Tru Bliss 2: A Reckless Love Story

By Teshera Cooper

Your fav four are back, and the saga continues as these girls can’t seem to steer clear of drama. With Landon doing time and Demi clinging on to her life, Nova and Bliss only have each other to count on. As the two work to maintain the newly opened GLOW boutique, their love lives quickly take a front seat to all the chaos in their lives.
After nursing a broken heart, Bliss is still with bad boy Tru, but as the two start to merely coexist in their relationship, Bliss gets a whiff of the infamous Saint. Saint is a man of many talents, especially stealing Bliss’s heart. When the two get together, their energy seems to be magnetic. Even knowing that they are breaking all the rules with their dangerous affair, they ultimately still fall in love without any warning. Bliss thinks that Tru is out of the picture, but you know what they say. Tru love never dies. Will Tru let her go that easily, or will Bliss and Saint both be in for a deadly surprise?


As Nova juggles her time between GLOW, tending to Demi, and riding for Landon, her only sweet spot seems to be the man in her life, Caleb. Caleb is everything that Nova wants in a man, or so she thinks. When jealousy and insecurity threaten to break them apart, Nova finds herself falling for an old flame. Will Nova be able stick it out with Caleb, who is dealing with his own demons, or will she take a Chance on someone else?


As truths are revealed about Caleb and Nova’s relationship, Nova finds herself questioning everything in her life, even her own father. Casper Madison is something like a ghetto success story; coming from nothing, he eventually acquires everything he’s ever wanted. Always being a daddy’s girl, Nova never thought that she would be questioning her father’s authenticity, but he leaves her no choice when he starts to move shadily. All families have secrets, right? But some secrets are costlier than others.


Come take a ride along with these girls once again as they endure life’s loves and losses, all while trusting in the faith of friendship.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Royalty Publishing House
• Release date: Oct 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9781648402319

Book preview

Prologue

BLISS

As we rode in silence like we always did, nothing could be heard but the awkward sound of dismay and gluttony in the air. The weather matched our mood, as it was a gloomy, rainy day, and it seemed as if God was crying out for me as the rain and thunder danced together in unison.

Make this left right here, Tru said as he kept his face glued to his phone.

Lately, Tru had been getting me to drive him around during the day because he didn’t have a license and had been paranoid about people watching him. We were riding down Compostela Road, on our way to Berkley, making his last pickup for the day, and I was more than ready to go home after standing on my feet all day at GLOW.

Yo, park right here in front of this green house. I’ll be right back, True said before getting out of the car and going into the residence.

I had been with Tru since I was eighteen years old, and here I was now, twenty-three years old and playing chauffeur to the nigga as if I were one of his workers or something. Tru had people who could drive him around at the snap of his fingers, but he chose me because he needed me close—not in a loving I just want to be with you type of way but a controlling I own you type of way. The years of being with Tru seemed to have flown by without me even realizing it. The two of us simply coexisted, but neither of us dared to leave. You don’t know how many times it crossed my mind to just pack up and walk away. I even had previous attempts when I left, but I eventually went back to the back to a man who beat me and selfishly disregarded me for years.

As the smooth sound of Beyoncé’s Brown Eyes flowed through the speakers, my mind drifted to a man I once knew. Another man just like my daddy and Tru, who had broken my heart. A man who I still, to this day, couldn’t get out of my mind. I cried for Kassidy for a year straight before my love for him turned into hate. I needed him to save me, and he just walked away without saying a word. My thoughts were interrupted as I saw Tru approaching the car with a bag in his hand. He simply got in, turned the radio to his usual trap music, and was glued to his phone again.

Where to next? I asked.

The crib so you can cook a nigga something to eat, and not that damn pot roast from last night. Shit was dry as fuck. How you cook a dry pot roast? He laughed.

I laughed too at the pretend funny joke as I made my way to down the street. The rain didn’t seem to be letting up as it poured and poured, causing me to turn my windshield wipers to the highest speed.

