“See! You have to come! I’ve been working on something really special for them. You gotta be there to see it. I just know Mama’s gonna bawl.”
I huffed. “When is it?”
“In two weeks. After that, they’re going on their annual week-long cruise.”
“Where to this year?”
“I think Mama said they’re starting out in Fort Lauderdale and going to Aruba and Bayonne.”
I smiled, happy to hear there were black couples still loving each other out loud and making time for one another even after forty years. “That sounds so nice. I know they’re going to have a blast.”
“Yeah, she’s pretty excited about it. Daddy, on the other hand, as long as he’s got a drink in one hand and a fancy cigar in the other, he’ll go wherever.”
A soft chuckle slipped past my lips. “It wouldn’t be him otherwise.”
“So, . . . is that a yes?” she quizzed as her eyebrows lurched toward her forehead.
I huffed without responding.
“Besides, depending on how your talk with Pat goes later, you may be dying for the fresh air and a nice little getaway.”
I finally bobbed my head in agreement. “You’re right about that. Fine. I’ll help.”
Our conversation naturally drifted to different topics as we ate our food. Even so, I couldn’t shake the nerves in the pit of my stomach as I wondered what would come of my talk with Pat.
I stepped up to the front door of my apartment, keys dangling in my grasp as I turned the lock and sailed inside. I froze mid step when I saw Pat sitting on the couch with his palms clasped together and his pointer fingers steeped. His broad shoulders were slumped, and he looked tired, like he hadn’t been sleepingwell. The blue shirt he had on was crinkled at the collar and in desperate need of an iron.
“Pat, . . . h-hey.” I stammered, temporarily forgetting he had a key. “I thought you’d be here later for dinner.”
“I couldn’t hold out any longer. I wanted to see you, Lex.”
I closed the door behind me but remained rooted by it as the awkward silence stretched on between us.
“Listen, I know I’ve been sending you long ass texts and voice messages about this shit for days, and I know it looks bad, but I didn’t cheat, baby,” he explained as he stood to his feet.
I huffed. “If saying it was enough, you could’ve saved yourself the trip.”
“I’m forreal, Alexis,” he confirmed, voice deepening.
Hearing him say my full name sent a shiver down my spine and made me straighten my posture. Still, I refused to cower. I folded my arms across my chest.
“You act like my suspicions are coming out of nowhere, Pat. We’ve been here before, remember?”
“I know I’ve fucked up in the past, but I put that ring on your finger to show you that I—hold up. Where is your ring?”
I looked down at my bare finger. I hadn’t put it back on since the voicemail. It didn’t mean anything anymore and felt more like an anchor weighing me down than a new beginning or kept promises.
“I took it off,” I answered. “I needed to think.”
His brows creased. “Think about what? Do you not wanna get married anymore?”
“I don't know anything anymore, Pat. All I know is that I feel like a fool for marrying someone I don’t fucking trust.”
I marched past him into the kitchen. He followed me but kept his distance. “All this time, and you still don’t trust me? I thought we were good.”
“I thought we were too. But it’s like the closer we get to this wedding, the more you keep showing me why we don’t need to be doing this.”
“Lex—”
