Imitation of Wife

Book 0: Loyalty Series

by La Jill Hunt

Genres: African American Urban; Romance; Erotic & Steamy Romance

Synopsis

Dealing with the aftermath of her husband’s affair has not been easy for Sylvia Blackwell. When she vowed to stay by his side for better or for worse, she never imagined that would mean becoming a parent to Jordan, his troubled teenaged love child. Now, Sylvia is facing a new dilemma that could not only be the final straw that breaks her fragile marriage, but could also shatter her already strained relationship with her sister, Janelle.

Tricia King never suspected there was trouble in her marriage. After all, she couldn’t have asked for a better husband than Titus. He’s everything she expected in a mate: a good provider, a great father, responsible, and supportive. She has no idea something is missing from their relationship until she finds out what he was giving someone else. Hurt and confused, she finds herself being counseled by a most unlikely ally.

Janelle was warned by her sister about the sting of karma and the futility of dating a married man, and she has come face-to-face with the reality of her actions. Her secret relationship with Titus is now open for everyone to see, including the new man in her life, Sherrod. Janelle is now in the center of a battle between the man she loves and the family she’s trying to hold on to.

From the drama-filled imagination of La Jill Hunt comes Imitation of Wife, the continuing tale of two sisters navigating their complicated lives and tumultuous relationships while trying to maintain their bond with one another.

Publisher: Recorded Books

Print pages: 288

Sample

Sylvia Blackwell was in the middle of arguing with her husband, Garry, when the doorbell interrupted their heated conversation. It wasn’t even nine o’clock on a Sunday morning, and they weren’t expecting anyone, especially the woman who was standing on their doorstep when she opened the front door of their home.

“Um, come in,” Sylvia said, moving to the side so her unexpected guest could enter. She recognized Tricia King from a photo that her sister, Janelle, found on social media while cyberstalking her ex-boyfriend Titus, who was Tricia’s husband. They’d never met, nor spoken to one another, and now she was at her house. Sylvia’s heart raced, knowing that Tricia was probably looking for Janelle, especially after the incident last night after the basketball game. As soon as Titus laid eyes on Janelle and saw she was in danger during the fight that was erupting, he immediately ran to her rescue like some kind of action-movie star saving his love interest. If Tricia had seen her husband’s actions, that might be the reason for her pop-up.

“I’m looking for the Blackwell residence. I’m sorry. This has to be the wrong house.” Tricia looked around as if she was confused. “I was looking for Garry and Peyton Blackwell.”

Although Tricia looking for Garry and Peyton was a bit odd, Sylvia was a bit relieved she wasn’t there for her sister.

“I’m Garry Blackwell.” Garry stepped forward and said, “Peyton is our daughter. What’s going on?”

Tricia looked him up and down, still seeming a bit confused, and said, “You were in an altercation last night after my son’s basketball game?” It sounded more like a question than a statement.

“Yeah, I was.” Garry nodded. “It was an unfortunate event, and I owe your son and his team an apology for that, but I went to the game looking for my daughter and—”

“Is he here?” Tricia asked.

“Excuse me?” Garry asked.

“My son. Is he here with your daughter?” Tricia clarified.

Sylvia stepped closer to her husband, offended by Tricia’s question. “Why would you think that?”

“Because he didn’t come home last night, and he’s not answering his phone. And he mentioned that they’ve been seeing one another,” Tricia stated. “I guess your daughter is supposed to be his girlfriend.”

“What do you mean seeing one another? Girlfriend? Since when?” Garry’s question was directed to Sylvia, who was just as surprised by this revelation as he was. She knew Peyton had to have a reason to sneak to the game, but she had no idea it had anything to do with Titus’s son.

“I don’t know anything about this.” Sylvia’s eyebrow raised. “But to answer your question, your son isn’t here.”

“And my daughter isn’t anyone’s girlfriend,” Garry added.

“Well, can you ask your daughter if she knows where he is?” Tricia asked.

“Where who is?” Aunt Connie suddenly emerged from the kitchen. Her attention went to Tricia. “Good morning.”

“Hello.” Tricia’s tone was stoic.

“Aunt Connie, this is Tricia King.” Sylvia told her, “She’s uh . . .”

