Chapter 9 #2
“Hey. What time am I picking you up?” I asked.
“They called me in, and I can’t get off.” Her tone, a mix of sadness, irritation, and disappointment, angered me for some reason. “Trying to at least get off before midnight.”
“If you wanted to get off, you could,” I snapped.
“Carter, only one of the doctors showed up, and no one else answered their phones,” she reasoned.
“Why would they? They know Dr. Kelley wants to be the hero every single time.”
“That’s not fair.” She paused. “I promise, I’ll come over as soon as I get off.”
“On New Year’s Eve night? The streets are crazy, especially coming from downtown.
I hate you driving alone at night, and definitely not tonight.
Don’t worry about coming over.” I turned onto my street, aggravation burning through my veins that her job kept interfering with us. Was it a sign that I shouldn’t ignore?
“I’ll be there first thing in the morning, okay?” She soothed.
“Don’t worry about coming over,” I repeated. My frustration with her inability to see that she was going over and beyond her call of duty guided my tongue more than my heart.
“Carter, all week you’ve been distant. Now, you’re done with us. Can we talk about what’s really bothering you?”
“Nothing to talk about.”
“I thought you were transparent.” She ribbed.
“Fine. I don’t trust you.”
Brooklyn gasped.
“Look, I can accept responsibility for us moving too fast. If we’d taken our time, you wouldn’t have been mine, and your ex showing up wouldn’t have fucked with me as it did,” I relented.
“I thought you were different. Putting it all out there from that very first day, and when it matters the most, you go cold on me. Tell me you don’t trust me as if I lied to you.
I stopped loving Bishop a long time ago.
I was surprised and pissed that he showed up like he had the right.
” She paused. “What can I do to show you that the only man I want and love is you?”
Though her declaration caressed my heart, I didn’t want to yield.
“I’ve been trying to put into words all week what’s been bothering me, and I finally figured it out.
I love that you’re a doctor and that we can talk medicine together.
I accept that there will be times that plans will change because of your job, but I need a woman who knows when to make us a priority and when not to.
All week, you could’ve done anything, and I do mean anything, to reassure me that we were good.
Instead, you worked even more and didn’t bring up shit.
Meanwhile, I’m still trying to be with you.
My children and mother are at my home waiting for me to return, believing that they will meet the woman in my life. ”
“I swear I’ll be there in the morning. We’ll still spend New Year’s Day together. I wanted to tell you tonight, but I didn’t renew my residency, and I’m done in May. It won’t be like this forever.”
“And I told you not to make any decisions about your career because of me.”
“Do you hear yourself? You think we moved too fast, you don’t trust me, and now you don’t want me to make any decisions because of you, while telling me I did nothing to show you how important you are to me and that you still wanted me to meet your family.
” She blew out a breath. “Baby, you’re disappointed about tonight, and so am I.
We met at the start of the holiday season, and I’d planned to work most of it because that had been my norm for three years.
I didn’t expect you, and I’m doing everything I can to handle my obligations to the residency and be with you because I am a woman of my word.
I can’t ignore my responsibilities because I fell in love. ”
“I’m glad the hospital trusts you,” I retorted. “I’ll tell everyone you had an emergency at work, and they’ll meet you at another time. Until we sort us out, no need to meet them anyway.”
“Carter.” She pleaded.
“You’re at work, and I’m pulling into my driveway. Happy New Year,” I said and disconnected the phone.
I allowed my head to flop back on the seat. We were already fighting a month in, and it was the last day of the year. We were supposed to be in love and happy that we got to spend the beginning of a new year together. Shit. Shit.
“Woof. Woof. Woof.” Tyson, my brown and white husky, jumped on the car, eager for me to exit the car.
Elle jogged up the driveway, followed by my other two dogs. She pulled out her earplugs. “Hey, Daddy. My time is getting better and better.”
“Where are their leashes?” I asked curtly when I opened the door and rubbed Tyson’s soft furry head.
“You can’t let these dogs roam freely on this street.
They could hurt somebody.” I wasn’t the pet owner who believed my dogs wouldn’t hurt a fly.
They looked like wolves and, like any animal, would attack when provoked or scared.
“They ran with me. You trained them well.” Elle wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “Relax.”
“I’m not playing, Elle. Run without the dogs if you’re not going to put a leash on them.”
“Fine.” Her pretty face, so much like the man I just left, scrunched up. “Why you all irritable?”
“I’m not irritable,” I raised my voice. “Just want you to do what I say without mouth.”
She frowned. “The visit with Pops must didn’t go well.”
“What? We’re good. Why did you say that, and how did you know that’s where I went?” I held my hand up. “Never mind, you and your Mama.”
She lifted her knee to her stomach and held it there before doing the other one. “You left chill and came back mad.”
I sighed, “I’m fine. Me and your Poppy hung out, that’s all.”
Elle smiled, and her mother’s dimples flashed. “I’m glad that the two most important men in my life are becoming friends.”
I hooked my arm around her neck and pulled her to me. “And I’m glad that you call him and not me ‘Poppy’. I’m far too young to be called that. He looks older than me anyway. It’s that white side of him.”
She jabbed me in the side with her elbow. “That’s mean and racist, and I’m half of him.”
I groaned. “How is it racist when it’s the truth? Black don’t crack. Just be glad your Mama got a lot of melanin in her skin.”
We walked toward the house.
“Ooh, I’m telling him what you said.”
“Tell him. I’m not scared of him,” I said before squeezing her shoulder. “I’m kidding. Don’t tell him. I hate when he calls me ‘St. Patrick’ like I’m in trouble.”
“He does do that. Alright, I won’t tell.” Elle showed off her dimpled smile again. “Grandma is making brisket and potato salad and black-eyed peas.”
“She told me. Can’t wait.” I rubbed my stomach. “Where are your brothers?”
“On the phone with their girlfriends.” Elle turned up her nose.
“Kani has a girlfriend?” I asked, wondering why I didn’t know. Unlike my older son, Sekani didn’t seem focused on girls.
She arched a brow. “It just happened over the break, so don’t tell him I told you.”
“Mouth shut.” I cleared my throat. “Um...do you have a...um... “.
“Daddy.” She dipped her head. “I’m not talking about this with you.”
“I mean, as long as you talk to Grey. He can tell you about what to watch out for in boys.”
“Ugh, no. He’s worse than you. He thinks my running shorts that everyone wears are too short.” She shook her head vehemently. “I’m not seeing anyone, okay? Boys want too much of your time.”
I really couldn’t argue with that. Wasn’t I irritated with Brooklyn for focusing on her career more than me? Well, partially. There was still this little thing that I wasn’t sure I could trust that she wouldn’t go back to her ex.
“Once you meet a guy who likes and accepts you for you, and understands that your goals require a lot of your time, then he’s the one.
” Elle waited for me to open the door, and I waved my hand over the sensor.
“Once you do meet him, and you need to talk about how to balance love and your goals, you can come to me anytime. I’ll try not to hate the whole time. ”
“Love you.” She rested her forehead on my chest for a second before she and the dogs rushed through the house as she led them to the large backyard, where they roamed freely.
“Love you.” Watching her jog away from me, an inexplicable sadness assailed.
One day, I wouldn’t be the most important man in her life. One day, Elle would be caught up in her own love life, like her brothers. One day, I would feel like Darren did towards Ethyn and try to keep her as my little girl.
But right now, I still had her, and we were all going to have a good time eating, playing games, watching movies, and ringing in the New Year together.
The frustration and anger I had for Brooklyn faded as I shifted my focus to my mother and my children and headed to the kitchen to sneak some beef when my mother wasn’t looking.