Chapter 13
Patience
I couldn’t pick a moment to be happiest about today.
Everything was a lot and I was okay with that.
It was a good lot, not the overwhelming type.
The type that had me beaming like a kid during a rainbow while wearing rubber boots and stepping in puddles.
He didn’t want to be my everything, but that was what he was.
He entered my life and showed me what real love was.
It wasn’t possession or sacrifice. It was presence without permission.
His presence without my permission. And damn am I happy he didn’t need it.
I played with Zar until I couldn’t anymore. Until it was time for me to leave and my husband promised I could come back tomorrow. Like a kid in a fucking toy store.
“Thank you.”
“Stop thanking me for doing what I’m supposed to do, Nic. I’m supposed to keep a smile on your face. I’m supposed to make sure you’re happy, safe, and content. I’m supposed to do everything I’m doing. Bare fucking minimum.” He put emphasis on the word supposed every time he said it.
I smiled hard, then used his chin hair to turn his face in my direction. “It’s not to me.” Then I leaned forward and mashed my lips against his. “I love you and I’m grateful for all that you do, even though you said it’s the bare minimum.”
That smile I loved so much was on his lips as his hand went under my T-shirt. “I love you too, Nic. Shit, I’m lowkey obsessed with your wild animal loving ass.”
For the rest of the ride, we talked, with me loving every bit of his company while he indulged my every whim and worry.
Then we arrived at his mother’s house. I held on to the box of pastries from Best Kept Secret and walked into the house.
As expected, she was in the kitchen. That was something I’d learned about her early.
She had many people who worked to manage her house and take care of things, but cooking and making sure people were fed was her thing.
Before she married Mr. Carter, she had been a chef working toward her own restaurant that she ultimately gave up because she found that she enjoyed being a homemaker more.
“While I wasn’t expecting to see you today, my baby girl, I am glad. Now what’s this you brought me?” she asked, drying her hands and reaching for the box.
“So this is the place that made my wedding cake, remember?”
She nodded.
“Well, I ran into the owner at the doctor’s office a couple hours ago and decided to stop by and grab some sweets.”
“Doctor’s office.” Of course that got her attention because she immediately looked at me like I was holding something from her.
“Just open the box, Mama.” Hondo’s voice made me turn around and look at him. He and his father were standing in the doorway, watching.
She didn’t say another word, even though her eyes held questions. She instead lifted the lid on the pastry box, looking in before the sonogram and the little note next to it caught her attention. At the bakery, I borrowed a pen and wrote in the box.
Some of the best secrets are worth sharing.
Tears were in Alora’s eyes before she moved away from the counter and pulled me into a hug. “Oh, my babies.”
The moment was beautiful and another one where I was thinking about the man I’d married. He was happy too, embracing his father and smiling so hard every freckle on his face seemed to disappear because they were folded.
We spent a while longer at his family’s home before ultimately retreating to our own.
While he took a call in the study, I found my way out to the pool after confirming with Alysia what dinner would be for the evening.
I didn’t have much of an appetite given Mama Carter had stuffed me earlier, but a light salad would do.
I propped my phone against my bottle of water and sent a video call request to who should have been my first call when I found out, but she was busy.
Paige was a music teacher who also went on trips and to recitals with her students.
This just happened to be recital season, so getting ahold of her at home sometimes was a pain, while during the regular season it was easy as one-two-three.
“Good evening ,whore… well, maybe not whore, but you get the gist,” she greeted me immediately upon answering.
I grinned. “Hello to you too and I definitely miss you.”
“Girl, no you don’t. You’re out there being photographed at galas and living life. You don’t miss me.”
I grinned, mentally going back to the actual events of the gala. “I do, and I’d say I’m coming to visit you, but that’s a bit farfetched right now. How are you? How is recital season?”
She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “It’s going. You know I do all this here with these students and not once have I ever missed my own passion and music until lately.”
I frowned because Paige hadn’t played fully since our mother passed. She’d seemingly lost her passion. “What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know yet.” She looked so lost, like something in her was missing.
“Well, when you’re ready, just know there is a piano here and I hear it isn’t just for show.” I winked.
“I know. I think I’m just having one of those moments where I’m questioning if my life is what I want or if I’m just settling for it because it’s a safe distance from them.”
I knew who them was, so I nodded. “Well, whatever you choose, just know my door is open. Always.”
“Yeah, I know that. But you have your own life and I don’t wanna impe—”
“Shut up. You are my sister and that’s that. If you need to come here, then bring your ass. Have you told Maya how you feel?” I decided to ask about her fiancé.
She shook her head, peering into the camera. “She’s been staying with her family since her grandmother got sick. Things with us are in a strange space and have been since I came back.”
“So you have to figure out what you want and where you wanna be. You have to be transparent about that.”
“You make it sound so easy, but yeah, I do. I came here and settled into safety via distance, never once taking into consideration that maybe there’s more for me,” she said honestly and I swear I understood that.
“And I get that. So whatever you need, I’m here.
You need a flight with no questions, I happen to know a man willing to let me use his jet.
You need a place to stay with no people, I have a condo in the city.
You need to be here with me, I happen to have a palace with a million rooms and even an in-law suite.
So whatever you need, I got you. And I would love to have you back here. ”
She smiled with tears streaming down her face. “You’ve always had me, so that’s never been a question. Thank you. Now I know you didn’t call to see me cry, so what was the purpose of this call, sister?” She cleared her tears before leaning forward.
“Bitch, are you in a pool?”
“I am. It’s become my favorite place these days. But on to the reason I called.” I paused dramatically because of course that was my norm.
