Chapter 8
Tears streamed down my face as I stared at the headstones of my parents while I clutched the flowers I had for them in my hands.
Today marked two years since they had been gone, and the pain was still fresh.
I hadn’t talked to Nash about this day and needed him right now.
He had been a major part of my life for the past month.
With it being October, the weather had drastically changed.
On this particular Saturday, the weather was nice and windy with the sun shining.
But I didn’t feel how bright the world was.
I felt gloomy with sorrow burning deep in my soul.
For just one day, I’d do anything to have my parents back with me.
No matter what day it was, the pain didn’t cease.
It seemed as if the pain got worse the more I thought of my parents, which was why I tried not to think about them.
The pain was too much to deal with. When I was with Nash, he constantly kept my mind off certain things, which was why he had become so special to me.
I set the flowers down between their headstones and sighed deeply. The tears continued to roll down my face. One thing I could agree with Jonathan on was that I couldn’t get over my parents’ death. Truth be told, I didn’t want to. It was a way to keep me connected to them.
“I love and miss both of you so much.” I bit down on my bottom lip to keep from crying more, but it was no use.
“Y’all just don’t know how hard it has been to live without both of you.
Every day I think I’m getting stronger, but I’m not.
It’s hard on me when I’m alone.” I wiped a tear and sniffed. “I hate being alone.”
Jonathan knew how I felt about being by myself, and he left me anyway. After my parents died, he was all I had besides Farrah, and he left. I’ve never hated someone as much as I hated him. Nash came into my life at the right time, and I was grateful for him. Now, he made sure he was there for me.
When I left the gravesite, I’d be reaching out to him. I kissed my parents’ headstones and stood up. I didn’t know how I’d be able to go on without them. Could I really heal from a broken heart and get over my grief?
Without looking back, I headed to my car with my head down, feeling sorry for myself.
Since I got all my tears out, it was time to pull myself together for the rest of the day.
I pushed the start button on my key fob before I climbed into my car.
Once I was in my car, I backed out and got onto the highway with a deep sigh.
My stomach growled, letting me know how hungry I was.
I hadn’t eaten this morning either. I could use a burger and a milkshake.
My cell phone rang in the cup holder, causing me to retrieve it. A smile spread across my lips as I eyed the name on the screen.
“Hey, you. You called right on time.”
There was silence at the other end of the phone. I frowned.
“Nash?”
“Yeah, I’m here. Why is it the right time? What’s going on?”
I smiled, knowing I hadn’t told Nash about my parents’ death anniversary. If I did, I had no doubt he’d be by my side.
“I didn’t tell you this, but today is the anniversary of my parents’ death. I just left the cemetery after visiting their graves.” Fresh tears wanted to spill down my face, but I held them in.
“Why did you do that alone? If you had needed me to go with you, I would’ve come with you.”
I sighed deeply and switched lanes. “Why would you’ve gone with me?”
“Because I care for you, beautiful. If you didn’t know that by now, let me tell you to assure you.
I care a lot about you, and if you’re hurting the way you are, I want to be there for you.
You don’t have to do it on your own. You got me now, and I know how you are about your parents.
I’d never want you to do something like that by yourself. You should’ve told me,” Nash voiced.
Now Nash had me feeling bad. “I considered calling, but I’m used to doing this on my own. Thank you. I’m not used to having a man in my corner like this. My ex hated that I even visited my parents’ graves.”
“I told you I’ll always be there for you. You just have to believe in me and my words I say to you.”
I sighed deeply. Why did it feel like I was in the hot seat? “I do believe in you,” I stated softly. He had to believe me when I said that. Although my actions said otherwise, it was the truth.
Nash sighed. “Okay, Kenzlee. What are you planning later?”
I frowned, not liking how he called my name. “I have nothing planned for later. Why? Wassup?”
“What do you say to coming to chill with my family and me? It’s family day at my parents’ house, and they’re cooking on the grill.”
How could I say no to that after the day I had? It would be good to meet his family. “I’d love to chill with you and your family.”
“Word. I’ll pick you up in a few minutes. I’m just now leaving the grocery store for my moms, so it shouldn’t take me long to get to your house.”
