Through It All

Through It All

by Muoh Joanne
Through It All

Through It All

by Muoh Joanne

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Overview

When Cassandra Peters returns to Nigeria to mourn her father’s death, she is hurt, confused, and in pain. She has but one intention—to be done with it all and return to the comfort of her medical practice in the United States as quickly as possible. That is, until she meets Lucas and then gets more than she bargained for.

Lucas is a man with a dark past. Young, enigmatic, and fiercely protective of his adopted family, he seems to have no space for anyone else in his heart. Yet he finds himself inexplicably drawn to Cassie, and she finds herself falling in love with the man who infuriates yet thrills her.

But just when it seems that these two are set to capture happiness, Lucas finds his past catching up to him. A deep tragedy sets in, and Cassie finds her world crumbling around her yet again. Against all odds, will Lucas get the redemption he seeks? And will Cassie embrace the love she so deserves?


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781524686697
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Publication date: 04/07/2017
Pages: 132
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.31(d)

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Leaning sullenly against the wall, she stared out the sliding door onto the patio of her hotel room. The cold seeped into her bones as she looked out over the vast, great city of Lagos. This was supposed to be her home, but it felt like a prison. She had been born and bred in Florida, where a few of her family members resided. Florida was where she belonged.

When they were together, her parents always brought her back to Lagos at least once every three years, but after the divorce — which was nasty — the court gave her mother full custody. She didn't go to Nigeria for several long years.

She was not back for good — only for her father's funeral. She would have traded anything to be back there for anything but that reason; her father had held a large chunk of her heart. Regardless of his propensity for wrongdoing, he had never failed to be a father. As she stared out the window, she saw in her mind's eye all those wondrous moments of unrestrained laughter and uninhibited joy she had had with him with a startling intensity that brought tears to her eyes.

The pain sliced through her, bending her over and making her crouch. She let her tears fall freely and rocked on her heels as she sought release. Somewhere in the haze of her emotions, she could make out the melody of her phone's ringtone. It was probably her mother calling to find out when she would be back. She had barely arrived.

She dragged her tired body to the bathroom. She wanted to soak in warm, scented water. She had to regain her composure. She still felt raw inside and couldn't place a call to her mother feeling that way. It would set her mother into a frenzy of worry. That was not what her mom needed considering her medical history and their last appointment with the doctor.

After soaking for a long while, she sighed and lifted herself out of the tub and wrapped her delicate, dark body in a large, fluffy towel. She walked to the mirror and stared at the person she saw. She looked haunted. She made a mental note to apply some foundation to hide the bags under her eyes.

She walked to the bedroom, picked up her phone, and dialed her mother. Leaving the phone on speaker as it rang, she donned a robe. She heard the click on the receiving end. She hurried to pick up the phone.

"'Lo, Mom."

"Cassie! You have got me worried sick about you. You couldn't even call to tell me you arrived safely and alleviate my fears that something bad had happened to you."

Cassie rolled her eyes heavenward praying for God to give her the much-needed strength to deal with her mother's hysterics. "I'm sorry, Mom, for making you worry unnecessarily. My bad. I knew better. I should have called."

"Cassandra Peters, don't you ever do that to —"

"Mom, I totally get it! I told you I'm sorry."

As much as her mom's concern was genuine and filled with love, it was at times a little over the top. That comes with being an only child, she thought. Her mom had remarried but hadn't been able to have another child. Her stepfather had totally accepted Cassie as his. No one would have thought he wasn't her biological father.

"Okay, apology accepted. So what's the program for the burial? You know I told you that you didn't have to travel all the way to Nigeria alone, and on top of that, you're staying in a hotel all alone. You could have accepted Aunt Judith's offer and stayed with her family."

"Ma, I'm okay really. After the wake and the burial service, I'm back home. I have nothing holding me here. My work and family are in Florida, and I can't neglect my work for long. I have lots of paperwork piling up."

She tried to stifle a yawn. She turned her back to the view of the city out the window and settled comfortably on the chaise lounge in the parlor area of her suite.

"Okay. Anyway, before you go to sleep, don't forget to call your aunt Judith and let her know you arrived safely. She'll be worried sick by now. Also, try to get to know your cousins. They're family too."

"Will try, Ma. Can't promise you anything. I'm still a stranger here you know."

"Fiddlesticks! That's rubbish. That's as much your home as here is."

Cassie could sense that her mom was getting agitated. After the divorce, Cassie had always refused her mom's request to accompany her to Nigeria. It never felt the same traveling alone with her mom, and her mom had never allowed her travel alone to Nigeria with her dad.

"Whatever you say, Ma." She heard an incessant tap on the door. She glanced at the wall clock. Who the hell is that at this ungodly hour? "Ma, gotta go. Will check up on you later. Send my love to Dad Martin. I guess he's having his nap."

"All right. Yeah, he's napping. He's been mowing the lawn all morning. I'll send your love. I love you, honey."

She could hear the affection in her mom's voice as she talked about her stepdad. She regarded her mom as one lucky woman to have found love twice in a lifetime. "All right, Mom. I love you too. And don't forget to take your meds."

