The Love You Give Read online

  Contents

  The Love You Give

  Copyright Page

  Acknowledgments

  Other Books By Sheena Binkley

  1. Kia

  2. Cane

  3. Kia

  4. Cane

  5.Kia

  6.Cane

  7. Kia

  8. Cane

  9. Kia

  10.Cane

  11.Kia

  12. Cane

  13. Kia

  14.Cane

  15. Kia

  16. Cane

  17. Cane

  18. Kia

  19. Cane

  20. Kia

  21.Cane

  22. Kia

  23 Cane

  24. Kia

  25. Cane

  26. Kia

  27. Cane

  28. Kia

  29.Cane

  30. Kia

  About the Author

  The Love You Give

  A Very Alpha Christmas Series

  Sheena Binkley

  The Love You Give

  A Very Alpha Christmas book #11

  Sheena Binkley

  All Rights Reserved.

  Copyright © 2019 by Sheena Binkley

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please

  purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, nor it was not purchased for your use only, then return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are

  not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this

  manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of

  the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to

  publish all the materials in this book.

  This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means,

  including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher

  except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Editor: Artessa Michele

  Book Cover: Beauty by Vee

  Formatting by Sheena Binkley

  Published in the United States of America

  Acknowledgments

  Heavenly Father, thank you for your continued blessings. Without You, I’m nothing; so thank you for guiding me in the right path and for loving me.

  To my husband, Ethan. Thank you for your love and support for me throughout the years. I love you.

  So Siren and Shani, thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this amazing series. It’s really cool to be amongst such talented authors, so thank you again.

  Artessa, thank you, thank you, thank you for editing The Love You Give. As always, I appreciate everything that you do. And I promise for my next story, I won’t send it with an unexpected deadline. :-)

  Victoria Johnson, thank you for your support throughout the years. I hope we continue to do business together. I really appreciate you.

  To V. Vee, thank you for an amazing cover!!! It was the inspiration to writing Cane, so I truly appreciate it.

  To the readers, as always, thank you for your continuous support. I will always be blessed and happy to know that you all have stuck by me throughout my writing career. Words cannot express how fortunate I am of that. As for my new readers, thank you for giving me a chance.

  But again, thank you so much for your support. I really hope you enjoy Kia and Cane’s story. :-)

  Other Books by Sheena Binkley

  Available Now:

  In Love With My Best Friend series

  In Love With My Best Friend (Camille & Trevor)

  A Chance at Love (Tia & Charles)

  The Wedding Part I (Camille & Trevor)

  The Wedding Part II (Tia & Charles)

  Love , Life, & Happiness series

  Love Unbroken (Riana & Shawn)

  Trust Me (Cheryl & Marcus)

  Unconditional Love (Britney & Jayden)

  The Way We Were (Monica & Donnell)

  Love Always (Riana & Shawn)

  Redemption (Nathan)

  Love, Life, & Happiness Christmas

  Something Just Ain’t Right series (Hayley & Morgan)

  Something Just Ain’t Right

  Something Just Ain’t Right 2

  Something Just Ain’t Right 3

  Just Right (SJAR Novella)

  No Other Love series (Kevin, Carla, & Jennifer)

  No Other Love

  No Other Love 2

  No Other Love 3

  One Shot With A Baller series (Jayden & Zack)

  One Shot With A Baller- The Complete Series

  The Love Chronicles series (Andre & Dexter)

  The Love Chronicles

  Say That You Love Me

  How Deep Is Your Love

  Love You For Life

  Into You series

  Into You (Vanessa & Mark)

  Resisting Temptation (Reece & Troy)

  The Right Kind Of Love (Coming Soon)

  Love, Life, & Happiness: The Lost Story

  The Lost Story- Parts 1-4

  Reclaiming What Is Mine series (Asia & Bryon)

  Reclaiming What Is Mine

  Reclaiming What Is Ours (Coming Soon)

  Lessons In Love series

  Lessons In Love (Trina)

  Standalone Books

  Our Love (Charlie & Michael)

  The Evolution Of Love (Elise, Jared, & Dante)

  Love & Drama: The Root Of All Evil (Zuri & Damon)

  I’m The Only One You Need (Mika, Devin, & Anthony)

  Real Love (Riana & Shawn)

  Believe In Love (Cheryl & Marcus)

  Lady Guardians: The Ultimate Risk (Raven & Ryan)

  1.

  Kia

  How did my life get so boring?

  That’s the question that I kept asking myself every day. Growing up, I imagined how my life would be. I would graduate school, go to college, become a nurse, get married, have kids, and live in a house with a white picket fence. Now, I believe that was all a dream. Hell, it wasn’t a dream. It was all lies to give little girls’ hopes up about how their lives would be when they become adults. No one told me that my life would become utter bullshit.