“Okay. I’ll see you when you get here.”
After the call ended, I set the phone back in the cup holder.
I was glad I didn’t have much longer to get home.
I couldn’t wait to lay my eyes on Nash. We hadn’t seen each other since he had come to my house on Tuesday.
I truly enjoyed my time with him and was looking forward to seeing him again.
If I could see him every day, I’d be as happy too.
When I pulled into my driveway, I turned my car off.
After grabbing my purse and phone, I got out and headed up to my porch.
Once inside the house, I fed Pinks and patted her.
She was my rock when I felt down too. I had to bring her more treats from work.
Truth be told, I missed working, but I had been applying for jobs at another vet clinic.
Hopefully, I’ll hear something back soon.
Nash had been on me extra hard about finding a new job, as he had still been looking for properties to expand his gym to.
A knock came at my door just as I was about to get comfortable on the couch. Well, Nash did say he’d be here in a few minutes. He played no games when it came to the time he’d show up, and I liked that about him.
I strolled to the door with a smile on my face and opened it. Nash took one look at me and pulled me into his arms for a tight embrace. I tried my hardest not to let any tears fall, but this hug did something to me.
“Thank you,” was all I could muster.
“There is no need to thank me. I’m not going to say too much on this since I’ve been saying it for the longest. You know I’ll always be here for you if you need me. If you don’t call on me, how am I to know what you’re going through?”
Nash had a point. “You’re right. I’ll do better. I’m not used to depending on anyone, so this is new to me. Trust me when I say it’s not intentional.”
After the last man I tried depending on crushed my heart, I hadn’t seen the need to reach out to Nash about what I went through. I guess it was time I stopped doing that.
He pulled away from me slightly and gazed at me. My eyes had a mind of their own as they went to his lips. I wanted a kiss from him. I’d missed the feel of his lips on mine.
He smirked. “Go ahead. I know you want t—”
I didn’t give Nash a chance to finish what he had to say.
I leaned up and pressed our lips together.
Yeah, this was what I had missed in my life.
The way his hands caressed my back had me moving closer to him.
I felt the hardness of his body and stepped back.
As much as I’d like to sample what he had between his legs, we didn’t have the time today.
Nash ran a hand down his face. “Are you ready to go? If we stay here any longer, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
I blushed, dropping my head to my chest. “Yeah, let’s go. I just need to grab my purse.”
After I got my purse, I locked my house and was heading outside with Nash. In silence, we walked to his car with him holding my hand. Before he opened the door for me, he kissed the back of my hand.
“You’re beautiful, baby. I love your hair.”
I smiled brightly, showing all my thirty-twos. “Thanks. I tried something different with my hair today.” I touched the curls and shook them a little. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I said love, baby. I love it.”
I rolled my eyes skyward. “Well, I’m glad you love it.”
It made me happy to see that Nash loved seeing me with short hair too.
I got tired of wearing long wigs, so I did a short one on myself.
It was a good thing Nash approved of it.
When he opened the door for me, I got in and buckled my seatbelt.
He had taken my mind off seeing his family for a while, but now it was back in overdrive.
Once Nash joined me in the car, I glanced over at him. He pressed the start button on his car and put his seatbelt on.
Nash looked at me and frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Can we talk about your family before we get there?”
He smiled, backing out of the driveway. “Yeah, we can talk about them. What do you want to know?”
“Any and everything. Are they nice people?”
He frowned. “They are some of the best people you can ever come across. And I’m not just saying that because they’re my family.”
I smiled. “How many sisters and brothers do you have?”
“I don’t have any brothers, but I have sisters. They are twins. Their names are Dalesha and Talesha. Both of them get on my nerves.”
I chuckled. “Aww, man. You’re the only boy. What was that like?”
He shrugged. “It was okay. I had a lot of boy cousins I used to visit, or they’d come visit, so I always had someone to play with.”
I smiled sadly, wishing I could say the same. “What are your parents’ names?”
He smiled, stopping at a stoplight. “Katrina and Daryl. Both of them get on my nerves too.”
I giggled, holding a hand to my mouth. “How so?”
“You know I own the gym, right?”
I nodded.