a work of fiction. Any references or similarities to actual events, real people, living or dead, or to real locales are intended to give the novel a sense of reality. Any similarity in other names, characters, places, and incidents is entirely coincidental.

  Distributed by Kensington Publishing Corp.

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  Hi, readers. Hi, readers, I’m Anna Black, national bestselling author of I’m Doin’ Me and Sometimes I’m In My Feelings. I am originally from the south side of Chicago. I am a divorced mother of one. I now reside in Texas with my 20-year-old daughter, Tyra, who attends Sam Houston State University, and my two dogs, Jaxson and Jasmine.

  Professionally, I am in hotel management and have been in my field for twenty years. I enjoy writing, as you all know, and I read as much as time allows. My favorite things are football, playing pool, and crocheting. When I’m not working on a project or on hotel business, I binge watch series on Netflix and Hulu.

  I truly enjoyed writing this story about Leila, Rayshon, and Devon, and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. Please do me a huge favor by spreading the word, leave a review, and check out my other novels, anthologies, and novellas. My books are available on Kindle, Audible, and in stores near you. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and IG, and you can also email me at [email protected].

  www.annablackbooks.com

  Happy Reading!

  Be You, Do You, Love You

  Chapter One

  I know you see this rock on my finger, Leila thought as she handed her customer his bank card. He had come into her bookstore about an hour ago to purchase literature on healthy eating. Yes, he was fine and had a killer body, but she was in no mood to deal with his arrogant ass.

  He walked around the store confidently, no doubt because he knew he was drop-dead gorgeous, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he became a drop-dead gorgeous asshole. He went on and on about himself and how he was this well-known personal trainer in the Chicago area. Of course, Leila, a size-sixteen mother of an adorable 3-month-old little girl, did not have any knowledge of who or what he was, nor did she care. Although he meant no harm and probably wasn’t the egotistical asshole she perceived him to be, the sound of his confident voice made insecure Leila want to scream.

  She showed him the health section, which was in the back of the store, and made a huge mistake by telling Mr. Physical to let her know if he needed any help. She went back to her stool behind the counter and had opened the novel she was reading when he asked his first question. She got up, walked over, grabbed the book he had asked her about—which sat right in front of his face—and handed it to him.

  If it had been a snake, he’d have been bitten, that was for sure. She shook her head as she walked away. Question number two came before she got back to the counter, which caused her to stop in her tracks. She turned her attention back to him and satisfied him with an answer. He followed up with another question. And another. After question number fifteen, she referred him to the internet. She had a nice computer setup in a quiet corner of her store to allow customers to look up material on their own.

  That setup was a lifesaver for her on the days she worked alone and days like this . . . when annoying-ass customers won’t leave me the hell alone, she thought as she sat back behind the counter. The store was empty for a Saturday, and she took advantage of it by catching up on some of her reading. It was usually a madhouse, but since the day was slow, she had sent her staff home. Putting her nose back into her book, she prayed he would get what he needed and bounce. It was getting good, and she didn’t want to stop reading.

  He finally made his way to the counter with only one book to purchase. After all those damn questions. “Will this be all?” Leila asked him when he handed over his card.

  “Yes, and your number would be nice.”

  “Ump, ump,” she said, clearing her throat. She handed him his card and then held up her hand to show him her ring. She wondered how he hadn’t noticed the bling on her finger, because the lighting in her store made the dazzling gem sparkle so well it could be blinding.

  “Aw, my bad. I didn’t realize that was a wedding ring,” he said. His tone implied her stone wasn’t all that.

  “Yes, it is,” she said sharply.

  “Oh, excuse me. I do apologize, Miss Lady.”

  “It’s okay. You have a nice day.” She handed him his bag.

  He stood there for a moment like he was waiting for something more, then said, “Hey, Leila.” She wore a name tag, but he was about the only one who pronounced her name correctly. Most called her “Leela,” and it was pronounced “Layla.” “My name is Rayshon Johnson, but mostly everyone calls me Ray. Here’s my card. If you are ever in need of a physical fitness trainer, hit me up. I’ll give you a good deal.” He gave her one of his cards.

  She took it, looked at it quickly, and put it with a stack of business cards that had been left by other customers for her mailing list but not for anything personal. She would never call him for anything other than book or event info. In fact, it would be sent to his email.

  “Well, Rayshon, I thank you for your offer, but as you can see, I don’t do gyms, nor do I do physical trainers. Have a nice day,” she said with a wink.

