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Denali lifted her shades so her sister could see the sincerity in her eyes. “I will take care of myself. I promise.”
“Aight.” Standing, Yashika added, “Fuck that nigga, though. Let’s get in the pool until the sun goes down, then go out and get something to eat.”
“Cool,” Denali agreed, standing and taking her wrap off.
She may not have wanted to talk about the struggles she was facing back home while they were on vacation but getting it out definitely helped her feel better. With that release, Denali was confident she’d be able to enjoy the rest of her vacation with no worries.
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“It won’t be for long, I promise.”
Denali stared down at Blaze. He was propped up in the living room with his right leg on top of a pillow. While they were out of town, Blaze went to a party that ended in a shootout. He wasn’t involved in the altercation, but he had gotten shot as he ran out. The bullet went straight through his leg and hadn’t done a lot of damage, but he was unable to work, or even walk, for that matter.
As close as he claimed to be to his family and friends, Denali’s home was his desired destination. Their kids were so worried about him, Denali agreed to allow him to stay so they could see for themselves that he was okay. He hadn’t even been at her home for a good thirty minutes before he was saying some shit that had her looking at him like he was crazy.
“You’re not ending the lease at your place just to stay here, Blaze. Keep that house so you’ll have somewhere to go after your leg has healed.”
“It don’t make sense for me to be paying the rent there while I’m staying here.”
“How long exactly do you think you’re going to be here?”
Blaze looked at his leg and the immobilizer it was shielded by. “Shit… I don’t know. A few months. I got several follow-up appointments lined up over the next three weeks and physical therapy if my leg muscles atrophy. After that, I’ll need help while I heal. I can’t work until I can walk fully, and they might let me go since I haven’t been there too long. So I feel like it’ll just be best for me to stay here.”
“If you can find someone to sublease to, that’s fine. I know you can’t work right now, so you’ll need to be here with the kids so I can work and tutor after my shifts at the boutique. As soon as you can walk, you’ll have to leave, Blaze.”
“Aight,” he agreed, reaching for her hand. Unwillingly, Denali allowed him to pull her closer. “Why you look so sad? You’re not happy I’m alive and here with you?”
She smiled. “I’m glad you’re alive, but I thought I was free of your ass. Somehow, we’re right back to where we started before I left.”
Blaze chuckled as he sat her on his lap. “I meant it when I said I was coming after you. You’re mine, Denali. The quicker you realize that, the better. If this doesn’t prove to you we belong together, I don’t know what will.”
Her phone vibrated, giving her the perfect excuse to leave him. At the sight of Cassie’s name, Denali smiled. Tutoring Cassie’s daughters wouldn’t feel like work at all. They already treated her like she was part of the family, and Cassie was lenient with Denali’s schedule because she knew of her situation.
“Hey,” she answered, heading into the kitchen.
“Hey. I was just calling to check on you. You were on my mind.”
Smiling, Denali grabbed a bowl of grapes from the refrigerator and headed into the living room. Kinsley was stretched out across the couch. As soon as Denali sat down, Kinsley placed her head in her mother’s lap. It felt like a natural instinct for Denali to scratch her scalp.
“I’m… good. I had to end our trip a little early because Blaze was shot.”
“Oh, God! Is he okay?”
“Yes. It was a shot to the leg. It didn’t hit his bone thankfully, so he’s expected to make a speedy recovery.”
“Well, that’s good. If you need to change your start date to help the girls, I understand—”
“Oh, no. It’s fine. He’s staying here, but he will be able to move around on his own soon with crutches. The biggest thing is he’ll be able to watch the kids while I’m working, so that’s a plus.”
“Oh. Okay. How’s that going? Last we talked, you were looking forward to life as a single woman. Is that still the case?”
Denali looked down at Kinsley as she smiled bitterly.
“Yes. That’s still my priority. I’m taking care of him for the time being, but it won’t change anything.”
“Okay. I’m here if you ever need to talk. Just make sure you don’t lose yourself and your desires while trying to care for that man. You can be a good woman and not behisgood woman. You understand?”
“Yes,” she almost whispered. “I’m really glad you called. That was nothing but God because I was definitely feeling discouraged, but thank you. I’ve got my confidence back.”
