Better for Us

Better than the first time…

Ryla Evans is no stranger to tough choices. After growing up watching her mother bounce from one unfaithful man to the next, she’s always been determined not to repeat the same mistakes. So when she catches her college-athlete boyfriend cheating on her, all her dreams of love and fidelity are crushed. Saying goodbye to the relationship is Ryla’s only option. She resolves never to see Noel again, nor tell him how he has irrevocably changed her future.…

Following a career-ending injury, former NBA star Noel Carter has worked hard to reconstruct his life. With an eye on a congressional seat, he knows he needs a wife to complete his image. What better choice than the passionate woman who has entered his life once again? Noel has never forgotten Ryla, but she has changed in the past seven years, and she is hiding a little secret that comes with some major consequences. Will their reawakened desire be able to heal past betrayals and broken promises and give them a chance at a bright tomorrow?

“Daddy, look, the butterflies got me!” Jaylen called out as several butterflies nestled on her head.

“Not as long as your daddy is here.” Noel stood in a Captain America stance and sang, “Daddy to the rescue.” He made as if he was diving toward Jaylen. Then with care he freed her hair of all the butterflies.

Jaylen and Ryla giggled at his antics. Then as Noel turned toward Ryla, butterflies dancing in her hair also, he leaned into Jaylen and said, “Captain Daddy has to save Mommy now.” She looked so beautiful that he just had to touch her.

“What? I don’t have any butterflies on me,” Ryla said.

Noel kept walking toward her. Ryla had gotten most of the butterflies off, but one still hung on, giving him an excuse to run his hand through her hair. “Stand still,” he said as he slowly pulled his hands through her hair, took the butterfly out and showed it to Ryla. “See, Captain Daddy can save you, too,” he told her with hunger in his eyes. When she didn’t move away from him, but rather tilted her head back, staring at him, he lost himself in her penetrating brown eyes. Noel prayed that she wanted to be kissed, because he couldn’t help but lower his head and devour her mouth.

VANESSA MILLER

is a bestselling author, playwright and motivational speaker. She started writing as a child, spending countless hours either reading or writing poetry, short stories, stage plays and novels. Vanessa’s creative endeavors took on new meaning in 1994 when she became a Christian. Since then, her writing has been centered on themes of redemption, often focusing on characters facing multidimensional struggles.

Vanessa’s novels have received rave reviews, with several appearing on Essence magazine’s bestseller list. Miller’s work has received numerous awards, including Best Christian Fiction Mahogany Award and a Red Rose Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction. Miller graduated from Capital University with a degree in organizational communication. She is an ordained minister in her church, explaining, “God has called me to minister to readers and to help them rediscover their place with the Lord.”

She is currently working on a She Who Finds a Husband trilogy.

Better for Us

Vanessa Miller

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Dear Reader,

Better for Us is the second book in the For Your Love series. It is about love and betrayal. Sometimes love just isn’t enough, not when two people are dealing with issues that are too deep to allow love to blossom.

Noel Carter, former NBA star, had truly been in love with Ryla Evans, but she betrayed him, and Noel is not about to be a fool for Ryla’s love ever again.

If Ryla could go back in time and take back the awful thing she did to Noel, she’d do it in a heartbeat. The only problem with that is she would just do the same thing all over again. Because issues that she had never dealt with from her childhood, years before she ever met Noel, caused her to destroy their love.

But now that Noel is back in her life, Ryla is prepared to do whatever she has to in order to turn back the hands of time.

I hope you enjoy Noel and Ryla’s story!

Happy reading,

Vanessa

For everyone who has loved, lost and found the courage to love again.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 1

If Ryla Evans had known that by the day’s end she would be running to her car and fleeing the scene, she would have worn flats rather than her skinny-heeled Jimmy Choos. Hobbling as she got into her car with one skinny heel in hand, she mumbled repeatedly, “Jimmy Choos are not for running,” as her other heel just barely hung on. Ryla then quickly sat down, removed her other shoe and tearfully threw them both on the passenger side.