  Hell, forget utter bullshit. It’s a fucking nightmare.

  I laid in bed, looking at the ceiling like I always do at 10p.m. That’s my routine. I would get up, go to my job as at a free clinic, come home, cook dinner for my fiancé Cory, eat, have sex; then, he goes to sleep while I stare at the ceiling, wondering will this routine change the next day.

  That’s just wishful thinking because I know it won’t.

  I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths before turning my head to stare at Cory. He was peacefully sleeping, which had me a bit unbothered. I met Cory Dupree back in college at Prairie View. I was doing general studies before going to nursing school while he was majoring in political science. At first, things were good between us. We were actually happy with each other, but that all changed when we graduated. He got his dream job working in finance while I didn’t go to nursing school as planned. Instead, I decided to become a medical assistant and use my skills there. I figured I shouldn’t let them go to waste.

  I went back to looking at the ceiling, wishing I could go to sleep but couldn’t. My eyes went to the nightstand, which a picture of my mom and I was sitting. I took a deep breath, think
ing about the last Christmas I spent with my mom six years ago. I quickly turned my eyes back to the ceiling, not wanting to start crying. I was already frustrated; I didn’t need to be depressed too.

  Cory laid on his back, which made me even more pissed. When he laid on his back, he’d start snoring and I definitely wouldn’t get any sleep.

  “Cory. Cory!”

  “What?” he sheepishly replied. He slowly opened his eyes to stare at me. “What’s wrong baby?”

  “You’re snoring.”

  “Oh, sorry. I’ll roll back on my side.”

  I shook my head. “No, don’t worry about it. I can’t sleep anyway.”

  “Is something bothering you? You want to talk about it?”

  I took a deep breath before staring at the ceiling again. “It’s okay, Cory. Just go back to sleep. I’ll be okay.”

  “You sure? You know you can talk to me about anything.”

  “I said I’m fine, Cory. Just go back to sleep. You have a big day at work tomorrow.”

  Cory leaned over and gave me a kiss before turning over to go to sleep. I continued to stare at the ceiling, wondering why couldn’t I shake this feeling that I was having. I needed a change, but I just didn’t know where to start.

  ***

  With only getting four hours of sleep, I was back at work, trying to figure things out with my relationship. I didn’t know why I should feel a certain way about us. Cory and I had been together for ten years, so of course things would not be the same between us. But I always felt no matter how many years a couple had been together, they shouldn’t have to find ways to bring the spark back. If they’re truly meant to be together, then the spark would always be there.

  I was getting my usual morning coffee in the break room when I felt a swift shove against my side, almost knocking my mug out of my hand.

  “What the fuck!” I exclaimed. I looked over to see my co-worker and friend, Brooke Crenshaw, laughing at me. Brooke and I had known each other since our freshmen year in high school. She even got me the job at Martinville Clinic five years ago. She had been more than my friend. She had been like a sister to me and had helped me through a lot.

  “Girl, I had to do something to snap that look off of your face. You look like you wanted to kill someone.”

  “Sorry, I’m just a bit occupied.”

  “With what?”

  I put my mug down on the counter and sighed. “You don’t want to listen to my problems.”

  “I’m your best friend, Kia. I always want to listen.”

  “Even if it’s stupid.”

  “Tell me now before our shift starts.”

  “Fine.”

  We went to a table and sat down. I looked around the room, trying to collect my thoughts before speaking.

  “We don’t have all day, Ki.”

  “I know, I just need to figure out how to say what I’m going to say.”

  “Girl, I’m not going to judge you, so go ahead. Are you finally going to break up with that boring ass Cory?”

  “Brooke…”

  “I’m just saying. The man is a walking bore. I don’t see how you’re still with him. I would have dipped out on him years ago.”

  Ever since Brooke met Cory, she has always had a dislike for him. She thinks he’s as boring as a box of rocks, but that’s her opinion, not mine. Then, why was I about to tell her the same thing she’s been telling me for years?

  “It’s about Cory and I. I guess I need some advice.”

  “About what? Leaving him, because you don’t need advice for that.”

  “Brooke!”

  “Okay, what kind of advice do you need?”

  “Maybe things have changed between us. Ever since he came into his career, it has been all about that with him. Everything seems so routine with us. We go to work, come home, eat, have sex and sleep, and we do it all again the next day. There is no excitement in our relationship anymore. No spontaneity. Hell, there’s no spontaneity in my life period.”

  “You just need a new man.”

  “It’s not just about that, B. I’m not happy with my job either.”

  Brooke raised an eyebrow and clicked her tongue. I twitched my lips, knowing what that meant. She usually did that before she got upset.

  “What do you mean you’re not happy with your job? I have stuck my neck out for you to get this job, especially since you barely had any experience.”

