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Lei nodded her agreement as she breathed deeply. With the way she was feeling, Lei didn’t plan on staying long, anyway. Between her tiredness, tender breasts, and cramping, Lei was ready to crawl into her bed and sleep the discomfort away. If Simone and Destiny knew she’d come to Memphis without seeing them, they would have a fit, so Lei was going to try to see them before they left for Rose Valley Hills. If her symptoms didn’t get any better, they’d just have to be upset.
Keith opened the door for her, and Lei held Londen’s hand tightly. It was the anchor she needed. They made their way to the front of the house, where she took her time ringing the doorbell to further calm her nerves.
The moment Jennifer opened the door and Lei laid eyes on her, her heart stopped. With watery eyes, she stared at Jennifer as if she was looking at a ghost. It was evident Jennifer didn’t know what to do, because she reached for Lei, then quickly pulled her arms away.
“It’s so good to see you, Roy. Please, come in.”
“It’s Lei,” she reminded, slowly stepping inside.
“Right, yes. Sorry.”
With a nervous chuckle, Jennifer closed the door behind them.
“Londen Graham.” Londen shook Jennifer’s hand, pulling in her energy to get a feel for her.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
Lei could tell Londen had no plans of returning the gesture, and that made her smile. The longer they stood there, the less it felt like there was an elephant on her chest. The warmth that was radiating out slowly began to dispel.
“Would you… like to have a seat?” Jennifer offered. “Can I get you anything?”
“No, we won’t be long. I really just wanted to set eyes on you. We’re going to be moving back to Memphis in a couple of years, and I wanted to see how I would react to seeing you.”
Jennifer’s hand flew to her chest. She smiled widely. “You’re coming back home?”
Lei’s head shook. “Rose Valley Hills is my home, but yes, I’ll be coming back to Memphis.”
“I have to ask…” Jennifer looked from Lei to Londen back to Lei. “Is there any chance of us establishing a relationship when you come back? I know you said it was best for you if we didn’t talk…”
“And I still feel that way. I feel like we’re at a good place now. I’ve forgiven you and Marcus, and even Regal, but I don’t have to allow you into my life to prove that.”
Jennifer’s smile wavered. “I understand.” She released a heavy breath and looked around the entryway. “Regal and Royalty are in the living room if you want to see them too. Steven is out back getting ready to grill.”
“Royalty,” Lei repeated, voice thick with emotion. “I still can’t believe she named her baby after me.”
“I know what she did was wrong, but…”
“Jennifer, please,” Lei interrupted, lifting her hand to stop her. “I didn’t come here for that.”
Nodding rapidly, Jennifer took a step back. “Okay. I’ll um… go and get them if you don’t want to come in any further.”
“That would be great, thank you.”
Lei didn’t pull her eyes away from Jennifer until she was no longer in sight. She jumped slightly at the feel of Londen’s hand on the small of her back.
“You good?”
“Yes,” she almost whispered. “My heart’s beating like crazy now. Regal is… different. I’ve been talking to Jennifer, but not Regal. I don’t know how this is going to be.”
“I think it’s going to be easier than you realize. Surprising but easier. You’ve had quite some time to process this, and you’re a hell of a lot stronger than you think. You’ve got this, Baby, and even if you don’t… I got you.”
Londen wrapped his arms around her, and just as they kissed, they heard, “Ooh, they kissing!” in the background.
With a chuckle, Lei turned to face Regal, Royalty, and Steven. At the sight of Royalty, Lei’s knees almost buckled. She was the spitting image of Regal when she was a child. Regal still looked the same… just a little bigger with longer hair. Lei couldn’t allow her eyes to focus on Steven long enough to even process his presence. He was such a nonfactor to her, she hoped to completely erase him from her memory one day.
“Well, hello there,” Lei greeted, locking eyes with Royalty.
“Hi.”
