Better for Us Read online

  The reporters then turned to Noel. “So, when’s the big day?”

  He glanced at his little girl. She looked up at him, waiting and expecting him to be her knight in shining armor and save her from these mean old reporters who didn’t believe her. He simply could not crush her spirit by denying the truth of her words. So, he picked Jaylen up and rushed out of the room without saying a word.

  * * *

  Back at the office, Noel was fuming as he sparred with Ian over the press conference. “I’m still trying to figure out why you even called this press conference today. You knew they wouldn’t ask any serious questions in light of how a few of my ex-girlfriends blasted me on an entertainment news channel earlier this week.”

  “Those women are the reason we had to do this press conference today. Since they started flapping their gums about how you dated and dismissed them, your poll numbers have taken a dive.”

  “And meanwhile, one of them just earned herself a guest appearance on a popular reality show with scorned women who don’t seem to be the least bit real,” Noel said, still fuming.

  “Whether those women are real or not, you will soon have a real wife,” Ian told him.

  “Oh, no I won’t.” Noel wasn’t about to get trapped by Ryla and her “no comment” crap. She could have just as easily said no and then rushed out of the room with Jaylen. Instead, she left his daughter behind for him to crush her dream. Noel knew how it felt to have dreams crushed, so there was no way he was going to do that to his kid, not in a million years.

  “I don’t see what the big deal is. You told me yourself that you were in love with Ryla during college, and the reason you dated so many women after college was because you hadn’t met anyone who could take your heart back from her,” Ian said.

  “That was before I discovered just how heartless and cold-blooded she is.”

  Ian flopped down in his seat. “Look, Noel, I think it’s time that you face the facts.”

  “And just what are these facts that you want me to face?” Noel sat down across from his campaign manager, snarling like an angry bull.

  Ian sighed deeply as he said, “Your poll numbers have plummeted since your ex-girlfriends started sharing your bedroom secrets to anyone with a camera and a microphone.”

  “I can’t stop them from talking, Ian. This is still a free country. And although I thought I treated every woman I dated with dignity, maybe they’re right about the fact that I ended the relationship before giving them a chance.”

  “Yeah, but they didn’t have to hire an attorney. I guess everybody wants their five minutes of fame,” Ian said while shaking his head.

  “Look, man, I can tell that this thing has got you worried. And if you’re worried, then I should be, too. Just tell me what you think we can do to solve the problems my former lifestyle has created.”

  “I already told you what needs to be done, but you’re not trying to hear me.” Ian sounded as if he was tired of the conversation.

  “So far it seems you’ve given me two bad choices. Marry Ryla or lose the election. There has to be some middle ground here.”

  Noel would take anything except the heartbreak that was sure to come if he married Ryla. When Ian didn’t respond, Noel huffed, “Come on, Ian. There has to be another solution. I can’t marry a woman I don’t trust.”

  “If you marry another woman, it will look like you left your baby mama out in the cold yet again. Let’s not forget that you haven’t paid any child support in the past seven years.”

  “That’s because I didn’t know I had a child.” Noel jerked out of his chair and stood by the window looking out at the street. He was as frustrated as a caged lion with no hope of escape. “Be honest with me, Ian. What are my chances of winning this race?”

  “Without Ryla by your side, letting your constituents know that you’re a changed man with your mind on government business rather than chasing skirts, I’d say the chances are slim.”

  Taking his lumps like a man, Noel said, “I’ll go talk to Ryla.”

  Chapter 9

  Ryla was a nervous wreck. After accepting Noel’s invitation to dinner, she realized that she didn’t have a thing to wear. She hadn’t brought any after-five clothes with her on this trip. She’d brought a few sundresses with her from Houston, but somehow a sundress didn’t seem appropriate for her first date with Noel in over seven years.

