JT pulled open the door, slipped onto the patio, and then closed the door behind him. Alicia was getting dressed for a publishing seminar she’d registered for a couple of weeks ago, and this gave him ample opportunity to call Carmen. His first instinct was to wait a day or two before contacting her, but when he’d thought about all the trouble she might end up causing, he’d decided it was better to deal with her as soon as possible.

He dialed her number, and she answered right away. “Hi, baby,” she said. “Miss me already? I mean, I just left your house not even a whole hour ago.”

“This has to stop, Carmen.”

“Does it?”

“Yes. It does. But one thing I wanna know is why you never told me you knew Alicia. I wanna know why you kept that hidden all this time.”

“Why? Because you’re a liar and a cheat. And when I found out you were dating that high-priced ho, I knew my relationship with her just might be the insurance policy I needed.”

“Insurance policy?”

“Yes. You heard me. You’d been dating me for all those years and had me believing I would eventually be your wife, and then you betrayed me with that tramp. Then, when I saw that you were really going to marry her, I realized my past friendship with Alicia was well worth keeping a secret.”

“You’re acting like a complete fool, you know that?”

“Well, your wife certainly doesn’t think so. Because as it turns out, she’s thrilled to have me back in her life. She’s excited to have someone right here in Chicago that she can spend time with, and I’m going to be there for her as much as she wants me to. Before you know it, I’ll be her best friend in the world.”

“No, what you’re going to do is stay away from my wife and me. Or else.”

“Or else what?”

“If you don’t leave us alone, you’ll be sorrier than you’ve ever been about anything.”

“I don’t think so. Not with everything I know about you. Not with all the dirt you’ve done, all the horrible things you had me do, and all the people you’ve hurt in the process. If you push me, JT, I’ll tell everything I know. To your congregation and the whole city of Chicago.”

JT clenched his phone tightly. He hated this. Hated ever having gotten mixed up with the likes of Carmen and then being careless enough to confide so many incriminating pieces of information to her. Although, he knew those moments of sharing had only come right after they made love, a time when he was most vulnerable about everything.

Carmen continued, “Look, it doesn’t have to end this way. We don’t have to be enemies, JT.”

“Hmmph. Well, from where I’m sitting, I don’t see where we have any other choice.”

“Oh, there’re always other options. Because don’t get me wrong. I do despise the fact that you married Alicia, but I also understand your reason for doing it. You wanted to use her father as a way to grow your ministry, and I don’t blame you for that. Actually, I don’t blame you in the least, and that’s why I’m willing to give you six months to do what you need to do…and then I want you to file for a divorce. And in the meantime, I expect things between you and me to go back to the way they were. We’ll spend time together the same as in the past, and everyone’ll be happy.”

JT wanted to yell “No!” as loud as he could, but he knew it wouldn’t change anything. He knew Carmen really did know way too much and could ruin him on a moment’s notice. So he said, “Fine. Whatever you want, but you have to stay away from Alicia.”

“I’ll keep my distance, but now that we’ve reconnected, it’s not like I can just cut her off for no reason.”

“Then make up something. Tell her that you have to go away for a while to take care of a sick relative. Tell her whatever you have to.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Good,” JT said, and looked inside the house, making sure Alicia hadn’t come downstairs yet. “Hey, I need to get going.”

“Okay, JT, but just let me say one more thing.”

“What?”

“You know I’m only doing this because I love you, right?”

“I guess.”

“I do, JT. Sometimes I think I love you more than I love myself. Sometimes I wonder if life would even be worth living if I can’t be with you, and that scares me.”

JT raised his eyebrows. He didn’t dare respond to what she’d just said, but little did she know, he was scared, too. He was afraid of any woman who thought that lowly of herself.

But he said what he could to pacify her. “Everything is going to be fine.”

“You promise?” she said, sniffling, and now he was even more worried. Here just a few minutes ago, she’d been threatening him to no end, and now she was sobbing into the phone.

“I promise,” he hurried to say.

“Then I feel better about this whole thing. I feel better than I have in over a week.”

“I’m glad, but I really have to go, okay?”

“I love you, JT.”

“I’ll talk to you later,” he said, and ended the call.

Right after he did, he went back inside the house. It was barely in the nick of time, though, because Alicia was already walking down the staircase.

JT waited for her to come into the kitchen.

“I sort of regret not being able to go to Bible study with you this evening,” she said. “But I’m also really looking forward to this seminar. The main focus is actually going to be on self-publishing, and while it doesn’t look like I’ll have to go that route, I still want to learn everything I can about the business side of the industry.”

“Of course. With anything you do, it’s always good to learn as much as you can.”

“Over the last year, I’ve read a ton of books on writing, publishing, and marketing, but it’ll be good to hear someone talk about it in a class setting.”

“All the time you’re putting in, baby, is definitely going to pay off, and it’s only a matter of time before you see all the rewards.”

Alicia strode closer to the door leading to the garage. “The seminar is from seven to ten, so I guess I’ll see you around ten thirty or so, okay?”

“So, you’re not even going to kiss me good-bye?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, baby,” she said, walking back toward him. Then she gave him a peck on the lips.

JT grabbed hold of her. “I really do love you, Alicia. I love you more and more as the days go on,” he said, and meant every word.

“I love you, too, and I’ll see you when I get back. Oh, and enjoy Bible study.”

JT watched her leave and sighed deeply. He sighed because if he didn’t leave now, he’d be late getting to Diana’s.

“I’ve been looking forward to seeing you all day,” Diana said with her arms wrapped solidly around JT’s neck. “It’s been over a week since you last came here, and that’s much too long for me.”

“I know,” he said, looking at her diamond stud earrings, which were at least two carats each. “And that’s why I asked Minister Payne to lead the Bible study session tonight. So I could see you.”

“But what about the last four or five days? Why couldn’t you be with me then?”

“Well, for one thing, I’ve had a lot of church business going on.”

“Really? Because I thought maybe it might be because you’re spending a lot more time with that young wife of yours.”

“No, that’s not it at all,” he said, but knew he had in fact spent every evening with Alicia over the last few days.

“I need to see you more often, JT,” she said with conviction. “I need to see you at least once or twice every week.”

“I’ll do better,” JT acknowledged, but wasn’t sure how he was going to make that happen. Especially since Carmen was now demanding that he spend time with her again and also because he didn’t want Alicia becoming suspicious about the amount of time he spent away from her. Not to mention he really did want to be at home with his wife the way he was supposed to. When he’d married her, he hadn’t counted on falling in love with her, but just at this very moment, while embracing Diana, he realized he had. For weeks, he’d begun admitting to himself the fact that he did love Alicia, but it wasn’t until now that he knew just how deep his love for her actually ran.