6. Major
I’d given Bo strict instructions to check Dynastie’s temperature and give me a heads-up about her mood.
About fifteen minutes ago, he sent a text with a picture of a block of ice, which told me everything I needed to know.
I didn’t expect her to be all warm and fuzzy, but I thought Bo’s calm demeanor and welcoming spirit would warm her up.
My phone rang with a FaceTime call, and I smiled when I saw Freya’s name. She acted like she couldn’t talk to me unless she could see my face, and since she was my heart, I answered. She and Maja were the only two people I’d answer a FaceTime call for.
“What’s up, Baby Sis?” I answered.
“Nothing. Whatchu doing?”
“Waiting for Bo to drop Dynastie off.”
“I still can’t believe you finally reached out to her, but I’m glad you did.”
“Technically, Brax reached out on some business shit.”
“Business? That’s not what you told me the other day. You made it sound like you were finally ready to get your woman back.”
“I know I didn’t give you all the details—”
“Or any of them, apparently.”
“Okay. I didn’t give you any details, but I was still shocked she agreed.”
“Well, I’m listening.”
I shared the details of the project I wanted to work on with Dynastie, as well as the documentary.
There were some parts of my story I’d have to get my sister’s permission to share because they involved a part of her life we rarely talked about.
I wouldn’t bring it up now, because I didn’t want to make the moment heavy.
“That sounds dope, Maje.”
“She wasn’t with it at first and turned Brax down right away. I’m not sure what changed her mind, but I’m grateful.”
“Dynastie is the perfect person to co-write this with you, but y’all have a lot to sort through.”
“I know, and since she agreed to do it, I hope she’s open to sorting through it.”
“Have you told Maja about her? She might only be five, but she acts like she pays your bills.”
“Not too much on my baby, but ironically, a few weeks ago, she asked me why me, her, and Rahkia didn’t live in one house like a real family.
I explained to her that her mother and I were just friends, but we were still a real family.
Of course, it didn’t end there. She asked if I wanted to get married to a different woman and if she would have a bonus mom like her friend.
I told her that there was a woman who I loved very much, and hopefully, she’d get to meet her one day. ”
“You see what I’m talking about? She’s just grown for no damn reason, and clearly, her friends are too because what kinda conversations they be having for Maja to know all that?”
We laughed because it was true. At five years old, the last thing she and her friend should be talking about was their parents’ relationships. I talked to my sister for a while longer, then I heard the front door close.
“I think she’s here. I’ll call you later,” I told her.
“Okay, Brother. I love you and good luck.”
“Thanks. I love you too.”
I stood from the couch, and my intent was to meet Dynastie at the door, but my feet suddenly felt like I had on cement shoes, and I couldn’t move. Low whispers could be heard before the door opened and closed again, followed by silence.
Finally, I stopped acting like a bitch and went to greet the woman I hoped would be my future wife. A lot of time might have passed, but my feelings remained the same, and I hoped hers did too. I rounded the corner, and there was no time to prepare myself to see the beauty before me.
She’d changed, but in the best way. Her skin was the shade of brown sugar, and the brown sundress she wore matched her skin tone perfectly.
Her hair was big and framed her face, breasts full, lips thick, waist slim enough for me to wrap my big hands around, ass round, and thighs juicy.
I used to think it wasn’t possible for her to be more beautiful, but damn, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
She hadn’t moved away from the door and was checking out her surroundings. Since she hadn’t noticed me, I watched her for a moment as she looked to her left and up at the vaulted ceilings. When she finally looked to her right, her almond-shaped eyes behind a pair of glasses, landed on mine.
I noticed her body stiffen for a moment before she relaxed.
Neither of us spoke, nor did we look away, for what felt like hours, but it was probably only ten seconds.
While our eyes were still glued to one another’s, I took slow steps toward her.
When I was close enough to inhale her sweet aroma, I took her hands in mine, shocked that she didn’t snatch them away.
It felt like a lifetime since the last time I’d touched her, and her hands were still as soft as I remembered. I brought them to my mouth and kissed the back of each, reveling in the fact that she’d allowed me to touch her.
“Lovie, I missed you,” I finally said.
Her eyes filled with tears, and I couldn’t bear to see her cry, so I pulled her against my body, and she took off her glasses and buried her face in my chest. Her actions gave me the green light to embrace her, and the only way I could describe this feeling was . . . home. She felt like home.
When her arms went around my waist, I gently rubbed her back with one hand while the other was tangled in her mass of curls, massaging her scalp.
I wasn’t sure how long we stood in the entryway of my home, soaking up the first few moments of being in each other’s presence again, but the time was necessary.
“I need to use the bathroom,” she murmured against my chest.
I loosened the hold I had on her and pointed in the direction she should go.
“It’s right around this corner to your left.”
Without looking at me, she stepped away, then headed in that direction. Since she didn’t know where the living room was, I waited for her, and a few minutes later, she reappeared, looking slightly revived and wearing her glasses again.
“That wasn’t how this was supposed to go,” was the first thing out of her mouth.
Gone was the woman who’d wet the front of my shirt with her tears. Based on her defensive stance and tone of voice, she was about to give me the business.
“I think it went exactly the way it should have. C’mere.”
“My hand is itching to go across your face, so I’m good over here. As a matter of fact, I should’ve made Mr. Bo take me to my parents’ house.”
“I thought you might make that request, but he had strict instructions to bring you to me.”
“Well, this is the last place I want to be. Take me to my parents’ house.”
“I’m not taking you anywhere. We need to have a conversation.”
