15. Pearce
PEARCE
I sat on my couch with my phone in my hand confused as shit.
I had gone through my call log in search of a number, and I saw that Vanya had called me three days ago.
Only, the number wasn’t red, so it wasn’t a missed call.
And I didn’t talk to her. It only took two seconds for me to realize that it had to be Tasha.
She had been with me for the past four days.
Regardless of how I felt about what she did, I still went to comfort her when her mother over dosed.
That led to her coming home with me and me agreeing to pay for the funeral even though she had the money that my dad gave her to leave me.
Just another one of those good deeds I was trying to put out into the world.
I was by Tasha’s side when she picked out clothes for her mother, met with the funeral home director, and cleaned up her mother’s apartment.
I was there for moral support and nothing more.
Tasha slept in my bed, and I slept on the couch.
Of course, she didn’t like it, but there wasn’t really anything she could do about it.
I wasn’t interested in having sex with her.
While she was still grieving the death of her mother, I got word of Kalim’s death and for a good ten minutes it felt as if the world stopped spinning.
I wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t his fault that the Feds got ahold of him, but I was sure his connect didn’t care.
Kalim’s actions indirectly led them to the plug’s door.
A powerful drug lord that lived in Colombia but had a few homes in the states.
He was the kind to kick a bunny rabbit and rob Santa.
Luis was even more ruthless and evil than Kalim.
I was angrier at Kalim than I had ever been and still, I didn’t wish death on the man.
That was it. My father was no more. We’d never mend our relationship.
There would never be any apologies. No closure.
It was over. Just like that. Tasha entered the room with her phone in her hand.
She was truly devastated behind losing her mother.
She was barely eating. Just crying and sleeping, but that wasn’t going to stop me from what I was about to say to her ass.
“You answered my phone the other day?” I asked. Her lips parted, but no sound came out of her mouth as she stood there like a deer caught in headlights.
“Answered your phone?” she played dumb.
“Yeah, when Vanya called. I didn’t talk to her, but the call wasn’t missed.”
“Oh yeah. She called when you were in the shower. I forgot to tell you.”
“Since when do you answer my phone?”
“I used to answer your phone all the time.”
“Key word. Used to. We’re not together, and your hands shouldn’t be on my phone.” I wasn’t yelling or being disrespectful.
“You said the marriage to her was about protecting her from Kalim. You said it wasn’t real.”
“I also said we’re not back together, so why does it matter to you? You don’t know why she was calling. I don’t believe that you forgot to tell me. I was nice enough to let you into my space, and this is what you do?”
“Let me into your space?” she drew back. “I used to live here.”
“Key word is used to, nigga.” I felt myself about to get irritated, so I rubbed my temples. “Tasha, it’s been four days. I know you loved your mother, and you won’t be over her death anytime soon. Honestly, you’ll probably never get over it. But it’s time for you to bounce. I want my space back.”
Tears filled her eyes, but I wasn’t changing my mind.
She didn’t get to call any shots after she left my ass high and dry.
I admitted that she had the right to feel some kind of way about finding out how I made my money.
None of that justified her leaving me without a word, however.
I didn’t care how intimidating Kalim was.
She could have left town and called me after.
I would have gone wherever she was just to look her in the eyes and tell her Kalim didn’t dictate shit about my life.
But she didn’t give me the chance. Now, I was good on it.
“I really can’t believe you’re treating me like this. I get that you’re upset but it has to be because of her. I’m. not stupid, Pearce.”
“Okay what if it is because of her?” I stared in her face. “What if I want to talk to her, and I’m mad that you blocked that. What if I miss her? What if I just want to see how she’s doing?”
Tasha’s face crumpled. “All it took for you to fall in love with someone else was a month?” she sobbed.
“I don’t love her, Tash. I don’t. I don’t think I do, but I just…man, I don’t fucking know. I can’t sit here right now and tell you that I’m good with never seeing her again. Because I’m not.”
“Woooooooow,” she drawled dramatically. “You know. I think your father lowkey did us a favor. One month! That’s all it took for you to toss my ass to the side like trash and move on to someone else.
There’s no way you’re in love with me. There’s no way I’m your person.
You’re fighting harder for her than you did for me. ”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it. I went to your job.
I went by your mom’s apartment numerous times and when I finally caught her, I had to pay her to get her to talk.
Every time the phone rang, I thought it was you.
When I found out what happened, I went straight to my father.
I was pissed. He wanted me to kill Vanya, and I wanted to piss him off.
So, I protected her from him. She was a distraction from missing you.