Sylvia didn’t know how to introduce her. The day had barely begun, and it was getting more and more awkward by the minute. The turmoil from the night before was overflowing, and before she could wrap her mind around one thing, another one popped up. First, Jordan went missing, and they tracked her down five hours away at a basketball game. Then when they arrived, not only did they find her there but also Peyton, who’d snuck off with Janelle. Then Garry got into an altercation with Sherrod, the guy Janelle had been dating, who also turned out to be the friend of her newly discovered stepdaughter’s deceased mother, Randi. Now Tricia was standing in her foyer, looking for her son, who apparently had been dating their daughter without their knowledge. It was too much, too early.

“I’m Tarik’s mother.” Tricia said, “I came to see if he was here.”

“It seems that Tarik didn’t come home last night, and he and Peyton are friends,” Sylvia explained. “But I’ve told her that he’s not here.”

“Does Peyton know where he is?” Aunt Connie asked.

“That’s what I was asking.” Tricia sighed, then added, “And based on the way she was all over my son last night, I think she’s more than a friend.”

“I don’t know what you’re referring to, but I can promise you my daughter wasn’t all over anybody,” Garry snapped. Sylvia placed a hand on his arm, squeezing it gently.

“Listen, why don’t you just run upstairs and ask Peyton if she knows where Frank is,” Aunt Connie suggested.

“Tank,” Sylvia, Garry, and Tricia all said simultaneously.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Sylvia volunteered, but at that moment, both Peyton and Jordan came walking down the steps. Sylvia was taken aback since Jordan’s room was downstairs and she rarely even ventured to the second floor of their home.

“What’s going on?” Jordan asked.

“Mrs. King?” Peyton’s eyes widened when she saw Tricia standing beside Aunt Connie.

“Peyton, when’s the last time you talked to Tank?” Garry asked her.

“Um, I talked to him last night after the game. He was pretty upset about what happened,” Peyton said. “They didn’t even get to cut the net off the rim like they were supposed to because of—”

“Sweetie.” Sylvia shook her head slightly at her daughter, hinting for her to stop talking. “Tank didn’t go home last night. His mother is worried.”

“He’s probably with somebody from the team partying. We did win the state championship last night, remember?” Jordan shrugged and folded her arms. “Not that they got the chance to celebrate and enjoy the moment like they should have. Someone stopped that from happening.”

“Not now, Jordan,” Garry warned.

“I’m just saying,” Jordan said. “You kinda ruined his moment.”

“Wait, you thought Tarik was here at my house?” Peyton frowned.

“Who is Tarik?” Aunt Connie leaned and whispered to Jordan.

“That’s his real name,” Jordan told her.

“Oh, okay, I see. Peyton baby, why don’t you run upstairs and get your phone and see if you can call Frank,” Aunt Connie said.

“Tank,” they all said again.

“Okay. I’ll be right back,” Peyton said and hustled up the stairs.

“I can’t believe him,” Tricia mumbled as she exhaled loudly. “If he’s not here, where the hell is he?”

Sylvia realized that there was a hint of concern under her somewhat-cold exterior and thought about how she felt herself less than twenty-four hours before when she was facing the same situation. Unlike Tricia, though, she wouldn’t consider showing up on a stranger’s doorstep, especially with an attitude dressed in jeans and cheap boots, looking like she was ready to fight.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Aunt Connie said. “Both Peyton and Jordan here snuck off yesterday, and we found them. And Peyton went off for a couple of hours the other week and we couldn’t find her, and she showed up at home.”

Sylvia gave Aunt Connie the same warning Garry gave Jordan moments before. “Not now, Aunt Connie.”

“He probably just needs to cool off, that’s all.” Jordan shrugged. “I do that all the time. I take a time-out.”

“Has he ever gone missing before?” Sylvia asked.

“No, never.” Tricia shook her head. “My son isn’t a kid who runs away, and he doesn’t need a time-out.”

Jordan went to react, but Aunt Connie placed her hand on her shoulder, whispering loud enough to be heard, “Don’t justify that comment with a response, baby. She’s just worried about her son and ain’t thinking before she’s speaking.”

The tension was noticeably uncomfortable, and something needed to be done. Sylvia was trying to remain cordial, especially since Tarik was missing, but she was already dealing with the stress of her own family drama, and her patience was thin. Her empathy was limited, and Tricia’s attitude wasn’t making it easier. She wanted this woman to leave but didn’t want to be rude and make an already-awkward situation worse.

“I’ll be right back,” Sylvia said. She was up the stairs and about to enter her bedroom when she heard Garry behind her.

