Unable to wait a moment longer, I blurted out, “You are loved!”
Her brows pulled in, and I frowned. That wasn’t what I meant to say.
“I’m . . . loved?” she asked.
“Uh . . . yeah. By me,” I clarified.
She stared at me for a moment, and my heart sank. This was not how I wanted this moment to go.
“I . . . Kareem . . . thank you?” she muttered.
Wow.Thank you?
I stood up abruptly and looked around her room. I’d never been a nervous or awkward nigga in my life, but at this moment, I wished the Earth would swallow me whole.
“Anyway, you good? Do you need anything?” I asked, wanting more than anything to get out of there. I felt humiliated.
“What? No, baby, I’m good, but don’t you think we should talk?—”
I grabbed the back of my neck as I backpedaled toward the door. “Nah, we good. I’ll call you later.”
Without waiting for a response, I turned and took quick strides toward the door. The happiness I felt seconds ago had completely disappeared, and all I felt now was like a damn fool.
chapter 11
ARIELLE
Nausea clawed at me as I walked up the front steps to my parents’ home. Whatever bug I had wouldn’t ease up. I had good days, and then there were bad days when I couldn’t get out of bed. My body had forced me to go down to part-time at work because I started calling out so much. It was ridiculous. I had a doctor’s appointment with my primary care doctor in a few days. Hopefully they could give me some answers or some medicine to get me back to normal.
After I rang the doorbell, I waited patiently for someone to answer. This two-story light blue home was the house I grew up in. I was more than comfortable with walking right in, but I’d forgotten my set of keys at home.
It was my dad who opened the door. He stood tall with the same ebony skin that I had and a baldhead with a kind smile.
“Rielle, I ain’t know you were coming by today, baby.” He reached out and hugged me, and I sagged into him.
I was a daddy’s girl, through and through, but I also didn’t play about my mama. That was my girl, for real.
“Hi, Daddy. I hope it’s okay that I stopped by,” I muttered as I followed him into the home.
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t call first.”
“Did you forget that when you were in college you stopped by every day to ransack our fridge and pantry? You ain’t call back then, and you ain’t gotta call now.”
I giggled. “You’re right. I guess in my old age, I realize how important boundaries and privacy are. Where’s Mama?”
He waved a hand in the air before he turned to walk into the living room, his domain. “She’s out to dinner and drinks with a few friends. Left an old man here to fend for himself.”
I knew that was a damn lie. If Mama went out for dinner, she for sure still cooked a home-cooked meal for Daddy. Sure enough, when I peeked into the kitchen, I saw some pots and pans on the stove with re-heating instructions for him. I snickered before I joined him on the comfortable brown couch in front of the TV.
“How you been, Daddy?”
“Just fine. Why don’t you tell me what brought you over here today?”
Not much could get past either of my parents, but Anthony Nichols knew me better than anyone. I should have known he would want to cut right to the chase.
I let out a long breath, trying to calm my rumbling stomach as I laid my head onto the back of the couch.
