AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Candi melted into his embrace. Finally, she didn’t run. “And just to be clear, I’m never running again. You stuck with me.”
“In that case, let me go ahead and put some babies in you.” Jay tossed her over his shoulder where he took her to the room and fucked her to sleep. He needed to make a move that she didn’t need to know about.
When it came to business, he stood on it with his shoulder, back, and chest out. As he said, Drew was about to find himself on a missing person's flyer.
TWELVE
AUGUST
Life with Jay had been the greatest high Candi had ever experienced. She woke up every day feeling like all the frogs she’d kissed had led her to him. The way he loved her was low-key scary because she’d felt nothing close to it.
The bubble Alabama had them in was popped once they set foot back in Sapphire City. Still, Jay didn’t fold on her. Knowing that, was all the confirmation she needed to know he was her person.
After Candi watered the plants, she sat at the kitchen island with her phone in her hand. She needed to make sure everything was on track for the surprise she had for Jay. He had given so much of himself and she was ready to pour back into him. And, to top it off, he had no idea.
Just thinking about how her night would end sent a coldness down Candi’s spine. But first, she needed to take Dr. Joy’s advice and have a conversation with her sister. Jay left the house earlier to give her some privacy. Since their time in Bama, Candi hadn’t slept in her old apartment. All she did was get some clothes and her car. Jay told her she didn’t have to officially move in since she seemed to toy with the idea and didn’t want to move in so quickly. Even though she technically had.
Candi laughed at how ridiculous she could be. Jay had told her time and time again, there was no time frame for love.
Light taps echoed through the loft.
Inhaling deeply, Candi stood from the island, making her way to the door. She knew who it was since she had to give the doorman permission to let them up.
“You are loved… You love your sister,” Candi affirmed herself.
Pulling the heavy door open, her eyes misted at the sight of her big sister.
Bashfully, Jazze stood with her hands in front of her, twiddling her thumbs. “Um, you gonna let me in?”
“Oh, yes.” Candi stepped to the side, granting her access.
Jazze’s eyes roamed the woody scented, well-designed home. “This is nice. I always saw you in some lavish shit like this.
“Really?” Candi’s brows rose. “I could always see you in some shit like this. Like you were going to meet a wealthy king from another country. This would just be your home in Sapphire City while your palace in his country would be as big as a city.”
Laughter sputtered from Jazze. Her tawny skin flamed red. “Girl! Be for real right now. You had all the men with money.”
Candi shook her head. “I had their desires; you had their attention.” She pushed her hand down her arm. “Let’s sit down before we get into what we need to get into. You want to sit in the kitchen or the couch?” Her hands pointed to the living room area that hosted the curved sectional in front of the big, beautiful windows.
Jazze’s eyes were full of love as she took the time to take her baby sister in. There were no questions about her love for her. One look at her baby and she saw Candi was different. Her evolution was on the cusp of something really great. The way her hair wasn’t styled to perfection like she remembered of her little sister was all the confirmation Jazze needed. “The kitchen is good.”
Nodding, Candi’s bare feet padded across the beautiful floors. If you really want that breakthrough you’ve been feeling, you gotta rip the band-aid off. The wound needs some of the fresh Alabama air you can’t stop bragging about. Dr. Joy’s words from their session earlier that week replayed in her head.
“I’m so happy for you and Drama,” Candi blurted, needing to be the one to pop off the much-needed conversation.
“Thank you.”
“I won’t hold it against you for loving him. I just need more time to process how I really feel about that.” Candi paused to gauge her sister’s mood. “When I talked to my therapist about it, she made me realize that it’s not because I loved him or anything. I resent you when it comes to that because it reminds me that the horrible things that happened to me skipped you. Like, when he used to touch me.” Candi licked her drying lips, unwilling to say her stepdad’s name. “He never touched you. How men would look at me as an object, they looked at you like you were a goddess.”
“That’s not true, Candi,” Jazze cut her off. She sat up in the beautiful wicker barstools Candi added last week when Jay gave her his card to shop. “I’ve always been the fat girl. The girl who is pretty to be fat. I’ve been ignored in public but slutted out in private.” Jazze wasn’t on the defense. Drama had coached her on not doing that because, contrary to what anyone believed, he wanted the best for Candi.
“No.” Candi shook her head. “They didn’t ignore you in public, they just thought you were out of their league. You always had a bangin’ body and pretty ass yellow skin. I was around the niggas; I heard what they said about you.”
Well, shit, I didn’t know that.”
Candi nodded. “I wanted to be you. Not just like you but be you because you didn’t have to go through what I went through. The shit with Drama only intensified that. I was never in love with him. That was why I gave him my blessing to fuck with you. Then when he really pursued you, it was just a reminder and slap in the face that I would never be good enough. A nigga would never choose me because I was used. I was garbage.” Reluctantly, she wiped her face. It felt good getting that out. Her heart hurt a little because the one person on the planet she wanted to love was her sister.
Getting up from her seat, Jazze went to her baby sister. She was just a child when he would do those awful things to Candi. She didn’t know what to do or how to stop it. It didn’t make her lack of actions right, but she’d never try to justify it, either. “You are not trash, Candi. Look at you,” Jazze said, smoothing her sister’s edges back. “You have always been so beautiful and I will never stop loving you. I’m sorry about Drama.”
