Through the Storm (True Love Novellas #4) - EBOOK

Can their love survive the racial hatred in his family?

Many waters cannot quench love... -Song of Solomon 8:7 💦

Joy Maxwell is carving out a different path in life as she embarks upon her senior year in college. After a terrible breakup with a man who led a secret life, she is determined to focus on her future by putting her love life on the back burner. That was until she met a handsome stranger who initially piqued her interest for the wrong reason.

Chase Carlington, a southern gentleman to his core, is mesmerized by Joy's striking beauty and fascinated by her intriguing personality. However, it is her unwavering faith in God that truly captivates him. Despite his attraction to the beautiful black woman, as a white man, Chase is plagued by the racially charged hatred that exists in his bloodline.

Will Joy and Chase have a chance at love, despite the evil vying to keep them apart?

Song of Joy is the fifth book in the True Love Novellas series. 

 

Chapter Two

“Good morning.” Zachary rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed just as Bianca was slipping into her pink-striped, silk bathrobe. “Have you been up long?” He stretched with a yawn.

“No, not long,” Bianca answered as she secured her long dark hair into a large purple clip. “I was trying to not wake you. Especially after the late night you had with your family. Sorry that I bailed on you early.”  

“Oh, you’re good.” Zachary glanced at the clock next to his cell phone on the old wooden nightstand of his repurposed childhood bedroom. “I didn’t expect you to hang out with my cousins that late.” He grinned and propped his hands underneath his head. “Besides, it looked like Gayle was ready to get out of there too. Josh was all in talking junk about my team not making it past the first playoff round.”  

“Well, his team did win the NFC Championship, making it to the Super Bowl.” Bianca smirked.

“Hey, I thought you’re supposed to be on my side.” He tossed a throw pillow in her direction. 

Bianca caught the pillow midair. “I’m sorry, but I have to call it like I see it.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” He laughed and waved her off. 

“Hey, you guys will get ‘em next year.” She tossed the pillow back onto the bed. “You know your brother. Josh is a showman who always has to have the spotlight on him. You, on the other hand, are more reserved.” She walked over to his bedside and stroked his cheek. “Just the way I like you.” 

“Good save.” Zachary pulled her even closer by the belt hanging from her robe.

Bianca snuggled next to her husband as he cradled her in his arms. These were the private moments she treasured most. The quiet morning in Lewiston Springs absent the constant distractions the couple normally encountered during the regular season of his job in the NFL was a welcomed change. Bianca hadn’t always been able to make her husband’s away games, but she was consistently front and center when he played at home. The weekend getaway for the wedding celebration surrounded by Zachary’s loving family was comforting to her.

“So, are your parents still having that barbeque later today?” 

“Yeah,” he answered, gently resting his hand on her thigh. “It’s just for us, you know, the immediate family.” 

“Nothing big–”

“Nothing fancy,” he finished her sentence. 

They both chuckled, quoting Margaret to a T.

“You know my mom about as well as I do.”  

“She says what she means and means what she says.” Bianca chuckled.

Just then Zachary’s cell phone vibrated. He reached across Bianca to retrieve it from the nightstand. They both looked at the lit screen and saw Monique’s name. 

“I guess you better get that.” Bianca abruptly sat up and started in the opposite direction.

Zachary pulled her back by the thin, tassel-trimmed belt he had tugged at earlier. “Where are you going?” 

“I don’t want to deal with her drama, Zach.” Bianca turned around and faced him as her mood turned cold. “It’s too early in the morning for this.” 

He tossed the phone onto the bed. “Okay, I don’t have to answer it.” He tried to melt the forming ice before it ruined their day. 

Bianca looked into his eyes, understanding that he didn’t want this situation any more than she did. She sat back down on the edge of the bed and motioned for him to answer the call. “Go ahead.” 

“Are you sure? She doesn’t own me just because she has my child.” 

Bianca blankly stared at him, recalling moments when it seemed as if Monique did own him. “Just answer. Maybe after she talks to you, she’ll leave you alone for a while.” 

“Alright.” Zachary picked up the phone again, noting that it was thirteen minutes after nine, but it stopped vibrating. He traded glances with Bianca just as it started vibrating again. It wouldn’t be long before his mother would come knocking, reminding them of the traditional family breakfast she had planned. Although Charity and Elisha had since started their individual honeymoons with their new husbands, Margaret always savored her twin boys being home.

“This won’t take long,” Zachary promised Bianca. He cleared his throat and pressed the speaker button. “Hello.” 

“Hey, did I wake you?” Monique spoke in a soft, unassuming voice, almost as if she was being careful with her words. 

“No, I was up.” Zachary locked eyes with his wife again. “About to have breakfast with my family.” 

“Oh, okay. I won’t be long. Tell your parents I said hello.” 

Zachary and Bianca’s faces both bore questions. 

“Look, I’m sorry ZJ didn’t make it to the wedding,” Monique apologized. “We had planned to go out of town with my mother, but something came up with my mom’s boyfriend at the last minute. You know how that goes.” 

Zachary tightened his jaw, having grown tired of her many excuses over the years for canceling a planned visitation he had scheduled with ZJ. “What’s done is done. My sisters are out of town now, but I’d still like to see him. My parents would too.” 

Bianca shifted her gaze to another part of his old childhood bedroom adorned with relics of the past. 

“Well, I think I can make that happen. I’m only an hour and a half flight away. Can you get away? Or are you headed back home today? It’d be nice to see you. We could take ZJ out or something,” she boldly suggested. 