“Syl, where are you going?” he hissed. “You can’t leave that woman downstairs.”

“I said I’d be right back,” she whispered as she kept walking. “I have a phone call to make.”

“Who the hell are you calling?” He followed her into their bedroom.

Sylvia picked up her cell phone and pressed her sister’s name.

“What?” Janelle answered after the third ring.

“Nelle, wake up. We have a situation,” Sylvia told her.

“You’re calling Janelle? That’s the last person you need to be calling right now considering who’s downstairs,” Garry said.

“Shut up, Garry. You’re the last person who needs to be talking to me right now considering everything,” she snapped at him. He sulked but didn’t say anything else.

“What the hell is going on? What time is it?” Janelle groaned.

“Nelle, I need you to call Titus right now,” Sylvia told her. “Call him on three-way. I need to talk to him.”

“I’m not calling him. Why do you want him?” Janelle asked.

“Because his wife is downstairs crying in my living room,” Sylvia said, trying not to yell.

“Shit. What?” Janelle squealed. “What the hell for? Why is she there? Is she looking for me?”

“No, she’s not looking for you. She’s looking for her son. Now call him.”

“What? Tank is at your house?”

“Janelle.” It was taking everything for Sylvia not to snap, and she was two seconds from losing it. “I don’t have time to play damn twenty-one questions. Get Titus’s ass on the phone now.”

“Fine, hold on,” Janelle said, and then the phone went quiet.

“Go downstairs and check and see what’s going on,” Sylvia told Garry.

“I’m sure Aunt Connie has it all under control,” he said. “They don’t need me down there.”

Although her husband was probably right, she told him, “Well, I don’t need you up here either.”

“Hello?” Titus’s voice came on the line. “Syl, what’s going on? Tricia’s at your house?

“Yes, she is. She came over here looking for your son,” Sylvia told him.

“Oh my God. I told her to relax and I would handle it.” Titus sighed.

“Wait, do you know where he is?” Sylvia asked, wondering why he seemed so calm while Tricia was so agitated by their son’s disappearance.

“No, not really,” Titus said.

“What the hell does that mean? ‘No, not really.’ Have you talked to him?” Sylvia was now talking through clenched teeth, angered by Titus’s lack of concern. His wife was out trying to locate their son, and he was acting as if it were no big deal.

“No, I haven’t talked to him, but I don’t think he’s run away anywhere. His clothes are still in his room, and he knows he has a news interview at three o’clock this afternoon. Besides, the entire school will be celebrating the team at school tomorrow, and he ain’t missing that. He’s probably with a couple of his teammates,” Titus told her. “I’m heading out now to go find him.”

“What made her go to my sister’s house to look for him?” Janelle spoke up. She’d been so quiet that Sylvia forgot she was on the phone.

“She found out Peyton and Tank are dating,” Titus told her. “Look, I’m sorry about her showing up like that. I know you probably thought—”

“Call your wife, and get her the hell out of my damn house, Titus,” Sylvia snapped before hanging up.

“What did he say?” Garry asked. “You should’ve let me talk to—”

“Don’t.” She turned and held her palm up toward him as she walked past. “We still have unfinished business from this morning. This situation happening right now doesn’t change anything. I still want you to leave.”

By the time Sylvia returned to the foyer, thankfully, Titus had already phoned his wife, and she was ready to leave, barely saying, “Thank you,” as she walked out the door. Within seconds of the door closing behind her, Peyton and Jordan quickly disappeared, and Aunt Connie was back in the kitchen. Sylvia headed back up the steps, and when she got to the top, she was at an impasse and had a decision to make. She could either go left, where the hallway led to her bedroom, where she knew Garry was probably waiting. Or she could go right into Peyton’s bedroom. She looked from one side to the other before making her decision.

“Peyton?” Sylvia knocked and opened the door at the same time.

“Yes?” Peyton answered.

Sylvia walked in. Peyton was sitting Indian style in the middle of her bed, scrolling on her phone. “Did you reach Tarik?”

“No, he’s still not responding to my calls or texts.” Peyton sounded frustrated. “Or anyone else’s. None of his friends knows where he is.”

“I’m sure he’s just somewhere cooling off,” Sylvia said, sitting on the side of the bed.

“I feel really bad. He’s embarrassed, and he didn’t even do anything wrong. This wasn’t even his fault,” Peyton whined.

“That’s true. He has no reason to be embarrassed,” Sylvia agreed.

