Rod held his arms out. “I’ll take her.”
"You should’ve been here with her,” I snapped.
“I had to work,” he explained unnecessarily. I didn’t give a fuck about his excuses. “She’s my girlfriend.Igot her.”
I glanced down at Laiya. For the first time tonight, her eyes were clear and locked on mine. “You want to go with him?” I asked.
Her eyes fluttered closed and her head fell against my shoulder. To any observer, they might’ve thought she was just high. But I knew her … If she wanted to go with him, she would’ve made it more than clear.
“Laiya?” Rod called. “Come on.”
Decision made, I looked at him. “Nah, man. I’ll take her home. You can meet us there.”
Her Prologue
Alaiya
Twenty-Five Years Ago
“Ican’t marry him.”
Aunt Vicki eyed me curiously over the rim of her mug. “What did you just say?”
Truthfully? Most of my family wasn’t shit. My mother was an addict who didn’t stop having babies she couldn’t support. My father was absent. I didn’t even know his name, but I’d heard enough about him to thank God for that. My siblings—all ten of them—were either in jail, strung out, or hiding from their past.
I thought I was alone in this world, destined to do nothing with my life, doomed to repeat the mistakes that my mother made. Until Aunt Vicki found me. I was already an adult, working a part-time job at Hudson’s Department Store while I took night classes at the community college. In a twist of fate, I ran into her at a makeup counter. She took one look atme and knew that I was related to her. It took a few minutes for her to convince me, but that day changed my life. I woke up that day by myself and fell asleep with an instant family, unwavering support from her and Uncle Linc, and so many cousins I couldn’t remember their names at first. They’d been there every step of the way. They loved me. And now I needed her to tell me I wasn’t making a huge mistake.
“Babe,” Aunt Vicki placed her hand atop mine and squeezed, “I need you to talk to me. The wedding is in a week.”
I glanced at the table next to us. We were seated at one of those quaint cafes on the University of Michigan campus. It was our thing. Lunch on Wednesdays. Just me and her. I stared at my plate. My appetite was gone, so I pushed it away. “I love him, but …”
I did love Rod. He was my very best friend, had been a huge part of my life. We’d met on campus, had taken the same introductory classes, went to the same events. We had comfortable companionship, a connection that ran deep. Not just physically, but emotionally. I knew he wouldn’t treat me bad. He’d never hurt me. I felt safe with him. So when he told me he had feelings for me, I just went with it.
Aunt Vicki frowned. “You’re not sure.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement.
I nodded. “It’s just … When you met Uncle Stew, you knew that you wanted him.”
She snickered. “Actually, I couldn’t stand him.”
My eyes widened. “Really?”
“Girl, everything he did got on my damn nerves.”
Leaning forward, I asked, “When did it change?”
“It didn’t take long, but one day I realized he was everything.” She smiled to herself, almost as if she remembered something so sweet. “He protected me, even from myself. Back then, the family was in shambles. I wanted to get away from everything. He was my escape. He made time for me.He wanted to hear about my day. Not to mention, he was so fine.”
I chuckled. “Sometimes I feel like the family broke me.” Everyone I loved had hurt me in ways I didn’t think I could survive. The pain, the heartbreak made it hard to believe that I could ever be happy with anyone. “I have a hard time with trust.”
“Do you trust Rodger?”
I nodded without hesitation. “He’s a good guy. It’s me.”
“What’s the problem?”
The bells above the front door jingled, signaling a patron entered the café. I glanced at the door, just as Spencer walked inside. His brother, Ryan, pointed toward the back of the building, and they made their way to an empty booth.
A nervous thrill ran down my spine as he headed toward us. Absently, I gripped the edge of the table, simultaneously wishing he wouldn’t see me and hoping that he would.He did.
