35/Renee
It wasn’t long before I found myself falling for Kenny, which I thought was crazy since he was absolutely nothing like the men I was used to dating. And maybe that’s the reason I was attracted to him, because he was completely different from John.
We had been dating for a month. I’d used every trick in the book to keep that man coming back, and he was doing just that. I kept making sure he saw what he had with me so that he could think about what he’d be giving up when he married Reese.
One night, I lay in bed and had to laugh. This relationship felt like something out of the popular eighties movie Revenge of the Nerds.
I was happy. Kenny was a man who believed in taking care of his woman.
Every Friday he left money on my nightstand.
If I mentioned I needed something, he took care of it.
It was a great feeling. Good sex was the icing on the cake.
The only thing standing in the way was Reese’s tired-looking ass.
I couldn’t understand how he could be marrying her if he spent the majority of his nights with me.
One evening while lying in his arms, I asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said, following a deep breath. “My family says I’m crazy. We’ve been living together for so long, so what’s the point of ruining a good thing?”
“So why are you?”
He rolled onto his back before he continued.
“We attended her cousin’s wedding, and she asked me when we were going to get married.
We had been drinking, and I guess I got caught up in the moment because any other time she asked me that, I told her, ‘Why ruin a good thing?’ But that time I told her to go ahead and set a date.
The next day, her best friend dragged me to the jewelry store to find her a ring. ”
“Do you love her?”
“Yeah. She’s a good girl who’s put up with a lot of my shit for years. More than any woman should have to put up with.”
Sounded to me like she was stuck on stupid.
“They don’t offer medical insurance at her job, and I feel that after all this time she deserves it.”
“Sounds more like obligation than love.”
Kenny heaved a heavy sigh. “Maybe. I do love her, but if I had known I would meet you, I would have never agreed.”
I was quiet for a long time. “If you could change anything, what would it be?”
“Sleeping with Reese’s sister.”
“What!” I sat up straight in bed. Did he say sister?
“You can’t tell anyone, especially Kayla.”
I shook my head. “I won’t.”
You know my ass is lying.
He gestured for me to lay my head on his chest before he began.
“Baby, I used to be a really bad boy. A real bad boy. It was about four years ago. Her sister stayed over. Reese went to work, and I was moving down the hall when I saw her sister lying there naked. Next thing I knew, I was in bed with her.”
I couldn’t believe he was telling me this.
“Her sister ended up telling Reese, trying to break us up. It took us a while to rebuild our relationship after that.”
Reese must be desperate to forgive a man who slept with her own sister. Damn!
He wrapped his arms around me. “I try to be honest with you. When I get married, I want you to know that nothing is going to change.”
“Nothing?”
He kissed the top of my head. “Nothing except her last name.”
I had to smile at his attempt to reassure me. “We can just enjoy each other until then.”
He lifted his head from the pillow and looked at me. “Oh, so it’s over once I get married?”
I shrugged. “I’ve never been one to mess with a married man.”
Kenny rolled me onto my back. “Then I guess I better keep making it good to you so you won’t want to leave me.”
Long after Kenny left for home, I lay in bed thinking about him. When my cell phone beeped from the nightstand, I glanced over and smiled when I saw his name.
“Hey.”
“Hey. I wanted to say something.”
He sighed like whatever he was about to say wasn't easy.
“What?”
“I love you,” he blurted. “I've always had a hard time saying those words, but I had to tell you.”
Oh. My. God.
“I love you, too.”
The second the words left my mouth, I ended the call before he could say anything else. Then I lay back, staring at the ceiling. And decided I was going to do whatever it took to break him and Reese up.
I know that sounds selfish, but it's a dog-eat-dog world, and it's obvious Kenny's settling. Why settle for second best when you can have a dime piece like me? That's exactly what I planned to make him see.
Closing my eyes, I started making a mental list of everything it would take. Renee Moore planned to get her man.
And what Renee wants, Renee gets.
* * *
Kenny told you he loved you?” Kayla repeated, looking at me like I'd just announced Tupac was alive and living in France.
“Yep.”
“Hell nah!” Danielle practically screamed.
The three of us were gathered at Kayla's house to work on wedding plans. Whoever said planning a wedding was fun had obviously never planned one.
“Yep. He told me yesterday.” I hugged my knees to my chest. “And I'm crazy about him, too.”
“Hell nah! Crazy about Kenny's country ass?”
Danielle laughed so hard I wanted to throw something at her.
“Yep. And quit talking about my man.”
She had a lot of nerve considering all the drama attached to her own man.
Kayla shook her head. “Please don't tell me anything else. Next thing I know he'll be canceling his wedding.”
I took a sip of my drink. “Good.”
“No, that's not good. Reese is excited, and she'd be heartbroken.” Kayla gave me a long, disapproving look. “Why can't you just screw him like you do everybody else and leave him alone? Because the minute he calls off the wedding and decides to be with you, you'll dump him like you always do.”
“Right,” Danielle chimed in.
I rolled my eyes. Those two really thought they knew me.
“I would never intentionally break them up.”
Kayla immediately shook her head. “Uh-oh. I heard a 'however.'”
I smiled. “However, I don't have anything to do with what Kenny decides to do. If he suddenly realizes marrying Reese is a huge mistake, that's on him.”
Kayla pursed her lips.
“And I'm sure you're going to do everything in your power to help him reach that conclusion.”
I laughed.
“Hey, I'm just going to be me. I can't help it if he can't get enough of this sweet kitty-cat.”
“And then what?” Kayla asked. “The two of y'all are going to live happily ever after?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Hell nah!”
I turned toward Danielle. “Girl, if you don't stop with that 'hell nah,' you sound like a damn parrot.”
“I don't know what else to say,” she shot back. “Because I'm with Kayla. You don't really want Kenny's skinny ass.”
“Actually, he has a nice ass.”
“Ugh!” Kayla slapped both hands over her ears.
“And a big—”
“She is too much,” Danielle interrupted, shaking her head.
“I'm just keeping it real.”
Kayla rolled her eyes. “Can we please talk about something besides my cousin's body parts? And just remember, if he'll cheat on her, he'll cheat on you.”
Danielle nodded. “That's true. Men ain't shit.”
She would know.
“And if you got him, what would you do with him?” Kayla asked.
I frowned. “What do you mean, what would I do with him?”
Kayla leaned forward, making sure I heard every word.
“Kenny's not moving to Columbia. Kenny's a country boy. He lives on a farm up the road from his mama, who still cooks his meals and washes his clothes.”
“That's because Reese doesn't cook.”
“Uh-uh. That's because my Aunt Pat has spoiled him rotten. She spoiled all three of those boys. Kenny won't eat anybody's cooking but hers.”
Kayla shook her head.
“No woman with any sense would want to deal with that. Kenny doesn't even know how to turn on a washing machine.”
Now she was just lying. “I don't believe that.”
“Ask him.”
“I will. And I bet if I cook this weekend, he'll come over and eat.”
“Probably will,” Kayla said. “But he'll need to get back home in time for his mama's cooking. Trust me. I know.”
Danielle finished chewing whatever she'd stuffed into her mouth and pointed at me.
“Enough about Kenny's turtle-looking ass. We're supposed to be planning Kayla's wedding.”
Honestly, I was glad to change the subject because I was tired of them dogging my man.
They thought they knew Kenny.
And they definitely thought they knew me.
But they were wrong.