When Love Comes Around (Love Conquers All) Read online

  When Love Comes Around

  A Novel

  Victoria Wells

  Heart 2 Heart Publishing, LLC

  When Love Comes Around

  Copyright ©2009, 2011 by Victoria Wells

  When Love Comes Around is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form. For information contact Heart 2 Heart Publishing Rights Department, P.O. Box 48186, Philadelphia, PA 19144

  Other Titles by

  Victoria Wells

  ♥♥♥

  A Special Summer

  Key To My Heart

  Dedications

  To my great niece Michal Mackenzie Ajah Fortt

  Sweet baby play on with the angels.

  June 30, 2007-August 3, 2007

  Acknowledgements

  Lord, I thank you for your never-ending compassion. You are more than amazing.

  Mardi, I love you so much. Thanks sweetie for sacrificing your time traveling up and down the highways supporting my dream.

  Mommy & Daddy your love knows no boundaries. You can’t even begin to imagine how much of a blessing you are.

  A special shout out to my family in Philly, Pottstown, PA, Portsmouth, VA, and Milwaukee, WI, thanks for showing me much love! I love you!

  To my sister-girl, Esther Wells, without your constant support this would not be possible. Thanks for always giving a shoulder to lean on when I get tired and encouraging me to go on when I get discouraged.

  To my Refuge Evangelical Baptist Church and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital families you have been such a blessing. I appreciate you more than you can ever imagine.

  Philly African American Book Club and Diva of Discussion Book Club, you ladies gave a newbie a chance when no one else was willing to do so. From the bottom of my heart I thank you

  for showing me much love. God Bless!

  Yasmin Coleman and APOOO Book Club how can I express my gratitude? You were supporting a sister all over the internet without her knowledge! Much love and success to you and

  APOOO!

  Beverly Jenkins and B’land crew – thank you for accepting me into your family. I am so fortunate to have experienced your genuine love and support. Ms. Bev, I want to be just like you

  when I grow up!

  Gwyneth Bolton you are an angel. I don’t know if you realize how much you give of yourself. And that’s what I love so much about you. Crossing paths with you has definitely enriched my

  life.

  Please if there’s anyone I didn’t acknowledge please charge it to my head and not my heart.

  Peace and Blessings,

  Victoria

  Victoria Wells resides in Philadelphia with her husband and three children. She has a Master’s Degree in Nursing and works as an adult nurse practitioner caring for adults with sickle cell disease. Victoria enjoys reading, writing, knitting, volunteering, and hanging out with family and friends. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached at [email protected]. Please take a moment to visit her website at www.victoria-wells.com where you can join Victoria’s Yahoo and Facebook groups and subscribe to her newsletter.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  The movement of pedestrians, whizzing and weaving along the busy sidewalk, did not faze Starr as she walked in a daze down Chestnut Street, with no particular destination in mind. The warm spring afternoon, which was her favorite time of the year, no longer held her interest. She kept replaying in her head the conversation she just had with Dr. Neil. “Starr, your ultrasound results revealed you have a mild case of endometriosis.” He told her the news nonchalantly as if he said, “The sky is blue.”

  The diagnosis blew Starr away. She was not prepared to hear any of this. When she mentioned to her doctor at her annual checkup two weeks ago that her cycle had become a little heavier with more cramping than usual, she hadn’t thought anything of it. She thought it might have been a change in her hormones. Every few years since the onset of her menses her body experienced changes. Initially, her cycle was irregular, then for a while, she had severe cramps and a heavy flow. And a few years later, migraine headaches would attack monthly. So when her body seemed to be reverting to how it behaved in her early twenties, it hadn’t fazed her. After all, she’d just turned thirty-two and figured she was undergoing another change. But now that her doctor confirmed the change wasn’t normal, she was concerned. Really concerned.

  It was Starr’s nature to think of the worst possible case scenario. This new condition made her take inventory of her life. In her mind, she envisioned herself an old lady, living with a bunch of cats. Even though she wasn’t crazy about the four-legged fur balls, it would beat being old and alone. Just the thought of such a bleak future was enough to send her into a mild depression.

  Babies…I won’t be able to have any, Starr sadly mused as she mentally kicked herself for not settling down and having children. That was easier said than done. It wasn’t like any of the men she’d dealt with were remotely husband, let alone father material.

  There was Marcus, the two-timing snake it had taken her five years to break away from. Whoever said you’d always love your first love should be shot dead, brought back to life, and shot again. There was absolutely nothing Starr loved about that idiot. The demon-possessed man had almost single-handedly ruined her life.

