Chapter Seven #2
“Just need to keep my family safe when I’m not around. You see the size of this house––need to make sure whatever her father is into doesn’t leak down to her.”
I heard the clink of glass from the decanter, which meant he was making a drink.
“Keeping her safe is my priority,” a voice replied.
That voice.
My heartbeat quickened as my pace slowed down.
Holding onto the wall, I took several deep breaths while trying to calm myself.
When I turned the corner, the air in my lungs escaped as I looked at him.
He was holding his drink while still conversing with Jonah.
Neither noticed me gripping the wall, silently panicking.
He wore a black short-sleeve shirt that squeezed his muscular arms, with tattoos wrapping around his biceps like ivy on an abandoned house.
His side profile showed long lashes sweeping over his eyes like an umbrella over a picnic table.
Those light brown eyes, when hit by the sun at a certain angle, looked greenish-brown.
His beard, thick and lush with specks of gray, had grown out over the years, coarse black hair covering his face.
His forehead creased, revealing those wrinkles that would appear whenever he was engaged in a conversation.
The expensive gold Patek watch that graced his wrist indicated that money was no longer an issue.
The dance of the two colognes––one worn by Jonah and the other by Nazir.
Even after years, I could still smell the cardamom and amber cologne as it tickled my nose.
It was a scent I could never forget, one I spent many nights phantom-smelling because I swore he would sneak into my home and come save me.
My lip quivered as I watched them continue with their conversation. They were so engrossed that they still hadn’t noticed me. So, I ducked back around the corner, and while leaning against the wall, I took another deep breath––this time sucking in the deepest breath my lungs would allow.
Despite the years that had gone by, this man still had that effect on me. His eyes hadn’t even looked into mine, nor had his voice caressed my eardrums, yet my body reacted this way. But as much as he took my breath away, there was also a part of me that was furious.
Why is he in my home? And why is Jonah talking to him about protecting me and Nazira? Does he even know that Nazir and I know each other? I had many questions, but they could only be answered by asking.
Taking a deep breath, I shook off all the emotions and feelings I’d bottled up over the years and forced a neutral face––a face I’d developed since childhood when dealing with my father. There was no room for emotions when your father didn’t give a damn about them.
Checking my hair in the hallway mirror, I used my nail to scrape the crust off the side of my face and then glanced at my clothes.
Suddenly, I wished I had on something more flattering instead of the simple sweatsuit I wore since I was working from home that day.
I took one last deep breath and spun around the corner.
“Jonah, why didn’t you tell me you were here?”
My heart was pounding as I stood there with my hand on my hip.
He finished his drink and set the glass down. “Sent you an email this morning letting yo’ ass know I was bringing security by today for you to meet.”
Nazir turned his attention toward me, his eyes taking in all of me.
“Hi, Nazir. Nice to see you.”
What else should I have said? It’s good to see you’re alive after abandoning me.
Seeing him was bittersweet. It was sweet to know he was alive after years of wondering what had happened to him and if he was okay.
But I felt bitter that he never reached out to check on me and had moved on with his life while I gave birth and raised our child.
Jonah looked between us. “You know each other?”
“We’re old friends from my college days,” I said. “Not important. Where’s my daughter?”
“Bloom took her to get ice cream with the security team. I wanted you to meet Nazir, then I’ll introduce you to the head of security who will stay with you at the house.”
Nazir remained quiet, his thick lips protruding from his beard and mustache. His eyes were still as intense as the last time I had stared into them. Memories flooded my mind of him gazing into my eyes as he kissed me and told me he loved me.
Jonah’s phone rang, and he looked at the number. “Let me take this real quick. Since you both know each other, catch the fuck up.”
Neither of us laughed at Jonah’s joke. Instead, Jonah followed me with his eyes as I sauntered behind the bar, grabbed the bottle of tequila, and poured myself a double shot.
“Tata––”
“No,” I said, cutting him off.
The nerve of him to call me by a name I hadn’t heard in a decade––a name only he had used. Hearing him say it transported me back to that college girl who wanted to spend forever with him.
“Baby—”
I held up my index finger to silence him as I threw back my drink.
Even as I stood behind the bar, discreetly squeezing the bottle while fighting to keep my composure, I wanted to run into his arms and feel them wrapped around me as he apologized.