  “You think only fit people have trainers?”

  “Are you implying I’m not fit?” That time she spoke with much attitude.

  “No, no, I’m not. You’re are a thick sista, and that’s fine by me.” He leaned on the counter. “You look damn good, and I’m not trying to make you skinny. I just wanna help you to be healthy, so please don’t take it offensively. Personally, I prefer a heavier sista, bu
t at the same time, I want my woman eating right and putting in some type of cardio. Even if it’s only thirty minutes a day, it all helps for a healthier heart.” He sounded caring, not like the “I’m too sexy for my shirt” asshole he’d come into the store as, Leila thought.

  “I’m good. If ever the day comes when my husband and I wanna hire a personal trainer, you’ll be the first one we call,” she said.

  His bright smile changed to a look of defeat. He eased back from the counter and backed up a bit. “All right. You take care and tell that husband of yours that he is a lucky man.”

  “I sure will,” Leila said as Rayshon walked out of the door. “Yeah, I’ll tell him whenever I get a chance to have a conversation with him again,” Leila said out loud once he was on the other side of the door.

  Chapter Two

  Leila stood on her porch and waited for Devon to get out of his car and bring Deja to her. He worked Monday through Friday and had her on Saturdays so Leila could work at her store. During the workweek, Deja went to Emoni’s daycare center a few blocks down from the bookstore. That made it convenient for Leila, and she was comfortable with taking her there.

  When she got home, she’d hoped he’d come a little later so she could get some things done around the house, but Devon acted like he had such a busy social life and had to bring the baby right after the bookstore closed. She hadn’t been in the house for two minutes before he was blowing his horn in the driveway.

  He walked up the steps and handed Deja to Leila in her car seat without a “hello” or “good evening.” He was too busy with the conversation that he was having on his Bluetooth to say hello. Leila figured the call was too important for him to pause to simply say hi.

  “Yeah, yeah. Hey, hold on a sec,” he said to the person he was on the phone with. “She just ate about forty-five minutes ago,” he told Leila. “She was grunting in the car on the way, so she may need a new diaper.” He turned and walked away.

  “And how are you, Devon?” Leila asked.

  “I’m fine,” he said and kept walking. He proceeded to talk to his Bluetooth as he got back into his Jaguar and pulled out of the driveway. Leila stood on the porch with the baby and diaper bag and watched his taillights go down the street.

  She had only been married for six years, and as soon as she got pregnant, Devon made an exit. Not because of the baby and responsibilities, but because he was no longer interested in her. It started out subtle at first, but it didn’t take Devon long before he got his own place. First, it was staying out super late, and then it turned into not coming home at all. By her third month, she was on her own. The day Deja was born, Devon swore he would get his act together and come home, but that was three months ago. Three months of lying, false hope, and fake promises.

  He took care of them financially, with no fuss, and made sure everything was paid. She never had to ask for this or that, because money had never been an issue with him. The problem with Devon was the in and out. One minute he was in and wanted to make it work, and the next minute he was out. Finally, after all the drama, he told Leila that he was going to file for divorce. But she had yet to see that happen.

  Leila didn’t even flinch when he said the word “divorce.” It had been almost two years since she had even considered them husband and wife. She had already cried all she could cry, prayed all she could pray, and pleaded all she could plead for him to come back to her and for them to be a family again.

  She still loved and wanted her husband, yes, but she finally had come to terms with knowing that they were over. She had stopped wishing and hoping, and she’d started setting the alarm on her security system at night with her new code. She wasn’t hurting financially at all, because Devon did support her and Deja, and even if he didn’t, her mother had left her a nice piece of change when she passed three years ago.

  Leila worked in the editing department at a publishing company before she purchased the store. She always had a love of reading, and after her mom died, she took some of her money and opened herself a little bookstore. It wasn’t as busy as a Barnes & Noble or an Amazon, but she did well.

  And Devon wasn’t what one would call poor either. He was a senior partner at a cellular company, and he was pretty much set. At times, she wished he were broke so he could at least need her for her money, but that was not the case. Even her having his first and only child didn’t make him want to be with her.

  They had met in college and dated forever. After they married, things were good for the most part, but after a few pounds here and a few pounds there, he changed. He didn’t want to take Leila out anymore, and the more depressed her marriage made her, the more weight she put on.

