Lindsay's Legacy Read online

  Lindsay’s Legacy

  Janice Jones

  www.urbanchristianonline.com

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Epilogue

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  AUTHOR BIO

  UC HIS GLORY BOOK CLUB!

  Copyright Page

  DEDICATION

  I dedicate Lindsay’s Legacy to my friend and brother in Christ, Reverend Bobby Thompson Jr. You gave me the name for this novel before I ever wrote the first syllable. I thank you for your continued support of all my writing endeavors. You have been behind me spiritually and financially since His Woman, His Wife, His Widow hit the shelves. I praise God for your dedication to me and my ministry.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thanks and praises are always first due to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without you, I am unable to write, and I would actually have nothing to write about. Thank you for trusting me enough to do this for the Kingdom.

  To my children, Jerrick and Derrick Parker: Thank you for being great sons. And look at us now—you all have grown to the point that we can now be friends. Remember, though, I will always be Mama first. To my grandson, Jevon Parker: “Gannie” misses you. I can’t wait until we can spend more time together.

  To my father, Harold Bumpers: Your support of me never surprises me, but it always means the world to me. We just have to work on you realizing that there is a two-to-three-hour time difference Detroit and Phoenix. Daddy, when you call me at 8:00 A.M. just to say hi, it is actually 5:00 A.M. in Phoenix. LOL.

  To my siblings, Sherrie Roberts, Darrius Bumpers, Ronald Binns, Linda Gardner & the twins, Darrin (Main) and Darnella Bumpers: Growing up with you all was a whole lot of fun. Being grown with you all is a whole different kind of fun. LOL. Thank you for all of my nieces, and nephews, and godchildren. I love you all to pieces.

  To my friends in Detroit: Wendy Roberts, Curtrise Garner, Monique Gaskin, Ashley King, Jimmie Porter, Derrick Parker, David Jones, and William Price: You guys are the best. I know I can always, always, always depend on you all. You have proven it time and time again. We are friends for life, which actually makes you all family.

  To my Arizona friends, which really equates to my First Institutional Baptist Church Family: Pastor Stewart, you are my mentor, my father in Christ, and even a friend. Rev. Karen Stewart, also a mentor, a sister, and a great friend. Girl, I will take these earrings off if I have to. LOL. To the entire church congregation, you all have been so supportive. And to those of you who put up with me even when I know you didn’t want to, a special thanks to you: Cheval Breggins, Claudia Phelps Wade, Nancy Hooper, Georgia Harris, Geralyn Staten, Rosalyn Ricketts, Renee Roberson, Brandy Oliver, Erika Alexander, Tandie Myles, Michelle Robinson, Renette Gutierrez, Forrest Wade, Roberto Gittens, Carlos Molina, and Kendall Washington. Sonya Kelly and Eric Jones, you two are not members of FIBC, but you are definitely a member of my family. You all are so wonderful. You make being away from my family at home a lot easier to bear.

  To my editor Joylynn Jossel, you are the best. I know I got on your nerves with my deadlines. I thank you for your patience and for working with me through it all. To my agent, Janell Ageyman, thank you for your diligence and for keeping my name in your mouth wherever you go. I am enjoying our relationship. To the staff at Urban Christian Books, thank you so much for all that you do to bring our work to fruition and for all that you do to keep the books moving.

  And a special thanks and acknowledgment to my best friend Denise Franklin: Nothing that I write would ever get written if it were not for you. You keep me focused. You keep me on point. You tell me the truth when something sucks. You cry with me through the hard times of the characters, and you threaten me when they do something you don’t like. You have walked me through every syllable of every book I have written, and I will never be able to fully express how much your love, friendship, and assistance mean to me.

  If there is anyone who I have missed, please charge it to my head and not my heart. Know that I love you too.

