His Reason, Her Choice

By Teona Bell

To take care of her two young daughters, Joy stays with a man whose every touch makes her sick. The single light in her life, other than her babies, is her friend Russ. Joy and Russ kept up an innocent long distance friendship over texts and occasional phone calls with the full knowledge and consent of her boyfriend.

Unfortunately, Joy never admitted the truth of her nightmare to Russ. Then she loses her job, and she’s faced with going home to a mother who has always degraded her. Joy is desperate not to expose her girls to their grandmother, but she doesn’t have a choice.

Not until Russ offers her a solution that’s just like what’s leaving—come back to Atlanta as his mistress, and he’ll take care of her and the girls. Russ didn’t know the truth, but it doesn’t stop the hurt from his proposition. Joy will accept, hoping somehow this time will be different.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Teona Bell
• Release date: Dec 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781501456572

Book preview

Chapter One

Joy opened her eyes at the grunt in her ear and the blast of bad breath in her face. She tried to hold hers and roll away, but Isaac’s heavy arm lay across her breasts. While she inched to the edge of the bed, his fingers spasmed, and he pinched her nipple. A gag rose in her throat. She tried to disguise it as she usually did by coughing, but that only served to wake him up.

Aw, baby, where you going? Isaac complained as she stood with her back to him.

She made a small noise, one aimed to make him think mornings just weren’t her thing. In reality, bile filled her throat. She needed to get to the toilet fast.

A few more minutes, Joy, Isaac begged. You know I’m hard when I wake up. Come take care of it.

The door slammed before she could catch it, but she managed to get the water turned on at the sink and the shower going full blast. After that, she sank to her knees and threw up. How in the hell would she make it through another day of this? Another night? The thought of Denita and Nicolette needing a few more years before they could stay home by themselves buried Joy’s head in the toilet a second time.

Her stomach churned, her ribs hurt, and her throat burned. There was nothing left because she hadn’t eaten much the night before. Isaac had wolfed down most of what she had cooked, but she had made sure the girls ate first, and Nicolette had seconds.

Joy flushed the toilet. When she stood up and washed her hands, she turned the water off, prepared to brush her teeth. A ding caught her attention, and she glanced at her cell phone on the back of the sink. She never failed to grab that too when she went into the bathroom.

The text read, Rise and shine, beautiful.

Joy let a small smile touch her lips and shook her head. You’re better than an alarm clock. I don’t even set it anymore.

I thought it was Isaac’s breath that did the trick.

Haha. You’re not funny. She had told Russ about the disgusting combo of stale cigarettes and whiskey breath she woke to every day but not about how her boyfriend grossed her out. Russ was a friend from school that she had spent four years fighting through all levels of math with because he was a genius with numbers. Russ had kept in touch over the years even though she had left Georgia and moved to New York.

Joy refused to share her shame with anyone. As far as Russ and her mother knew, she loved Isaac, and they were in it for the long haul. No one, including Isaac, knew she stayed with him because he paid for daycare for her girls. He wasn’t even their dad. That was one thing her mother never let her forget. Denita and Nicolette had two different dads, and the man she was with now wasn’t one of them.

Be back in a minute. Gotta brush my teeth and wash off the funk.

So you’re naked?

Don’t be dirty, she typed back. If Isaac saw this...

Sorry. I respect the guy.

Joy smirked. She wasn’t stupid. Russ had been so obvious about his crush from eleventh grade, but she had never once considered dating a white guy. Okay, she had thought about it, but no. There were enough issues in her life. Her babies came first, period. She did what she had to and survived for them. Nothing else mattered.

She stepped into the shower and began to wash off. A sound caught her attention, and she stuck her head out of the shower to listen. The doorknob jiggled. Isaac shouted through the door.

Why do you always lock the door, baby? Come on. I’ve seen what you’ve got, and I have to piss.

She ducked back into the shower, ignoring him. Another day. Just one more day. The lie didn’t work. All she heard was years, and it seemed like a death knell. No way was he coming into the bathroom with her. She’d made the mistake once of leaving the door unlocked. His dumb behind thought she wanted to get frisky in the shower. Sure, if he didn’t mind puke mixed with water on his chest.

Joy ducked her head. Water cascaded over her shoulders, and she sighed. Isaac wasn’t a bad guy, and he deserved a girlfriend who really wanted him. She knew she was being selfish. Hell, she lectured herself on a daily basis about it. Then he gave her a check for the center where she dropped off the girls. There was just no way in the world she could do it alone.

Banging started on the door, and slapped a hand against the back of the shower. Solitude over. With her hair dripping after she’d meant to keep it from getting wet, she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. She didn’t unlock the door until she had toweled dry and had slipped into clean panties and a bra, which she had placed in the bathroom the night before. Isaac jerked it open and ran past to the toilet.

Why didn’t you use the girls’ bathroom?

Have you seen their bathroom? I think there’s stuff alive that shouldn’t be in there.

You’re not serious. She frowned at him. They’re girls. Sure they get their toys everywhere and don’t like picking up after themselves, but they’ll grow out of it.

You don’t change from being a slob.

I know you’re not calling my daughters slobs!

He let go of his junk, halfway through, and she cringed. Hey, ease up, Joy. I was only joking. You know I love the girls, and they love me.

She refused to disabuse him of the delusion. Isaac was decent to the girls, and in turn they were respectful of him, but that didn’t constitute love on either side. It’s not like you’re that clean.

He glanced down. Oh, I’m going to clean that up.

She rolled her eyes and left the bathroom. He would. Isaac missed like many men did, but he wasn’t nasty. There were a few habits she hated with a passion, but the fact was she was with him for all the wrong reasons.

I’m not ready to do anything about it, she whispered as she walked across the hall to her daughters’ room. So suck it up, Joy. Life goes on.

Chapter Two

Nicolette’s chubby feet stuck out from beneath her covers, and Joy tickled them. Her baby girl wiggled and curled both knees

[sheila · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it

[Mela7500 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing