Page 48 of The Way Love Heals

Renee tried to sit up, but she was leaned over with blood spewing from her nose. Her eyes were already beginning to swell, and I was sure one of her fragile bones were broken. No one tried to help her, not until Brittish came around the corner with a baseball bat. I didn’t even know she’d walked off until everyone started yelling at her.

Asher dashed toward her and swooped her up before she could swing on Renee. She didn’t scream. She didn’t say a word, which scared me. Brittish was far too quiet as she continued to try to break free from Asher’s hold. Silent tears stained her pretty, red face. When Asher whispered something in her ear, Brittish’s body relaxed, and her hands went to her face. Carefully, Asher turned her around and consoled her. He glanced over at me with sympathetic eyes and mouthed, ‘I got her.’

I held onto Nannie who bawled in my arms. Once she finally calmed down, I released her and went to squat in front of Renee. It was a shame I couldn’t look at my own mother with love. I’d learned not to hate her, but I strongly disliked her. She used the back of her hand to wipe her nose and peered at me.

“Why?” I asked barely above a whisper. “Why did you hurt me like that, Renee?”

With haste, she replied, “Because it was what they wanted. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have had the money nor other things I needed. In a way, you were my provider, Nyle.”

“And you don’t regret it, do you?”

“Why should I? I did what I did, and I can’t take it back. You went far with baseball. You can’t deny I played a part in that.”

“Bullshit, Renee. My God-given talent is what got me far.” I raced my hands down my face and stood up. “You better take heed to what Nannie says because next time, I’m not going to stop her. Next time, I’ll let Brittish get your ass with the bat. Stay the fuck from around me, Renee.”

With that, I walked over to kiss the three women I loved more than anything and dap my brother up before walking toward my car. Naheem tried to follow me, but I told him I needed to be alone. Brittish, Nannie, and Brielle begged me not to go. Their pleas tugged at my heart. As badly as I needed them, I needed isolation more.

Once I got in my truck, I powered my phone off and drove with no destination in mind. I’d gotten the closure I needed from Renee, and while it wasn’t what I thought it would be, it gave me clarity. She was truly a fucked-up individual. If God took her today, I wouldn’t even shed a tear.

But I wouldn’t dare wish that on her. Regardless of how I felt, all I wanted was for God to heal my heart, because it was damaged again.

Two days.

It had been two days since the debacle at the game, and no one had heard from Nyle. No one knew where he was. His phone was off. His house was empty. When he left the field that day, something told me I should’ve followed him. Something told me not to let him leave, but I wanted to respect his wishes. What happened with Renee was too damn much. Even I was still feeling the effects from it.

Never in my life had I wanted to beat a bitch down like I did her. Hearing the things she said and seeing how she acted caused me to black out. That was how I knew I was in love with Nyle. Whenever AJ was around, I handled myself well. He’d never seen me act out until that day. While I felt bad, he thought my anger was justified, and it was.

Still, I hated he had to see me like that.

I hated the boys had to see Nyle like that.

The game ended up being rescheduled because none of the boys had the mental or emotional capacity to start back playing. Some of them were crying. Some of them were angry. Nyle was deeply loved by them, so it hurt them to witness everything.

AJ asked questions. He wanted to know more, but I only told him what I thought he could handle. Seeing my baby upset like that made me want to really beat Renee’s ass. Now, AJ was just as worried as me about Nyle. He’d been with me ever since, and every few hours, he would ask if I’d heard from Nyle.

My doorbell ringing startled me. I was sitting on my couch, drinking wine with thoughts of Nyle running through my mind. Setting my glass down, I dragged my feet across the floor and went to see who it was. A small smile graced my face upon seeing my family standing there.

Before I could even get the door open good, I broke down crying. Mama brushed past Daddy and my brothers and wrapped her arms around me. With my hands covering my face, I melted into her embrace and bawled.

“It’s okay, Britt. Let it out, baby,” she encouraged in a soft tone.

There was nothing like a mother’s love to heal what was broken. It was crazy how my emotions eased just from seeing her. When I stopped crying, I wiped my face and loved on my daddy and brothers.

“Sorry, y’all,” I expressed as Dionte draped his arm around my shoulders.

He kissed my temple and said, “Don’t apologize. I can tell you needed that.”

“Hell yeah. Look how red her nose is, over there looking like Rudolph.”

Leave it to Diamond to make light of the situation. I gave him the finger and a playful shrug when he tried to hug me. Of course, I gave in. He and Dionte held onto me for a little too long. I was on the verge of tears again, so I backed away.

AJ came running around the corner and immediately squared up with Dionte. All I could do was shake my head at them. Dionte followed AJ to his room while everyone else followed me to the living room. Daddy sat next to me with his arm draped over the back of the couch. I snuggled up close to him and released a shaky sigh.

“I’m so worried about him,” I admitted. “So is his family. None of us knows where he is, and it’s nerve-racking.”

“Tells us exactly what happened,” Daddy said.

Leaning my head back, I briefly closed my eyes and took slow, deep breaths before running everything down to them. Mama had a horrified look on her face while Daddy had to sit up with her forearms resting on his knees. When I was done, the room was silent for a while.