The old me would have tossed aside all the pain and hurt he caused, but the new me couldn’t do that.
Nazir had promised he’d never leave me. Yet, he did.
He left me in the middle of the night, and I never heard from him again.
It wasn’t like I could go looking for him to find out why.
And I didn’t know his family, so I couldn’t even reach out to them.
Nazir knew so much about me, and I knew very little about him other than he handled his business and promised he wouldn’t stay down for long.
Now, standing in front of him, with his scent mesmerizing me, I saw that he kept one of his promises––never staying down for long.
I purposely checked my watch to signal he was on my time, and I didn’t have much to give. It was something I learned from my father. He would do it whenever he wanted to send the message to someone that they weren’t important or worth his time.
“Mr. Kane, you have no right to call me anything but Mrs. Sterling. This is strictly business, and your job here is to protect my family––nothing more. We’re two strangers from our past, and that’s how we’ll remain.
Thank you for taking us on as clients,” I said, reaching across the bar to shake his hand, which he accepted.
I slid my hand into his large hand, and I gave the firmest handshake I could. My hand trembled slightly because his touch still incited the same emotions inside me.
“Mom! I bought you back some butter pecan ice cream,” I heard my daughter singing as she came running down the stairs, and my heart jumped in my chest.
Here I was trying to stay professional with a man I shared a child with––a man who didn’t know he had a child who was literally his namesake.
Nazira zoomed around the corner and crashed right into my arm, holding a bag of ice cream.
“Thank you, baby. You know how much I love butter pecan.”
She looked up at me with a smile she shared with her father––the man who was sitting across from us. “Bloom wanted to make it up to you.”
I laughed because Bloom knew I was upset with her. She knew she shouldn’t have left without at least telling me that she was leaving, so she was going to do whatever she could to get back in my good graces.
“Oh, really?”
Nazira laughed. “Just forgive her, Mom. She’s really sorry.”
I kissed her forehead a few times and brushed her curls out of her face.
“Oh shit.”
The voice snapped me back, reminding me that Nazir was there and watching us.
Nazira turned and smiled at him. She stayed at my side, but she was now focused on Nazir.
“Hi, I’m Zira. Who are you?” she asked.
“Hi, Ms. Zira. I’m part of the security team that’s going to keep you safe. My name is––”
“Baby,” I quickly interrupted Nazir, handing her the bag, “why don’t you run upstairs and put this in the freezer before it melts?”
“Okay, Mommy,” she said before skipping off.
I took a slight breather, then slowly turned my attention back to Nazir, who was staring a hole through me.
“Tata… my mom has the same birthmark.”
“It’s Mrs. Sterling. And a lot of people have the birthmark Zira has,” I quickly defended, then poured another shot and threw it back, unbothered by the burning in my throat.
Nazira had a distinctive birthmark on the side of her face. I never knew where it came from; I just saw it as part of my beautiful baby’s uniqueness. It never crossed my mind that it could be hereditary. Nazira loved her birthmark and had never struggled with accepting it.
“Who’s her father, Tatiana?” he asked.
I quickly stepped from behind the bar. “I’m not getting into—”
“Tati, I’ve got to run real quick,” Jonah said, coming from the back. “Some shit is always happening.”
I exhaled, relieved that the interruption had saved me from having to answer Nazir.
“Is everything alright?”
Jonah kissed the side of my head. “Yeah. Some shit is always happening, and I need to make sure shit’s straight.”
“Be careful, Jonah,” I reminded him, as I always did.
“You already know.”
“Take your company with you.”
Jonah looked between me and Nazir. “I take it the past between you two wasn’t the best.”
Ignoring him, I headed upstairs to plow my way through the ice cream Nazira had brought home for me. When I hit the top step, I saw Bloom was at the kitchen counter on her phone. Noticing me, she quickly ended her call and smiled.
“Tati, I know you’re mad at me, but—”
I raised my hand. “Water under the bridge. Just tell me next time.”
She let out a deep sigh. “Thank God you’re not… Wait a minute. This is almost too easy. Who died?”
Jonah came upstairs with Nazir behind him.
“Who’s that?” Bloom asked as I scooted past her to reach the fridge.