  Prologue

  “S-Man, it’s on you now. Your daddy was my heart. He was my blood. Because he didn’t have a daddy, I took him under my wing. But he was your father. He was your king. He worked hard to take care of you from the time you were a dot in your mama’s womb. You ain’t never wanted for anything, nothing your whole life. You have lived like the prince you were created to be on the back of your daddy. But your daddy gone now. He dead! Now S-Man, you got to be the king.”

  Sixteen-year-old Sha’Ron Taylor sat with his uncle Bobby and listened to him as if he were God Almighty who had descended from heaven to engage him in conversation. He said nothing. He simply listened, waited, and wondered as he chewed on the tasteless, cold french fries on his plate.

  Robert Taylor, Uncle Bobby as he was affectionately known by family, leaned in closer across the booth that separated him and his great-nephew so as not to be overheard by anyone else in the restaurant. “But before you claim the crown of your daddy’s kingdom, you first have to avenge his death.”

  Sha’Ron bounced back and forth in his thoughts. Yes, he hated Lindsay for killing not only his father, but also having the gall to take out his mother too. He wanted her dead. But he didn’t relish the idea of giving up his own life to a prison cell for murder.

  He knew Uncle Bobby wanted him to kill Lindsay. This was not their first conversation on the subject. However, Uncle Bobby didn’t want to overburden the young lad by harping on the task that needed to be done for the entire two-and-a-half years that Lindsay had been locked up. Now that her release was imminent, the time had come for them to plot and plan. Sha’Ron had secretly hoped that Uncle Bobby would eventually decide to have one of his minions take out his stepmother. No such luck.

  “Uncle Bobby, man, you know I ain’t no punk. You also know once that trick is dead I will celebrate the anniversary of her death like Christmas. But how do I kill her and get away with it? I’ll be the first person the police suspect once she’s murdered.”

  “Of course, I know you ain’t no punk. Your worry, S-Man, is natural. It actually shows your intelligence. You get that from your father. It’s smart to be concerned and not some hotheaded little kid looking for revenge. That’s why we got to be real careful about this. You can’t just walk up on her the moment she hits town and gun her down like some raw amateur. Naw, S, this here deed gone take some time. We gone have to work first at getting inside Ms. Lindsay’s head ...”

  Uncle Bobby sat back against the booth seat rubbing his chin as a sinister snarl claimed his features. Then he continued his thought.

  “... before you blow it off.”

  Chapter One

  “Lindsay Renee Westbrook. Today is supposed to be a day of joy, happiness, and love. You’re going to have to stop all this crying, sweetheart.”

  The tears continued to flow unchecked. It was a good thing her makeup had not yet been applied; otherwise, it would be ruined by now. Her children were beautifully attired, sitting in the hotel clubhouse with her
grandmother, waiting to serve as her attendants. The most important person in the world to her was in his dressing room with his brother, who served as his best man, calmly getting dressed. The ten or so guests that included Cody’s parents, his sister, and a few of the people he had met here at Martha’s Vineyard sat in the hotel chapel awaiting the ceremony to begin. Her beautiful silver dress hung on the back of the dressing room door. Her mother continuously tried to compose her as she sat creating rivers in her bathrobe. She wanted so badly to get up, get beautiful, and get married, but her feet were held hostage by the lead of guilt and sorrow she felt in her heart.

  “Mama, I don’t think I can do this. I can’t do this without Shyanne.”

  “Yes, you can, Nay. Shy would want you to be happy, baby. You know that. She is in your heart and in the beautiful memories the two of you created together.”

  “But, Mama, the only memory that’s in my head right now is the memory of how I got my best friend, my sister, killed.”

  Lindsay thought about the day that Shyanne lost her life. It was her thirtieth birthday, and Shaun had given her a royal beat down as a birthday present. Shyanne went in search of Shaun to deal with him for what he had done to her best friend and found herself caught in the line of fire of other drug men who had come to gun Shaun down. That was actually the most painful day of Lindsay’s life, one she would probably relive every year on her birthday.

