AllFreeNovel
Share Us
War felt eyes on him and the minute he lifted his gaze he saw the concern in Cali’s. She was seeing the side of him he never wanted her to experience, but he wouldn’t apologize. Not when it came to family and this was about JoJo.
“I can take care of my son,” Neece hissed.
“You sure? Because when Kirsten tried to bring him to you, she didn’t believe that was the case. Said you were a fucking mess and wouldn’t even look at JoJo.”
“After what happened, can you blame me?”
He wouldn’t answer the question. She should feel blessed she was alive to ask him anything at all.
“Neece, do I need to be concerned about JoJo when he’s with you?”
“No, Wardell. I love my son. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of him. In fact you can bring him to me, now.”
He exhaled his frustration. “Nah, not tonight. I’ll bring him to you tomorrow.”
“War…”
“I said tomorrow. Now you want to argue with me or use the time to get yourself together?”
War was asking but there was no compromise. She wouldn’t see JoJo tonight.
“Fine. Tomorrow,” she said and hung up.
War looked at Cali. If she was there to argue or yell, he didn’t know if he had it in him to do anything other than shut her down by fucking the questions and anger out of her. Everything around him felt like it was crumbling when it should have been prospering. He spoke as calmly as he could.
“What you need, Cali?”
“Nothing.” She frowned and glanced at JoJo who was fast asleep, arms thrown over his head, in the middle of Kirsten’s bed.
“Cali…” he said quietly and exhaled a sigh. “What do you need?”
None of this was her fault and he wouldn’t put it on her.
She crossed the room and pushed her body into his, circling his waist. “I need you and I’m sure. You don’t have to question why I’m here.”
Dr. K’s words were in her head. “Don’t get caught up in things you can’t control, focus on the things you can. The things that matter.”
Cali couldn’t control how she felt about Merritt’s betrayal but she could accept her role in how things played out between them. She assumed, never asked, when it came to his life outside of her. Partially because she didn’t want to know the truth. They existed in a separate space. Their own world. No one outside of that existed. The reality was slapping Cali in the face. He had other women, one who gave him a son. There wasn’t anything she could do about JoJo. He was here and he was loved by the same person who promised to love Cali.
The details no longer mattered, but War did. How she felt about him fucking mattered and that was what she chose to focus on.
A couple weeks slid by, allowing Cali and War to settle into their routine. When she had hours at Mahogany they were at his spot in the city or her apartment. When she had a few days in between shifts, they spent time at his house. Things felt good and no matter how many hurdles they had to clear to get there, life shifted into a comfortable space.
“Shit, girl. You look good but don’t you think that’s a little much. We’re barely into spring.”
Cali looked down at the black spandex top she wore, a sleeveless mock turtleneck that stopped just below her breasts. She wore a pair of baggy black cargo pants drawn in tightly around the ankles and paired her fit with black Corran Chelsea Atlas boots.
“I’m wearing a jacket but I shouldn’t need it until later. It’s supposed to be ninety degrees today.”
“Yeah but it’s going to be fifty when the sun goes down.” Conner shoved her hands into her freshly straightened hair and shook it loosely a few times. The wine color looked good against her brown skin and brought out her red undertones. For the past couple of weeks she wore it straight, in a blunt cut stopping just above her shoulders.
Unlike Cali, the only skin Conner exposed was bare shoulders. She wore a fitted, off-the-shoulder, long-sleeved top that tightly hugged her slim torso. The navy top was paired with high-waisted, wide-legged jeans. Sexy, casual, and simple. “You look cute though.”
“We look cute.” Cali wore her hair in a braided blowout that offered volume and framed her face in chunky waves. The look was giving a mussed hair type of vibe. Both Cali and Conner bypassed makeup since Kirsten warned their family cookouts sometimes got wild. Neither wanted to be concerned with sweating out a beat face.
“And do,” Conner sang before adding, “Even if you’re trying to match your man’s energy.”
“I haven’t seen War today. How am I trying to match his energy?” Cali yanked a black jean jacket from the closet and lifted her wristlet. She didn’t need money since the plan was to chill at JB’s house for the rest of the day but she didn’t want to be without.
