Chapter 9
I looked good as hell.
That was the first thought that crossed my mind while standing in my bathroom mirror the next morning moisturizing my skin.
Glowing.
Actually glowing.
My curls were piled into a messy bun on top of my head while my oversized sleep shirt kept slipping off one shoulder. The faintest little smile stayed on my lips no matter how many times I tried to relax my face. Teaching Kasen didn’t feel awkward like I thought it would.
It felt…intimate.
Watching that man pay attention to my body like it mattered had almost taken me out. He enjoyed learning me. I could tell and the craziest part is he got turned on by pleasing me.
That alone was dangerous because I already knew once Kasen fully got comfortable in himself sexually? Oh yeah, that man was going to be a fuckin’ problem.
The restraint in him was crazy already. The discipline. The attentiveness. The way his voice dropped deeper every time he got more confident touching me.
There was another version of Kasen sitting underneath all that carefulness.
A dominant one.
A nasty one probably.
And the thought of another woman unlocking that version before me irritated me immediately.
Which was ridiculous because technically there wasn’t another woman.
Still…he was mine
I looked at myself in the mirror afterward. Okay maybe I was in too deep.
My phone buzzed on the bathroom counter.
Troy:
You on the way?
Yes impatient ass
I grabbed my purse and keys afterward before heading downstairs.
About thirty minutes later, I pulled up outside Troy’s house with soft R&B playing low through my speakers.
The neighborhood looked quiet this early. Kids riding bikes. Somebody cutting grass two houses down.
I climbed out wearing black leggings, a cropped zip-up jacket, and slides before heading toward the front door.
And for some reason…The second Troy opened it, his expression changed.
Subtly but I caught it. His eyes moved over me once then stopped near my neck.
Damn.
I already knew.
That little passion mark Kasen accidentally left last night had faded some, but apparently not enough.
Troy’s jaw tightened slightly.
“What?” I asked immediately.
“Nothing.”
“That wasn’t a nothing look.”
He stepped aside so I could walk in.
“It’s definitely something.”
“Troy.”
He shut the door behind me slower than usual.
Then finally— “You got hickeys now?”
I almost laughed. “Not hickeys. Hickey.” I corrected casually.
His face tightened more at the singular.
Oh brother.
“It’s barely there,” I added walking toward the living room. “Relax.”
“That nigga biting on you already?”
I turned around slowly. “Excuse me?”
“I’m asking.”
“You’re being weird.”
“Nah.” His eyes stayed fixed on my neck. “I’m observing.”
“You sound jealous.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“You definitely sound jealous.”
Troy laughed once under his breath.
Then Serenity came barreling down the hallway before anything else could be said.
“MOMMYYYY!”
“There go my baby.” I bent down immediately catching her as she launched herself into my arms. “You ready for your appointment?”
“Yes!” She gasped dramatically. “Daddy burned the pancakes.”
“I did not burn them,” Troy defended from behind us.
Serenity looked me dead in my face. “He burned them.”
I started laughing immediately.
Troy shook his head while grabbing Serenity’s backpack from the couch.
Then quietly, while Serenity dug through her bag distracted— “You happy?”
The question caught me off guard enough that I looked up at him fully.
I answered honestly anyway. “…Yeah.”
Troy nodded once, but I knew that look. Knew it well enough to recognize it immediately.
This conversation wasn’t over. Matter fact, it hadn’t even started yet. It would probably sit and marinate somewhere in the back of his mind until a random Saturday when he decided to ask a question he had no business asking.
That’s how Troy worked.
He let things simmer then came back to it later.
I wasn’t dealing with that today.
“Alright, daddy drama,” I said, standing back up. “Let’s go before we’re late.”
“I’m not drama.”
“You literally started this conversation because you saw a mark on my neck.”
“Observation.”
“Drama.”
“Observation.”
Serenity grabbed both our hands. “Y’all arguing?”
“Nope,” we answered together.
My daughter looked suspicious.
Smart little thing.
The hair appointment took almost four hours. By the time it was finished, Serenity was practically vibrating with excitement.
Her hair was braided neatly into two ponytails with black and pink beads decorating the ends. Every time she moved her head they clicked together softly.
She loved them like genuinely loved them. She’d checked herself in every mirror she passed. Every reflective surface.
Every car window.
Every spoon.
“Mommy look.”
“I’ve been looking.”
“Look again.”
I laughed. “They’re beautiful, baby.”
“I know.”
The confidence.
I had no idea where she got it from.
Liar.
Yes I did.
We stopped for food afterward and halfway through her chicken tenders she looked up.
“Can we go to Nana’s later?”
I smiled. “Of course.”
“Yay!”
Because if there was one thing about Serenity Blake? That child loved her grandparents. Especially my parents.
An hour later we pulled into my mother’s driveway. The second Serenity spotted Nana’s car she was out of the truck before I even killed the engine.
“Walk!”
She was already running though.
I sighed and climbed out then immediately got irritated. Because another vehicle sat in the driveway.
A vehicle I recognized.
Wonderful.
My stepfather was here.
I closed my eyes briefly.
I didn’t hate the man.
He treated my mother well, made her happy, worked hard and showed up. All the things a good husband was supposed to do.
Growing up, I had actually wanted my mom to find love again after the divorce. I never blamed either parent for what happened. Some people just weren’t meant to stay together forever.
That was life, but out of all the men in HighVille...Why him?
To this day I couldn’t explain it. Something about him irritated me. Maybe because he always had an opinion or because he acted like he knew everything. Whatever it was, the feeling never left.
Serenity adored him, so I tolerated him.
For her.
The front door flew open before I even reached the porch.
“There go my girls!”
My mother’s smile immediately softened my mood.
I hugged her tightly. “Hey Mama.”
“You look happy.”
Of course she noticed. Mothers always noticed.
“I’m alive.”
“Mhm.”
She wasn’t buying it.
Before she could question me further, Serenity came racing through the living room showing off her beads.
“Nana look!”
“Oh my goodness!”
My mother immediately dropped into grandma mode.
Which left me walking straight into the kitchen and directly into my stepfather.
Fantastic.
“There she go.”
I sighed. “There YOU go.”
He grinned.
“Always happy to see me.”
“That’s one way to describe it.”
He laughed while reaching for another rib from a platter sitting on the counter.
See? Always somewhere eating.
Hours passed surprisingly fast after that.
Family movies, card games and my mom showing Serenity baby pictures she had already seen eighty-seven times. Dinner, laughter and despite my irritation at the beginning, it ended up being a good visit.
By the time the sun disappeared, Serenity was curled against my mother’s side fighting sleep. Which meant it was definitely time to go.
After a dozen hugs and three goodbye speeches from Serenity, we finally headed home.
The ride back was quiet.
My daughter knocked out before we left the neighborhood. The beads in her hair clicked softly every time the truck hit a bump.
Once home, I carried her inside carefully and tucked her into bed. Tomorrow was Sunday.
Church.
Which meant I still needed to shower, pick out clothes, and mentally prepare myself for my grandmother asking when I was getting married for the nine hundredth time.
I smiled to myself while plugging my phone into the charger.
Then immediately saw a text waiting from Batman.
Batman:
Did Serenity like her hair?
The smile that spread across my face was automatic.
She thinks she’s Beyoncé now
Three dots appeared almost instantly.
Sounds accurate
That simple little exchange made me smile all over again.