Damn, people act like they can’t drive in the rain, I mumbled as I navigated around a car that was driving fifteen miles per hour in a forty.

I noticed that since Tru had been back in the car, his phone was blowing up. Someone had literally called him six times, and each time, he would just hit ignore. I knew exactly what that meant. It was Tru’s latest flavor of the month. I couldn’t tell you how many girls Tru had cheated on me with since we had been together, and the girls weren’t shy about it either. Several had attempted to reach out to me via Instagram just to rub it in that they were fucking my nigga. I was really dealing with a sad case. Myself, that was.

You not going to answer that? I calmly asked.

Nah. You want to answer it for me? he responded.

Gladly, I responded.

Yeah, you wish. He smirked.

I guess the person was starting to annoy him because when his phone started to ring again, he answered.

Yo, what’s good? he answered with an attitude.

I was all ears, trying to decipher if it was a woman’s voice, but I couldn’t hear shit.

I’m with my girl. I’ma come through later, he said.

I guess whoever the person was wasn’t satisfied with his answer.

Fuck out of here! You don’t demand shit, bitch, he snapped.

I was so interested in his phone call that was clearly another female that I didn’t even notice the Ford Explorer truck that had run the stop sign. Before I could even react, I felt the side of my car door being pummeled by the truck that was going about sixty miles per hour.

Ahhh! I screamed as the sound of my horn blared and blood leaked from my now crushed torso. I looked over to see a sheer look of panic on Tru’s face.

Oh shit! What the fuck! he screamed. I got to get out of here. It’s too much shit on me, he said, referring to his dope and money. By now, I was drifting in and out of consciousness, and the pain was subsiding, as I was becoming somewhat numb.

Call the ambulance, Tru, I managed to say.

Tru was so busy retrieving his things from the car that he barely heard me.

Look, baby. I’m sorry, but I have too much shit in this car, so I’ma call the ambulance, but I got to be out. Before I could respond, Tru leaped from the car door and made his way to the trunk. He gave me one last glance and a kiss on the cheek before sprinting away in the opposite direction, leaving me barely alive and bleeding to death.

Nova

And I break as I hear you, loud as a bomb, wanting a shoulder to cry on.

I hear you, tumbling fast,

Here and now.

You’re afraid.

Don’t you worry.

I’ll teach you to fly before you fall, away

This was the song that I sang for the past twenty-six days that Demi had been in a coma. Every day, I would come up to see her, sing to her, pray for her, and catch her up on the latest gossip, hoping that she would just open her eyes, even if it were only for a second. Demi had fallen into a deep coma after being shot in the head by her boyfriend, Scooter. After he shot her, he then took his own life, and every day since the day that Demi had been admitted, I came up to the hospital and sang her favorite Cynthia Erivo song called Fly Before You Fall. I’d just pretend that she was resting peacefully instead of being laid up in some hospital bed, clinging to her life. I just couldn’t believe how drastically things could take a sudden turn for the worst. Right when we were accomplishing our dreams by opening our very own boutique, this shit happened, and on top of that, Landon had been arrested on a slew of drug-related charges. This was enough to break the strongest ox down.

My friends were everything to me. We’d grinded together, worked hard, and made our vision into a reality, only to be set back in the most fucked-up way. I couldn’t help the tears that started to pour down my cheeks. One of my friends was in a jail cell, the other was dealing with her own personal issues at home, and my dear friend that lay in front of me seemed to be deteriorating right in front of my eyes. Demi had lost almost twenty pounds within the last couple of weeks, making her almost ghostly. The bullet from the shot was still lodged in her head, which caused excess fluid to flow to her face, leaving the left side of her face to be slightly disfigured. The doctors said that taking the bullet out could have caused even more major complications, so she would just have to live with it.

