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  Demetrius shook his head. Men that hit women were disgusting to him. His mother was killed by one of her abusive boyfriends. Demetrius watched it with his own eyes at ten years old. "No don't worry about it. I won't tell them. In fact, I'll say that she's in Michigan or somewhere up north. He doesn't deserve to find her."

  "Thanks man."

  "No problem. I can't guarantee it’ll work, but I can try. She needs to get a divorce, though."

  Zeke nodded his head. "I agree. After we leave here, I'm going to head over to the store and talk to her."

  "I'll come with you," Demetrius stated.

  ↔

  Sydney smiled when the door chimed, and her husband walked into the store. Further inspection of his face made her realize that something was wrong. Demetrius and Ethan followed behind and they had the same expression. She started to panic.

  "Did something happen?"

  "No baby," Zeke informed his wife. He didn't like Sydney to stress and worry.

  Sydney took a deep breath. "Good. How are you Demetrius? Are you here to get flowers for Nina?" she asked.

  "Hey Syd. No, I need to speak with Johari. Is she here today?"

  Sydney was confused but decided not to ask questions. Zeke would fill her in. They told each other everything. "Yeah, she's in the back."

  Zeke gave Sydney a quick kiss on the lips. "I’ll tell you later, babe," he said before following Ethan and Demetrius to the office.

  ↔

  Johari was going through paperwork when the men walked into the office. "Three gorgeous men coming to see me? Did I die and go to heaven?" she joked. She wasn't romantically interested in any of them. Zeke and Ethan were like brothers to her and she barely knew Demetrius. "How can I help you?"

  Ethan was the first to say something. "Jo, it's about your husband.”

  Johari blocked out the rest of the words coming out of Ethan's mouth. She could hear him talking, but she wasn't listening. She was already making plans to leave. She had enough money to survive for a few months until she could become stable again. If Trenton found her, he would hurt her, there was no doubt about it. It's been almost a year since she left Boston. She was hoping Trenton had moved on and forgot about her. Guess she was wrong.

  Zeke realized that Johari was in shock. "Jo, are you listening? Demetrius isn't going to say anything," Zeke stated.

  Johari nodded, but her thoughts were on getting out of Austin. She wasn’t going to let Trenton find her.

  ↔

  Jonathan felt exhausted after working a twelve-hour shift at the hospital. He made it to his townhouse just after 7 p.m. with a plan to shower and fall into bed. The ringing of his house phone interrupted his thoughts. He recognized the number on his caller ID as Sydney's cell. "Hey little sister."

  "Johari is trying to leave, Jonathan," she said quickly.

  “Where is she going?”

  "She's afraid her husband is going to find her. She packed her things to go. I tried to call you earlier, but I couldn't reach you."

  Jonathan cursed. He kept his phone off while he worked. He hadn't checked it for messages. Jonathan was picking up his keys and heading out the door. "I'll get her to stay Syd, don't worry."

  Ten minutes later, Jonathan was standing outside of Johari's apartment banging on the door. "Jo, open the door!" he yelled.

  After another five minutes of knocking, a neighbor came out. "She isn't there. She left about an hour ago with a suitcase," the young woman stated.

  He was too late. On the drive back home, he called Johari. It went to voicemail.

  "Johari come back. I can help you. Please come back to me," he begged.

  He walked into his home and took a shower. Then, he tried to call Johari again, but all he got was the voicemail. He went to bed feeling defeated.

  ↔

  Jonathan’s doorbell awakened him in the middle of the night. He crawled out of bed and grabbed a shirt before walking towards the door. "Hold on!"

  Johari stood on the doorstep. She looked disheveled and upset. "I got your message.”

  Jonathan reached out and pulled Johari into his arms. "You scared me. Never leave again without talking to me first.”

  She melted into his arms. "Can I stay with you? I need to feel safe, and I don't feel that way in my apartment alone.

  "Can you cook?"

  Johari smiled against Jonathan's chest. "Yes.”

  "Then, you can stay," he replied with a smirk.

