Chapter 9
“Hello?”
“Hello. Is this Rue Abrams?”
“Who’s asking?”
“This is Nurse Martin at OC Memorial. I have you listed as the emergency contact for Deacon Lewis.”
“Oh? What happened?”
“He came to the ER beat up pretty bad. I can give you more details when you arrive.”
“Umm, I?—”
“He’s in room 310.”
“I’m not—hello?”
The woman had ended the call. Rosemary heard my end of the conversation and waited for me to give her the details.
“What was that about?”
“Deacon…Someone beat him up, and he ended up in the ER.”
“Oh.” She responded dismissively and went back to the arrangement she was creating.
“I’m his emergency contact, and she said she’d give me more details about what happened to him when I arrived at the hospital.”
“You’re going to see him?”
“I don’t know. I?—”
“How, Rue? How do you not know? Yesterday, that man put his hands on you and would’ve hurt Briar had you not stopped him. The answer should be no, and I don’t wanna hear shit about him being Briar’s father.”
“You’re right.”
“I know I’m right. If anything, you should be trying to find the person who beat his ass to thank him.”
The bell chimed above the entrance, and an elderly couple entered.
“Good afternoon! How can we help you?”
“Hello. We’re looking for very special arrangements to put on our daughter and grandson’s grave. This year, his birthday falls on Mother’s Day, and we want something special,” the elderly woman said.
“Oh my! I’m so sorry for your loss, and I have no doubt we’ll be able to create something special for them. I’m Rue, and this is my sister, Rosemary.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Aveya, and this is my husband, Colten.”
“It’s nice to meet you both,” I responded, extending my hand.
“It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for choosing our shop for such special arrangements,” Rosemary said.
“I’ve heard wonderful things about your shop and am excited to see what you can create.”
“And I’m just here to pay the bill,” Mr. Colten said jokingly.
For the next hour, Rosemary and I used the computer to help them design two of the most beautiful arrangements we’d ever made. While doing so, the couple shared stories about not only their deceased daughter and grandson but their two other grandsons and their great-grandson.
It was such a joy listening to them share how mischievous the three boys were growing up and the situations they had to get them out of during their adolescent years. The more they shared, the more familiar they became.
However, the familiarity I felt was odd because I was certain I’d never met these people in my life. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was until Mr. Colten gave me his credit card to pay for their arrangements.
“Colten Rush?”
“That’s me. Is there a problem?”
“No…I...oh…umm…Is Rocky Rush one of your grandsons?”
“Yes! Do you know him?” he asked.
“Not very well, but my son attends the youth center and is good friends with RJ.”
“Oh, is your son’s name Briar?” Mrs. Rush asked, and I nodded. “RJ talks about him all the time. We need to set up some playdates with those two.”
“I’m sure Briar would love that.”
“I bet Rocky would love to set up a few playdates with you,” Mr. Rush teased.
“Huh?”
“He’s just teasing you, sweetheart. Don’t pay him any mind. Did Rocky have your son on his bike a few weeks ago and you gave him the business?”
“Yes, ma’am. I was in mama bear mode, so his first impression of me wasn’t the greatest.”
“I don’t know about that, sweetheart. Your reaction bothered him enough to come home and talk to us about it.”
I smiled. “He mentioned that you told him to apologize to me.”
“I did, and he said you gave him a hard time.”
“Maybe a little, but?—”
“She’s not telling the truth, ma’am. Rue gave that man a run for his money, and all he wanted to do was take her to dinner. He’s definitely more persistent than most men these days,” Rosemary added.
“He knows a good woman when he sees her,” Mr. Rush commented.
“Does Russell know a good woman when he sees one?” she asked.
Her question started another twenty-minute conversation. When they were finally ready to go, we walked them to their car and promised to deliver their arrangements on the Saturday before Mother’s Day.
“I think they’ll make great in-laws,” Rosemary joked as we headed back inside.
“Have you and Russell been?—”
“I’m not talking about me and Russell.”