She heard her mom chuckle. "No, Doc, I won't."

The line went dead. The knocking continued. Resigned to the interruption, Cassie roused her tired self from the chaise and went to the door. She was riled that someone had dared disturb her at such an ungodly hour. Whoever it was had some serious explaining to do.

Lucas glanced at his watch, which read 1:30 a.m. What sort of human being felt it was right to neglect the fact that people were worried about her and if she had arrived safely? She hadn't even bothered to place even a call for chrissakes. He couldn't have cared less about her. All he cared about was Mum Judith and how panicked she sounded when she called him to check out this hotel. She told him her sister had asked her to check because Cassie had mentioned staying in it. He could already imagine her acting high and mighty and looking down her nose at people. He wasn't much for stereotypes, but just then, he was in a foul mood. She had better open this door before he changed tactics and started banging on it.

He stopped raising his hand to knock again when the door opened. He hadn't given much thought to what she would look like. On his ride there, he was furious, but she was a sight to behold. He let his gaze slide appreciatively over her from her feet up. She had the most curvaceous and supple body he had ever seen. Her robe left nothing to the imagination; he could tell without any doubt that she wore not a stitch beneath it. Lucas felt his groin tighten. His gaze slid higher and rested on the gap where soft mounds of flesh were clearly visible showing just enough cleavage. He saw her nipples pucker, and he smiled. Taking his gaze higher, he took in her face. Apart from the hostility that was clearly visible, he could see her vulnerability, sorrow, fatigue, and of course the bags under her eyes. He felt his animosity dissipate. He sighed.

"Let me know when you're through with your perusal. I'll be waiting patiently 'cause as you can see I have all the time in the world," she said in her heavily accented voice dripping with sarcasm.

Maybe I deserve that for staring, but damn, she is a startling beauty. Anyway, that's beside the point. I'm not here to play gallant or try to impress anyone. But he also felt the right to be annoyed too. "I'm Lucas. Judith woke me up early this morning to check out this hotel and find out if you had checked in since you found it too much to call at least and assuage her fear," he said gruffly staring at her accusingly.

She appeared puzzled for a second, recovered her bearings, and sighed. A look of tiredness came over her, and Lucas felt a strong pull toward her. His instinct was to help her carry some of the burden she seemed to be struggling with, but he shrugged off the thought. That's weird. I never feel like carrying a stranger's burden.

"I'm so sorry. It slipped my mind totally. Shit! That was thoughtless of me. Do you think she's awake? It's quite late. I'll definitely call her tomorrow."

"I think you should call her now. She hasn't been able to sleep yet because she's unsettled." He saw her shoulders slump.

"Oh, okay. Would you give me her number?"

He gave her the number and listened to her apologize profusely to Judith and promise to stop by one of these days. Leaning on the doorjamb, he watched her lazily. Her curly hair cascading down her back looked as if it hadn't been combed for days, and he noticed she was becoming self-conscious because she kept clutching at the front of her robe. Tsk tsk, quel dommage. He had already gotten a good view; it was too late for modesty.

When she ended the call, she twirled and faced him. She had obviously regained her composure and was about to see him out. He saw no need to give her the satisfaction of throwing him out; he could let himself out. His mission was accomplished; it wasn't a courtesy call.

"I guess that's it. I'll see myself out since I'm already at the door. Goodnight. Or should I say good morning?" He left.

Huh? What was that all about? She was about to make polite conversation and invite him in since it was obvious he was her cousin due to Judith's having sent him over at that hour. She shook her head ruefully and closed the door. She was puzzled by his overt appraisal of her sexuality. Doesn't he know we're cousins? It's true her body had responded, but that was normal; she was under sexual scrutiny for chrissakes. Suddenly feeling overwhelmingly exhausted, she dragged her body across the living area into the bedroom. She didn't even bother putting on her PJs; she flung herself across the bed, her limbs spread eagled. She dozed off as soon as she hit the pillow. Her last thoughts were of her beloved father.

CHAPTER 2

It has been two days since he had set eyes on Cassie, and he hadn't totally forgotten about her as he had assured himself he would. He saw her in his mind's eye exactly as she was that early morning looking vulnerable, sleep deprived, and hostile.

Standing up from his soft leather chair, he looked out the glass walls of his twenty-story office building and took in the refreshing view of the ocean. His first goal after amassing great wealth and doing all the things he had promised God he would do was to build his head office with a view overlooking the ocean. That was why his office was on Victoria Island.

Like every other successful business mogul, Lucas Elem had his own tales to tell — tales of woe, failure, depression, sorrow, hard work, determination, perseverance, and finally success by the grace of the Almighty without whom he would have been long gone.

It had been a hard climb up, but he was finally at the top. He had no family except his sister, eight years younger, and his best friend Tony's family, who had taken him in as their own. That was why when Tony's mom had called in the middle of the night sounding panicked, he had driven straight to the hotel. He turned at the sound of the door opening and watched sullenly as his secretary dropped a heap of files on the large mahogany table. The only downside to having accrued so much wealth was that there were always heaps and heaps of paperwork.

