AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Denali agreed, but at that point, she didn’t see any man coming and claiming her heart the way Elite had done.
nineteen
Elite
“You see what I’m saying?”Supreme said to Hosea with a grin. “His ass so gone he don’t even hear what we saying.”
Elite looked up from his phone. “Huh?”
Hosea laughed and shook his head. “Man, say. When can I meet Sis?”
“I told you he was in love,” Supreme continued. “We don’ had a whole conversation about his ass and he didn’t hear a word of it.”
As much as Elite wanted to deny that, he couldn’t. Yesterday, he and Denali had taken the kids bowling and they had a great time. Denali had fallen down the lane, and he fell trying to help her up. They didn’t know it, but Kinsley had taken a picture, so he’d been staring at it on and off all day. Both had big smiles on their faces, and Elite couldn’t remember the last time he’d smiled like that with a woman… if ever. All that bullshit about needing to take his time had gone out the window.
Denali had his heart locked down, whether he wanted her to or not.
Everything was just… different.
From the way he felt about her to the way he feltwithher. The insecurities he had about being a good husband and father with Jacintha weren’t clouding his judgement with Denali. Not because she didn’t deserve the best version of him, but because he felt comfortable and secure with her. It was the first time in his life that Elite felt like he was where he belonged… and it was with a woman. Him having an immediate bond with her kids was like the icing on the cake. They all fit him, and Elite was grateful to God for that.
“Whatever he said is a lie,” Elite decided on, standing from his seat. It was their poker night, and he needed to get Denali off his mind so he could focus. Excusing himself as Supreme and Hosea laughed at what he’d said, Elite made his way outside.
After ordering flowers to be sent to Denali and Kinsley every day the following week, Elite booked him and Amir a living room at The Game Room arcade so he could introduce him to a few different kinds of games. Then, he called his father. The action confused Elite, but he went with it. Scratching his scalp, he sighed and hoped Greg didn’t even answer.
Truthfully, Elite had been going around just for his sisters and Cassie. Though he was working to forgive his father, he could do that apart from him. What was supposed to be a onetime meeting had turned into Elite seeing them on a weekly basis. He didn’t talk to Greg a lot while he was there, but he was cordial and respectful. Elite wasn’t sure he and his father would ever have a deep connection, but he was okay with where they were at.
“Elite?” Greg answered, obviously just as surprised by the call as Elite was.
“Yeah, you busy?”
“Never too busy for you, son. What’s up?”
Staring up into the clouds, Elite confessed, “I spent my whole life seeing you as this monster that took my mother away. When shit went down with my ex-wife, it was the first time I saw myself as a monster too. Now that I’m healing, I realize we aren’t monsters; we’re humans.” He paused and leaned against the wall of Hosea’s home. “Momma and Debra fucked me up. They made me feel like I had to earn love and respect. A healthy and nurturing environment. To the point where I thought I had to overly give and be perfect. I wanted no flaws, and I couldn’t be with a woman who made me feel like I had flaws, because then I wouldn’t be perfect. Wouldn’t be worth it. That ain’t the case no more. Denali makes me feel like I’m worthy of unconditional love just by being myself, and though I’m learning to love my own self, that’s only a foundation of what I truly need more than anything in this fucking world.” He smiled as he remembered Jacintha telling him the same damn thing.
“And what’s that, son?”
“A loving, safe, authentic life. I ain’t toxic in my masculinity. I know I need that shit. And… I guess… I just wanted to ask if you… if you wanted to be a part of that.”
The line was silent for a while before Greg chuckled. “There’s nothing I would love more, Elite. You know why I named you that?”
Elite’s head shook as his eyes closed. He didn’t, but he’d always wondered. “Nah, I don’t.”
“I named you Elite because I wanted you to be superior. A better version of me. Even then, I knew you and your brother had the power to break strongholds and generational curses that had plagued me and your mother’s bloodlines for past generations. The moment you were born, and I looked into your eyes, I knew you would be a man of great power and riches. That’s why I did everything I could to implant your greatness in you from a young age. The jewels, the affirmations with your name… all that was because in the back of my mind, I knew something would pull me away from you. Back then, I thought it would be death… my death. Even with your flaws, I’m proud of the man you have become, and I’mhonoredto be your father. That’s the greatest privilege God hasevergiven me.”
Squeezing his eyes, Elite tried to stop his tears from falling. He wiped them away quickly and cleared his throat.
“Uh, I don’t know if this is your kind of thing or not, but Supreme and I have a monthly poker game with the fellas. If you’re not tied up, you should come through.”
“I’m there. Just tell me the location.”
??????
A week later, Elite invited everyone over to his place so they could meet Denali. When she pulled up, his nerves got the better of him. This night, simplistic in its form, meant a lot to him. As he watched her get out of her Camaro, he couldn’t help but think to himself that he was a lucky man. Her hair was bone straight for a change with a part in the middle. She was dressed simply, yet with style. He had to admit—Elite loved a woman who could dress up or down, and Denali was just that.
She looked just as beautiful in her heels and dresses when they went out as she did right now in her graphic tee and exclusive Pumas. They both were sneakerheads, and he couldn’t wait to see her reaction to his collection. Amir was on the same wave, and Elite had already started to put in a few orders for him. Just that recollection had him shaking his head. He loved doing whatever he could for her children because he genuinely wanted to, not because he felt like it was a requirement. The thoughtfulness that he had for all three of them felt natural, and that’s what Elite loved most.
“Hey, baby,” she greeted, making her way into his arms.