  “I know she would want me to be happy, but I feel bad because she doesn’t get to see me in my happiness. All she ever got to witness was my pain and distress while I was with Shaun; pain and distress that caused her death. Then when I think about that, I think about how I killed Shaun to avenge Shy’s death. Then I killed Rhonda, and I started to realize that maybe I don’t deserve to be happy.” Lindsay grabbed more of the nearly empty box of tissues and sobbed even louder.

  She was definitely grateful to have been given such a light sentence. Two years for murdering two people had been merely a slap on the wrist in the eyes of most people. As a result of Cody’s great skills as her defense attorney, he was able to convince the district attorney not to take the case to trial. Had he taken the case to trial, Cody would have gotten her completely off on a temporary insanity charge for killing Shaun and a self-defense charge for killing Rhonda. The DA saw the validity of Cody’s arguments and decided to offer a plea bargain. After all, Shaun was a notorious drug dealer, and Rhonda had attacked Lindsay first.

  Lindsay was so sure that she had truly dealt with the pain of Shyanne’s death during the two years she spent in prison. If anyone had asked her, she would have been willing to bet her life that she had sincerely forgiven herself for what she believed to be her part in the murder of her best friend. Today, however, all of the guilt, pain, and regret came flooding back as if Shyanne had died just yesterday. Why? Lindsay wondered. Why today of all days?

  “Nay, sweetheart, you love Cody, don’t you?”

  “Of course, I do, Mama. I love him with all my heart. My fears and doubts are not about whether I want to be married to him. I know I do. I just don’t know if I feel worthy enough to be his wife after all the wrong I have done. He deserves a wife who is better than the wretched mess that I am.”

  Sherrie Westbrook kneeled in front of Lindsay and firmly gripped both of her wrists in one of her hands while she used her other hand to lift the bowed down head of her only daughter.

  “Lindsay Renee Westbrook, you listen to me, and you make sure you hear me. I love you with a love that is indescribable. You love Cody with every fiber of your being, and he feels exactly the same way about you. You love your children so very much. Now, you take all that love and multiply it by one hundred and you still have not touched on how much God loves you. He loves you, Nay-Nay, and He has forgiven you. You have suffered the consequences of your actions by serving your time in jail and being away from your children for two years. You have suffered from all the pain you have endured since the day you met Shaun Taylor, including the death of Shyanne.”

  Lindsay appreciated her mother’s words of assurance and love. She needed to be reminded right now how much God loved her. Even more so, she needed to hear and be convinced that He had forgiven her. As Sherrie continued talking to her daughter, Lindsay knew, in complete faith, that the Holy Spirit spoon-fed into her mother’s mouth every word she spoke.

  “Today is the beginning of a brand-new life for you. You are a child of the King and deserving of every promise in His Word and His Word promises His forgiveness if you repent. You have done that, child. So you stop letting the devil talk you out of what you have a right to, Nay-Nay. Shyanne is also God’s child. She’s fine, resting in Him, at peace. Take comfort in that, Nay. Please, baby. There is nothing that you can do to bring her back. So wallowing in self-pity and self-imposed guilt will do no one any good. Marry the man that you love and be happy. Be happy, Nay, for your good and to the glory of God, because not even this is about you. It’s all about Jesus.”

  Before Lindsay even knew what was happening, Sherrie began to pray.

  “Father God, I come right now in the mighty name of Jesus, praising you, Lord, for your mighty works, for your precious grace and mercy, for your overwhelming love. Lord, I come to say thank you for a beautiful day that we have never seen before and for all the blessings this day holds for us. Master, I come right now asking that you shower down your peace, your wisdom, and your joy. This is the day my daughter is going to marry the man that you created just for her. Lord, give her the assurance that she needs to follow through with the plans that you have for her and Cody and guide her, Lord, so that she is the wife that you purposed her to be. This is my prayer in Jesus’ matchless name ... Amen.”