"Sir, Tony called and asked you to come over for dinner with the family so you two can catch up on things."

He sighed and looked accusingly at the stack of paperwork. "Tell him I'll pass for today. We'll catch up later." He settled himself into his chair, lifted his pen, and paused. "Phoebe, it's past your working hours. You should head home before the traffic becomes unbearable."

She smiled and nodded. "I will, sir. And if I may say, you work too much. You could have easily delegated this work to someone else, but you insist on doing it yourself."

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Would you please get me a cup of coffee?"

"Yes sir. Goodnight."

He nodded and flipped open the file on top of his stack.

Cassie pulled into the garage of her only paternal uncle's mansion. Her stepmom and stepsisters would be staying there for the duration of the burial ceremony. Her stepsisters — twins — enjoyed having similar things, so she had spent the better part of the previous day shopping for them. She hoped they would be excited with the dollhouse, identical princess PJs, and identical music boxes she had bought. She loved them so much; they were her baby sisters and her only siblings. Hearing them laugh always chased her problems away and filled her with joy. She didn't know what her stepmother would have preferred, so she hadn't bothered to get anything for her. For her uncle's children, whom she hadn't seen in years and didn't quite know how old they were, she had decided to play it safe and bought lots of candy. If they were kids, she would give it to them, and if they weren't, she could say she had bought it for visitors' kids.

As she got out of the car, she heard the pitter-pat of running feet. She crouched and spread out her arms for her sisters to jump into them. She squeezed them tight and kissed them noisily all over their faces as they giggled. She eased back and gazed at their faces drinking in their mindless joy. It had been months since she had last seen them, and they had grown some. Natalie and Nadine were the lights of her life.

"Hey! Guess what big sis bought you."

"PJs" they both said as the clapped excitedly.

"Oh! You both are smart, huh? But that's not all. How about music boxes and a huge dollhouse?"

"But Cassie, we're not babies anymore. We don't play with dollhouses!" Natalie, the older twin by two hours, said.

She threw back her head and laughed her first real laugh in days. "Oh really? So what about Mister Pumpkin and Miss Peaches hiding under your pillows right now, huh?" She looked at the twins with raised eyebrows and caught their guilty expressions. She smiled to herself.

Nadine lifted her chin. "Cassie, they're just there for decatif purpozees," Nadine replied using her hands to demonstrate as one would when talking to someone who knows no better.

Cassie stifled her laughter. "Decorative purposes, huh? I see. Well, let's go in before Mum comes out to get us. I'll race you both to the house," she shouted and ran with them across the garage.

They went in through the front door and walked up the spiral staircase. Cassie trailed her fingers along the rail. She remembered sliding down it when she was a child and falling and bumping her head. She lifted her hand to her scalp and felt the slight scar. Her mom had been frantic, but her dad had simply carried her up while he laughed and asked her if she had had enough sliding. She had nodded amid tears and had tightened her hold on her pa's neck while he rubbed her back. She could also remember the ride to the hospital and the stitches she got.

Nat's voice interrupted her reverie. "Cassie, Mom's on the veranda."

"She's been there all day," Nadine said with her shoulders slumped and her expression indicating worry. "She won't play with us or even talk to us. She's just sitting there staring out." Nat pouted. Tears filled her eyes. Cassie saw her struggle to keep them from falling.

Nadine tugged her up the stairs toward the veranda. "Maybe you can talk to Mom. She's scaring us, and dad won't come home."

She froze. What? Mom Sophia hasn't told the children? They had to know that their dad wasn't coming back. She looked at them and felt tears threatening to fall. She licked her lips. No, I have to be strong for my stepmom and my baby sisters. She took a deep breath and caught her sisters looking at her with puzzled expressions probably wondering why she wasn't moving. She hugged them and took in their scent. She knew she would have to be the one to break the news to them because their ma wouldn't be able to. God, please give me the strength to do what I must. She relinquished her hold on the squirming children but took their hands and led them to the veranda.

"Mom! Cassie's here!" Nadine shouted. Sophia only nodded and stroked Nadine's hair. She hugged them and looked at Cassie, who saw deep sorrow etched in her face and something else. Guilt. Why guilt?

"You know what? Nat, Nadie? Why don't you set up the dollhouse I bought you, and you can also try out your PJs," Cassie said. The girls scurried away.

"You've not told them," Cassie said accusingly.

"No puedo! I can't!" Sophia wailed, her Mexican accent heavy. Her voice was hoarse from crying. Her face was drawn. She was exhausted.

"But you have to tell them! They have to know. They're expecting their dad to come home soon."

That seemed to be her stepmom's undoing; she burst into tears. She bent over and rested her forehead on her knees. Cassie made a place for herself on the chaise and drew her stepmom's head to her bosom. She held her as sobs racked her petite body. The tears subsided. Her stepmom sniffled and tried to compose herself. Cassie eased her hold on her stepmom, who sat up and attempted a smile

"Sí, sí. Yo sé. I know I have to tell them that mi amor is dead." She sniffled again.

"Would you like me to come with you?"

(Continues…)



Excerpted from "Through It All"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Muoh Joanne.
Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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