Chapter 11 #2
Liv swung her head. “Another lie! Oak dog walked that nigga when he saw him arguing with his baby mama. Now after hearing your side of the story, everything makes perfect sense. I know my brother is crazy, but he ain’t stupid.”
I wished I could say I felt sorry for him getting his ass whupped at the club, but I didn’t. If anything, I wish I had been a fly on the wall to see Oak give him the beatdown he deserved.
“It’s obvious the wedding is off. The relationship is off. Everything is off. For good.”
“As it fuckin’ should be. Fuck him!”
“I wish it weren’t so last-minute. How am I going to tell everyone the wedding is off, especially your parents?”
“Girl, trust me when I say they will understand. They have always been team Alexis. They wouldn’t want you to be in anything that doesn’t serve you. We all want what’s best for you, and apparently, that includes Oak too.”
Hearing the mention of her brother for a second time made my heart somersault in my chest. “Is he here?” I inquired as my eyes traveled down the hallway to where his room was.
Liv swung her head. “No. He closed on his new house, so after I picked him up from the precinct, I dropped him off there.”
“I need to thank him.”
“You want me to take you over there?”
“Right now?”
“I mean, I’m sure he’s still up. We can call on the way.”
Liv and I spent the entire car ride singing along to songs that made me feel better about my fresh breakup, like Rihanna’s “Take a Bow” and Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable,” until we pulled into the driveway of Oak’s new spot.
From the modern brick accents and oversized windows alone, I was thoroughly impressed.
So much so that the word “damn” slipped past my lips in awe.
“It’s nice, right?” Liv agreed. “I can’t even front. My big brother did really good.”
“Was today your first time seeing it?”
“Mm-hmm. But he didn’t give me the thorough tour or anything after I dropped him off here from the precinct.
He’s been really secretive this entire time about the whole process.
Not only with me, but Mama and Daddy too.
All we knew was that he purchased the lot sometime in the last year and was building a house on it.
I’ve been hinting at him throwing a housewarming party, but you know how he is. C’mon, let’s go.”
“I’m surprised you aren’t sleepy.”
“Girl, after I got that phone call from jail, my body said, ‘sleep who?’ I’m wired like I had a double espresso shot or something. Knowing me, I’ll probably crash later.”
“Yeah, me too.” I nodded as I reached for the door handle to exit Liv’s car.
I felt all sorts of discombobulated inside—sweaty palms, Jell-O limbs, and a heart that wouldn’t stop pitter-pattering against my ribcage.
What would I say when I saw Oak after knowing what he’d done for me?
Congratulations? Thank you? I miss you? I’m sorry?
Maybe it should be a compilation of all of that.
I followed Liv up to the front door, waiting nervously behind her as I prepared to swallow my pride. She rang the camera doorbell and took half a step back. The minute the door swung open, my heart stumbled out a frantic beat.
“I’m baccckkkk,” Liv teased as she stepped inside, “and I brought company.”
“You two do know what time it is, right?”
“And yet, you look just as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as we do.”
“Wassup, Lex?” he acknowledged me.
I cleared my throat, unsure of where to put my eyes. “H-hey. Congratulations on the house. It’s beautiful.”
“Empty as hell, but beautiful,” Liv quipped as she set her keys down on the kitchen counter and began to walk around the large, empty space.
Oak rolled his brown orbs toward the tray ceiling in the vacant living room. “Give a nigga a break. I only moved in less than twenty-four hours ago.”
“And let’s not forget that little stint of jail time you did,” Liv joked.
He sucked his teeth. “Did you tell Lex what landed me there, bighead?”
“Sure did. I’ll let you two compare notes while I give myself a tour of this big ass house.”
Seconds later, Liv disappeared up the stairs, leaving Oak and me alone.
Oak turned his full attention to me, and I felt like I’d shrunk three sizes.
“Thank you . . .” I finally managed to tell him.
“For?”
“For defending me, . . . for beating Pat’s ass. I only wish I had been there to see it.”
He chuckled. “Anytime.”
“I really hope you didn’t get into any legal trouble behind all of that.”
Oak swung his head in a no. “I’ve got a friend who's an attorney, so I’ll be aight if anything comes to it. You straight, though?”
“I am now, finally,” I said, holding up my bare ring finger. “I called off the wedding, the relationship, everything . . . I still can’t believe this nigga was about to have a whole baby on me.”
His thick brows raised in surprise. “He told you?”
“Not willingly, no. But I got the answers I needed when I showed up to pick him up from the hospital and saw his very pregnant baby mama there.”
“Damn.”
I scoffed. “It’s so fucked up that it’s funny because I thought the hardest part about marrying Pat would be trying not to cry through my vows.
I’d been so wrapped up in planning my dream wedding and dealing with my emotions, and now that everything is off, I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. ”
“So, what do you know?”
I paused before allowing my gaze to slowly drift up to his. “I know that I never stopped caring about you, . . .even if I had a fucked-up way of showing it.”
Before he could respond, Liv made her presence known as she came down the stairs and shouted, “I’m hungry! Is anybody else hungry?” Her voice echoed. “Damn, the acoustics are crazy in here with no furniture to bounce off of, huh?” she noted, followed by a giggle.
“You know I ain’t got no food in here yet.”
“I know. I think I saw a McDonald’s a few blocks away from here. I can run out and grab us some breakfast. They opened at five.”
“Bet.” Oak nodded. “Take my card, and I’ll text you my order.”
“Okay. You want anything, Lex?”
“Uh, yeah. Sure. Get me whatever you’re getting,” I replied, trying to keep things simple.
“Coming right up. I’ll be back,” she announced after Oak handed her his bank card.
The minute the door closed behind her, Oak wasted no time turning back toward me to pick up where our conversation had left off.
“You were saying?”
I took a deep breath and sighed it out. “I’m sorry, Oak. I think I made a huge mistake.”
“You think, or you know?”
Air blew from my cheeks as my confession slipped off my tongue. “I know I said yes to the wrong guy when the right one has been in front of me. I’ve known it ever since you came back. But I was . . . conflicted.”
“And you aren’t anymore?”
“Not about him. I know that you were always the better choice. The only choice. I was just too afraid to mess up everything. I still am.”
“The last thing you need to be around me is afraid.”
“Can I ask you something?” I inquired, vision planted on him.
“Anything.”
“Would you have let me walk down that aisle if things hadn’t turned out the way they did?”
“Over my dead body.”
“And did you mean it?”
“Mean what?”
“Anything you said when you were giving me those vow ideas?”
“I mean everything I say and do, especially when it comes to you, Lex. You deserve to be loved correctly. And I’m ready to be the man to do it whenever your heart is ready to receive it.
I don’t give a fuck what anybody else thinks.
I’ve thought about you every day for twelve fuckin’ years, and that’s because I’ve been in love with you all this time.
And now that you’ve gotten that fuck nigga out of the way, I’m not letting you go again. ”
Oak reeled me into his strong arms, and I was like putty in his hands. The minute his warm lips pressed against mine and his tongue parted my lips, the front door flew open. We quickly pulled away to see Liv standing there with a confused look on her face.
“Hey, have you guys seen my—” She froze mid-sentence when she saw us. “What the fuck is going on?”