6. Love Beyond Imagination #3
Growing up, he watched his mother never receive the true love she deserved.
He watched her sacrifice herself so everyone around her was comfortable.
He remembered nights she fell asleep at the kitchen table, bills spread out in front of her, glasses slightly tilted on her face.
He remembered her saying she was “fine” when she was clearly exhausted.
She rarely poured into herself the way she poured into everyone else.
Not because she didn’t want to, but because of the burdens she carried, even the ones he never fully understood never gave her room to breathe.
As a child, he knew Black women deserved a soft life too.
They deserved to be loved properly. Protected properly.
Provided for properly. Without begging for it.
Without proving their worth first. Watching his mother shaped him.
It grounded him. It taught him that love wasn’t just words or money.
It was action. It was consistency. It was making sure the women in your life never felt alone while standing next to you.
And he carried that with him into everything.
The housekeeper could hardly focus on her job by the way they loved on one another.
Kira noticed Jazz watching from the guest room and immediately walked over to her, grabbing her hand excitedly so she could introduce her properly.
“This is my best friend, Jazz, that I love so much,” Kira said proudly. “And this is… you know… my new man,” she added, smiling. “Sincere.”
“I’m glad you two can finally meet in person.”
“Nice to meet you,” Jazz said.
“Same here,” Sincere replied, extending his hand.
“And I can’t thank you enough for flying me out here. That was really nice of you. I’m happy to see Kira get the love she deserves. She surprised herself with how genuine it sounded. Maybe there was hope for her after all. She thought.
“Yeah, Kira deserves the world,” Sincere said, looking into Kira’s eyes. “She’s beautiful inside and out.” Kira couldn’t help but smile.
“So, what y’all got up for later on? Breakfast, shopping, nails and toes or some shit like that?” Sincere asked, leaning casually against the counter.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick wad of nothing but hundreds, the crisp bills snapping softly as he counted out an undisclosed amount.
Jazz felt her heart drop to her stomach.
Kira’s eyes widened immediately. “No, Sincere. Please put that up. You have done so much for me already, and I’m grateful.
” She gently tried to push his hand away.
“You know they ain’t about to work,” he said with a smirk.
“I do what I do because I want to. Stop playing with me, Kira. Deadass.” He stepped closer, pulling her in by her waist. His hand rested firmly on her lower back as he slid the wad of cash into the side of her bra like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Kira gasped softly, half embarrassed, half amused.
“Sincere,” she whispered, glancing toward the others.
He just kissed her forehead like he had already made up his mind.
Jazz forced a small smile, crossing her arms over her chest without realizing it.
Her jaw tightened slightly as she looked away for a second.
She was happy for Kira. She really was. But it was hard to watch.
No man had ever spoiled her like that. She had always felt like she had to go above and beyond just to get a little bit of attention.
Just to feel seen. Just to feel chosen. For Kira, it seemed like it came easy.
Effortless. And Jazz was beginning to not know how to take that.
She opened her phone and pulled up the picture she had snapped of them.
Kira laughing and Sincere looking at her like she was the only woman in the room.
It wasn’t forced. It was natural. The kind of love she desired the most. The kind she felt denied of.
She stared at the screen longer than she meant to, zooming in slightly, studying the way his hand rested on Kira’s waist. The way Kira’s face looked relaxed and safe.
Jazz had a pretty face and a bangin’ body that she made these niggas pay for.
She had dated plenty of men. But that was never what she truly wanted.
It was just how she escaped the reality of never having a man who was hers.
Not even her child’s father, the one man she thought would choose her and could ever get his shit together.
Somewhere along the way, she convinced herself she didn’t deserve to be number one.
So, she accepted her position in life. But now she wanted more.
Because if Kira could have it, why couldn’t she?
They came from the same place. Went to the same school.
Grew up in the same hood. Survived the same environment.
Yet their realities looked completely different.
Jazz’s chest tightened. She wasn’t angry at Kira.
She was confused. She was beginning to let her thoughts get the best of her.
Jazz felt smaller than she already did, sitting in that room thinking about Kira being loved out loud…
something dark started creeping into her thoughts.
If I’m not happy, why did Kira deserve to be? The thought scared her. Because that wasn’t who she believed she was. But pain has a way of twisting things.