Fashionable, chic and stylish were words normally associated with Ryla Evans. She freely admitted that she loved shopping for clothes, shoes and purses. But she was a single mother, and had just left her corporate position to run her event-planning business full-time, so Ryla rarely bought anything that wasn’t on sale. Her stilettos had been her one extravagance. But Noel Carter had ruined that enjoyment, just as he’d ruined her hopes and dreams almost eight years ago.

Tonight he’d had the audacity to strut his tall, dark and too-gorgeous self into the banquet hall as if the party was all about him. Ryla had been smiling as she handed a business card to a potential client, when she noticed the commotion going on over by the bar. The guy was a top-notch Houston attorney, just like tonight’s guest of honor, and he didn’t look like the kind of man who spent his time worrying about how much things cost...her favorite kind of client. Nearby, her ex-man and former NBA superstar Noel Carter was holding court, slapping hands, grinning and taking numbers as if he was still a wonder worker on the basketball court. Even though Noel’s short-lived NBA career had ended three years ago, he was still sniffing on fresh air. She wasn’t surprised. The lead dog in the pack always got the fresh air.

Stepping away from her potential client, Ryla made her way to the kitchen on the other side of the large banquet hall to speak with the chef. “How’s everything going, Chef Michael?”

“Everything is superb, Ryla. Now what are you doing in my kitchen? You know I don’t like lookie-loos in my kitchen.”

Don Michael was too temperamental when it came to his kitchen. That was the one thing about him that got on her last nerve. But her clients always had extremely satisfied expressions upon their faces once they savored Don Michael’s hors d’oeuvres. And with six out of ten of her clients asking for the chef’s recipes, Ryla lived with his temperaments. “I was just checking to see if you needed my help with anything?”

“What? You don’t have enough to do so you need to scrounge for work in the kitchen.” His hand motions shooed her away. “Go, see to your guests up front and let me attend to my kitchen.”

Ryla wanted to object. After all, she was the event planner, she had hired Don Michael and if she wanted to hide out in his kitchen, he couldn’t do one thing about it. But Chef Michael was known not only for his exquisite hors d’oeuvres. He had walked off numerous jobs screaming bloody murder for the smallest of infractions. And his contract allowed him to keep two-thirds of the negotiated price whether he acted like a fool or not. So, Ryla wasn’t going to mess with him. “All right, I’ll just go on back out and check on my client.”

With her head lowered, Ryla walked back toward the party wondering how in the world she could slip out without being noticed by Mr. Alpha Dog himself. But all that pondering came to an end as she crashed into an immovable force. Ryla stepped back. “I’m so s-sorry,” she stammered as she stared into the deep, sultry brown eyes of Noel Carter.

“No need to apologize. I was looking for you.”

“Uh, looking for me... Wh-why?” she asked, although Ryla knew exactly why Noel was looking for her. It was the same reason she had been trying to avoid him.

“I’ve been trying to find you ever since I saw you at that wedding reception last month.”

Ryla had been thrilled when her best friend, Danetta Harris, and her longtime business partner, Marshall Windham, finally came to terms with their feelings for one another and got married. What she hadn’t been so thrilled about was the fact Noel, an ex that she hadn’t seen since college and hadn’t bothered to tell about her pregnancy before breaking things off, had attended the reception with Marshall’s cousin.

Jaylen had been with Ryla at the reception, and when Ryla locked eyes with Noel, she could tell that he was doing mathematical equations in his head, putting two and two together. So, she’d snuck Jaylen out of the reception and driven home as fast as she could. It wasn’t that she never planned to see Noel again. Since leaving him the day she’d found him lip-locked with man-stealing Cathy O’Dell, Ryla knew that she would have to tell him about Jaylen one day. But with each passing year, the news became harder and harder to deliver.

“Can we have a seat for a moment? I need to speak with you about something.” Noel tried to guide Ryla over to a pair of chairs in a dark little corner of the room.

“Sure, Noel, but give me a minute. I need to check with Jonathan to see if he needs anything,” Ryla said softly, in an attempt to keep her cool. She then walked back toward the front of the room where the party was in full gear. Jonathan Conrad was celebrating becoming a partner in his law firm. And if the drinks and well wishes that had been floating around the room were any indication, his friends were delighted for him. They may have been more delighted that the drinks were on Jonathan, but Ryla wouldn’t tell her client that.