  Between the lying, cheating, and running up every charge card she had to the limit, destroying her credit and self-esteem, Starr had almost lost her mind. By the time she was twenty-three years old, she was up to her neck drowning in debt and self-doubt. Taking her sister Karen’s advice, she gave up her apartment and moved in with her and her family until she could get her finances straighten out. Most importantly, Karen had wanted to get her sister out of Marcus’ clutches.

  Unbeknownst to her, Marcus had found the one credit card he hadn’t maxed out, that she had stashed away for emergencies, while helping her move her things into her sister’s home. Three months later, she received a call while at work from the collections department wanting to know when she was going to make a payment on her delinquent bill. Stunned, Starr argued with the representative insisting she hadn’t made any purchases. As soon as she got home to her sister’s that evening, she went tearing through the shoebox in the back of her closet looking for the credit card she thought was well hidden. Her heart dropped when she fou
nd the empty birthday card her mom had given her on her tenth birthday. From the moment she spoke with the woman in the collections department, she knew somehow Marcus had gotten a hold of her credit card, but didn’t want to believe it. How could he do such a terrible thing after she had forgiven him time and time again for mistreating her?

  Not only had he stolen from her, he had the audacity to have charged hundreds of dollars in lingerie from Victoria’s Secret. None of which was housed in her lingerie drawer. This infraction was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. From that day on Starr had cleansed Marcus completely from her life. No matter how much he begged and pleaded to be forgiven and promised never to do anything like that again, Starr stood her ground. Marcus was history.

  Then there was Stephen the miser. Starr had gone from one extreme to another. No longer was she with a man who carelessly spent money. Her money. Now she had hooked up with one so stingy, if he could, he’d squeeze change from a penny.

  Initially, his cheap ways hadn’t mattered. It hadn’t bothered her he hardly took her out. And when he did take her out, somehow, she’d end up paying for a portion of the date. Nor had it annoyed her when Stephen insisted on celebrating Kwanza instead of Christmas, so they could make gifts instead of buying them.

  None of this mattered, because unlike Marcus, Stephen was always preaching about saving money for the future and not acquiring unnecessary debt. Starr could appreciate his logic since she had been working hard to pay down her debt when she met him. Between working several overtime shifts and making payment arrangements with her creditors, Starr had significantly paid down the bills Marcus had charged up in her name.

  In all honesty, Stephen’s miserly ways were a benefit. He was forever sharing some little tidbit on how she could save money. Like encouraging her to yearly increase her 403B plan and putting away at least fifteen percent of her paycheck each time she got paid. Taking heed to his advice, her checking and savings accounts slowly over time accumulated into the thousands.

  So no, it didn’t bother her he was the stingiest man alive. Well, that wasn’t completely true. She did, for once, want to go out on a date and have him splurge for the entire evening. Just once. But then she would think to herself, at least he’s not begging me for money or trying to burn through my credit cards.

  However, everything changed when he had the gall to ask her to split the cost of a box of condoms. “What? You’re joking, right?” she asked him incredulously, not believing he could fix his mouth to say such a thing. For crying out loud, the man was employed as a software designer for a major technology company, making some serious cash...Okay. This was insane. Cheap bastard.

  Shaking his head, not realizing how ridiculous he was being, he dug his heels in. “I think it’s only right you help out with the cost of birth control,” Stephen mumbled as he lifted his fork to his mouth taking a healthy bite of macaroni and cheese.

  Starr stared at him as if she had lost her mind. This fool must think I’m crazy. I’m about to show him just how crazy I am. Storming over to her front door, she flung it open, yelling at the top of her lungs like a lunatic. “Get your stingy, greedy, black behind out of my house!”

  Suddenly, Stephen realized he made the terrible mistake of asking her for money as he sat at her table eating the scrumptious dinner she’d prepared. Since dating Starr, he hadn’t had to buy groceries as often. At least three times a week he ended up on her sofa watching cable and eating dinner. He tried to back pedal with, “Umm…it’s okay…you don’t have to give me any money this time.”

  What? This time! Oh this fool is trippin’! Starr reached for the baseball bat she kept near the front door for protection. “I said get your stingy, greedy, black behind out of my house!”

  Raising the baseball bat like she was about to knock him into left field, Stephen jumped up from the table, stammering as he hurried to the front door. “Look, I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you mad. I’ll call you tomorrow. Okay?”

  “Don’t bother!” Slamming the door, she yelled to no one in particular, “Another two years of my life wasted!”