“Oh, now that you want your little memoir done, we need to have a conversation?”
“Honestly, I don’t give a fuck about that memoir. The only thing I care about is me, you, and the long overdue conversation we’re about to have.”
“Is this conversation that’s suddenly so pressing the one we should’ve had when you got another woman pregnant?”
“Lovie—”
“Don’t Lovie me. Every day that we haven’t spoken was a day you could’ve reached out to have this conversation.
If it wasn’t important enough back then, or in all the years since, for you to pick up the phone, send a text, write a letter, or hop on a flight, then it’s not important now. Take me to my parents’ house.”
She walked to the front door, where her luggage was still located, and stood next to the largest suitcase with her arms folded across her chest. The mean mug she wore was cute as hell, but if I cracked a smile right now, it would upset her even more.
I walked toward her, and as I got closer, she stepped back until she hit the wall. She tilted her head to look up at me, and without realizing it, my hand went around her neck.
It wasn’t until she gasped that I realized what I was doing. My grip wasn’t tight, and by the expression on Dynastie’s face, she was right where she wanted to be.
I leaned in until my lips covered hers, and before my tongue requested entrance into her mouth, she opened it willingly. Her lips felt better than I remembered, and kissing her took me to a place I could have stayed forever.
I released her neck and cupped her ass, lifting her and carrying her to the living room. Our lips didn’t part until I pulled away to place her on the couch. I stood in front of her, and the erection under my shorts was at her eye level.
“You see what you do to me?” I asked as I adjusted my dick.
“I don’t know why I keep letting you get close to me, because you are my least favorite person in the world.”
“You know that’s not true.”
“It is true. You were sneaky and dishonest when you didn’t have to be, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get over how you played in my face. This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have agreed to do this. Can you please take me home?”
Her eyes filled with tears again, and I sat next to her, putting my arm over her shoulder and pulling her close. After what she’d just said, I was surprised she allowed it, but her emotions were all over the place.
“As far as I’m concerned, you’re home, baby.”
“Major—”
“Lovie, please. I know I fucked up and you have every right to be pissed at me, but can you let me explain and apologize?”
She blew out a breath as if agreeing to hear me out was the hardest thing she’d ever done.
“Your explanation and apology could’ve been done years ago, but fine. Go ahead and say what you need to say.”
She lifted her head from my shoulder and slipped her fingers underneath her glasses to wipe her tears.
“Would you mind moving to the other end of the couch? It’s hard to stay angry at you when you’re so close, and right now, you only deserve my anger,” she continued.
That stung a little, but I understood and respected her stance. In the long run, it didn’t mean a damn thing, because it was only a matter of time before my face and dick would be buried deep in her pussy.
I moved to the other end of the couch, and she got comfortable in the corner, turning her body toward mine and tucking her feet underneath her.
“Let me start by saying I take the blame for everything that happened. I’m—”
“As you should.”
“I never wanted to hurt you, Lovie. I’m sorry for the choices I made and the way I handled the outcome of those choices. I’m sorry I wasn’t man enough to apologize until now. When you left for school, the plan was for you to be gone for two years. We agreed—”
“I didn’t really agree but followed your lead anyway.”
“It’s been a long time since we’ve talked about this—”
“Or anything else, considering we haven’t talked in six years.”
I let my head fall forward and took a deep breath. Her attitude was full throttle now, but I deserved it.
“Lovie, I know you got a lot of shit to say, but please stop interrupting me.”
“Fine. I’ll keep my comments to myself.”
“I know that’s a lie, so let me get right to it.
You were only supposed to be gone for two years, but every time I thought you were coming home, you had another reason to stay away.
I was proud of you, and I wanted you to reach your goals, but at the same time, I wanted you by my side. Baby, I needed you with me.”
“Major, I—”
“No, Lovie. Let me finish. We agreed not to let anything get in the way of us pursuing our dreams, and that included each other. I set my needs and wants aside and supported you the same way you supported me. I mentally readjusted and prepared for another two years without touching you and seeing you in the flesh every day. It was hard, but we made it through.”
“Then I got the internship,” she said.
I nodded as I realized things were beginning to click for her.
“Right. It was an opportunity you couldn’t pass up, and I didn’t want you to, but it was yet another reason you couldn’t come back to me.”
“By then, our schedules were more demanding, and we talked and saw each other less and less.”
“I hated the distance between us, but I kept telling myself it wouldn’t be like that forever. You were the only one I wanted, and us not having a title was never about either of us having the freedom to be with other people.”
“I didn’t believe you or understand why you thought no title was a good thing, but over time, it made sense. What we had worked for us, and I thought it always would.”
“You left, and before I knew it, five years had passed, and I was only mentally prepared for you to be gone for two. I knew the magazine would offer you a permanent job once they saw how talented you were. I’d never stop encouraging you to pursue your dreams, but I wanted you here, and your time away no longer had an expiration date. ”
“We promised each other that if the distance became too much, we would say something. If you wanted to start dating, all you had to do was tell me,” she said, as if it were that simple.
“How do you tell the woman you love, who you still plan to build a life with, that you’re about to fuck somebody else because she’s too busy pursuing the dreams you encouraged her to go after?”
Her response wasn’t immediate, and I was glad because I wanted her to sit with my question for a minute.
“I don’t know, because it would’ve hurt me just the same, but I’m sure there was a better way to handle it than ghosting me.”
“I thought I knew what I was doing and handling everything right, but I was clueless. I fucked up, baby, and once the deed was done, the guilt ate me up.”