Tapping Jonathan on the shoulder, Ryla put on a happy face as she said, “Things seem to be going well.”

“Oh, Ryla, there you are. My buddy Noel was looking for you a moment ago.”

“I saw him,” she answered and then got right back to business. “I just wanted to see if you needed anything.”

Jonathan glanced around. “Nope, everything’s moving smoothly. You weren’t kidding about knowing how to throw a good party.”

“It’s my specialty.” She looked over her shoulder to where Noel stood waiting for her to return. She then glanced at her watch as she turned back to Jonathan. “Look, if you don’t need anything else, why don’t I just get on out of here. I’ll send a cleanup crew in about an hour and they’ll clear everything out.”

“That’ll work. And hey, make sure you send a dozen or more of your business cards to my office. I’ll hook you up with some more business.”

“Thanks, Jonathan.” Ryla backed away from her client, keeping an eye on Noel. She stood by the bar for a moment, pretending to be checking in with the bartender. The moment Noel took his eyes off her, Ryla quickly made her way to the side door. Once in the clear, she ran as if her life depended upon it.

* * *

Not so fast, Noel thought as he watched Ryla make her escape. She had played this running game on him last month, when he’d seen her and that little girl at the reception. But Noel wasn’t about to let her get away tonight without providing some answers. He took his keys out his pocket and followed her out of the side door. Noel glanced around the parking lot, but didn’t see Ryla anywhere. Standing next to his midnight-black Cadillac Escalade, he surveyed his surroundings. Then suddenly he saw a little red BMW pulling out of the parking lot as if the devil himself was after it.

Without pause, Noel swiftly jumped in his car and pursued the BMW. It looked like a car Ryla would drive...cute and compact. He kept a distance far enough behind to not alert her to the fact that he was in hot pursuit. Aside from the previous month, he hadn’t seen Ryla Evans in almost eight years. Parts of him thought he should turn around and stop chasing after the only woman who’d ever managed to get close enough to break his heart. But he couldn’t let her out of his sight now. Not when she had some explaining to do. Who was the little girl that had been with Ryla last month? And why had she called Ryla Mama?

He’d always wondered why Ryla had dropped out of college and dropped him as if he’d meant nothing to her. They’d made promises of love to each other and had promised to spend the rest of their lives together. All he’d asked Ryla to do was to wait until he graduated college and began his NBA career.

Late into the night, they had lain in each other’s arms planning their lives together. Noel thought that Ryla had been happy with him. Noel had been happy...meeting Ryla had changed him. He had decided early on that he wasn’t going to settle down with one woman until he was about thirty. He would then find a woman to marry who could give him a few kids. That very thought brought him back to the little girl he’d seen with Ryla. Had she been the reason Ryla’d left him?

He didn’t have much time to ponder this, as Ryla pulled up to a brown-and-white duplex and jumped out of the car, carrying her shoes in her hand. “What in the world?” Noel said as he watched a barefooted Ryla make her way to the front door of one of the duplex houses, while stumbling on a few rocks as if she’d spent her night drinking rather than hosting a celebratory party.

Smiling to himself, Noel got out of his car and followed Ryla’s path. As he passed by her BMW, he caught a glimpse of the rust, dents and dings and realized that the car had to be at least a decade old. He lifted his hand to knock on her front door, and it swung open. She now had on a pair of pink tennis shoes with sparkly shoestrings, but was still holding one of the shoes she had worn tonight in her hand.

Her eyes popped out of her head as she was obviously shocked to see him standing there on her porch. She lifted the shoe in her hand and screamed at him, “You ruined my Jimmy Choos.”

“What are you talking about?” Noel was totally caught off guard by Ryla screaming at him, when he was the one who had to act like a stalker to get a moment with her.

“Get out of my way. I think I have some superglue in my glove compartment.” She shoved by him and stomped down her two-step porch.

Noel walked into the small duplex, sat down on the couch and got comfortable as if his name was on the deed. After fumbling around in her glove compartment, Ryla came back into the house, mumbling about hard-earned money.

“Are you all right?” Noel asked as he watched her struggle with the tube of superglue.

“Do I look all right?”

