Chapter 6 #3
Loretta’s face softened as she looked at me. “I love you like you’re one of mine, and you know that. I watched what happened to both of you the first time, and I don’t want to see either one of you hurt like that again.”
I looked at her and nodded because there wasn’t shit for me to argue about.
Loretta had been there when Lace and I were together the first time, and she damn sure knew what her daughter leaving had done to me.
I never sat down and told her all my business, but I didn’t have to.
She had known me too damn long not to know when I was fucked up over something.
“I hear you.”
“That’s all I’m saying.”
I picked up my drill, then looked back at her.
“You ain’t gotta worry ‘bout me playin’ wit’ Lacey, Loretta.
I loved yo’ daughter before I knew what the fuck I was doin’ wit’ a woman, and I love her now that I do.
” Loretta just looked at me for a minute.
I could tell I had caught her off guard with that shit, but I meant every fucking word of it. I gave her a nod and asked, “We good?”
A little smile finally showed up on her face. “We’re good.”
“Aight then.” I walked off before she could get emotional and have us standing there talking about feelings and shit.
I still didn’t know what was gon’ happen after the festival.
Lace had a whole life waiting on her in L.A.
, and I knew her ass wasn’t back in Bellhaven because she had decided to stay.
She came home because she had time off and Loretta needed her, and us fucking again didn’t change none of that.
I wasn’t about to start making plans for both of us when she hadn’t told me what the fuck she wanted yet, but I knew what I wanted.
I wanted more than whatever the fuck we had been doing for the last few days.
That shit stayed on my mind up until Sunday. I got up early as usual, and after I smoked, I went downstairs and worked out.
I had turned part of the basement into a gym two years back, and I stayed down there until I was sweating my ass off and my arms were done. After that, I showered, threw on some sweats and a T-shirt, then somehow ended up cleaning a house that wasn’t even fucking dirty.
I wiped down the kitchen, cleaned the downstairs bathroom, straightened up the living room, and vacuumed even though I knew damn well I had just done that shit a couple days ago. When I realized what I was doing, I stopped and looked around.
“Fuck am I doin’?” I shook that shit off, grabbed my keys, and got the fuck out the house.
The grocery store didn’t help shit. I already knew what me and Lace were cooking, but somehow I still ended up throwing enough food in the cart to feed way more than four people.
I grabbed shit Anthony and Keyana liked, then started grabbing some of the stuff I remembered Lace eating all the time.
When I got to the drinks, I stood there looking at all that shit and realized I didn’t know what the fuck she drank with dinner anymore.
That shit irritated me. I knew exactly what spots on her body would have her moaning my name and how she liked to be fucked, but I couldn’t remember the last time I had even seen her sit down and eat a home cooked meal. I grabbed a few different drinks and kept it moving.
When I got back home, I carried everything inside and started putting the groceries away. I was putting the meat in the refrigerator when I heard Keyana coming downstairs. She walked into the kitchen in bright ass pink pajamas with her phone in her hand.
She looked at all the groceries covering the island, then looked at me all excited. “Oooh. What you cookin’?”
“Me and Lace cookin’.” Keyana stopped walking and looked at me. “What?”
Her eyes got big before a smile spread across her face. “Solace is comin’ over here?”
“Yeah.”
“For Sunday dinner?”
“That’s usually what cookin’ on Sunday means.” She was already reaching for her phone with that excited ass look on her face, and I knew exactly what she was about to do. “Who you textin’?”
“Bro.”
I kept putting the groceries away and shook my head. “I was gon’ hit that nigga up a lil’ later, aggy.”
She looked at me like I was the one getting on her nerves. “Or I can tell Ant now.”
“Or you could mind yo’ business now.”
Keyana ignored my ass and kept typing. Her phone buzzed almost immediately, and the smile on her face got even bigger. I already knew Anthony was probably asking a hundred damn questions I wasn’t answering. Keyana looked up from her phone and asked, “What time is Solace comin’?”
“Damn, Key. You want me to send you the whole fuckin’ itinerary too? Go find somethin’ to do.”
She laughed and said, “I was just askin’.” She opened the refrigerator, grabbed a yogurt, and peeled the top back while she headed toward the doorway. “Ant said he’s comin’ early.”
I looked at her ass, and she laughed again before disappearing upstairs. I shook my head and went back to putting the groceries away. I didn’t know what Lace being back would turn into, but I knew one fucking thing. I wanted my woman back.