Ten
Ace
I had fun today... But if I was being honest my favorite part was the kiss I shared with Kema. I knew I wanted her. Hell at this point she knew I wanted her but kissing her with everybody watching did something to me. Then she jumped off that cliff with me even though she was scared.
Watching her face her fears with me meant the world to me. I liked that she trusted me enough to know that I had her back and that I wouldn't let anything happen to her.
"Kema, can I ask you something?
"Wassup?"
“What you meant earlier when you said you didn’t have anybody to bury you?”
Kema looked over at me. “Exactly what I said. I grew up in foster care. I bounced around until I aged out.”
I stared at her realizing we were more alike then I ever knew. I thought when she said she didn’t have family, she meant they weren’t close. Not that she literally didn’t have anybody. Maybe that was why my soul felt like it knew her when I met her.
She shook her head. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Feel sorry for me.”
“I don’t feel sorry for you, Kema. This may sound crazy, but I understand you now. More than I did before.”
"How?”
“I told you my parents were addicts but what I didn't tell you was I watched my mom do anything for a fix before my grandparents stepped in. I would've rather been in foster care cause it's some shit you can't heal from or unsee."
She stared at me for a few seconds before looking away.
"I get it,” she finally said. “But at least you have your sister. I don’t have siblings.
My last name came from one of the families I stayed with, which is why I got mixed feelings about that shit too.
It’s mine, but it reminds me of a part of my life I’d rather forget. ”
“You ever thought about changing it?”
“Plenty of times.”
“Why haven’t you?”
“Because it’s the only thing I have.”
I understood that too. There were parts of my childhood I wouldn’t choose, but they still belonged to me. I squeezed her hand. “I get it.”
And I did. Maybe that was what I’d been feeling with Kema this whole time. We came from different shit, but somewhere along the way we both learned how to make a life out of what we were given.
After our heart to heart Kema went back to being herself. “Ugh, I have mud in my hair.”
I wanted to laugh, but I wasn’t trying to have her come out of that bathroom on my ass. Plus, we only had two hours to get ready. “You need help?” I asked.
“With washing my hair?”
“Yeah.”
Kema stepped back into the doorway and looked at me. “You know how to wash a woman’s hair?”
“I have a sister.”
“That doesn’t mean she let you touch her hair.”
“True but my nieces do.”
Her whole expression softened, “aww, you wash your nieces’ hair?”
I nodded, “When they let me.”
“Okay then, Uncle Ace." She crooked her finger at me. "Come help me.”
Ten minutes later, I had Kema standing underneath the shower while I worked shampoo through her hair in sections.
She’d spent the first five minutes giving me instructions, but eventually she shut up and let me do what I was doing.
As I massaged her scalp, she moaned and leaned back against me, making it even harder for me to just wash her hair.
I was already struggling being in the shower with her, and that little moan didn’t help. I ran my hands down her body and kissed her shoulder. Her head fell back against me, and when she turned around and kissed me, washing her hair became the last thing either of us was thinking about.
The next twenty minutes were spent against the shower wall, completely forgetting we had somewhere to be.
I could’ve stayed in there with her all night, but eventually Kema reminded me that Sierra would probably send somebody looking for us if we didn’t get our asses downstairs.
Somehow, I was going to get blamed for making us late even though she had been just as distracted as me.
When we finished in the shower, she got out and sat on the edge of the tub while I rinsed the last of the conditioner from her hair. “You’re surprisingly good at this,” she said.
“Surprisingly?”
“You don’t look like you know anything about conditioner.”
“What does somebody who knows about conditioner look like?”
“Not you.”
I squeezed some water over her head. “Ace!”
“Stop talking shit.”
She laughed, and I smiled before wrapping a towel around her hair. I wanted more moments like this. Regular shit. Helping her wash mud out of her hair. Listening to her complain. Making her laugh. That scared me more than fucking her ever could.
By the time we made it downstairs, we were only thirty minutes late, but Stephen and Sierra hadn't made it yet. The private dining area had been decorated with candles, white flowers, and pictures of Sierra and Stephen throughout their relationship.