Noel stood, took the superglue out of her hands and opened it. He handed it back to her and then sat down again. “Why on earth do you keep superglue in your car?”

“I don’t have the newest model car, if you haven’t noticed.” She shrugged. “Sometimes I have to glue things back in place.”

“Why are you out buying Jimmy Choos if you can’t afford to get a new car?”

“Hey, I saved for months to get these shoes. And I choose not to get a new car, because I’m putting the money into my new business...if it’s any of your business.” Ryla sat down and began to glue her shoe back together, as she asked, “And anyway, do you know that it’s against the law to stalk a person.”

“If I’m a stalker, then you must be crazy, because you left your front door wide open so I could walk in.”

“Why did you follow me home? Isn’t it obvious that I don’t want to talk to you?”

Noel leaned back against the cushion of the couch. “Oh, it was obvious. But I’ve been trying to find you ever since I saw you at that wedding last month, because I definitely want to talk to you.”

“Why don’t you just talk to your little girlfriend? The two of you seemed to be having a good time.”

“Marla is not my girlfriend, as you put it. She and I are friends and I simply escorted her to her cousin’s wedding. But that has nothing to do with what I need to speak with you about,” Noel said pointedly.

Ryla kept her head down, continuing to press the heel to the base of the shoe.

He could tell that she was trying to avoid eye contact with him. That was all right with Noel, because as long as she wasn’t looking at him, he was able to stare at her. And Noel liked what he saw...aside from the shoulder-length hair, Ryla hadn’t changed in the past eight years. She was still beauty queen fine to him. He wanted to go to her, put his arms around her and remind her of their sweet yesterdays. But he wasn’t here for that. “You don’t want to know why I’ve been trying to find you?”

Ryla lifted her head. But she still didn’t make eye contact. “I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

“First I’d like for you to tell me something.”

“What?” she asked, with suspicion lacing her words.

“Where’s the little girl I saw you with last month?”

She placed her shoe and the glue on the coffee table as she nervously fidgeted with her hands, trying to remove the excess glue and stall for as long as possible. When she noticed that Noel seemed perfectly comfortable sitting on her couch waiting for an answer, she said, “She’s not here.”

“Where is she?”

“Why do you want to know?”

Getting irritated by their unproductive conversation, Noel shifted in his seat. “Since that question is too hard for you, let me ask another.”

She nodded, giving him the go-ahead.

“Did you leave me when we were in college because you were pregnant with another man’s baby?”

Chapter 2

No, he didn’t just accuse her of cheating on him. “Come again?” she said with hands on hips.

He stood up and walked over to her. “You might need to get your ears checked, since you seem to be having a lot of trouble hearing me tonight.”

Ryla’s eyes traveled the distance as she gazed up at Noel. He was almost seven feet. When they were dating, Ryla was thankful for Noel’s height, because at five-nine she’d dated a few guys who were shorter than her, and had always felt a little awkward. Today, rather than being a comfort to her, his height was more imposing than it had ever been.

She stood up, trying to get on equal footing with him, but even that made her feel a bit ridiculous since Noel was a full foot taller than her. “There’s nothing wrong with my hearing—I just don’t appreciate being called a cheater.”

“Well, what am I supposed to think, Ryla?” Giving her a questioning glare, he asked, “Did you adopt that little girl I saw you with?”

With her arms folded she said, “No.”

He clenched his fists as he turned away from her. Exhaling a burst of hot air, he whirled back around. “Why didn’t you just tell me that you had a new man? Why’d you have to sneak out of my life like that without letting me know what was going on?”

Ryla rolled her eyes. She wished Noel wasn’t so tall, because she really wanted to box his ears. How dare he assume that she was the kind of woman who would sleep with multiple partners. She wasn’t the cheater—he was. “I see you’re still a big dumb jock.”

“Oh, I was never a big dumb anything.” Then as he gave her a sinister grin he added, “Except when it came to you.”

Ryla stomped her foot like a two-year-old and rolled her eyes. “She’s yours, Noel. I’m not a cheater like some people I know!”

Noel looked around the room as if the little girl would suddenly materialize so he could verify Ryla’s statement. “Did I hear you right?” His voice thundered as he turned back to Ryla.