  Jonathan continued to hold her in his arms. He needed to feel her close to him. He didn’t know what he would do if he ever lost Johari.

  Chapter 3

  On Wednesday, Jonathan accompanied Johari to Zeke's office. After a few days of staying with him and thinking it over, she decided she wanted a divorce. He held her hand in support as Zeke spoke about the process.

  "Are you sure about this?” Zeke asked.

  "I want to do it. I'm ready to get rid of Livingston and transform back into Johari O’Neal. I was a better person before I met Trenton. He's been bringing me down for years."

  Jonathan squeezed Johari's hand. "I think the Johari sitting beside me is pretty amazing."

  She smiled. "You’re biased. I’m your personal chef."

  "No, it's because you walk around my house in your underwear."

  Johari face heated up in embarrassment. She slapped Jonathan in the arm. "I do not. Zeke, he’s telling lies.”

  Zeke grinned. He remembered when he and Sydney had the same playful relationship. He saw what was happening between Johari and Jonathan. He wondered if he should point it out or let them find out for themselves.

  "Johari, I can make your address confidential, but, unfortunately, they'll know that it came from Austin. I have a few friends out in Louisiana that could file the petition instead," he suggested.

  She wanted Zeke to be her attorney. "No, it's fine. If he comes after me, I'll handle it."

  "We'll handle it," Jonathan corrected her.

  "He's right, Jo. You don't have to handle anything alone," Zeke added.

  Johari was thankful that she had so much support from Zeke and Jonathan's family. She felt like she couldn't trust her own family because they were loyal to her husband. Trenton bought them all with his money. Whenever he said jump, they replied how high.

  "Thank you," she said.

  "No problem." Zeke continued working on the paperwork.

  He and Johari decided that the grounds for divorce were irreconcilable differences. Johari didn't want anything to do with her husband. She didn't want to fight over their finances or home they shared in Boston. She wanted her life back.

  What happens next?" she questioned.

  "We serve him the papers. The best-case scenario is that he doesn't fight back and agrees to the divorce. You have no kids together, and you're not requesting financial support or a share of assets, so it should be simple. "

  "And what if he doesn’t?"

  "We'll have to go to court and stand in front of a judge. He can prolong the process, but the result will be the same. There's no reason a judge wouldn't grant it based on your history together. You'll be a free woman eventually."

  Johari nodded. She took her check book out. "How much do I owe you?"

  "Nothing. Almost all of my family gets free legal services."

  That puzzled Johari. "Almost?"

  Zeke smiled. "The only person I charge is Ethan."

  Jonathan laughed. "That's cold man."

  "If you had to put up with Ethan, you would charge him too."

  ↔

  Johari and Jonathan left Zeke's office and headed for lunch. She wanted to have a drink, so they went to a restaurant with a bar. Once seated, Johari requested a glass of wine while Jonathan simply had a water.

  "Meeting with Zeke put me on edge.”

  "You handled yourself well."

  "Thank you. I know it’s not going to be easy but worth it.”

  After ordering meals, a pregnant woman walked by their table, and Johari turned her
head and looked in the opposite direction. Earlier when Zeke stated that she and her husband didn't have kids, she flinched. He wondered why.

  "Jo, have you ever been pregnant?"

  "Why would you ask that?"

  Jonathan shrugged. “I’ve noticed things. If I’m intruding, I’m sorry.”

  “You’re not. I’m just surprised you asked.” She paused and played with her food. “I was trying to get pregnant, but it was for the wrong reasons. I thought if I was pregnant the beatings would stop. I was hoping my husband would be concerned about losing the baby. But it never happened. Now that I think about it, it would have been wrong to bring a baby into that situation. Irresponsible of me."

  "Don't feel that way. You were in survival mode. Just trying to make it out the best way you could."

  "I'm not overly religious, but I see that God works in mysterious ways. Having a baby would make getting a divorce harder and running difficult."

  Jonathan reached out and squeezed her hand.

