Chapter 4 #3
I wasn’t sure how I felt. One minute, being apart seemed to be the best thing, and the next, I was pissed that he wasn’t putting up a fight.
He was spending lots of time with the kids, even keeping them on weekends and giving me time alone.
I didn’t know what to do with myself half the time.
Harbor was out of commission because she had two newborns at home, so I hated to admit I was spending a lot of time either alone or with her and the twins.
They were adorable, and I was in love with their little faces too, so time wasn’t exactly wasted.
A lot of the time, I was wishing I was home, hanging out with Ledge and the kids like Harbor and Free seemed to be.
He was changing his ways for Harbor, and it was actually pretty amazing to see.
I had seen this nigga keep a bunch of airheads around with perfect bodies and faces but not one sustainable quality beyond that.
“Alright, Chevelle, get it together. This is just a man, like any other.” I was standing in the full-length mirror inside my bedroom, checking out my dress while smoothing some of my hair away from my face.
Tonight, I was going to a movie with Detective Evans, or Kemper as he had me call him.
He was sweet and funny, and although he was a cop, he wasn’t some stiff.
He grew up in the hood, in poverty, with just his mother.
His father was in and out of his life according to him, but they managed to have some kind of relationship.
In the last few weeks, we’d gone on three dates together, and he was surprisingly cool.
It was a definite switch from Knowledge’s degenerate ass.
Still, I couldn’t help but think about him all the time.
Every time he was on daddy duty, that was a turn-on.
I found myself wanting to forgive him and get back to us.
The doorbell rang, and my granny called to me from downstairs.
I snatched up my little purse and tossed it across my chest since it was a little crossbody bag and rushed to the bedroom door.
When I got to the bottom of the stairs, Kemper stood in the hallway with Granny.
She was beaming like he was there to take her out.
He was a very handsome man, and part of me wondered if I was as attracted to him as I was because in a few ways he did remind me of Ledge.
They were both the same size with the same chocolate skin and piercing, slanted eyes that stared through me.
He was direct when he spoke, and his smile was definitely one to warm your heart.
“Hey.” I returned his greeting grin, descending in a short, black BCBG dress with Louboutin heels.
My hair hung in deep waves, cascading down my back, and I beat my face like a girl fresh off a magazine cover.
“Damn,” he groaned, biting into his bottom lip sexily, charcoal eyes raking over me.
Granny cleared her throat, and he shook off the trance he was in, lowering his head with shame.
“I mean… you look beautiful.” Kemper complimented me.
“Thank you. You are looking pretty sharp yourself.” I reached for his suit collar and tugged on it playfully. “Granny, are you sure you are going to be okay with the kids here? I know after the last time—”
“Chile, ain’t nobody worried about that psycho woman. I got something for her this time, and this place is surrounded by a new privacy fence and armed guards. We are good. Go out, have some fun for me.” She waved us to the doors.
“Okay, thank you. I will see you later.” I leaned in to kiss her cheek.
Kemper tossed an arm around my waist, leading me out the door.
I felt like we were being watched the minute we stepped outside, which left me leery.
When I peered around, there wasn’t anyone there, so I brushed it off and let him usher me to his black Mercedes waiting at the curb.
“Mmm, this is nice. You must be a top-notch detective to be able to afford this,” I said, allowing him to pull the passenger’s door open for me.
“Something like that.” He closed it and rounded the front of the car to get in the driver’s seat.
“Are you looking forward to this movie? I heard it got some good reviews.” He glanced my way before pulling away from the curb.
“I am looking forward to anything with some normalcy at this point.” I laughed nervously, and my head sank back into the soft headrest.
“Yeah, you’ve had an eventful few months,” he acknowledged, cutting his eyes my way as he drove. “Crazy how all that happened. I’m glad the kids are safe, but it’s wild that Kitana disappeared like that.”
“Not really. She was a nut and a half. She knew what was best for her,” I declared, growing uncomfortable with the topic of discussion.
Kemper watched me a little too closely. I didn’t dare look into the lasers aimed at me.
He was a cop, even when he wasn’t. That was part of the reason our dates were so few and far between.
