Ms. Perfectly Imperfect: BBW BWWM Interracial Romance Read Online Free PDF Page A

was going on in her life these days?
    Everything seemed to be falling apart, and she didn’t quite know how to put it back together. When she closed her eyes, much to her surprise, the image that floated up to the top of her thoughts was of the handsome Dr. Collins. Layla opened her eyes in a flash. Why would she think about that man? She didn’t even know him…yet, somehow, she felt that if he was around, he would’ve been able to offer some comfort.
    Layla fell into an uneasy sleep, and when she woke up in the morning, she was greeted by the sight of more hair piled on top of her pillow. The sight triggered fresh tears to spring to her eyes. While mourning the loss and wondering if the doctors would soon get to the bottom of this mystery, her cell phone rang.
    It was Gage.
    She picked up. “Hello.”
    “Layla, what’s going on with you? You’re going through something terrible, and you didn’t even mention it to me.”
    Layla picked up a lock of her hair and curled her fist around it. No good morning. No declarations of love. Instead, he launched straight into an argument. “I didn’t want to tell you before I knew for myself what was going on.”
    “Is it a disease?”
    “I don’t know, Gage. I’ve no idea what it is.”
    “How long has it been going on?”
    “A week or two, I guess.”
    He let loose an expletive. “You’ve known about it for weeks, and yet you didn’t tell me!” She heard him exhale a deep, gush of breath. “Look, Layla. I don’t think this is going to work out.”
    She felt too distressed to make sense of his words. “What isn’t going to work out?”
    “I need some time to rethink this decision.”
    She still didn’t get it. “Which decision?
    “About us getting married.”
    It felt as if a truck rolled over her. Where was the sympathy she expected? Where were the quiet mummers that everything was going to be all right? She wanted him to soothe her, calm her, but instead he was stepping away as if she were a leper—and right after she tolerated the humiliation that his parents piled on her lap.
    Another woman might have yelled and cursed, but she was too overwhelmed to talk. “Fine, Gage. Call me when you know what you want.” She hung up.
    Would she ever hear from him again?
    Would he come back?
    She didn’t have a clue. All she knew was that this man wasn’t the one she got engaged to. Gage, the one she loved, was always kind and loving. This man only seemed to be concerned about his thoughts, his needs, his image. She didn’t like it.
    Not one damn bit.
    Layla took a bath and slipped into a pair of jeans and a royal-blue cami. She felt too drained to give more thought to Gage and his horrible behavior. Perhaps she made a mistake by not telling him, but this wasn’t the kind of response she expected. While she pondered over the possible implications of his behavior, the doorbell rang.
    Without thinking, Layla opened the door.
    Her mother breezily strode in without looking at her. “Good morning, darling. It’s been a while, so I thought I should drop in to take a look at you. You’re so busy with your life that you’ve forgotten about me.”
    “That’s not true, mom.” She wanted to run into the bedroom and cover her head with a scarf, but it was too late.
    Her mother already turned towards her. “I tried to call you two days ago, but your phone was switched off. I was—” Her mouth fell open, and the high-pitched scream which emanated from her lips pierced the air. She pointed at Layla’s head, ran forward, and grabbed her shoulders. “What’s wrong with your hair?”
    She glanced down at her mother who was almost a foot shorter than Layla’s almost 6-foot frame. “It’s falling out.”
    “Falling out? What do you mean?” she shrieked.
    This wasn’t a good idea at all. Layla wished she could’ve kept her predicament from her mother for some time. Mary, her mother, never reacted positively to any change. She wouldn’t take it well. “I’ve been