  "Don't pity me. It's fine. I get to spend time with Teddy and soon Sammie. I'll be surrounded by babies. Maybe you'll get a girl pregnant, and I'll be able to have a little niece."

  "Or maybe Sean will get you pregnant and you can have your own baby," Jonathan corrected.

  Johari shook her head. "That's not happening."

  Jonathan knew that she wasn't saying something. He was going to make another comment but was interrupted. He looked over and saw Deena Rice standing beside the table. He stood to greet her. Deena was the sister to former Detective Demetrius Rice.

  "How are you doing, Deena?"

  She beamed. "Life is good. I'm still waiting on a call from you."

  "I'm sorry."

  Deena looked at Johari sitting at the table. "Yeah, it does look like it needs a lot of work."

  Jonathan could feel the friction in the air. "Listen, how about I call you and set up a date."

  "Saturday night?"

  Johari chuckled. "He’s busy.”

  Deena looked towards Johari. “I didn’t realize I was talking to you.”

  “But you see me sitting here? If Jon wanted to call you, he would have.”

  Deena whispered the word bitch underneath her breath. It caused Jonathan to intervene before a quarrel could occur. “Deena, I will call you. I think you should leave now.”

  "Okay." Deena listened and left the table.

  "Let's go, Jo," he demanded. Jonathan paid their bill and they left the restaurant.

  "Why are you angry with me?" she asked following him to the car.

  "He’s busy," he mocked in a girly voice. "You're better than that, Jo.”

  "Jonathan, she was rude and it’s true! We are busy.”

  He didn’t respond but gave her a look of condemnation.

  "I didn't know you were dating Deena Rice?"

  "I didn't know you were dating Sean," he returned.

  "What is that supposed to mean?"

  Now Jonathan was getting frustrated. "Nothing. Look, I met her at Ethan and Sierra’s wedding. We had a few drinks and danced. I ran into her again and promised to take her out. That's it."

  "I don't care who you date," she lied. "But that girl is a...." Johari was trying to come up with a good word but didn't want to seem catty. "You can do better."

  Jonathan smiled. He liked the jealous side of Johari. "Then, help find me find a woman that's wifey material and I'll date her."

  “Fine.”

  Chapter 4

  After working a long day showing homes, Ethan thought some flowers would put him in a better place with his wife. He walked into Sydney's store and observed Johari behind the counter. He noticed that she looked different today. Johari smiled when she saw him.

  "Hey Easy E."

  "What's good, JoJo?" he returned.

  Johari shrugged. "Nothing much, just enjoying life."

  "Why are you so damn happy? I can see all of your teeth."

  She laughed. "I signed divorce papers yesterday. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

  Ethan walked around the counter and gave her a hug. "That's good, Jo."

  She returned his hug. "Thanks."

  He let go of her. "Now, let's hope his crazy ass doesn't come to Texas."

  "What are you going to do if he does?"

  "Run, I'm too pretty to fight."

  Johari laughed and pushed Ethan away. "You're so silly."

  "But for real, I got you. Nothing is going to happen."

  "I know."

  Johari helped Ethan pick out some flowers for Sierra. "I hope this bouquet of pink lilies brightens her day. I was with her earlier and she was a grouch."

  Ethan refused to talk ill about his wife, even though he knew she was being a pain. "Why were you together?"

  "She had a doctor's appointment. She said you couldn't make it," Johari was busy fixing the flowers, so she didn't see Ethan's expression. He didn't know anything about the appointment but played it off like he did.

  “How was it?"

  "She's was upset because she hasn't dilated any. She was hoping to be a centimeter or two. I told her to calm down."

  "She is getting anxious. Her due date passed."

  Ethan went to grab the flowers from Johari, but she continued walking to the counter and stood behind the register. He was confused; he never had to pay before. "What are you doing?"

  "Zeke called and said you can no longer get free flowers."

  Ethan laughed. His brother was trying to teach him a lesson. "Is Zeke the owner?"

  Johari smiled. "No, but he's married to the owner. What did you do to him this time?"