I liked him, but it was more like he was a space filler.
I was still in limbo with Ledge, and we hadn’t talked about us in months.
He had fallen back and been in daddy mode.
I was starting to wonder if he was even interested in getting back together since he didn’t bring it up.
At night, when I tossed and turned in bed and the kids were with me, I wondered what it was that he was doing or who he was doing it with.
“It’s a blessing that she dropped them off the way that she did and that you all were familiar with the laundry mat that they were left at.” Kemper hinted.
I wasn’t sure where he was going with this.
I just needed him to leave it alone. Sniffing around Ledge or anything else would not end well for him.
That was another reason I’d been spending time with him, I wanted to make sure he didn’t try to pursue this case and dig any deeper than necessary.
We had the perfect cover story, and Kitana was long dead and gone.
“Yes, it is. Can we not talk about that? I would rather enjoy the night rather than relive one of the worst of my life,” I muttered.
“Yeah, I understand,” he replied, checking his rearview mirror.
We grabbed food and sat in the parking lot of the movie theater to eat before going in.
The movie lasted about an hour and a half, and then we were driving back toward my house.
He seemed a little tight to me, and I wasn’t sure when it had happened.
Something was on his mind, but he didn’t want to say anything to me.
“So where do you see this thing between us going? Is this some friendship type thing, or are you interested? I mean, I have two kids, their father is involved in their lives, but at the end of the day, I am their mother. I’ve never done this before with anyone.
Ledge and I have been together for almost seven years now. This is new to me.”
Craning his neck so that he faced me, empathy splattered over his features. I watched his eyes soften in a way that was endearing.
“So let me get to know you then,” he teased, running his tongue over his sensual ass lips.
That shit was sexy. A small simper formed on mine. Maybe he wasn’t all cop. I had to give him a chance.
“Where did you grow up? What were your parents and family like?” he questioned.
“Um, I was raised by my grandmother. That was her back at the house.”
Kemper couldn’t keep his eyes off the rearview mirror. I wasn’t sure why he was looking there until I peeped the car that seemed to be following us at every turn.
“Is something wrong?” I questioned, peeping his uneasiness.
As we neared the house, the car only seemed to get closer behind us.
When Kemper wheeled his vehicle in through the security gate, they rolled in right behind us, and I knew right then that it was Ledge.
This was his security after all, so he had all access to the grounds.
Rolling my eyes in annoyance, I silently counted down to the bullshit that was about to go down.
The nerve of this nigga irked my soul. He could go do whatever, whenever, with whoever, but I wasn’t allowed to do the same.
Kemper was already in his mirror, watching Ledge, who was more than likely scoping him too.
Ledge was a predator at the end of the day; that much I knew.
He was also protective. Because of the line of work he was in, he was always cautious.
There was no way he was about to leave me exposed out here for anyone to take advantage of.
“Is this normal procedure?” Kemper questioned, falling back in his seat calmly.
“He’s… protective, and paranoid,” I concluded, sighing.
Ledge was unpredictable, and I didn’t need that shit right now.
“I had a good time tonight. Thank you.”
“So what is this to you, Chevelle? You want to play this out with him, be his toy or plaything that he deals with from time to time?” He was harsh when he spoke, and like two daggers, my eyes scathed him.
“Excuse me? The fuck you know about me and my children’s father?” I commanded, growing enraged.
“He’s just another thug, a nigga with no future but a jail cell or a grave. Is that what you want for your future? For your children’s futures?”
“Good night, Kemper.” I reached for the door handle, and his large hand grabbed my arm.
Narrowing both eyes filled with malice, he held me in place in the passenger’s seat.
“It would be best if you removed your hand from me right now. Unless you welcome violence.” I spoke through gritted teeth because he had me fucked up right now.
His grip loosened, and the shadows behind his dark gaze faltered. He realized he had crossed a line. Yanking my arm back, I pushed the door open and dropped one foot to the ground.
“When you’re ready to deal with a mothafucka that won’t shit on you at every turn, reach out,” he advised, and I scoffed at his audacity.