Thirteen
Ace
When Kel pulled Kema aside before the ceremony, I didn’t interfere. She had already told me he apologized, and I wasn’t an insecure-ass nigga. I knew what I brought to the table, and after the night Kema and I spent together, I wasn’t worried about another man taking her from me.
The reception was supposed to be about celebrating Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Bishop. Although I met most of these people through Kel, I was grateful to know them now. Was I wrong for messing with his ex? Probably.
But one thing about me, I never gave a fuck about rules that only benefited the person who broke them first. Kel cheated on Kema, embarrassed her, and chose Tiana. He didn’t get to be mad because another man recognized what he threw away. Especially when that man was me.
Kema wasn’t somebody you could control or force into anything. She was a free spirit, and I loved that about her. Damn I said loved. I guess I wasn’t fighting the word anymore.
I watched from the bar as she danced with Sierra and the other bridesmaids.
Her curls bounced around her face while she moved, laughing every time one of them pulled her into the middle of the circle.
Stephen walked over with a satisfied look on his face.
“What’s up, man?” He dapped me and took the stool beside mine.
I signaled for the bartender to bring us two beers. “Shit, you got it, bro.”
He nodded and looked toward the dance floor. Sierra had kicked off her shoes and was dancing in the center of the group with Kema beside her. Both of them looked happy as hell.
“You know,” Stephen said, “when Sierra first told me Kema was bringing you, I thought it was some get-back shit.”
“It was.”
He laughed. “At least you’re honest.”
“I’m not saying I came for that reason. But that was probably Kema’s plan.”
“Probably?”
“Shit, I’m not finna lie like I didn’t know that was her plan.”
The bartender placed our beers in front of us.
Stephen picked his up but didn’t drink. “I always knew you had a thing for little sis,” he said.
“But she was in love with Kel. When you said you were coming, I didn’t want you putting yourself in a position to lose your friend and still not get the girl. ”
I took a sip. “But?”
“Your friendship with Kel is over.” Stephen looked back at the dance floor. “But you got the girl. Was she worth it?”
My eyes found Kema on the dance floor. She must have felt my eyes on her because she looked up and smirked before turning around and twerking with Sierra.
I shook my head. That woman was going to be the death of me. “Yeah,” I answered. “She was worth it.”
Stephen nodded like that was the only answer he expected. “You serious about her?”
“I am.”
“Does she know?”
“She should.”
“If you didn’t make it plain for her she doesn’t know.”
I glanced at him. “You been married fifteen minutes and already giving relationship advice?”
“I’m somebody’s husband now. Show some respect.”
I chortled and lifted my beer. “Congratulations.”
He tapped his bottle against mine. A slower song started playing, and the DJ invited the couples onto the dance floor. Stephen immediately stood. “Duty calls.”
“You better go get your wife.”
He walked toward Sierra while I remained at the bar. Kema separated from the bridesmaids and headed in my direction. Her eyes stayed on mine as she walked, and the way that dress fit her made me forget we were surrounded by people. She stopped between my legs. “You going to sit here all night?”
“I was enjoying the view.”
“You can enjoy it closer.”
She held out her hand. I placed my beer on the bar and let her pull me toward the dance floor. The second we joined the other couples, Kema wrapped her arms around my neck. I placed my hands on her waist and pulled her against me. “You’ve been watching me all night,” she said.
“I’m allowed to look at my date.”
“Your date?”
“My woman.”
Her eyebrow lifted. “That wasn’t part of our story.”
“Maybe I went off-script.” Kema smiled and rested her head against my chest.
I moved one hand lower on her back. We weren’t doing anything extra, but the way she fit against me felt intimate as hell. “You having fun?” I asked.
“I am. And Sisi is happy.”
“What about you?”
She lifted her head. “What about me?”
“Are you happy?”
Her eyes moved over my face. “Yeah.”
I leaned down to kiss her forehead, but Kema caught my face before I could.
Her lips pressed against mine and for a second I froze.
This was the first time she initiated a kiss.
My hands tightened around her waist as I kissed her back.
Kema's fingers slid into my hair for a split second I forgot where we were.
When she pulled away I looked down at her with a smirk. "What was that for?"
She shrugged, "I just wanted to kiss you."
I smiled, "do it again."