  Ryla knew that Noel wasn’t actually taking her on a date. This dinner would be used solely as an opportunity for them to discuss Jaylen. But Ryla allowed herself to dream for a moment. Being around Noel’s campaign office for the past few weeks she and Jaylen had been in Dallas, Ryla began to realize that he didn’t have anything going on with Cathy. They didn’t look at each other like lovers, nor did they try to find reasons to be together. Matter of fact, when Cathy needed anything, she went directly to Ian. She rarely sought out Noel.

  Ryla hadn’t forgotten about the kiss the two of them shared while they were all in college. But since Noel appeared to be telling the truth about the current state of his relationship with man-stealing Cathy O’Dell, she had allowed herself to wonder what her and Jaylen’s life would be like if she and Noel were back together.

  It was with that in mind that Ryla went to the mall and found a slightly sexy, somewhat conservative cream-colored dress that stopped just above her knee. It clung to her just enough to emphasize her round butt. The dress actually made her appear to be a bit more curvaceous than she really was—sold.

  As Ryla began walking out of the mall toward her car with her fabulous dress slung over her shoulder, a man approached her. Ryla became wary. The man wasn’t dressed as if he had the kind of money her clients spent on the events she hosted, so she was almost positive that she hadn’t met the man while working.

  As he got closer, he said, “I’d like to show you something.”

  “That’s okay, I’m kind of in a hurry,” she said as she sidestepped him.

  But the man then held up a small black book, and as Ryla read the words on it she became curious. The words on the front of the black book asked, “Who did Jesus die for?”

  Ryla opened her mouth, wanting the man to either give her the answer or leave her alone. But before she could say anything, he opened the book. Instead of reading the answer to the question on the front of the little black book, Ryla saw two mirrors and then realized that she was staring at a reflection of herself. Ryla didn’t get it. The world was full of people. So, why did that man show her a mirror that only had her reflection in it? Didn’t Jesus die for all?

  Ryla didn’t have time to contemplate this, so she filed it away in her memory and decided to ask Danetta about it later. Her best friend, Danetta Windham, had recently joined her aunt’s church and she knew more about spiritual matters than Ryla. And anyway, Ryla needed to concentrate on her hair, nails and outfit for her date later with Noel.

  Okay, Noel hadn’t actually called it a date. And maybe she shouldn’t be so excited about going out to dinner with Noel Carter, her first and only love. But Ryla couldn’t help it. Every minute she spent in the man’s presence caused her to want more. She knew that he couldn’t feel the same way about her because he was still angry about how she’d kept Jaylen away.

  Every time she caught a glimpse of sorrow in Noel’s eyes as he looked at Jaylen, she knew he was thinking about all the time he’d missed with his little girl. And Ryla was responsible for that. If only she could make him understand how fear of being with a man like her father had gripped her heart and mind and drained her of reason. As she’d watched Jaylen grow each year, Ryla had wanted so desperately to share those special moments with Noel. But every time she thought about locating him to tell him about his daughter, she would read about him dating another woman—never anything serious, just his flavor of the month.

  A few of the women he’d dated
had been movie stars. She’d loved going to the movies to see those actresses; that was, until they became Noel’s new interest. She’d missed two Tyler Perry movies because actresses who had previously dated Noel had starring roles.

  Ryla knew that her fears were no excuse for keeping a father away from his daughter, but every time she saw a picture of Noel with another woman, she thought of her father and his two marriages since he had left her mother. The first woman was practically a teenager, who quickly had three children then refused to allow Ryla to come to her house anymore. Her father, the Honorable Judge Stanley Evans, hadn’t fought for her, either. Instead, he told Ryla that he would visit her and the two of them would have their own special time together. But that rarely happened, and by the time he’d divorced his teenage bride and moved on to wife number three, Ryla and her dad had stopped communicating altogether.

  A slow tear trickled down her face as she thought of the pain her father had inflicted on her at such an early age. She’d fought hard to ensure that Jaylen never had to know the pain of waiting by the window, looking for a father who didn’t keep his promises. But now that Noel was back around, Ryla’s heart was softening toward him. She had wanted nothing more than to tell that reporter that, yes, she would marry Noel in a heartbeat.

