by: Christian Cashelle
This is the first book that I have read by Christian Cashelle and I must say that I truly loved this book from beginning to end. In My Joy you will find the story of Camryn and young, intelligent but naïve young lady. She so in love with Gino that she can’t see him for his true colors. The story will grab your attention from the first page to the last. Christian is a very talented author and as some great writing skills. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future
Excerpt:
Gino leaned coolly against the door frame, his chiseled jaw straight and tight. His dark sunglasses hid the cold stare Camryn knew he was giving her.
Camryn wasn’t sure what to do as he removed his glasses and stared at her pregnant belly. There was no way to hide their love child from him. Camryn was terrified.
They stood staring at each other, both not knowing how to take their reunion. Gino stood up straight.
“You’re still pregnant,” he said stepping forward, inviting himself into the atmosphere that had erased everything about him, except for his child.
“Gino, I don’t want anything from you,” Camryn panicked. “I won’t even say he’s yours.”
“How are you still pregnant?” he asked while closing Camryn’s front door. She backed up into the living room as he walked further in.
“You can’t kill him,” Camryn said wrapping both of her arms around her stomach. “I can’t kill him, no one can.”
Camryn watched Gino stare at her in confusion. She looked away as nostalgic feelings tried to force their way out of the box her heart was holding them in.
“You’re messing things up for me, Camryn.”
“Why are you so selfish?”
As soon as those words were yelled from Camryn’s mouth, Gino had her pinned to the nearest wall by her neck. Camryn struggled against his strength but looked him right in the eyes.
“You can try all you want, but this baby is going to be born regardless of who doesn’t want him to be,” Camryn said. Gino’s vice grip on her small neck tightened.
“Surviving Twan made you tough, huh?” Gino joked. Camryn’s nose flared.
“You know what Gino, go to hell. I can’t believe how stupid I was. I can’t believe I let you trick me into loving you.”
“Camryn, this wasn’t love,” Gino said, letting Camryn’s neck go and turning his head. Camryn pulled his arm to make him face her.
“Oh really, paying most of these bills, laying up with me every night, watching me sleep in the morning, bringing me lunch and flowers at work, rubbing my feet, calling me all the time while you were out of town. That’s not love?”
Gino smacked his lips as he began to walk towards the front door. Camryn quickly maneuvered around him and pressed her back to it, blocking his escape.
“Or is it because I wasn’t laid up in the house like Tameka is? Is that why this wasn’t love?” Camryn screamed as tears streamed down her face. She didn’t want him to see her cry but it was too late.
“Get out of the way,” Gino whispered.
“Why, so you can send Twan back to finish what you started? What we started?”
Gino stepped back and watched Camryn with wide eyes. She had never been this way with him, and Camryn knew he was shocked. She had waited nearly five months to get this off her chest. No matter how much she told herself she wasn’t stressing Gino’s actions, the reality was the total opposite.
Camryn roughly wiped her face before sighing.
“Was that all I meant to you, Gino, just a kick to the stomach?”
“Camryn, you weren’t being rational,” Gino said, defending his decisions.
“I’m pregnant with your baby!” she yelled.
“Tameka flipped when she found out.”
Camryn’s heart stopped for a second time as her mind recalled the day at the mall where her ignorance was revealed in the form of a happy couple shopping together. She rolled her eyes and threw her arms up in the air in a mock surrender.
“I’m not even going to be naïve about this any more than I already have. I know now that I was just your dip and you had no intentions of cuffing me. I get it Gino, but why are you here, huh?”
Camryn watched as Gino’s eyelids lowered and widened again. He ran his hand down his chocolate face and licked his lips. He looked from the couch back to Camryn and she nodded quickly. Gino walked over and sat down but Camryn stood her ground in front of the front door.
“Tameka has been tailing you.”
“I know. She came here last month.” Camryn said crossing her arms below her chest and above her son. Gino shook his head.
“She has pictures of you at the grocery store and work. That’s how she found out you were still pregnant.”
Camryn was slightly amused by how much of Tameka’s time she had consumed.
“That doesn’t explain why you are here.”
No matter how much Gino said that his relationship with Camryn wasn’t serious, Camryn knew otherwise. Gino missed her and as much as he didn’t want to show that, it was painfully obvious to Camryn. It helped to know she had been missed.
“Tameka’s on a rampage. Her and her girls have been planning some shit and I been trying to see what’s going on, but she hasn’t talked to me since she found out.”
That’s just like a female to blame the chick, Camryn thought.
“You should leave town.”
Camryn laughed at Gino’s warning, reminding him of what she had said earlier about no one being able to kill her son. It didn’t matter that her and Nana were thinking of relocating. She wasn’t going to let anyone run her away.
She unlocked the front door but did not open it.
“You can leave now. We don’t need you trying to be nice to us.” Camryn said. Gino rolled his eyes.
“You are being real stupid, but I guess I can’t expect much else from you,” Gino said before getting up and quickly walking over to where Camryn stood. He got close to Camryn, pressing slightly against her belly. “It’s a shame you don’t know the difference between love and fucking.”
Camryn wanted to cry, but she saw no use.
“I could say the same for you,” she said as she pushed Gino off of her and opened the front door. As soon as he walked out of it, Camryn closed and locked it.
Finally alone, Camryn’s eyes immediately spilled over with tears as her hand lay above her heart and the other supporting her belly. She slowly walked over to the couch and sat down while taking deep breaths to get her heartbeat back to normal. Camryn wasn’t sure if Gino had been there to harm her or make up with her, and the end result was more horrific than she expected. He was a monster to Camryn, but why had he warned her of Tameka’s plans? Was he part of the plan? Camryn sat back against the couch and began to pray for understanding. This was definitely more than she could handle.
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