AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s Morris,” she cheesed.
“Moe with the beard that’s the lawyer at Valentine Law?”
“Yep, one and the same. And can I say that he is finer and that beard is even more beautiful than it was when we first met?”
Cam was a guest at Samuel’s welcome home party and was introduced to Morris. Cam and Morris were spades partners at the party and they beat several teams until Kerem and I sat down. We didn’t beat them easily, but we did win. Cam talked about Morris and his beard for at least a month after the party.
“I know that beard is amazing. I saw him the other day when I was in their building. He told me he’d gotten custody of the girls and they were moving into a new place. Have you seen him with any females?”
“Nope, I’ve only seen him with his girls. I’ve seen the girls’ mother, but she comes over with a guy that never gets out of the truck. I assume he’s her boyfriend.”
“Moe mentioned that his kids’ mother was with someone else, so that’s probably him. Does he remember you?”
“Yeah, he spoke to me first. He said he remembered me from the party,” she shimmied.
“I guess you left a lasting impression.”
“What other impressions would I leave? I’m unforgettable!” she laughed.
“What’s the play?”
“Nothing. He’s preoccupied with being a dad, and that’s cool. We chit chat when we see each other, but that’s about as far as it is going to go.”
“You sure you don’t want to see how soft that beard really is?”
“Hell yeah, I wanna see! I’ve had dreams about that beard,” she said as we high fived.
“I know that’s right!” I laughed.
“I don’t know. I can’t see that happening now, especially with him raising his girls, but he is nice to look at.”
“He’s so sweet too, Cam. He really cares about his daughters.”
“I know. I do like him, but for now, I will chill. Come on so I can wash your hair,” Cam finished.
I stood from the chair and followed Cam to the shampoo bowl. I walked past the flowers and took another look at them. They were beautiful, but it was going to take more than a bouquet of flowers to fix what he messed up.
5
“Miss Keeva Patterson,” I heard the baritone voice say from behind me.
I stood at a tall table at the smoothie shop in the same neighborhood asRock-A-Bye Babynumber two. I scrolled through social media while I sipped my tropical fruit smoothie with a scoop of protein and apple juice. It had been a couple weeks since the slapping incident. Kerem and I hadn’t spoken despite his best efforts to call and text. I was embarrassed for getting so angry, and I was mad that he was the only person on earth that could piss me off enough to act like an MMA fighter.
I had no idea what my next move would be concerning my relationship with Kerem. My emotions were all over the place, and I didn’t know how to ground myself. Normal everyday things seemed impossible to do sometimes because I was so consumed with our situation.
I’d stalked Tara’s social media pages trying to see if she was stupid enough to post something about Kerem. I hoped that she would tag her location so I could pop up and release all of my frustrations on her. I wasn’t a fighter at all, but in this situation, it felt like fighting was the only thing that would make me feel better. I needed someone else to hurt as much as I did.
I turned around and saw a tall man with honey skin and a beautiful smile. I tilted my head after recognition hit me.
“Kenyatta Ellis?” I returned. “Oh, my gawd! What are you doing in Saint Louis?”
He opened his arms to hug me, and I quickly stepped into his embrace. His cologne was magnificent, and his hug was terrific.
I stepped back to examine him. He wore a dark blue suit with a light blue shirt and yellow tie. The mess of curls on the top of his head was coifed perfectly, and the sides were faded. He’d grown into an amazingly handsome man.
Kenyatta and I were friends since elementary school. We had classes together every year of high school and coached each other through tons of life crises. We attended the same college, but drifted apart and lost touch. Last I’d heard, he was married to Tretina, his college girlfriend, living on the west coast working for a large advertising firm.
“I’m here taking care of some business. You look good, Kiki,” he answered.
