Darnel is a handsome black man in love. He keeps his dress GQ for the office, and has a good heart. He's given his heart to Keisha, his first love. At the age of fifteen, he'd given her his virginity along with promises to love and cherish her. For Darnel, Keisha was everything he wanted in a woman. He'd watched his mother and the hurt she had endured from his playboy father for years. James Black was a financial provider who enjoyed a variety of women that couldn't get him to commit to marriage. For almost 30-years he and Darnel's mother Cynthia have shared each other intimately while in relationships with other people. Cynthia married five years ago, but she can't seem to get enough of James Black. Darnel vows not to be like his father and would never dream of cheating on Keisha.
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The night before he is to wed Keisha, Darnel finds her in bed with his best friend Omar. Devastated, he loses it and beats Omar down. It doesn't stop the hurt. With the wedding called off Darnel struggles to understand how the two people he loves most can hurt him so badly.
Darnel's sister Jamie is a young woman who doesn't hold her tongue. She works for their father as a very well-paid secretary in a thriving real estate office. Jamie hates that her father is a womanizer and works overtime pointing out flaws in the various women her father dates. Jamie carries a strong dislike for Cynthia, especially since she is a married woman who continues to sleep with her father every chance she gets.
It gets harder for Jamie to maintain her relationship with her live-in boyfriend Lewis, because she is so caught up in trying to manage her father's love life.
When James starts dating Sandra, one of Jamie's friends he falls hard. The young woman is carries herself well. She is educated, pretty, sexy, and seems to really care about him. Still, he doesn't rush to tell Jamie and Darnel about his new love. When the truth comes out about his relationship with Sandra, Jamie is beside herself with angst. Darnel, takes it all in stride, glad that his old man is finally going to settle down.
Darnel still has a major problem getting over Keisha and begins stalking her. He wants her back, but can't get the picture of Omar and Keisha out of his mind he so he breaks into the apartment they once shared and steals her diary. Not only did Keisha sleep with Darnel's best friend, she's been a busy-bee. Names of other lovers with stars marking their sexual performance and all chronicled for Darnel. He's been faithful for ten years, and Keisha has been getting her groove on, with consistency.
Like actors in a “B rated movie, Darnel and Keisha take turns trying to hurt each other. From Darnel: Sexy picture of Keisha are sent out to her 2,000+ My Space friends, co-workers, and family. From Keisha: An invitation inviting Darnel to witness her nuptials with Omar.
Jamie and Lewis and having troubles, seems he may have another family in Detroit. James learns he has lung cancer, and Sandra is changing from concerned girlfriend into a certified shopaholic. Which is easy to do once James adds her to his Gold American Express account.
No longer concerned about the health of her older more experienced beau, Sandra wants in on insurance polices. She boldly suggests that she and James take the leap the next day. A light flashes for James and he sees that Jamie hasn't been wrong about his girlfriend. She does want his money.
Jamie learns that while Lewis does have a lot of secrets, but he isn't a cheater. He's being kept alive through a witness protection program. He refused his family when they asked to take part in a scheme to contaminate water that would have the potential to kill thousands. Lewis told them in no uncertain terms that they could not use his car dealership to do dirt. They ordered a hit on his life, and he couldn't share this dysfunctional family information with Jamie. He wanted to keep her safe.
Since Jamie is a snoop, she does some detective work that puts both their lives in danger. Lewis will have to be transferred to a safe house out of state and Jamie decides to marry him. It breaks her heart to leave her dad and brother, but what's a girl to do? The bad guys know who she is. Better to break out while she can. She and Lewis love each other, and he isn't a cheat.
James learns that his cancer is stage three and is given a year to live. In a crime of passion, Darnel sneaks through an open window while Keisha and Omar are sleeping. He flips out stabbing them both and killing them. In a state of shock he calls James, who comes to the rescue. Since he is dying and he feels he hasn't been the best father to Darnel (by not marrying his mother), he takes the blame for the double homicide.
Darnel is able to walk away Scot-free.
Best part of story, including ending:
I hated that Darnel could not get over being hurt by Keisha's infidelites. He was a good person.
Best scene in story:
My favorite scene was the morning of the wedding that did not happen. I was glad Darnel was able to speak up for himself and explain to the church full of wedding guests that there would be no wedding..
Opinion about the main character:
I disliked that Darnel cared more about Keisha than he did himself.