  Ethan smirked. "Nothing. Zeke is just mad because our mom loves me the most. I can't believe he's charging me."

  Johari knew there was more to the story. Ethan and Zeke were always butting heads and playing jokes on each other. She gave the flowers to him. "Don't tell on me."

  Ethan winked at her. "You’re the best.”

  ↔

  Ethan stopped and grabbed some dinner for him and Sierra before driving home. He found her in the baby’s room. She was folding clothing and placing it into the dresser.

  He wrapped his arms around her pregnant belly. "Hi baby."

  Sierra moved out of his arms. "Don't touch me."

  Ethan sighed. The situation with Sierra was getting old.

  "Sierra, I can't live like this. I understand that you're tired of being pregnant."

  "Are you pregnant? No, you're not, so don't tell me that you understand."

  "Baby."

  "Don't baby me. I'm exhausted. None of my clothes fit, and my feet are swollen. I look and feel a mess."

  "You're beautiful," Ethan interrupted. He wiped away her tears. "Nothing about you is a mess and Sammie will be here soon."

  "I went today, and they said that he hasn't made any progress. If he doesn't come by next week, they're going to induce me."

  Ethan's feelings were hurt that Sierra went to an appointment without him. "Why didn't you tell me you were going?" It wasn’t on the schedule.

  "I didn't want to bother you. I wasn't feeling well, so I made an extra visit. It's no big deal."

  "It is to me. I want to be there for everything."

  "If I would have gone into labor, I would've called you."

  He didn't like that his wife was pulling back and hiding things from him. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better? If I could carry Sammie in my body, then I would. Just let me be there for you, Sierra."

  "Fine. I need your dick inside of me."

  Chapter 5

  Avery Mills walked down the halls of the hospital headed towards her next patient.

  "Avery!"

  She turned when she heard her supervisor. "Yes Donald?" She tried her best to stare at his eyes and not his shiny bald head.

  He handed her a new file. "A patient in room 415 is requesting some assistance."

  Avery looked over the file and was confused. "What can I do to help her? She’s a pregn
ant woman with high stress levels." The woman's name was Nina Rice.

  "She refuses to communicate with the nurses and doctors, so they requested you to come in. You are the best with getting people to talk."

  "If I'm the best, then you should be paying me more. My caseload is out of control."

  "I know Avery, but it's our job to help the public."

  Avery was tired of it. The heavy caseloads and long hours weren’t worth the pay. She was planning on putting in her resignation and going back to college. "I'll handle it after I see the patient in room 412." That mother was addicted to drugs and delivered a cocaine dependent baby.

  Donald nodded.

  Avery headed towards her office when she noticed a man with a familiar build and walk. "Ethan!"

  The man that turned around wasn't Ethan. "I'm sorry, I thought you were someone I know."

  "He's my brother. How do you know him?"

  Avery felt the curiosity radiating off him. What is the best way to answer that question? She pondered. There was no way she could say they met in a bar and talked. While she considered different options, Ethan came out of a hospital room.

  "Avery?" he smiled. "This is a small world."

  "It is. How is everything?”

  Ethan smiled brighter. "Since we talked? I’m a husband and a daddy.”

  "That's amazing," Avery gave him a hug. "Congrats!"

  Zeke stood there puzzled about who Avery was and how Ethan knew her. He cleared his throat to get their attention. "How do you know each other?"

  Avery noticed the way Ethan's brother was staring at her. She wasn't giving off a good first impression. She moved out of Ethan's arms. "It's not what you're thinking."

  Zeke crossed his arms. "And what am I thinking?"

  I'm a slut after your married brother. Just then, the door opened again, and another man came out of the room. Avery wondered how many people were in there.

  "You're Avery, right?" the man asked.

  Was he reading her name badge? "I'm Avery," she answered reluctantly. "Who are you?"

  "Jonathan Adams. We have mutual friends.”

  Avery looked at Ethan? He shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't mention you to anyone."

  "No. I work as an EMT and paramedic. I've heard good things about you."