  “I know that and I appreciate it. Hell, I probably wouldn’t be able to practice medicine if it wasn’t for you.”

  Brooke sighed. “You know it’s not too late to go back, Kia. You were going through a lot then.”

  I concentrated on the medical term poster on the wall ahead of me, so I wouldn’t look at Brooke. I knew she was right, but I didn’t want to go back. I just wanted to live in the moment. Sometimes, you just have to.

  “Anyway, I just need to know what can I do to spice up my relationship with Cory. I need some help and I need it fast.”

  Brooke scoffed. “You know I would say to find another man, but…”

  “I don’t want another man, Brooke. I just want to be able to regain the spark I had with my current man.”

  “Let me ask you this, do you really love Cory?”

  I glanced at Brooke, wondering why she would ask that. “I have been with Cory for ten years. He’s my college sweetheart. We have been through a lot, so why wouldn’t I love him? We’re engaged, for God sake.”

  “An engagement that’s been prolonged for the last four years. Just because you been with someone for years doesn’t mean that you love him.”

  “Well, I do Brooke. I love Cory and I always will. As for us getting married, we just haven’t had the time to.”

  Brooke nodded. “Okay, then I guess you told me, so I’ll give you some advice. Once you leave from work, go buy the sexiest outfit you can find, go home, light some candles, fix him a great meal and, after that, fuck him so good that he won’t even remember his damn name. Once that happens, he’ll be happy to do whatever you want. Trust and believe.”

  I smirked, knowing that Brooke could be right, but a tiny part in the back of my mind was thinking otherwise. “I think I’ll take your advice, B. Just know if I’m all smiles tomorrow that your plan worked.”

  Brooke grinned. “My plan always work, Kia. That’s how I got Jason to come home to me every night.”

  I smiled, as Brooke talked about her husband. I just hoped this worked for Cory and I because I was running out of ways to keep our relationship alive.

  ***

  As soon as it was time for me to get off from work, I was the first person out the door and in my car, ready to start my evening off. Since Cory had a huge presentation today, he should be getting home early, so I had to quickly plan everything before he got there.

  I went to the mall and grabbed a sexy outfit from Victoria’s Secret, went to our favorite restaurant, Lauren’s, to grab dinner, and headed straight home. I put the food together, took a relaxing shower, lit some candles throughout the house, turned on some jazz, and sat down on the couch to wait on Cory to arrive. I started to get nervous, hoping this plan worked. I know Cory had been stressed lately, but he never let it show, so hopefully since this presentation was over, he could relax and just have some fun.

  But when has Cory ever been any fun?

  Why my conscience trying to kill my vibe right now?

  I stared ahead at the garage door, wondering when Cory would come in. It shouldn’t take him that long to come home. I was about to get up when I heard the garage door opening. I got back into position, putting my ass out while I flipped my hair over my shoulders. I gave a sexy pout, hoping that’ll turn him on. Hell, I was turned on right now, so this all better be worth it.

  The garage door closed and the lock was beginning to unlock on the back door. Cory walked in, surprised by the ambiance that was set for him.

  “What is going on, Kia?” he slowly asked while walking in. He stopped to stare at me, giving a look
mixed with surprise and curiosity.

  “Hey, baby. I thought since you had a stressful day that this might cheer you up,” I said with a sexy smile.

  Cory didn’t look impressed as he came closer to me. He sighed before going to the stereo to turn off the music.

  “I really appreciate all of this, but I’m sorry; today was a crazy day and all I was hoping to do was get some rest.”

  I stared at Cory, not believing this was happening. Was he really about to turn me down right now? “Cory, I think we need to talk.”

  “Kia, I’m really not-”

  “You wanted to talk last night when you asked what was wrong. Now, I’m ready to talk.”

  “I’m not, Kia. Like I said, I had a really long day. The presentation didn’t go as planned and I lost the account.”

  I sighed, hating that Cory lost his biggest client, but we needed to talk about our relationship. “I’m really sorry, but we need to talk about us, Cory. I’m not happy in our relationship. I haven’t been for some time now.”

  Cory raised his eyebrow and sat down on the couch. “What?”

  “Our relationship has been mundane. It has become a routine with us now.”

  “How? I thought things were good between us.”

  “It is, but like I said, it’s been like clockwork with us. There’s no spontaneity with us anymore.”

  “We have sex on the regular, so I don’t see what the issue is.”

  “We do the same routines, Cory.”

  “Hell, if you want something different, we can do different things, Kia. Just not tonight.”

  “Cory, I’m trying to talk to you, but it seems like you’re not listening.”

  “It’s not like I don’t want to, Kia, but you want to talk when it’s convenient for you. But, how long have you been feeling this way?”