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“Absolutely. I love you, Nesha Henderson Guilman. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow at five, baby.”
“I can’t wait either,” I said as I lay on his chest.
I almost didn’t want to let go of him. We’d been living together for a while, and I just wanted to lay in his arms tonight. Who said we had to follow tradition and be apart the night before the wedding? I took a deep breath and released him. He kissed my lips and made his way to his friend Nate. That guy was every bit of six feet ten inches. He was taller than Lennox, and he was six eight like Uncle Storm.
I’d noticed that Nate had been paying quite a bit of attention to Jessica. The problem with that was that she was supposed to be with Decklan. She hadn’t told me of any issues, but I noticed they had barely said two words to each other tonight. I just hoped they hadn’t brought their issues to our wedding. Jessica would never do anything to ruin my day, but Decklan was a different story.
He was quiet, for the most part, but I also noticed he was sneaky as hell. One time I’d seen a text he sent Lennox about some woman. It had shown up on Lennox’s lock screen. I wanted to tell Jessica, but I didn’t want to get involved in their drama. Jessica was a very smart woman. However, I told Lennox I saw it and that he’d better tell his brother to get his shit together before I told Jess. He said he relayed the message.
I looked around the barn to see my mama, Sharon, and Olivia, sitting at a table talking. I loved their relationship. It was beautiful and something I never thought I would see. My family was perfect. My dad should have been dead. He shouldn’t have even been here to walk me down the aisle.Thank God for sparing him.An arm slid around my shoulders, and I knew it was Dad. I could smell his cologne.
“You ready for tomorrow, baby?”
I stared up at him and let a tear fall. “It just seems like a beautiful dream that I don’t want to wake up from.”
“I’m so happy for you. Lennox is a good man.”
I hugged him and lay against him as he continued talking. “Jen, Chrissy, Keisha, and Chas got all that chicken stuffed and ready to fry tomorrow. Your mothers will get all the real flowers out tomorrow, and J. Paul will be here to play for the reception. I’m not saying I will, but if I cry tomorrow, just turn the other way.”
I chuckled. “Daddy, when no one else was there for me growing up, you stepped up to the plate and did what a father was supposed to do. With all the bullshit you went through, seeing you take your rightful place has been rewarding and overwhelming at the same time. You deserve all the good things that come your way. You taught me so much, and I hope to teach my kids everything you taught me, if I have any.”
He kissed my forehead. “I see you tryna make me cry tonight instead.”
“Wesley Henderson Junior is a hell of a man, and I don’t mind telling anyone that. I’m not trying to make you cry, Daddy. Just stating the facts.”
He hugged me tighter as I felt him take a deep breath. Tomorrow would be extremely difficult. I already knew I would cry all my makeup off. When he released me from his arms, Jessica looped her arm through mine. Daddy smiled at her. “Take my baby home or somewhere to relax. Don’t worry about a thing, Nesha. We have everything. All you have to do is show up to marry your groom.”
I smiled at my daddy then kissed his cheek. “Bye, Daddy.”
“See you later, Uncle WJ,” Jessica said.
We left out of the barn, and I could see her stealing glances toward Lennox and the guys. As soon as we got to her car, I turned to her. “Now what’s up with you and Decklan?”
She rolled her eyes, but I could see that she was hurt. “He wants to entertain too many people… women in particular. He can kiss my ass. Every time I’m out of town, I’m wondering about who he could possibly be with. That shouldn’t be a worry if he’s my man. He can go fuck whoever he’s entertaining because he ain’t getting no more of my cookies until he proves that he’s serious about us.”
I lowered my head, knowing that it had to be hard for her to have to walk with him at the wedding. “I’m sorry, Jess. When did this start?”
“I noticed a change in him a couple months ago. He would go a couple of days without talking to me and blame it on his job or my job, and a woman called him while we were out to dinner one night. I’d never even heard him mention anyone named Stacy. I’m not an insecure bitch, but I go with my gut. My gut telling me that he fucking around, and I ain’t got time for it, especially when that fucking tall drink of water in there likes what he sees.”
She was talking about Nate. I didn’t know him that well, but I could see where this could possibly end up. The ending didn’t look pretty. “Jess, just be careful. You need to have a conversation with Decklan or break up with him. Don’t go into something with Nate before ending things with Decklan.”
She frowned as she drove to her mom’s house. “What the fuck you talking about, Nesha? I broke up with his ass before coming here. That’s why we aren’t talking. That’s why we didn’t drive here together. Fuck him. I like him a lot… maybe even love him, but he fucking with my got damn feelings like he don’t feel the same way. He already doesn’t communicate like he should, and it has only gotten worse the past couple of months. We aren’t married. I don’t have to be patient and wait for him to get his shit together.”
I slowly shook my head. “Have you tried asking him what was going on?”
“On several occasions. We ain’t built shit together. We haven’t even said I love you. If he doesn’t want to talk, then what the fuck I need to hang around for?”
Jessica’s mouth was typical of the Hendersons. She cursed a lot, especially when she was angry or hurt. Like every other word was a curse word it seemed. According to my dad, Aunt Jenahra was the same way as a young woman, until Uncle Joseph broke her. She turned to the Lord and got saved, then submerged herself in the church when she was really covering up something bigger. I believed that was why Jessica was so adamant about not taking shit off nobody. Her dad nearly killed her mom.
Although Jessica and I never really talked about him, I knew that she’d suffered some verbal abuse from him. She didn’t come out of that household unscathed. While Aunt Jen did her best to protect her and help her boost her self-esteem as a beautiful, voluptuous woman, it didn’t stop some of the hurtful things said to her from penetrating. She was carrying hurt, and she guarded herself from anything that slightly resembled that.
We remained quiet until we got to Aunt Jen’s house. Before we could get out, I turned to her. “Jess, I love you. I’m sorry that he doesn’t realize what a beautiful, loving, and sweet woman looks like.”
“Yeah, but I bet he knows what an angry, broken, mean woman looks like. That’s all he’s seen this past week. When I got back from the Bahamas, he forgot to pick me up from the airport. He’s definitely fucking somebody else, and I refuse to continue to be cheated on. I don’t think I would ever trust him after this.”
We got out of the car as Decaurey, my stepbrother, turned in the driveway. When he got out of the car, he said, “Hell naw! We finna turn up! Y’all can rest when you die.”
I stared at him and scanned him from his cowboy hat down to his boots. “And where do you suggest we go?” Jessica asked then laughed.
