“Hold up. Hold up. You mean to tell me that you’ve been orgasm-deprived for damn near four years now?” she asks, shocked.
“Wait, no, not totally,” I say. “My rose comes in handy, and so does that vibrator wand I purchased a couple of months ago.” I sigh. “They get the job done, but it’s never satisfying unless…”
“Unless you think about Kay going down on you?” she teases, and I look away, embarrassed once again because she was right. “Ahh, bestie, it's okay! It's totally normal to fantasize about someone, especially if they’re that damn fine and treat you the way she treats you. The whole world can see that she loves the fuck outta you.”
“Yeah, as a friend.”
“Yeah, that, but also…there’s something more.” She nods. “That woman worships the ground you walk on, and there’s no doubt in my mind that she would wait for you for as long as it takes for you to admit your feelings. You know she’s a gentlewoman who won’t make a move until you tell her.”
That gets a laugh out of me, because I knew it was true. I knew whenever I was ready to cross that line, she’d be right there to hold my hand, which makes me wonder if she even realized how gone I was for her. Did I give her the vibes that I was into her?
God, I hoped so. I hoped she could see the way I looked at her when she was in business mode. I hoped she noticed the way my eyes traveled the length of her frame when she wore her favorite combination of overalls with a plaid shirtrolled up to her elbows, looking like the sexiest farm girl in the world.
I hoped she noticed how my breath caught in my throat when she hopped up onto her favorite horse and went trail riding with her cousins and sister. I hope she realized that I loved everything about her, from her beauty to the way she loves me, Sera, and everyone around her. Down to the way she walked, laughed, cooked…hell, even the way her eyebrows furrowed when she was deep in thought.
There was no doubt in my mind that she was the woman I wanted to be with for the rest of my life. I’ve thought so since the first time I laid eyes on her. And, not gonna lie, even sometimes when I was with Sasha, and she did something to piss me off, I’d think about how things could’ve gone had I made my feelings known to Kay before things between Sasha and me got serious.
But then I shake the regret from my head because had I not gone through what I did with Sasha, I wouldn’t have Serenity. I might’ve despised the woman I wassupposedto raise her with, but I’ll never regret having her. I’m just glad that Sasha had no claim to Serenity. As bad as I felt for thinking like that, I also felt relief because the last thing I wanted was for her to come back into my life, thinking that she had some say-so overmydaughter after abandoning us. Nah, never!
I sigh, shaking my head before turning back into some story Kenisha was telling me about how her kids ate the snacks she bought in under a week. I chuckled because she shouldn’t be surprised since her kids had inherited their appetite from her husband. He was a fine ass, tall ass, thick ass man who played football professionally. He treated myfriend so well, and he was the best dad in the world to their three kids, so literally the only thing shecouldcomplain about was how fast the food disappeared.
“Baby, you know Troy ain’t got no problem dropping a bag on more groceries,” I tease. “And you know how well your kids eat. They get that from youandtheir daddy. Shoot, Serenity has an appetite, too. Especially if it’s something Kay cooks. We be over here eatinggood, and ain’t nothing wrong with that.”
“Yeah, I know.” She giggles. “I don’t mind my babies eating because I would rather them be full than not have enough. I complain all the time, but I don’t mind one bit.”
“Trust me, I know,” I assure her. “If it’s one thing you don’t play about, it’s that man and them kids.”
“Okay!” she seconds, raising her glass, and I clink mine against it.
Our conversations drift to other topics as we catch up and chat about what else has been going on in our lives. She asked me how work was going, and I gushed about how sweet and excited the kids were about learning to play various instruments and songs. I’d even started a music club for older kids interested in diving deeper into the more advanced side of music. Currently, I have about 10 members, but I was expecting it to hit 20 by the end of the semester.
After lunch, Kenisha and I headed out to do a bit of shopping at a nearby outlet mall. I wasn’t the biggest shopper, but I did want to get a few things for Serenity. I knew Kenisha wouldn’t mind because she loved shopping for her kids just as much as I loved shopping for Sera. The last time we came here, there was a cute little jumpsuit that I wanted to get her, but it was a few sizes too big. I meant to buy it andjust hold on to it until she grows, but I forgot to circle back to the store. I hoped that it was still in stock.
We entered the kids' clothing store and went to town, sifting through the racks to find the clothes that we couldn’t wait to put our babies in. Her daughter was bout a year older than Sera, so they weren’t technically wearing the same size, but luckily, the designs we both loved were available in both of their sizes. They loved to match, and I knew they’d squeal for days once they showed up somewhere in the same outfit.
Two hours and way too many bags later, we were saying our goodbyes and heading home. I had no more plans for the day, so I thought I’d stop by the store to get a few things to make myself a dinner I’d been craving - smothered chicken in gravy with rice, greens, cornbread, and some candied yams on the side. I could feel my mouth water just thinking about it.
So, I hopped into my car and headed to the nearest grocery store to retrieve all of the ingredients I’d need. I also made sure to pick up more of the snacks that I knew Sera loved. We were running low on a few other essentials, so I grabbed them when I remembered. As I went to pick up a case of water, someone grabbed it before me and placed it under my cart. When they looked up, I was face-to-face with a man.
“Oh, uh, thanks,” I say, nodding politely.
“It’s nothing, gorgeous,” he smiled, his pearly white teeth shining in the fluorescent light of the aisle. “Didn’t want you hurting yourself trying to lift that heavy thing by yourself.”
“I would’ve managed,” I reply as I walk back around to grab onto the handles of my cart. “I’ve done it plenty of times before.”
“Oh, bet,” he nods. He licks his lips as his eyes subtlytravel the length of my body. I roll my eyes. Here we go… “Well, you know, if you had a man with you…” He places a hand on my arm, and my eyes bug. “You wouldn’t have to worry about that, baby.”
“I’m not your baby,” I reply, looking at him as if he’d lost his mind. I knock his hand away. “And don’t touch me! The fuck is wrong with you?”
“Damn, bitch,” he replies, rolling his eyes. “You acting li-”
“Everything all good, Zee?”
We both look up, and I’m surprised to see Jakayla walking towards us with her sister and cousin Warren not far behind her. She makes it over to where I am and takes my hand in hers, pulling me away from the man. Warren walks up to him and punches him square in the jaw. I jump back, shocked, as the man loses his balance and falls to the ground. He screams as he holds his face. Kay lets go of my hand before walking over to him. She squats down beside him and lightly smacks his face twice.
“Aye, you good?” she asks. The man looks at her like she has two heads. She jerks her head back towards me before saying, “You see that one? I don’t play about her, and you’re lucky my cousin ain’t beat yo ass.” She sighs before standing. “Now, get yo bitch ass up and get from ‘round here.”
The man quickly got up and damn near ran out of the store. Kay stuffed her hands in her pockets and walked back over to me. She smiled an innocent smile as I looked up at her in shock. I’d never seen her swear or get aggressive with anyone other than her cousins and sister. I could feel my cheeks warm because I was turned on, and I knew that my panties were ruined. There was just something about herexuding confidence and power that made me want to do whatever she told me. I didn’t care who was watching.
