Chapter 3
Fuck. Why the hell does he still look so damn good?
Ever since the moment we all yelled surprise, I couldn’t stop my eyes from finding Oak through the sea of people, soaking him in a little more each time.
I found comfort in knowing my curious eyes weren’t alone.
After all, it was his welcome home party.
Everyone in attendance was there to see him—the man of the hour.
The minute his eyes landed on mine through the crowd, everything stopped.
No music. No chatter. Nothing. The inside of my head was quiet enough to hear a gnat’s ass cheeks clapping.
Everything about him—his militant posture, the disciplined look in his eyes, and even the way he walked—commanded respect.
Even the bounds of reality seemed to bend the knee to his will, at least in my head they did.
Why the fuck did he have to come home right before my wedding?
Pat and I had become the epitome of couple goals since he’d come into my life.
Well, for the most part. He took care of me and allowed me to follow my dream as an entrepreneur, running my freelance graphic design business from home, and I brought balance and peace to his fast-paced life—fitting the aesthetic of the picture-perfect wifey-to-be.
Oak was nothing but an unnecessary distraction.
Liv walked up to me and bumped her hip against mine, jarring me out of my daydream. “Is there a reason you don’t have a drink in your hand?”
I swung my head. “Nope. No reason at all. I think I am kinda mad at you, though.”
“Get in line behind Oak.”
“Why’s he mad at you?” I quizzed, delaying my personal feelings.
“For telling him this was more of a small dinner than a full-blown shindig.”
I scoffed. “Which is the exact reason I’m mad at your lyin’ ass too. I mean, look at me. I could’ve dressed better for the occasion had I known what the actual occasion was.”
“I’m sorry, but I knew if I told you what Mama and I were planning, you’d give me shit about not coming, and I needed you here.”
I rolled my eyes. “Mm-hmm. Sure you did. I know you can’t breathe without me.”
Liv snickered. “Shut up. Look at him over there getting his head talked off by my godfather. I should go save him, huh?”
“Yeah. I’m going to run inside and go to the bathroom.”
“Okay, we’ll be cutting his cake soon and making him give a speech, and I need you to record it, so don’t miss it.”
“Okay. I won’t,” I said over my shoulder as I headed inside.
I made my way into the house and to the bathroom to take care of business.
With a wet and crumbled piece of paper towel clutched in my hand, I made my way out of the basement bathroom and headed toward the sliding glass door to go back outside to rejoin the party.
The instant my hand reached out for the handle, the door slid open, landing me face to face with the guest of honor—the only person at the party I didn’t want to be alone with.
He flashed his knee-weakening smile at me. “Alexis, wassup?”
My lashes beat softly as my gaze aligned with his. Air whizzed over my teeth. “Oh, um, hey, Oak.”
“It’s been a minute. Can a nigga at least get a welcome home church hug or somethin’?” he asked before outstretching his arms.
I couldn’t help but giggle, relieved that he’d managed to break the awkward ice between us within seconds.
I stepped into his hard body and wrapped my arms around his waist. He instantly lifted me off my feet.
The scent of smoky vanilla and a hint of musk on his skin and clothing wafted past my nose as he gently spun my five-foot-three frame around in a quick, 360-degree turn.
I held him tighter as my eyes squinted with laughter before my feet kissed the ground again.
“Congrats, by the way,” I sputtered out in a rattled breath as I tried to ease away.
He dipped his chin, holding onto me for a second before finally releasing me. “Thank you. It means a lot that you came.”
“You know Liv didn’t give me much of a choice. She said it was gonna be a Gray family dinner, not a Gray family reunion.”
He chuckled, flashing me a glimpse of his bright, white smile. “So, she hit you with the okey doke too, huh?”
“Yup, pretty much.”
“How have you been, though? Life treating you good?”
I looked up at him while nodding. “Yeah. It’s good. Really good, actually.”
“I can see that,” he said, glancing down at the diamond engagement ring wrapped around my finger. “You’re getting married?”
“Mm-hmm. In three months,” I announced.
“Well, look at you, all grown up and shit. That’s what’s up, Lex. I’m happy for you.”
The deepness of his voice danced on my nerves for some reason. I couldn’t tell if he was genuinely happy for me or just saying shit people felt like they were supposed to say when good things happened to others.
“Thanks. So, do you have big plans now that you’re out of the Navy?”
“I’m stayin’ with Liv for the next few months while my house is being built. Then after that, who knows? I’m taking things one day at a time right now.”
“Gotcha.”
“Since I’ll be around, does this mean I get an invite to the big day?”
“Oh, um. I wasn’t sure that was something you’d want to, er, um, y’know, come to.”
“Why not?” he inquired, his cocoa-brown eyes peering down at me.
I flashed my eyes up at him, a bit stunned that he didn’t already know the answer to his question. Or maybe he did and wanted me to state the obvious.
“Oak, . . . I think we both know why.”
“I mean, that was a long time ago.”
“I know that.”
“Does Liv . . .” he started to ask before his voice trailed off.
I quickly shook my head before cutting him off. “No. She doesn’t. No one does, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Then it’s no problem. I just wasn’t sure if after all these years, you’d slipped up and told her that I—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Liv opened the sliding door. “Hey, Mama’s ready for you to cut your welcome home cake and make your speech,” she interrupted with her eyes dead set on her brother.
“Speech? What speech?” Oak quizzed.
“Y’know, all you gotta do is say thank you for coming, and eat, drink, and be merry. I don’t know. Think of something on your way to the mic! Let’s go! Mama’s getting antsy, and I don’t wanna hear her mouth,” she griped.
“You’d better get out there,” I told him.
“You’re coming too,” Liv insisted.
“Okay, okay. I’m right behind you,” I told her.
“Everything good, girl?” she quizzed as we walked back outside behind Oak.
“Me? Y—yeah, Liv. I’m good. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“What were you and Oak talking about?”
I swung my head. “Oh, nothing. Just small talk. He asked if he was getting an invite to the wedding.”
She snickered. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“What’d you say?”
“Nothing, really. I mean, I didn’t think he’d even be around. And now that he’s back, . . . I guess he can come as your plus one if you want.”
“My brother as my plus one? Ew. No.”
I giggled. “Fine, then. I guess he’s gonna have to sit this one out.”
I tried not to show how relieved I was with her response, but on the inside, I wanted to do a praise dance and backflips around the backyard.
To be honest, I’d buried all my childhood feelings for Oak deep down inside me to where I rarely thought about him.
But the moment we were face to face, everything resurfaced to the point where I kept questioning if I’d even be able to make it down the aisle knowing he was in the crowd watching me.