“You must be because you can’t be talking about me and Rocky. We’re cool now, but I’m not looking for anything beyond friendship.”
“If you say so, even though it looked like more than friendship when your tongues were shoved down each other’s throats.”
“Shut up, Rose. You’re always bringing up old shit.”
My sisters and I had finished dinner about an hour ago, and Briar had showered and was playing his video game before bed. I returned to the kitchen where they were still hanging out, and my phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Where the fuck are you?”
His voice was low and strained, but he still managed to be an asshole.
“Deacon?”
“Don’t play dumb, Rue.” He paused to catch his breath. “You’re my emergency contact, and the nurse said she called you hours ago.”
“She did.”
“Then why aren’t you here?”
“You can’t be serious.”
“The fuck you think?”
“I think you should find somebody else to do it. Bye, Deacon.” I blocked his number for what seemed like the millionth time, and for the first time, I didn’t plan to unblock him.
“If audacity had a fuckin’ face, it would be that nigga’s,” Rosemary said.
“What was that about?” Daisy asked.
“Yeah, give us the tea,” Sage urged.
“Apparently, someone beat Deacon’s ass last night. He went to the ER, and I’m his emergency contact. He could barely talk and had the nerve to demand me to do something.”
“You’re joking, right?” Violet questioned.
“I wish I was.”
“Too bad they didn’t finish the job,” Blossom mumbled.
“Blossom—”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah! He’s Briar’s father. If we’ve heard that once, we’ve heard it a million times, and we don’t give a fuck!”
“Say it again, sis!” Daisy cheered.
I shook my head at my sisters. They hated Deacon for what he’d put me through, and while I hated him too, I didn’t wish him any ill will. I simply wanted him to be a good father to our son because Briar deserved it.
“Y’all are ridiculous. If?—”
My phone rang again with an unknown number flashing across the screen.
“That better not be him again!” Rosemary spat in disgust.
“It’s a different number.”
“Answer it on speaker,” Daisy said.
“Hello?”
“Come outside,” the male voice demanded.
“Excuse me?”
“Bring your pretty ass outside.”
“Who is this?”
“You don’t know the voice of the man whose face was buried between?—”
I took my phone off speaker as my sisters gasped, slapping their hands over their mouths and looking at me with wide eyes.
“I’ll be out.”
I ended the call and rushed from the kitchen. However, my sisters were petty and wouldn’t miss the opportunity to tease me.
“You’ve been keeping secrets, big sis,” Rosemary said.
“Big secrets, too,” Daisy added.
“You let that man eat—” Blossom began before I cut her off.
“Mind your business,” I told Blossom before responding to Rocky. “I’ll be outside.” I slipped on a pair of slides, which may or may not have been mine, and rushed from the house with just my phone.
My steps slowed to a stop, and my stomach sank when I saw Rocky standing next to his bike. When he saw that I wasn’t walking toward him, he came to me.
“I hope you don’t think I’m getting on that thing,” I told him before he could speak.
“Actually, I was hoping you would.”
“Rocky—”
“Rue, my truck is at home, and I don’t live too far from here. It won’t be more than a ten minute ride.”
I started walking backward and shaking my head. “Rocky, I can’t. I’m too scared and?—”
“I need you to trust me. I’ll go slow and take the side roads.” He reached for my hands and pulled me into his chest. “I promise we’ll get there safely.”
Against my better judgment, I agreed. After going back inside to put on more clothes and a pair of gym shoes, I put on the helmet he had for me and climbed onto the back of his bike behind him.
“Please go slow, and don’t?—”
“Rue, I got you. Hold on tight.”
I held on for my life and closed my eyes, not opening them until we stopped moving and the engine turned off. It felt like I didn’t take a breath until my feet hit the ground, and I quickly removed the helmet because it felt like I was suffocating.
“Oh my God!”
“Calm down, Rue. We’re here, and you’re safe. It wasn’t that bad, was it?”
I took a moment to calm my nerves and inhale a few times. “It wasn’t that bad, but I don’t want to do it again… at least not any time soon. Okay?”