“I’m pregnant.”
“You’re what? Patience, stop playing with me.” She didn’t believe me.
I shook my head just as I heard the patio doors slide open. When I looked away from my phone, Hondo stood there for a few seconds before he began undressing to join me.
She was silent. “With a baby?”
“Yes, Paige, a baby.”
“Now I really have to come there. You’re making me an auntie.”
I grinned, eyes jumping between my husband behind my phone and my sister. My attention was all over, especially because he was now down to his briefs. “Was that the icing on the cake?”
“Maybe, and now I see your attention is split, which means Hondo is near. I’ma let you go, but best believe we will discuss this soon. Hello, Hondo.” She greeted him with a smile.
“What’s up, P?”
They shared a few words before she assured me she’d call back tomorrow. That was fine because I had every intention of calling her if she didn’t.
“She good?” Hondo spoke into my neck at the same time he wrapped his arms around me.
“Yeah, just having a moment. She might be coming back here. I offered for her to stay with us or at my con—”
“Either place is fine. Just let me know when and I’ll send them to get her.”
“I figured that much. It’s up to her. I won’t push but I’ll check in with her in the morning.” I turned and faced him. His frame towered over me until he picked me up so we were face to face, my legs wrapped around his waist.
“I love fucking looking at you,” he said out of nowhere, bringing a big grin to my face.
“I love that you love looking at me because I love looking at you too.” I leaned forward and kissed him.
“Yo, you so fucking corny,” he said once we parted.
I giggled. “Maybe, but you love me.”
“No doubt.”
I woke up the next morning to my phone ringing.
I was in bed alone, but I remembered Hondo’s cologne invading my senses this morning as he leaned down to kiss my forehead before he left for work.
I was in one of those dead sleeps, the type that made waking up right now to a constantly vibrating phone piss me clean off.
I reached under my pillow for my cell phone, then pulled it out.
When I looked down at the screen, I saw an incoming call from my father.
I second guessed if I should answer. When I decided to answer, the phone stopped ringing.
I was about to turn over and go back to sleep, but of course it started ringing again.
“Hello.”
“Patience.” My father’s voice sounded strained.
“Yes.”
“Is there any way you can come by the house today, so we can talk?”
“Absolutely not. Trying to kill me on my wedding day, then at the same fucking Bistro where my mother died, then sending my brother to try and ki—” I started, but he interrupted my statement.
“What are you talking about? I would never try to kill you. You are my daughter, my flesh and blood.”
“Well, you have a funny way of showing it, don’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Patience. If you’ll just meet me, we can have a conversation to figure this out. Have you spoken to your brother? I can’t get in touch with him and his wife is wo—”
“Did you not just hear what I said? He tried to kill me.”
“Patience, ple—”
I hung up before he could say anymore. He almost convinced me that he was oblivious to everything, but he couldn’t be. Could he?
I sat there for a moment, watching my phone ring before it finally stopped. About fifteen seconds later, there was a knock at the door then I heard Alysia’s voice.
“I’m sorry for bothering you, ma’am. Mr. Carter requested that I wake you for brunch if you missed breakfast,” she said from outside the door.
“Uh, okay. I’ll be down.”
“Okay.”
I was halfway through getting dressed when Amethyst called and asked if I wanted company. She and Karsyn were in the neighborhood after shopping to design Karsyn’s condo. I agreed considering there was only so much time a girl could spend alone.
“So, tell me about him. Spill.” Amethyst’s voice filled the foyer as she and Karsyn entered the house. I was already seated at the kitchen table, attempting to scarf down a good amount of the mini feast Hondo made sure was prepared for me.
“There is nothing to tell.” Karsyn said before her eyes found me. She walked over to hug me then looked back at Amethyst.
“Nothing to tell about what?” I quizzed.
“The guy she’s messing with. Are you feeding us too?”
Karsyn shook her head. “I’m not messing with anyone. It happened a few times but that’s it.”
“Yes. I can’t eat all of this by myself. And what do you mean it happened a few times?”
“We met at this club in Water Town. Well maybe not met, but there was a shooting and he kind of saved me.”
“Pause. What the hell were you doing over there?” Amethyst asked, sliding into the breakfast nook next to me.
“Getting some air. It’s so stuffy out here.”
“So he saved you and what?” I decided to ask the right question.
Karsyn laughed like a schoolgirl. “We talked and got to know one another. Then we went back to my place… and yeah. That’s happened a few times.”
I laughed. “Are you gonna see him again?”
“I don’t know. He keeps telling me we’re from different sides, but I question why that should matter. Why does what side we’re from matter?”
Amethyst nodded. “I get that. Who is he?”
Karsyn spooned yogurt into her mouth with the most nervous expression. “You probably don’t know him.” When she spoke, her mouth was full.
The way her eyes bulged and shifted from side to side was a clue that the name was definitely known.
Amethyst shrugged. “Okay, what’s his name?
“Posydiann.”
Amethyst’s eyes bulged at the mention of the name. I didn’t know the name, so I was stuck looking back and forth until somebody said something else or at least clued me in on who this Posydiann was.
“Water Town god Posydiann? Fur coat in the function Posydiann? Posydiann who is in charge of the Waterboys and in a turf war with your father right fucking now?” Amethyst said all in one breath and had me keyed in.
Karsyn shook her head. “How do you even know all of that?”
“Because I too have taken a step on the wild side. Not with that one, but baby I know things.” I tilted my head to the side, intrigued.
“And how do you know things?”
“Because I be around.” She grinned, causing a fit of laughter to travel through the room.