“I don’t even understand what happened. Why was Dad fighting that guy?” Peyton’s thick eyebrows furrowed as she stared at Sylvia, who really didn’t have an answer.

“I’m still trying to figure that out myself, baby, and that’s a valid question, but I’m more concerned about why you felt the need to sneak off to the basketball game instead of asking for permission.” Sylvia’s head tilted to the side, her eyes blinking slowly as she waited for Peyton to speak.

Peyton’s eyes dropped to her colorful bedspread, and her voice was barely above a whisper. “Because I knew you’d say no.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do. The answer is always no, even though I’m seventeen and an honors student who’s leaving for college within a few months. I knew if I said I wanted to go watch Tarik—who’s also a great guy and an honors student—play in the championship game, it would still be no. So I asked Aunt Nelle to take me,” Peyton explained. “This game was the moment of Tank’s life, and I wanted to be there for him.”

“You could’ve come to me, Peyton,” Sylvia told her. “You can come to me about anything.”

“No, I couldn’t have.”

Peyton saying she felt as if she couldn’t talk to her was a surprise. Sylvia believed that she and her daughter had a great relationship. Over the years, she’d made sure to keep an open dialogue about everything: school, friends, body changes, boys, and even sex.

“Peyton, we talk about everything,” Sylvia pointed out.

“We talk about some things. Other stuff we talk around. There’s a difference,” Peyton told her.

“What do you mean?” Sylvia frowned.

“We have discussions about grades, or college, or fashion. We laugh about movies, TV shows, and yeah, we love our celebrity gossip. But when it comes to dating or guys, it’s always been this negative vibe and a warning. ‘You don’t need to be thinking about boys, Peyton. You don’t have time to be wasting on these knucklehead boys,’” Peyton mimicked. “God forbid I say I want to go on a date, or worse, if Tank had come over to the house like he’d been trying to do for months. That would’ve been a disaster.”

Sylvia shook her head. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. Had you come and explained to me and Daddy who Tank was and allowed us the opportunity to meet him, we may have been open to your dating him. Instead, you decided to sneak around, and look what happened.”

“I was wrong for doing that, and I apologize.” Peyton sighed. “But, Mom, you know even if you would’ve been cool with meeting Tank, Dad wouldn’t, and you always side with him, no matter what. It’s always his way or no way.”

“That’s a lie, Peyton, and you know it.” Sylvia stiffened, and her anger began to rise.

“It’s not. Remember when you said I could wear makeup, and we went to Sephora and bought stuff and had so much fun? Then Daddy came home and lost his mind. All of a sudden, you agreed that all I really needed was lip gloss, mascara, and eye liner.”

Peyton was right about that situation. But it wasn’t that Sylvia had been siding with Garry. It’s just that she’d seen his point when he pointed out that Peyton was beautiful enough without needing all of the makeup she was wearing at the moment. The salesperson at Sephora who’d given them a demo had been generous and given Peyton a dramatic look, which included lots of eyeshadow, foundation, lashes, and highlighter. When Garry saw her, he was very vocal about their daughter’s glamorous appearance. Peyton was disappointed but seemed to understand when Sylvia told her she only needed a simple look.

“Peyton, I know you know how much your father and I love you.” Sylvia sighed.

“I do.” Peyton nodded. “And before you say it, I already know, you make the decisions you do to protect me.”

At that moment, Sylvia’s mind went to her husband and why he’d kept so many secrets from her in an effort to protect her and their marriage. How he’d withheld the truth, and even after everything was revealed, she’d accepted his reasoning. She’d acquiesced with no question. Could there be some truth to what Peyton was saying?

Tap, tap, tap.

“Breakfast is ready,” Aunt Connie stuck her head in the door and announced.

“I’m not really hungry,” Peyton said.

Sylvia knew that didn’t matter to Aunt Connie. When it was time to eat, it didn’t matter whether you were hungry. It also didn’t matter what you felt like eating.

“Be downstairs in five minutes. You don’t want it to get cold.” Aunt Connie smiled then disappeared from the doorway.

“But—” Peyton went to protest. Sylvia quickly shook her head, and Peyton’s mouth snapped closed.

“We’ll finish this discussion later.” Sylvia stood up. “And you know there will be consequences.”

“I know.” Peyton sighed. “Real talk though, this is all Jordan’s fault if you look at it. She’s the one who was with that man Daddy was fighting,” Peyton said. “She’s been nothing but trouble since she got here.”