He wrapped me in his arms and rubbed his hand up and down my back in a soothing manner. “Okay.”
Rocky’s truck was parked in front of his house. He led me to the passenger side and opened the door for me before helping me secure my seat belt. “How you feeling? Is your shoulder sore?”
“It’s better than yesterday but still a little tender when I make sudden movements with that arm.”
“Good.” He pressed his lips against mine, letting them linger before pulling away. “You ready to take a ride with me?”
“As long as we’re in this truck and not on that bike, I’ll go anywhere you want to go.” He looked surprised as he closed the door and walked over to the driver’s side.
Once on the road, I was tempted to ask where we were going but decided to go with the flow. We rode in a comfortable silence for a while before Rocky asked about my day.
“It was interesting. I met your grandparents.”
“No shit? How’d that happen?”
“They came to the flower shop to order arrangements for your mother and brother.”
“Oh, that’s cool. I’m sure you were able to help them.”
“They were pleased with what we came up with.”
“Good. I’m excited to see it.”
“How was your day?”
“Busy. The fundraiser will be here before I know it, so I spent most of the day preparing for that.”
“Is the center doing the fundraiser in partnership with Mayhem?”
“Yeah. The club has done community events since its inception, but when we opened the center, collaborating made sense. The proceeds don’t only go to the center. We’ve chosen several organizations throughout the city to share the proceeds with.”
“Really? That’s dope.”
We stopped in front of what looked like an apartment building that took up half a block.
“You ready?”
“I’m not sure what I’m ready for, but yeah.”
He got out and came to my side of the car to open the door. I took his hand and allowed him to help me out. We walked in silence to the building, and when we arrived at the door, I was surprised to see armed security guards.
“Wassup, Rocky? Is this a new tenant?”
“Wassup, Brady? Nah, this is my girl, Rue. I want her to meet a few of the ladies.”
“Do they know you’re coming?”
“Fa sho.”
Brady nodded before buzzing us in. I was more than curious about where I was and who I was meeting, but I didn’t bother asking because I’d find out shortly.
Rocky removed his phone from his sweatpants and sent a text message as we headed toward the elevator. He pressed the up button, and the doors opened immediately. Our hands intertwined again as we stepped inside.
He hit number seven, and seconds later, the doors opened. We exited, and he led me down the hall. Before we reached the second to the last door, it sounded like a door was being unlocked.
The sound caused me to squeeze his hand inadvertently. He lifted it to his mouth and kissed the back of it as our eyes connected.
“You’re safe with me.”
I nodded, and we continued down the hall. When we stopped in front of one of the doors, Rocky knocked a few times before turning the doorknob. He entered first, but I was so close to him we were damn near attached.
“Hey, Rocky. It’s been a minute,” one of the ladies said.
“Things have been busy,” he responded as he hugged her.
“I see you brought a guest.”
“Yeah. This is my girl, Rue. Baby, this is Chardae.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
That was the second time he’d introduced me as his girl in the past five minutes, and the second time tonight he’d called me baby.
“Welcome to Safe Haven. It’s nice to meet you too. Come sit down. The girls will be here in a few.”
Safe Haven? I’ve never heard of it.
Rocky and I sat on the couch while Chardae sat on a beanbag in the middle of the floor.
“So, Rue, how long have you and Rocky been dating?”
“Umm…We’re just friends.”
“You think so? That’s interesting,” she remarked with a smirk.
Just as I opened my mouth to respond, the door opened, and two other women entered.
“Sorry we’re late,” one of them said.
“Yeah, we were finishing up a Zoom call. Who’s this?”
“ This is Rocky’s girl, Rue, but she says they're just friends,” Chardae said.
“Aww, how cute. I’m Danette, and this is Kamisha.”
“It’s nice to meet you. Umm…Rocky, why did you bring me here?”
“You ladies have something in common, and I wanted them to share their stories with you.”
“Stories about what?” I asked nervously.
“Deacon Lewis.”