Page 55 of Surrender to Love

“I’m glad we’re leaving,” I say, then roll my eyes. “If he comes over here, I’m cussing his ass out.”

“I don’t think he’ll come. He’s creeping. Look. He’s all over her,” Reya says. I look up again and she’s right. His arm is around the lady who is not Kym and he’s whispering something in her ear that’s apparently funny because her head is tilted back and she’s laughing. When the hostess escorts them to a back booth, his hands remain on her. “A zebra never changes its stripes,” Reya says in disgust.

“Never but that’s who Kym wanted.” Now that they are seated, I have a clearer view. Reya’s back is to them. The lady is damn near sitting on his lap and his tongue is down her throat. “He doesn’t even care that he might get caught,” I say, then shake my head.

“That’s so fucked up.”

“For who?” I snap, then back down when I see Reya’s eyes stretch.

“You know I didn’t mean it in any type of way. Cheating is fucked up. Period. But you know what the old people say, the same way you get a man is the same way you’ll lose him.”

“Kym doesn’t even deserve to lose him. I hope she stays in the flea infested bed she made with that dog.”

“Karma is a bitch,” Reya says.

“Yeah, a bitch in a blue dress apparently. Of all the things to see tonight,” I say with a smirk. “God is so funny. I’m happy and in love with a man who would never do this to me and her husband is kissing another woman in public while she’s home pregnant with his child. But he’s who she wanted. She disregarded our sisterhood, the love I thought we had for each other, and any future relationship with me for that. Yeah, karma is real.”

“Real as hell,” Reya adds.

I just shake my head, then look up for Tanya. I’ve seen enough, and now, I’m ready to kiss all over the man I was truly meant to be with.

FOURTEEN

“What the hell Shuga got going on now?” I ask

“Hell if I know. We all got the same damn text you did,” Tre says.

“We always have Thanksgiving at the house. Why she want to move it this year? It’s gon’ fuck up my plans,” I admit.

“I thought you two weren’t leaving until seven that night,” Quintus says.

“We were but going to the mountain for Thanksgiving puts me further from the damn airport. Our flight is out of here, not CFA.”

“Just make sure you leave on time,” Deuce says. “Problem solved.”

“Or see if you can switch the flight to leave out of CFA instead. That way you don’t have to rush or leave too early,” Ace says ,then stands and walks back inside Quintus’s house, probably to answer another call.

We are all outside under the extended covered patio smoking, drinking, and talking shit. The two lit fire pits provide heat on this cold November evening.

“What’s wrong with that nigga? He keeps getting phone calls,” Tre says.

“I don’t know,” Quintus says.

“The last call was Sade. I heard her yelling before he turned the volume down,” Deuce admits.

“Damn, bruh, you ear hustling,” Tre jibes.

“I said she was yelling,” Deuce fires back before passing the blunt to Tre.

“That nigga stressed. It’s all over his damn face. He’s blowing my high and shit,” Tre says.

“I’ll go check on him,” Quintus says.

Quintus and I are close as shit, but him and Ace got their own thing too. When we were lil knuckleheads, he would follow Ace around and wanted to do whatever he was doing. When we got older, of course, he stopped following Ace but still looked up to him. When the drugs ended up on Ace’s truck and he caught that case, Quintus worked hard to get Ace out. They never found out who put the drugs on the truck. Quintus just talked about it but I know that still fucks with him. Yeah, he got the charges dropped, but not knowing bothers him. So, he’s still extra concerned about Ace.

When Quintus walks into the house, Deuce turns to me with a serious ass look. “You really gon’ do this?” he asks.

“Yeah. I’m doing it. I love Kyrah and can’t see my life without her. Hell, if I’m keeping it a buck, I should have done it sooner. There’s no other woman in the world for me. I got my forever,” I tell him.