  If she thought it would make a difference, Ryla would beg Noel to forget about his anger and give their love another try. But Ryla wasn’t so sure that her words would move Noel, so she’d simply said, “no comment,” and walked out of the room. Ryla knew that although Noel would surely want to talk about Jaylen during their dinner tonight, he would also question her about not just saying no.

  Part of the reason she didn’t just say no had to do with Jaylen standing close by, looking up at her so hopefully. She didn’t want to crush her daughter’s dreams. The other reason was that she couldn’t bear to crush her own dreams at that very moment, either. Saying no would have meant that she would have to stop dreaming about ever having a life with Noel Carter, and she had been dreaming that dream for almost a decade. Through the years she had hid her daughter from him, telling herself that she would willingly sacrifice her own heart so that Jaylen would never have to experience the heartbreak of watching her father walk out the door. But even through those times, Ryla couldn’t stop herself from living out a lifetime of togetherness with Noel in her dreams.

  As Ryla got in her car and drove to her aunt’s house to get ready to meet Noel for dinner, she wiped away a few more tears. These tears, however, had nothing to do with her father—they were for heartbreak of a different kind.

  * * *

  Noel sat in a corner table at Stephan Pyles, a restaurant that specialized in southwestern cuisine located in downtown Dallas. Noel enjoyed eating at this restaurant because chef Stephan Pyles’s entrées were infused with smoky, spicy and aggressive flavors that so few restaurants were bold enough to try. The atmosphere was also cozy and intimate, which didn’t hurt, since Noel would have to play things just right to get what he needed from Ryla.

  As he sipped his wineglass full of sweet tea, minus all the Pimm’s liqueur and Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea vodka he used to liberally mix in, Noel looked over today’s paper one last time. He shook his head as he laid the paper on the table. Ryla had been back in his life for less than a month and she was already causing him monstrous amounts of grief. Noel’s focus should be one hundred percent on the election, but he could barely concentrate on that matter since his daughter and Ryla had come back into his life.

  Noel didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing. All he knew for sure was that he never wanted to experience the heartache of Ryla’s abandonment eight years ago. He’d tracked her down at her mother’s house and begged and pleaded with her to come back to him. But she had refused. She’d never once mentioned Cathy, because if she had he would have told her that there was nothing to the kiss that Cathy gave him in the locker room.

  When Cathy had attempted to kiss him, Noel had taken her arms from around his neck and politely explained that he was in love with Ryla and that their relationship meant everything to him. The night before, he and Ryla had lain in his bed discussing the type of wedding they wanted. Ryla had told him that she wanted to have their wedding and reception at the Four Seasons in Houston. And Noel wanted to do everything in his power to make her dreams come true. So, fooling around with Cathy wasn’t an option. That was it, end of story.

  Noel closed off the past as he glanced up and saw Ryla strutting toward his table. At that moment, Noel knew that Ryla didn’t have an ounce of compassion for him. Because if she did, she would have never worn anything that accentuated her curves the way this particular dress did. The dress also showcased her beautiful legs. Noel checked his mouth for drool as he stood to welcome her to the table. “Thank you for joining me, Ryla.”

  “My pleasure. I’ve never dined at this restaurant before, so I was anxious to give it a try.” She took a seat.

  “Well, I hope you like it. I enjoy the smoky and spicy flavors of the cuisine.” Noel sat back down and tried to avert his eyes, but he was having a hard time finding anything worth staring at besides the lovely woman seated across from him. Then his eyes stumbled across the newspaper he’d just glanced at moments ago. He picked it up and handed it to Ryla. “You’ve gotten me into a bit of a jam.”

  Ryla took the paper and read the headline, Big Day for Noel Carter. As she continued reading a bit of the story, she understood why Noel felt as if she had gotten him into a jam. The big day, the reporter explained, was not the November election day, but rather Noel’s upcoming wedding to the mother of his seven-year-old daughter. As she put the paper down, Ryla looked regretful. “I’m so sorry for this, Noel. I had no idea that the reporter would take a seven-year-old’s word concerning us getting married.”