  When she got pregnant, that really turned him off. He made comments to her at the beginning like, “Man, now you’re really going to blow up.” He had even asked the doctor, “How much weight does a baby actually put on a woman, generally?” Leila wanted to slap him. She knew she was not the size ten he’d married, but she thought she was still pretty.

  “What’s your problem?” she’d asked him that day when they got in the car.

  “My problem is you not wanting to go to the gym and how you act like you don’t realize you’re not looking the way you did on our wedding day. That is my problem. You are tipping the scale, Lei, and you act like you don’t see how big you have gotten.” His voice had been cold, but she had gotten used to him being insulting. It had become the norm.

  “I’m pregnant,” she’d said in her own defense.

  “Only six or seven weeks. That thirty or forty pounds you have gained since we got married has nothing to do with this pregnancy.”

  “Don’t you think I know I’m not a size ten anymore? But I’m not some fat, ugly beast, and I am tired of you acting like you are so disgusted or ashamed of me. You don’t have a problem with my weight when you wanna get some. My weight doesn’t seem to bother you then. When you wanna please your dick, my weight doesn’t seem to stop you from jumping on top of me.”

  “Oh, so I’m not supposed to want to touch you either?”

  “That’s not what I mean, Devon. If you love me enough to still wanna make love to me, you should love me enough to still wanna take me out with you, or wanna spend more time with me and not always put me down. You never hold me anymore. You don’t take me places like you used to, and I am so tired of you making insulting remarks about me. If you loved me, you wouldn’t do that,” she had said, crying.

  “Well, maybe I don’t,” he’d said callously.

  “What? Maybe you don’t what?” she’d asked, hoping he didn’t mean what she thought he was saying.

  “Love you,” he’d said.

  Leila’s heart had dropped. “What?” she’d asked softly.

  He hadn’t said another word.

  After that, things got worse. He slowly moved out, and Leila cried herself to sleep every night. She woke up every morning wishing she had never married him. He was the only man she’d ever loved, and his love was conditional. When he’d visit his daughter, he’d look at Leila with this look of disappointment. It got to where she hated to be in the same room with him, so she’d make it a point to have something to run out to do, or she’d make herself busy in another room to avoid him altogether.

  When he told her about his plans to file for a divorce, she simply said, “So be it.” She would just somehow move on and just focus on her business and her baby girl. Hell, maybe she’d even love again. She had no clue, but what she did know was she wasn’t going to keep hoping for her and Devon to work things out.

  Inside, she sat the baby in her carrier on the table and put the diaper bag on a chair. “Hey, sweetie pie. How ya doing, girl?” she asked as she unstrapped her daughter and picked her up. Deja smiled beautifully, the nub of a tooth poking through her gumline. “Aw, I see how you are doing, stinky girl,” Leila said, walking her up to the nursery. She took her over to her changing table and strapped her down, then went into the hall bathroom and started the water. She put
the baby tub into the big tub and filled it with warm water.

  She went back into the nursery to undress her little doll. “There we go, baby. Let’s get this stinky stuff off my baby.”

  Deja laughed and kicked her little legs while Leila gave her a bath and shampooed her hair. After she put lotion on her, she sat in her rocker to nurse her.

  “I guess it’s you and me, kid, again on a lonely Saturday night,” Leila said sadly. After Deja burped, she put her down in her crib.

  Deja was a good baby, so she was content while Leila did a few things around the house. She went back to check on her, and she was sleeping. Leila checked her diaper, and although she hated to change her while she was sleeping, she had to. She made it through the diaper change without disturbing the baby too badly, and she fell right back to sleep.

  It was only eight o’clock, and Leila was bored. She went downstairs and looked through all of her DVDs to find something to watch, but out of 800 movies, she couldn’t find one she felt like watching.

  She went back to her room and climbed into bed and picked up the remote to her television. She flipped through the channels and landed on The Cosby Show. How can Clair and Cliff be so happy? she wondered. “Maybe because Clair never got fat,” she said to herself and muted the volume. She grabbed her book and picked up where she left off.

  Once she got deep into it, her phone rang. It was Devon. She looked at the clock and saw it was after nine. What in the hell does he want? she wondered.

  “Hello,” she answered wryly.

  “Hey, Lei, this is Devon.”

  “I know. What is it?”

  “Well, I got DJ’s binky, and I’m going to bring it back for you,” he said.

  Leila rolled her eyes and thought, you’ve got to be kidding me. “Devon, Deja has three or four binkies around here. Besides, she’s already asleep.”