Recognizing the fury in his voice, Ryla stepped back. She hadn’t intended to just throw it out there like that. But Noel had made her mad when he accused her of cheating on him. She lifted her hands. “Noel, there’s no sense getting all mad. Sit down and let’s discuss this like two reasonable adults,” she said, attempting to take control of the current situation.

He looked at her as if she was a known crackhead asking him for some spare change. “Oh, now you want to be reasonable. Well, I need to speak with my attorney first, and then I’ll let you know just how reasonable I’m going to be.” He moved away from her and headed toward the door.

But Ryla knew that an angry Noel could be a formidable opponent. She had once witnessed him losing badly to a team that was much better than his on the court. But during the third quarter, two of the players started taunting him and Noel got mad. Nothing but net was happening after that. The game might have sent Noel and his teammates to the locker room hanging their heads in shame, but because Noel refused to lose, that game ended up making him a star.

Ryla grabbed his arm as she implored him to stay. “Please, Noel, don’t leave like this. She’ll be home tomorrow. Why don’t you just come back over in the afternoon and I’ll introduce you.”

He shook her off his arm. “Do you even hear how you sound? You’ll introduce me to my own child.... What kind of sense does that make, Ryla?”

She held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, you’re right. I admit that this doesn’t make much sense at all. But Noel, it’s all we have. Now, I’m sorry that all of this is being thrown at you at once, but we don’t need to get lawyers involved.”

Noel laughed. But it wasn’t a ha-ha kind of laugh. “You have kept a child from me for seven, eight... How old is she?”

“Seven. She’ll be eight in July.”

He shook his head. “You’ve kept a child from me for almost eight years and you’ve run from me each time I’ve seen you, but you expect me to trust you?”

“If you can’t trust me, who can you trust?” Ryla deadpanned, as she did whenever she was backed into a corner with no escape. But as usual, the jokes didn’t work for her.

“I’d rather trust a DNA test and my lawyer, if you don’t mind?”

With a lifted brow, Ryla asked, “What do you need a DNA test for? Can’t you count? I just told you that her birthday is in July, so that should tell you that I got pregnant in October, during the fall.”

“How do I know that you didn’t get pregnant during Thanksgiving or Christmas break when you were home with your mom and her many boyfriends?”

Ryla jumped as if she’d been slapped. Noel had always been a daunting opponent, but she’d never known him to be outright mean. She’d heard all the reports about his gambling, drinking and womanizing during his NBA superstar days. Maybe all of that superstardom had gone to his head and turned him into someone she didn’t know anymore. “Okay, if you want a DNA test, then we’ll do that. But can we please just work this out between the two of us?”

“There’s no longer just the two of us. We now have a daughter and I don’t even know her name.” Another laugh escaped his lips as he shook his head.

“It’s Jaylen.”

He swung back around and glared at Ryla. “You actually gave her my middle name and couldn’t even pick up a phone to tell me about her?”

“Turn the page already,” she said, and then slapped her hand across her mouth as she realized she was doing her deadpan thing, which never worked with Noel. She was just so nervous, even though she’d had seven years to prepare for this moment. She could have never been prepared for the challenge.

Ryla knew of a woman who tried to keep her children away from her ex-husband once they divorced. The judge didn’t like what she was doing. So he awarded the cheating ex-husband full custody of the kids. Ryla in no way wanted lawyers and judges involved in this situation. She took her hands away from her mouth and pleaded. “I’m so sorry for saying that. But please listen to me. Jaylen wants to meet you. She’s been asking me about her father for nearly a year now. But how do you think she will feel if she knows that her parents are fighting over her?”

Noel backed down a bit. “So you’re saying that you won’t run again?”

She nodded.

“And I can see Jaylen tomorrow?”

She crossed her heart and lifted a hand as if she was preparing to lay it on a stack of Bibles. “You have my word.”

“And when can we get the DNA test done?” Noel asked, sounding all business.

Ryla’s hands went back to her hips. “Are you really going to put Jaylen through something like that?”

“Hold on. Let’s get something straight. I’m not putting Jaylen through anything.” He pointed at Ryla. “You have put her through seven years of not knowing who her father is—”

“She knows who you are. I’ve shown her pictures of you countless times. She keeps a photo of me and you on her nightstand.”