Bianca faced her husband again, this time with folded arms.

“We’re here until in the morning,” Zachary clarified as he placed a hand on Bianca’s bouncing knee. 

“Oh,” Monique groaned. “I guess she’s keeping a short leash on you nowadays.” 

Bianca’s lips parted, but Zachary motioned with a hand to quiet her. 

“Look, Monique, I just want to spend time with my son alone. I don’t need a chaperone. Maybe you could fly in, and I’ll pay for a day at the spa or something for you while he visits with my family.” 

Bianca scowled at him and pushed his hand away from her body.

Zachary put a finger up to his lips, urging her to remain quiet. 

“A spa day sounds nice,” Monique answered, sounding delightfully surprised at his suggestion. “And you’ll pay for the ticket too, right?” 

“Of course. Anything to see my son.” Zachary exchanged glances with his wife.

“Okay, well, just let me get him ready.” Monique’s tone livened. “Just email me the tickets.” 

“Okay, cool—” 

Monique cut him off as she said, “And make sure that the tickets are first-class.”

Bianca stared at her husband in anticipation of his response. She was sure that he was going to rebuke her and send that gold digger, as she often referred to Monique, on her way. It had been a longstanding discussion between them for months now. This was to be a year of new beginnings and changes for their family. 

“First-class?” Zachary tossed the idea around as Bianca glared at him. “No problem,” he finally said. “I’ll email you in a few.” Zachary quickly ended the call. 

“What?” Bianca slapped him on the arm, careful not to raise her voice in his parents’ home. “I don’t believe you, Zach. What was that? Why did you give in to her?” 

“I had to,” Zachary coldly replied. 

“No, no you didn’t. That woman is using ZJ as a pawn and playing you like a violin.” 

“What else can I do?” His voice rose an octave. “He’s my son and I want a relationship with him. You know I can’t have my child, my namesake, out there not knowing who I am.” 

Zachary’s words stung Bianca to her core. She grunted and walked to the other side of the room, desperately trying to compose herself. Just the thought of Monique naming her son after Zachary infuriated her to tears. In the beginning Zachary wasn’t even sure that ZJ was in fact his child, but after a DNA test confirmed it, Bianca was broken on the inside. Her carousel of emotions rotated from anger and pain to embarrassment and resentment. And as much as she didn’t want to admit it, there was a tinge of jealousy there too because Monique had something she did not—Zachary’s child. 

“I understand,” Bianca answered as she faced the opposite direction, hiding her tears from her husband. “Listen, I get that. Really, I do, but that woman is only out for what you can give her, not for the benefit of ZJ.” She discreetly wiped the tears from her flushed cheeks.

“It’s only for a day.” Zachary rose from the bed and walked across the room to where Bianca stood facing an old football wall poster he had hung when he was in high school. “A few hundred dollars to get her out of our hair while we see ZJ is worth it, right?” He held her from behind and kissed her on the neck.  

“Yeah, of course it’s worth seeing him. But it’s time to set some clear boundaries. I know you don’t want to get the courts involved, but you can’t let her have this much control over you … or us.” She then faced him. “We are trying to start a family of our own.” 

Zachary stared at Bianca, recognizing the toll it was taking on her. “I know.” He nodded and gently held her face in his hands, carefully clearing away the tears underneath her eyes with his thumbs. “And I want ZJ to be a part of it.” 

Just then there was a knock at the bedroom door. “Morning,” Margaret sung in a cheerful tone through the closed door.

“Morning, Ma,” Zachary answered from across the room. 

“Breakfast will be ready in about twenty minutes.”  

“Okay, thanks,” Zachary called back out to her. 

They both waited until they heard her footsteps taper away.  

“Do you think she heard our conversation?” Bianca nervously whispered. 

“I don’t know, but we better get a move on. You do not want to keep Margaret Maxwell waiting.”  

Bianca forced a smile and grabbed the toiletry bag in her favorite shade of purple from the refinished wooden dresser. She watched as her husband quickly picked up his cell again and began swiping through screens. Once again, Monique was front and center. 

“I won’t be long,” Bianca said as she tightened the short robe around her body and tucked the toiletry bag underneath her right arm. 

Zachary did not respond as he feverishly dragged his fingers across the lit screen. 

Bianca left his childhood bedroom and held her chest as she made her way to the bathroom at the end of the hallway. Ordinarily, she enjoyed spending time with her in-laws, but this visit left her feeling lonely amongst a crowd of people. She closed the door and dropped the bag in her hand onto the vanity counter. Immediately, tears raced down her cheeks. She quickly turned on the ventilation fan and the sink faucet to muffle her quiet sobs. 

Bianca convinced herself that all she had to do was get through the next few hours. Their flight was set to depart at 6:30 the next morning, and she would be back in the comfort of her own home.

Here you'll find the Reading Order for my books by series. Several titles are Stand Alone that can be read in any order. All of them are listed below.

The Fiery Furnace Series
The Kiss of Judas
Confessions
The Eleventh Hour

The True Love Series
The Christmas Beau
Single, Saved, & Searching
A Test of Faith
Through the Storm
Song of Joy

Stand Alone Titles
In the Presence of My Enemies: A Novel
Once Upon a Sunday: An Inspirational Short Story
A Time to Praise: A Christmas Anthology
Miracle From On High: A Short Story (*Also featured in A Time to Praise)
Soul Ties: Breaking Up With a Past That's Killing Your Future

Note: All published books are available in special collections for a discounted price. Visit Book Collections for details.

 

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