  After a few months of being alone, Starr jumped back into the dating scene when she met Leon at a coffee house on Second and South Streets. He was the prettiest man she had ever seen in all her twenty-seven years. Six feet tall, bronze skin, jet-black wavy hair and eyelashes so long any woman would be jealous. She, along with the other women in the coffee house, was literally drooling when he came swaggering through the door. Starr was all too giddy when he strolled over to her table pulling out a chair, smiling at her. “Do you mind if I sit here, pretty lady?”

  Starr swooned in her chair from the deep, husky baritone words floating from his thick, kissable lips. “Not at all,” she told him, grinning from ear to ear looking like a simpleton.

  The relationship with Leon, if you could call it that, was the shortest of them all. Three weeks to be exact. It all came to a screeching halt on their third date. Walking side by side, the couple was engrossed in conversation when the cutest brotha yelled out the window of a sparkling white Acura. “Hey baby, let me holla at you.”

  Flattered, feeling extremely sexy, Starr swung her head around in the direction of the white Acura. Her jaw length bob covering one eye, giving her that ‘come hither look,’ she nearly hit the concrete face first. Fine brotha man was not trying to holla at her! This became clearly evident as Leon’s rough boy swagger became a switch, as he sashayed his feminine self over to the vehicle. Starr could not believe her eyes as she witnessed Leon lean into the driver’s side window and began stroking the side of dude’s face like they were lovers.

  Dumbfounded, her eyes became round as saucers as Leon had the nerve to sashay back over to her. Her jaw dropped to the ground when he picked back up his rough boy baritone. “I need to make this run with my man. I’ll see you later.”

  How does he do that? Starr wondered in awe as he smoothly transitioned from feminine to masculine.

  Hunching her shoulders, feeling like she was in the twilight zone, she said, “Okay.” What more could she say? Leon was on the down low…Waaaay down low. There wasn’t a woman in Philly who could make that crooked line straight. Now, she understood why he ended both of their previous dates with a chase kiss on the cheek. Silly her, she thought he was just being gentlemanly. Needless to say, she never heard from Leon. Good riddance.

  If anything, she was thankful she had taken a sworn vow of celibacy after dealing with Marcus and Stephen. After her break up with Stephen, she’d promised God the next man she invited into her bed, would be her husband. That was five years ago. And up until now, she had been happy with her choice. Being celibate meant no serious dating. Too much temptation was involved. No dating meant no meeting a future husband. No prospects for a future husband, meant no babies.

  A wave of sadness shook Starr’s very being. Here she was, thirty-two years old, with no man. No babies. No life.

  Why couldn’t she have the same kind of life as her sister Karen and her friend Summer? She hated to admit it, but she was a wee bit jealous. Not hating, just a smidge jealous of them. Both her sister and friend were blessed to have decent men love them, marry them, and give them beautiful babies. What had she done so wrong that she hadn’t been blessed like them?

  Continuing her walk down the busy street, she let out a big sigh. Things weren’t as severe as her run away mind was telling her. Dr. Neil assured her at this point infertility wasn’t necessarily an immediate danger. However, he did stress she was thirty-two years old, had never been pregnant, and if she did plan on having children, she needed to seriously think about doing so preferably in the very near future. “After you turn thirty-five, you’ll be in the ‘high risk’ pregnancy category which may bring on an entirely different set of potential complications. And keep in mind, the endometriosis may significantly progress by then.”

  The doctor briefly discussed treatment options. For now, the only option was taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs, such as Motrin or Advil for the cramping. If the bleeding became progressively worse, he told her hormone therapy could be prescribed to control it.

  As far as becoming pregnant in the very near future, that was another issue. Since there were no prospects of a husband in sight, the likelihood of motherhood was dismal. So when Dr. Neil suggested artificial insemination, the only thing Starr could do was seriously take the suggestion into consideration. What other choice did she have?

  Somehow, Starr mindlessly wandered her way four blocks down and one block over to Macy’s on Market Street. She was supposed to meet her sister for lunch at the Chestnut Hill Grill. After leaving her appointment, she called Karen to reschedule their monthly lunch date. She felt terrible about canceling, but there was too much on her brain and she didn’t want to put her problem on her sister. Karen had enough on her own plate to handle, which began four years ago when she became a young widow with two small children.

  I won’t be good company anyway, she’d told herself. What she needed was some time alone to think. She had a lot to consider and no offense to Karen, but right now, she didn’t feel like being around anyone.

  For years, she believed she had time to settle down, get married and start a family. She was young and enjoying her freedom. And whenever the maternal crave would gnaw at her, she would get her fix by spending time with Karen’s and Summer’s children. But now, with ever step she took, she suddenly felt as though she was in a race against time. Was she imagining things or could she hear a clock ticking? Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. With sagging shoulders she wondered, who’s going to win? Me or father time?