  By the time Sherrie released Lindsay’s sore wrist, her tears had dried, her spirit had lifted, and she was ready to marry the man her heart desired.

  “Okay, Mama. I can do this, for myself, for Shyanne, and for Jesus. Thank you so much for always allowing God to use you to help fix me. I love you, Mama.”

  “I love you too, baby. Now come on. Let’s get you into this dress and all beautiful for your new husband.”

  For the next forty minutes, Sherrie helped Lindsay apply makeup, put the finishing touches on her pre-styled hair, and helped her into her beautiful, although nontraditional, silver tea-length wedding dress. She then got herself dolled up and outfitted in her lavender sheath dress. The silver and lavender color combination had been Shyanne’s favorite colors.

  While she and her mother primped, Lindsay was reminded of how she did this for her first marriage with Shyanne. She expected the memory to be painful, but she found it rather to be bittersweet; the sweet being that no matter what mistakes she made in her life, Shyanne had always been by her side to see her through them. The bitter had been that her first marriage had been such a disaster to such a horrid man. But Lindsay refused to allow even that thought to place her back into the funk her mother and God had just coaxed her out of. Together, she and Sherrie put the final touches on their wedding looks and headed out to meet her brother Kevin, the man who would serve as her escort down the aisle to her betrothed.

  Sherrie signaled a hotel staff member to go and alert Cody and tell him it was okay for him to make his way to the chapel. She also told her to let everyone know the bride was ready and that the ceremony could begin.

  The procession began with Cody’s best man, Thaddeus, escorting Sherrie to her seat in the front of the chapel where the ceremony would take place while the song “Nothing Has Ever Felt Like This,” by Rachelle Ferrell and Will Downing, played. He then joined Cody at the makeshift altar and arch. Next, Lindsay’s grandmother, Linda, was escorted by Li’l Shaun, to the seat next to her daughter. Following Linda and Li’l Shaun were Margaret and Anthony Vincini, Cody’s parents. All of the members of the wedding party were handsomely attired in the chosen colors of lavender and silver.

  Lindsay could see the procession from where she and Kevin waited for Shauntae, the final person in the wedding par
ty, to walk the aisle. Much to her surprise, however, another couple was standing ready to head down the aisle. When Lindsay looked closer, she realized the male and female, all decked out in the appropriate attire, were Shyanne’s parents, Gregg and Tonya Kennedy.

  Lindsay had no idea Shyanne’s parents were going to be at her wedding, and much less of an idea that they were going to be a part of her wedding party. It took every ounce of self-control she possessed for her to not break free from Kevin’s grasp on her arm and bolt down the aisle after her godparents. What a wonderful surprise wedding present. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that her wonderful, soon-to-be-husband was behind the whole thing. She would be sure to properly thank him tonight.

  Next and last to proceed down the aisle before the bride was her beautiful daughter, Shauntae.

  Finally, the music changed from Rachelle Ferrell to BeBe and CeCe Winans’s song, “If Anything Ever Happened to You.” Kevin looked lovingly at his big sister and in his eyes Lindsay saw love, respect, and admiration. With his voice he said, “Nay, I am so happy for you and for Cody. You have been through so much in your life. You have made some bad decisions and had to live with them. But you are so strong. I love how you have rebounded by trusting God and changing your life.” He then bent slightly so he could place a tender kiss on the cheek of his hero. “Now, let me get you down this aisle and to the man who is worthy of a lady as special as you are.”

  Lindsay stood rooted in her spot, staring and smiling at Kevin with a remarkable love of her own for her baby brother. She willed the two tears in her eyes not to fall so she would not mess up her makeup, but they had a mind of their own. “Kevin, you are so wrong for making me cry like this. I’m telling Mommy on you after my wedding, you bigfoot bozo.” She figured if she could make the two of them laugh, she wouldn’t completely break down. The sibling duo burst into giant smiles. She returned her brother’s loving kiss and the two proceeded down the aisle still grinning from ear to ear.