  “It didn’t help matters when you went all no-comment on them.”

  A waiter arrived at the table with the dinner menus. After looking them over for a minute, Ryla ordered the grass-fed Texas beef tenderloin with crispy rock shrimp. Noel ordered the USDA prime bone-in cowboy rib eye with red-chili onion rings.

  When the waiter walked away, Ryla broached the subject again. “You can’t blame me for everything, Noel. I told you that bringing Jaylen on the campaign trail was a bad idea.”

  “You didn’t tell me that you would throw me under the bus when I needed you to take a stand,” Noel threw back at her.

  “What did you want me to do? Tell those reporters that my daughter was nothing more than a little liar, while she stood with such hope in her eyes?”

  Even though he didn’t want to admit it, Noel understood Ryla’s dilemma. He hadn’t wanted to hurt Jaylen, either. He had also chosen to walk away without setting the reporters straight. Noel held up a hand. “Whether you are responsible for not clearing up the matter, or whether I’m responsible for insisting that she be here with me in the first place, we can debate all night long. But right now I’m in a jam, and I need your help to get out of it.”

  “My help? What can I do?”

  Before Noel could answer, the waiter returned with their dinner. He sat the plates before them, and both Noel and Ryla moaned at the rich aromas that drifted upward. Noel grabbed Ryla’s hands and prayed over the food.

  When he was finished praying, Ryla smiled and said, “This is new.”

  “What, the praying?” Noel asked.

  “Yes. When we were in college, you’d start wolfing down your food the moment it hit the table,” she said with a slight giggle.

  “Hey, I was a growing boy. And I was always on the court. I needed to eat in order to keep my stamina up,” he protested.

  “Admit it, Noel, you were just greedy, with no home training.” She was still smiling as she needled him.

  Placing his fork on his plate, he said, “All right, maybe I didn’t have much home training then. But my brother taught me the value of praye
r a few years back, so I like to pray over my food...if that’s okay with you.”

  “Perfect.” Ryla picked up her fork and knife and began cutting into her meal. After taking the first bite, she savored it a moment by closing her eyes, then said, “Delicious.”

  “I’m glad you like it,” Noel said after he realized that he had been holding his breath, staring at Ryla, waiting for her to acknowledge whether she liked the food. He really didn’t know why it mattered to him, except that he liked the restaurant and wanted to share the experience with her.

  They ate the rest of their meals in silence. But once Noel had wiped his mouth and put his napkin down for the last time, he turned back to Ryla and admitted, “My poll numbers are down. I could lose the election over this.”

  Ryla put her napkin on the plate. “I’m sorry to hear that. I know this election means a lot to you.”

  “Jaylen means much more. So, I don’t want you to think that I regret having her in my life.”

  Ryla nodded. “I know that, Noel. All anyone has to do is be around the two of you for a minute and they would notice the love you and Jaylen have for one another.” She lowered her head for a moment. When she faced him again, she said, “Sometimes I feel so guilty for how long I kept you and Jaylen apart. And...and, I’m truly sorry for that.” She let out a slow, bitter laugh. “I seem to be sorry for a lot of things lately.”

  He didn’t know what had put Ryla in this mood, but she was right where he wanted her to be. So, he went all-in. “You know, if you’re really, truly sorry, you can help me with my little situation.”

  “How can I help you, Noel?”

  He leaned in to get closer and put his hand over hers as he said, “Marry me.”

  Chapter 10

  If Noel hadn’t been holding her hand, Ryla would have fallen out of her seat. “What did you just say?”

  “I asked you to marry me.”

  “But, Noel, you’ve been so angry with me about Jaylen. I—I’m a little surprised that you would even entertain the thought of marriage right now.” Although Ryla was surprised, her heart was beating a mile a minute and she felt butterflies floating about her stomach. In the dreams she’d had of Noel popping the question, he’d always been on bended knee, but holding hands was just as good, Ryla told herself.