Sylvia frowned. “No, ma’am. I’m not gonna let you do that. Jordan and her actions don’t have nothing to do with the fact that you decided to sneak off without permission, young lady. That damn sure wasn’t on her. Now bring your behind on.”

Peyton had sense enough to simply mutter, “Yes, ma’am.”

The two were heading downstairs when Sylvia heard her cell phone ringing from the bedroom. “Go ahead, I’ll be down in a minute.”

“I can wait for you, Mom,” Peyton offered.

“Go eat,” Sylvia told her before rushing down the hallway to her bedroom. By the time she reached her phone, it had stopped ringing. In addition to missing the call from Lynne, her best friend, Sylvia also had three missed calls from Janelle. Despite calling her sister earlier to help out with the Tricia situation, Sylvia still had some choice words for her sister about her decision to take Peyton out of town without saying anything. Now wasn’t the time, though. She tossed her phone back on the bed and went downstairs.

“You want me to make your plate?” Aunt Connie offered when Sylvia entered the dining room. Peyton, Jordan, and Garry were already seated, all three looking forlorn and picking at their food. Sylvia looked at the grits, eggs, sausage, bacon, and homemade biscuits sitting in the middle of the table and wondered how her aunt had managed to prepare all of it in a short period of time.

“No, I got it,” Sylvia answered, picking up one of the empty plates and putting a small amount of each item on it. Had she allowed her aunt to do it, it would have been piled with more than she would’ve been able to eat, that was for sure. It was a risk she knew not to take.

The tension in the room was deafening. Not even Aunt Connie’s small talk was enough to engage everyone in a full conversation. Peyton and Jordan mumbled one-word answers to any question directed at them, while Garry and Sylvia remained quiet while purposely avoiding looking in each other’s direction.

“When we leave church today, I was thinking we could stop by that new grocery store they built. I heard they have a nice produce section,” Aunt Connie said. It was as if the tension became thicker, and everyone became focused on their plate.

After a few seconds, Sylvia looked over and said, “We aren’t going to church, Aunt Connie. We all had a late night, and uh, we have some things to handle with the girls.”

Surprisingly, Aunt Connie didn’t fuss. She just shrugged and said, “I understand. I had a nice conversation with Ms. Jordan when she came in my room and let her know what she did was unacceptable. Ain’t that right?”

Jordan nodded and said, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Well, just because y’all are being heathens and skipping service doesn’t mean I am. Let me get on up so I can get ready for service,” Aunt Connie stood and announced. “Peyton, Jordan, y’all clear the table and put the food away. Garry, feed Gypsy and then make sure you take her out so she won’t have an accident.”

“I can drop you off,” Sylvia volunteered, “and pick you up.”

“No need, baby. I’ll get there and get home. You take care of everything going on here.” Aunt Connie gave her a reassuring nod.

Jordan stood and picked up both her and Aunt Connie’s plates and headed into the kitchen.

Peyton glanced up and said, “I can do the kitchen by myself. I don’t need help.”

“I know you can, and I didn’t ask you if you needed help. You and your sister will do it together,” Aunt Connie told her. Peyton exhaled loudly.

Garry looked as if he was going to say something, but instead, he whistled and called out, “Gypsy.”

The small Pomeranian hopped into the dining room and ran over to Garry. While everyone’s attention was on the dog, Sylvia used the distraction to quickly exit the uncomfortable atmosphere and go back to her bedroom. She needed to think and somehow process everything. She thought about going to church with Aunt Connie just to get away from the house. But there was no sense in running away. Her troubled marriage and children would still be waiting when church was over, so there was no point. Her head was pounding, and after taking a much-needed Extra Strength Tylenol that she found in the medicine cabinet, she lay back on her bed and closed her eyes.

As if last night weren’t crazy enough, Titus’s wife showing up at Sylvia’s house was even more perplexing. Janelle was both baffled and nervous in addition to being tired as hell. After getting home after two in the morning from the basketball game, she’d tossed and turned most of the night, and when she finally drifted off to sleep, Sylvia called to tell her about her unexpected guest. There was no way she could go back to sleep now, so she got up. She needed a drink, and a strong one. She also needed to talk to someone, so she dialed her best friend Nivea’s number. When Nivea didn’t answer, she called her other friend Natalie.

“What’s up?” Natalie answered. . . .