Maybe she was a rebound at first, but,” I shook my head because I didn’t fucking know.
I didn’t understand how she came in so fast and snatched my heart just like that.
I didn’t want to choose. Had Tasha stayed gone I wouldn’t have to choose.
But I didn’t want to let Vanya go, and I wasn’t going to keep apologizing for that.
I heard people talk about finding their person, and that shit sounded soft as hell to me.
It wasn’t anything I’d ever say but I really felt like Vanya was it for me. Maybe Kalim did do me a favor. Damn.
“You got it. Better yet, she got it. She got you. I’ll never forget how you did me after I lost my mother. Fuck you, Pearce and fuck your dead ass daddy.”
She was upset, and she had a right to be but honestly, all I could think about was getting to Vanya.
Three times. That was how many times I had to go by Vanya’s apartment to catch her. When she pulled into a parking space and I got out of my car, she looked as if she’d seen a ghost. “Hey. What are you doing here?”
“When you called me the other day. I never got the message.”
Vanya gave me a small smile. “It’s okay. I figured as much. I was just calling to see when it would be a good time to get my things from your house. No rush. I know you have a lot going on.”
I felt like a sucka. All I could do was stare at her. I had really missed her. How the fuck could I just switch up like that? From Tasha to Vanya and hands down, Vanya was the winner. Vanya’s brows rose as I stared at her like an idiot.
“That the only reason you were calling?”
“Like I said. You have a lot going on. I didn’t want to add to your stress. I figured you’d reach out if you wanted to.”
“You don’t miss me?”
Vanya’s chest rose as she inhaled deeply through her nose.
“Here’s the thing, Pearce. I do. But I’m not going to be a side chick.
Take some time to work on you and Tasha and if you two decide to stay apart, I’ll be here.
And if you decide to get back together, just have me served with the divorce papers.
” She sounded confident, but I could tell from the look in her eyes, she didn’t want that shit.
“Let’s go inside.”
Vanya took off toward her building, and I was right behind her.
If I was wrong for deciding that Vanya was who I wanted, then I just had to be the bad guy.
Inside her apartment, I barely had the door closed behind me before I was on her.
My nose was in the crook of her neck inhaling her scent. I nibbled on her bottom lip.
“Did you hear what I said?” she mumbled against my mouth.
“I heard you. Ain’t no side chick shit. Tasha and I aren’t back together. Her mother died, and she did stay at my place for a few nights, but I slept on the couch.”
Tired of talking, I snaked my tongue into her mouth.
As crazy as it was, Vanya felt like home.
I picked her up. Holding onto her ass cheeks, I found her bedroom and laid her on the bed.
I may as well have been a magician the way I swiped her leggings off and had my mouth on her mound in record speed.
I didn’t even have enough patience to remove her panties.
I yanked them to the side and sucked her nub into my mouth as she arched her back and hissed.
I ate her pussy like I missed it. Because I had. If ever I had to thank Kalim’s bitch ass for anything it would be asking me to kill Vanya. Her foot rested on my back as I moaned into her pussy and devoured the essence leaking from her center.
“Oh my fucking, ummmmmm,” her body jerked as she released.
“Got damn,” I mumbled against her pussy.
After I cleaned the mess I made, I hovered over her face with mine.
I maintained eye contact as I slowly pushed into her.
Kalim was dead, and I was still going to protect her from whatever and who the fuck ever.
She was mine. There would be no divorce.
I even prayed that Tasha’s person would come along and mend her broken heart.
She deserved love, but it just wouldn’t be with me.
I entered Vanya inch by inch, and her lids fluttered closed.
“Open them up and look at me,” I commanded gently as I stirred her middle. She did as I requested. “’Til death do us part. You heard that?”
She nodded, and I kissed her with so much passion and aggression that she came all on my dick. I stroked Vanya into orgasm number three and by then I was calling her name and cumming with her. There was no way in hell I was coming up off her.
In Vanya’s bathroom as I prepared to piss and take a shower, my eyes landed on a white stick on her counter. I zeroed in on the plus sign, and my eyes narrowed. Just as I turned around to go back in the bedroom, she entered the bathroom.
“I found out this morning.”
“Were you going to tell me?”
“I was. I wouldn’t keep anything like that from you. I just wanted to let it sink in a bit. Let you decide what you wanted to do. I just didn’t want it to be stressful.”
“You keep throwing that word around. Life has already been that. It is that. What I been telling you?”
Vanya smiled. “You got me.”
“I got you. On everything I love. I got you.”