Page 37 of The One He Desires

“I’m gonna speak to Mimi and Journee, then I’m gonna get out of here.”

I don’t get a chance to say anything when the sound of the locks disengaging forces my eyes to shift to the door. When it opens a second later, my words get lodged in my throat. Journee is wearing a tank top and short shorts, with her feet bare.

“Fuck you got a turtleneck on for?” Jamarion barks.

I can’t focus on Jamarion’s words because my eyes are intently assessing not only Journee’s attire but her body language. Something is wrong, and her uptight shoulders, the tightness around her eyes, and the slight tremble in her hands confirm that this pop-up was necessary. The air coming out of the door causes my brows to knit together because Journee’s wardrobe choice isn’t indicative of her being cold.

“What are you hiding, baby?”

Journee’s eyes shift from Jamarion to me, and my jaw clenches when her gaze becomes misty.

“N—”

“Don’t stand here and attempt that lie, J. Old lady Sharon can see this lie, and she can only see images through a magnifying glass.” Jamarion cuts Journee off before she can tell me that she isn’t hiding anything.

Journee visibly swallows, and I can no longer take the suspense or the separation as I move toward her. If she’s not going to tell me, I’m about to find out for myself. Once I’m in front of her, I pull down her turtleneck as it reveals a purplish ring around her neck that hasn’t been achieved by ravishing her body.

“What the fuck?” I bark.

My eyes bounce from the offending taint of her skin to her eyes as tears slowly trek down her face. My temple vein thumps, and my jaw clenches as murderous thoughts enter my mind.

“Who put their fucking hands on you, J?” Jamarion questions.

“B-B-BN.” Journee stutters before she falls into my body, causing me to wrap her up in my hold as she sobs.

“Cere! Unckie J!” Milan’s happy voice dumps cold water over the tension in the doorway, reminding me of her presence in the apartment.

“Man. I’m killing that nigga,” Jamarion says low enough that only Journee and I can hear him as he shifts his attention to Sweet Face. “Hey, Mimi. Come give me some love. I got to go.”

Journee’s cries are lower due to Milan’s nearby presence as I hold her tight, hoping that some of my strength will seep into her pores. The problem with that is rage flows through my veins, and the urge to rearrange Brian’s face fills my mind the longer we stay connected. While I know Jamarion has declared his intent, I will exact this revenge. Hell, Sweet Face and Journee are mine to keep safe, and Brian violated them in the worst way.

I knew the turtleneck was a bad idea, but I hoped I had a little time to come up with a reason for wearing it. I didn’t expect to open my door and come face-to-face with Sincere and Jamarion. Murder didn’t rest only in Jamarion’s eyes either. Right before my eyes, Sincere’s expression changed and had me wondering if some of Jamarion’s hood qualities lie beneath his suit attire. Emotionally, I have been a mess, and based on Sincere’s pop-up, I didn’t do a good enough job of replying to his messages. I have limited our communication to text because I have spent days sorting through ideas about how to handle BN. I’m also unsure how he found out where I live, but I didn’t open my door to find out either.

“Brue, Cere.” Milan’s voice snaps me out of my head as I focus on the scene in front of me.

Sincere is on the floor with Milan in his lap as they color in one of the many books Mom has bought for her. This is the moment that is a treasure that wasn’t on my bingo card today. It’s what I need to push through the raw emotions I’ve had to swallow to not alert Milan to my distress. BN’s initial banging had Milan hugging my leg and crying hysterically, and it took me a couple of minutes to calm her down. I was able to soothe her with some ice cream while enjoying it in my bed as she watched one of her favorite movies. I had just come back to my living room when I thought I heard Sincere’s voice.

After Jamarion hugged me and left my apartment, Sincere said we would talk later, his attention momentarily shifting to Milan. I didn’t want to leave his arms, but holding him longer would have only caused Milan to focus on me and my sad disposition. For the benefit of my baby, I got myself together and put on the front that has Milan comfortably bonding with Sincere.

“It looks great, Sweet Face,” Sincere tells Milan as her face brightens with merriment.

Sincere looks relaxed, unlike his countenance when we connected not long ago. But Milan is capable of softening the Grinch after one encounter. As I watch them interact and Milan giggle, I ponder what type of father Sincere would be. I wonder if he wants kids, marriage, or anything permanent. Heck, I even consider whether he would accept a ready-made family like the one Milan and I are.

“Mommy, look. Pwetty.”

I smile at Milan before my gaze shifts to Sincere’s eyes. In them, I see questions and concerns that cause me to slide onto the floor and scoot until the three of us are close enough to breathe each other’s air.

“You did a great job, baby. It’s very pretty. How about you go put it on the fridge with your other one?”

Milan excitedly claps and hops out of Sincere’s lap as she runs to the kitchen to display her new artwork.

“I’m worried about you, baby, and the light being out of your eyes has me ready to surrender my law license.”

My heart flutters and skips a beat at the low and genuine sincerity within Sincere’s words. In his eyes, I see adoration and concern that fills me with appreciation for his presence in my life. I wanted to run from him so I didn’t subject him to BN’s mess. But in this moment, I would rather bask in the feel of his affection toward me. I lean in and kiss his lips, hoping to convey my gratitude.

“I’m better now that you’re here.”

“Good. I’m not going anywhere. Matter of fact, go pack a bag for you and Sweet Face. I’m taking y’all to my house.”