Kema wore a fitted orange dress that made it hard for me to focus on anything else. The second we walked in, Markel looked at her. I noticed. So did Tiana. Kema either didn’t notice or didn’t care. She kept her hand in mine while we found our seats.
Dinner was relaxed at first. Everybody ate, drank, and shared stories about Sierra and Stephen. Then Stephen stood and thanked everyone for traveling to Cancún to celebrate with them. “To my future wife,” he said, raising his glass. “Thank you for choosing me.”
Sierra wiped beneath her eyes while everybody toasted. A few other people spoke before Stephen looked at me. “Ace?”
I frowned. “What?”
“You’ve known both of us long enough. Say something.”
“I’m good.”
Kema nudged my leg beneath the table. “Get up.”
I looked at her. “You volunteering me?”
“Yes.”
Everybody laughed as I stood and lifted my glass. “I didn’t prepare anything, so blame Kema if this shit is terrible.”
“You’re welcome,” she said.
I looked at Sierra and Stephen. “I’ve known y’all for years, and one thing I can say is neither one of you ever gave up on the other.
Even when things weren’t perfect, you figured it out.
” My eyes drifted toward Kema. “Sometimes the right person comes into your life at the wrong time. You might overlook them or convince yourself there are too many reasons it won’t work. ”
Kema held my gaze. “But if you’re lucky, wrong timing finally becomes right timing.”
The room went quiet. I cleared my throat and looked back at the couple. “Congratulations. I hope y’all keep choosing each other.”
Everyone raised their glasses, but Kema continued staring at me when I sat down. “What?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
“You’re looking at me like it’s something.”
“That speech wasn’t only about Sierra and Stephen.”
I picked up my drink. “Maybe it was.”
“And maybe you’re full of shit.”
I laughed. “Maybe.”
After dinner, music started playing and everybody moved around the room. Kema and I stepped outside onto the terrace for some air. “You meant what you said?” she asked.
“About what?”
“Wrong timing.”
I rested my arms against the railing. “Yeah.”
She stood beside me. “You think that’s us?”
I turned toward her. “I think I’m having a hard time remembering we’re supposed to be pretending.”
Kema’s expression changed, but she didn’t look away. “This week was supposed to be fake,” I continued. “But none of it feels fake to me.”
“It doesn’t feel fake to me either.”
I stepped closer. “You sober?”
She smiled. “Completely.”
“Good.”
I cupped her face and kissed her. There was no audience. No Markel watching and no reason to put on a show. It was just us. When the kiss ended, Kema rested her forehead against mine. “We’re making this complicated,” she whispered.
“It was already complicated when you gave me some pussy and told me to fake the funk.”
She laughed softly. “You might be right.”
“I usually am.”
“And there you go ruining the moment.”
I kissed her forehead. “Come on. You look tired.”
We went back inside long enough for Kema to hug Sierra and say goodnight. As she headed toward the elevators, I told her I would meet her upstairs. Sierra waited until Kema was gone before turning to me. “What are you planning?”
“Why do you assume I’m planning something?”
“Because you’ve been looking suspicious all night.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. “I rented a private island for tomorrow morning.”
Her eyes widened. “You did what?”
“I want to take Kema somewhere away from everybody for a few hours.”
“You rented an entire island?”
“It’s small.”
“That does not make it normal.”
“I didn’t ask if it was normal. I’m asking if you need her for anything in the morning.”
Sierra studied me before smiling. “You really like her.”
“Yeah.”
“Does she know?”
“She will tomorrow.”
Sierra glanced toward the elevators. “Fine. Take her.”
“Appreciate it.”
“But have her back by noon the next day. That’s the day of my wedding, Ace. I’m not playing with yo ass.”
I nodded. “She’ll be back by noon.”
“She better be.”
I slipped my phone into my pocket and headed toward the elevators. Tomorrow, Kema and I were going somewhere with no wedding party, no ex-boyfriends, and no reason to pretend. Just me and her.