Noel grabbed his head and massaged his temples. When he looked at Ryla again, he said, “I don’t know what made you do something like this, but I’m telling you now, if Jaylen is my child, I’ll never forgive you for this.” With that, he stormed out of her house.

* * *

Ryla plopped down on her couch, angry and spoiling for a fight herself. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she had already lost this fight. And it hadn’t even begun yet. Noel had all the cards in his hand. He was rich and could afford the best lawyer that money and celebrity could buy. She, on the other hand, was a struggling entrepreneur with nothing but debt and a growing client list.

She had, however, just thrown a wonderful party for Jonathan Conrad, who was now a partner in one of Houston’s top-notch law firms. He just might be willing to assist her with a pro bono attorney. Before she could begin to smile about her prospects, Ryla remembered that Jonathan was Noel’s frat brother and would probably have more allegiance to his frat than to a business associate. Nevertheless she got on the phone and called the cleanup crew to ensure that they would take extra care with his cleanup. It never hurt to put the best foot forward. Because for all she knew, Noel and Jonathan might not be all that close anymore.

After hanging up with the cleanup crew, she dialed her best friend, Danetta Windham. Danetta was still a newlywed. Ryla figured that calling her at ten at night was surely going to annoy Marshall. But she couldn’t worry about that right now. She needed help.

The phone rang four times before a giggling Danetta picked up. “Hey, Ryla, what’s up?”

When she heard her friend’s voice, it was as if a dam broke and tears began flowing down her lovely face. “I—I’m sorry to bother you so late, Danetta.”

The laughter left Danetta’s voice. “Are you all right, Ryla? It sounds like you’re crying.”

“Noel wants to get an attorney and he wants a DNA test.”

“Whoa, hold up. Are you talking about Jaylen’s father?”

“Y-yes.”

“When did all of this happen? The last I knew, you still hadn’t spoken to him.”

Wiping tears from her face, Ryla said, “All of that changed tonight. I ran into him at the party I was hosting for one of his frat brothers. And then he followed me home.”

“You invited him back to your house after the event?”

Ryla frowned into the phone as if her friend wasn’t keeping up, and she needed to be moving much faster than this. “No, of course I didn’t. I tried to run from him again, but he followed me and then forced his way into my house. And now he’s threatening me with lawyers and a DNA test. I still can’t believe he wants a DNA test. Can you believe that?” Ryla was speaking fast, but not fast enough not to notice that Danetta hadn’t responded to her question.

“Danetta, did you hear me?”

“Which part, hon. I’m trying to wrap my mind around all of what you’ve been telling me,” Danetta said.

“About the DNA test. He claims that I could have gotten pregnant when I went home for Thanksgiving or Christmas break.”

“Well, Ryla, you did expect this, didn’t you?”

“No, I didn’t expect this. Noel Jaylen Carter is the only man I have been with like that, and for him to suggest that I just casually sleep around is appalling.”

Trying to sound reasonable, Danetta said, “If I was in his shoes, and had just been told that I have a daughter after no communication with the mother for seven years, I’d ask for a DNA test, because you just never know.”

“Well, I know. And he is out of his mind if he thinks that I’m going to consent to having my daughter’s mouth swabbed just so he can be convinced of something that should be obvious.”

“I’m trying not to roll my eyes at you Ryla.”

This conversation was confusing Ryla. Danetta was supposed to be on her side. “Huh? Why do you want to roll your eyes at me and not at Noel? He’s the one being unreasonable.”

“Ryla, you kept his child from him for seven years.”

Now Ryla rolled her eyes. “Why does everybody keep harping on that?” Ryla understood that what she had done to Noel was wrong and a very big deal. But her snarky defense mechanism kept showing up, even when she knew there was no place for being snarky in this conversation.

“Okay, so, I can tell that you’re not going to listen to a word I have to say because you’re already getting defensive,” Danetta said, and then added, “But if anything is going to get through to you tonight, let it be this.... You owe that man an apology, and you need to do whatever you have to in order to make things right so that Jaylen can have both her mother and father in her life from this point on.”