My terrible singing was interrupted as I felt a soft caress on my shoulder. I turned around to see Caleb with his arms stretched out wide. As we embraced, I smelled the familiar scent of Versace Eros that danced in my nostrils while he placed delicate kisses on my neck. Caleb had been my shield through the storm. Despite the fact that he was sick over what happened to his sister, he still managed to be there for me when I needed consoling, and he even put up with my bitchy attitude when I didn’t want to be bothered. Caleb was truly a blessing to me and a man that I was proud to take home to my daddy. He was attentive, funny, caring, smart, and most of all, a protector. I felt so safe, just wrapping myself up in his embrace, that I wanted the moment to last forever. Caleb and I had been together for a little over a year now, and he really proved to me that all men weren’t shit. Well, maybe most of them were, but my baby was the real deal.

Wassup, babe? he said before giving me a peck on the lips.

Nothing, just chatting it up with Demi. I thought you had to work late tonight.

I do. I just wanted to swing by here to check on y’all on my lunch break.

Oh, OK. Your dad left not too long ago. He said he’ll be back after he checks on your mom.

Demi’s mom had been to see her one time since she had gotten shot, but she couldn’t bear the pain of seeing her daughter laid up in a hospital bed, so she never returned. Since then, she had also fallen into a deep depression, so Mr. Carrington spent his time going back and forth, taking care of his two girls.

Yeah, I need to go over there to see my mama too. I will try to swing by there tomorrow.

Babe, you been saying that for weeks now. She needs you just like Demi does. Go see about your mom; you only get one.

Yeah, you right. Who told you to be so smart and beautiful? he asked, pulling me close.

She get it from her mama, I said, imitating the rapper Juvenile.

Yeah, you too corny. I think it’s time for me to exit, he said jokingly.

Shut up, I said while laughing and playfully punching him.

Aye, girl, watch out. This is precious cargo here.

You’re such a diva. Now go to work before you’re late.

Aite, I’m out of here, he said before placing a kiss on Demi’s cheek and leaving the room.

It had been a few hours since I had been at the hospital with Demi, and I was preparing to leave to go to the boutique to look over some inventory. I said my goodbyes to Demi and proceeded to grab my things before leaving the room. I quickly made my way to the elevator and waited for it to come back up. The thing was moving so slow. I had to have been standing there for about three minutes.

What in the world? I mumbled. Is this thing out of commission or something? I asked, speaking to no one in general.

I think it is, I heard a male voice say. You may want to take the stairs or the elevator on the west wing.

Thank you, I said, not bothering to look at the male but instead making my way to the staircase.

Nova? Is that you? I heard the male voice ask.

I turned around to see Chance dressed in scrubs while carrying some type of equipment. The disdain on my face must have been apparent. Chance was a guy that I had crushed on during my freshman year of college. I thought the feelings were mutual, but he shunned me after I was raped, and I never heard from or saw him up until now, almost five years later.

Wow, long time, no see. How have you been? he asked.

Get the fuck out of here, I said before I even had time to think of what to say.

Listen, Nova. I’m sorry about what happened to you all those years ago. I was a little boy then, and I shouldn’t have ran away like that when you needed me, he said sincerely.

OK, well now that you’ve cleared your conscious, I have to go. Bye.

Wait, Nova, he said while gently grabbing my arm. You have to believe me when I tell you how sorry I am. I will do anything to make it up to you.

Chance, I don’t need a damn thing from you. Just stay the hell away from me, I said before disappearing into the staircase.

Landon

Iknew my grandmother had to be turning in her grave right about now. I had always promised her that once I got out of the Madison home, I would do better and make something of my life. Now look at me, right back where I started, but this time, I was facing football numbers. I could not believe that I had let June’s dusty ass put me in this position. I knew that he sold drugs, but I did not know that he had a host of drugs and stolen property hidden in my garage. I also didn’t know that cops had been trailing him for weeks, and in return of a lesser sentence, he turned in his alleged coconspirator , which was me. Now I was looking at five to twenty-five years in prison, and all the hard work that I had put into making the boutique a success was irrelevant at this point. The tears streamed down my face as I thought of everything in my life that had been taken from