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“Don’t do that. She was excited to be here.”
Chuckling, I admitted, “I was too… until you started up with this.”
“Look, I’m not trying to ruin your mood. I was upset over that and wanted to let you know so it won’t happen again.”
“I can respect that, I’m just trying to figure out where this is coming from because you’re not the kind of man who insecurely gets upset over something that’s been going on literally since you met me.”
Our eyes locked as he remained silent for seconds on end. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to decide whether he wanted to be completely honest or not. When I was over the conversation, I tried to leave, but he gripped my arm. Usually, I tried to avoid disagreements with Darron at all costs. Even if it meant I suffered from dis-ease within myself, I held back to keep the peace. If it came down to my daughter, my mother, or my best friend and his son, the meek Amelia went away.
“All right,” he surrendered, pulling me back in front of him. “My brother’s wife left him last night. For her business partner at that. A man she was with daily, had in their home… all of that. She swore there was nothing going on between them, but obviously, that was a lie. Last night was the first time in a decade since our mother died that I heard my brother cry and it fucked with me. That’s why I spent the evening working. I needed the distraction.”
I wrapped my arms around him, softening against him. “Why didn’t you tell me, baby?”
“I didn’t want to unload that on you.”
“I’m your woman. That’s what I’m here for.”
His head tilted as he released a shaky breath. “I know, but last night, I was having a weak moment and needed to be to myself. So when you told me you were leaving to go to his house, it was a trigger I guess. I spent the rest of the night convincing myself you were cheating on me with him.”
The laugh I released was one of disbelief, not amusement. Standing on the tips of my toes, I gave him a sweet kiss.
“Baby, I really wish you would have said something. All of this could have been avoided. I promise there is nothing sexual going on between me and Ru, and there never has been. We value our friendship far too much for that. Plus, our kids are like sister and brother. Nothing is worth messing our little family up, especially sex.”
He nodded, pulling me closer. “I believe you, darling. I apologize for projecting their situation onto us and doubting you.”
“Promise me that if you ever have a moment like that, you’ll communicate with me. Even if you want to be by yourself, don’t shut me out, okay?”
“Okay,” he agreed, before reconnecting his lips with mine.
We kissed and held each other close for a while before I left so he could get dressed. When he joined Alisia and me, we finished our breakfast and made plans for the day. To further apologize, though I told him it wasn’t necessary, he set up a day of fun for the three of us. It was appreciated, because I honestly didn’t know how dinner with Daddy was going to go…
Four
Amelia
“You’ve been quieter than usual,” Darron noticed as we pulled up to the estate Daddy shared with his wife Mina.
“Are you really surprised?”
With a low chuckle, Darron took my hand into his. “If you don’t want to do this, we don’t have to, darling.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to. I’m just nervous.”
He didn’t have to ask why. I’d shared my tattered family history with Darron during our get-to-know-you stage.
“Are you going to be brave and do it anyway, or shall I have Winston drive us away?”
I looked at the iron doors for a beat before telling him, “Let’s get this over with.”
His smile was soft as he nodded and unbuckled his seatbelt. This was always the case when I visited Daddy. I’d be happy about the chance to spend time with him before it was actually time to see him. When it was, I would dread the visit. Almost always, he said something to remind me I was far more desperate for a relationship with him, his love, and his approval than he was to be in my life fully. Tonight was even more anxiety-inducing because Darron was with me. There was no telling what Daddy would say about the man I was comfortably involved with.
Daddy was married when he wined, dined, and wooed my mother. Technically, they were separated, but he always planned to get her back—and that was a fact he didn’t share with my mother. From their whirlwind affair, they got the forever gift of me. Mina hated the fact that Daddy’s separation affair resulted in a child.
It was twice as bad because I was a girl, and that’s what he wanted from her next. Unfortunately, extremely heavy bleeding led to an emergency hysterectomy that resulted in her not being able to carry any more children, and my father winning them a ten-million-dollar lawsuit against the hospital who did the procedure without their consent. One would think that would have made Daddy cherish having me even more, but that wasn’t the case.
Jeremy was three when I was born. I wish I could say he was the best big brother a girl could ask for but nope, not even close. Since childhood, our relationship had been strained. There are times I feel as if he merely tolerates me and others he acts like he can’t stand me. Very rarely does he treat me like a loving big brother should, but when he does, I cherish those moments.
Even without a close relationship with my father and brother, Daddy made sure I didn’t want for anything financially. He took care of me and Mama as best as he could. A caveat to getting back with Mina was that she never felt as if she was splitting him between two homes. Mama cut her heart off toward him the moment she found out he was married, so they never had a physical relationship again. She tolerated him because of me until I was eighteen, and after that, she never spoke to him again unless it was for emergencies.