Kema rolled her eyes, but she kissed me again. This one was shorter but it didn't matter to me. The fact that she was comfortable kissing me in public was all I cared about.
A few feet away, Kel stood with Tiana, but his attention wasn’t on the woman beside him. It was on Kema. And I kept my eyes on him and Tiana.
She said something to him that I couldn’t hear. Kel shook his head, but he didn’t stop looking in our direction. I could have called him out. I could have pulled Kema closer or kissed her just to make sure he understood. But I didn’t need to.
Kema was already in my arms and she wasn’t paying attention to him. The song ended, but she didn’t move away. “You want another drink?” I asked.
“Champagne.”
“Your wish is my command.”
We walked back toward the bar with our hands intertwined. I ordered her drink, and Kema leaned against me while we waited. Tiana’s voice rose behind us. “Stop looking at that bitch.”
The conversations around us quieted. Kema stiffened beside me and I wrapped my arms around her tighter to keep her from moving. I looked over my shoulder and saw Tiana standing in front of Kel with tears in her eyes.
“You left her for me,” she continued. “Now you want her back?”
“Tiana, lower your voice.”
“No. I’m tired of watching you stare at her. The whole trip, all you’ve done is watch Kema and worry about what she’s doing with Ace.”
Everybody was looking now, including Sierra and Stephen. Kel reached for Tiana’s arm. “We’re not doing this here.”
She snatched away. “You already did it here.”
“TIANA.”
“You made me look stupid for a woman you said you didn’t want anymore.”
Kema wiggled her way out of my hold. “I’m not doing this.” She grabbed her champagne from the bar and started to walk away. Tiana looked at her. “Of course you’re not. You got what you wanted.”
Kema stopped. I placed my hand against her lower back. “Keep walking baby.”
“No.” She turned around. “Since everybody wants to have a conversation about me, let’s have it.”
“Kema,” Sierra warned.
“I didn’t make Markel stare at me,” Kema said. “And I damn sure didn’t ask him to leave you. Whatever problem y’all have is between the two of you.”
Tiana laughed bitterly. “You came here with his best friend just to make him jealous.”
“That might’ve been why I asked Ace in the beginning, but it’s not why I’m still with him.”
I looked at her. Kema didn’t look back. She didn’t have to her words said enough and Kel heard them just like I did. His jaw tightened. “So what? Y’all together now?”
“That’s none of your business,” Kema said.
Tiana stared at him for another second before wiping beneath her eyes. “I’m done.”
She grabbed her purse from a nearby table and stormed out of the reception. Kel stood there watching the door.
For half a second, I thought he might go after her. But he didn’t. Instead, he reached for another glass of liquor from a passing tray. That told me everything I needed to know.
The music slowly started up again, and people attempted to return to the reception. Sierra gave Kema a look that said they would talk later before allowing Stephen to lead her back toward the dance floor. Kema exhaled and picked up her champagne. “You okay?” I asked.
“I’m fine.”
“You want to go outside?”
“No. I’m not letting them ruin Sisi’s reception.”
I kissed her temple. “All right.”
For the next half hour, we tried to enjoy ourselves.
Kema went to take pictures with the bridesmaids while I returned to the bar.
That was when Kel approached. I could tell he had been drinking too much.
His eyes were low, and the way he walked told me the liquor had finally caught up with him.
The bartender glanced at him when he took the seat beside mine. “Whiskey,” he ordered.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t serve you any more alcohol. I can bring you water.”
Kel looked at her. “Did I ask for water?”
“No, sir, but—”
“Then bring me what I asked for.”
She reached into a cooler and placed a bottle of water in front of him. “This is all I can offer.”
Kel slapped the bottle away, sending it across the bar. And that shit irritated me. Before I knew it, I was on my feet. “Chill the fuck out.”
Kel turned toward me. “Mind your business.”
“You taking your anger out on the wrong person. She doing her job.”
“I said mind your fucking business.”
The bartender stepped away while Stephen started toward us from across the room. I moved between Kel and the bar. “Go sit down somewhere before you make this worse.”
He laughed without humor. “You think you better than me now?”
“This ain’t about me.”
“Everything been about you since we got here.”
“You did that to yourself.”
His face hardened. I knew that look. Kel had worn it plenty of times over the years, usually right before he made a stupid decision. “You broke the code over a bitch,” he said.
My jaw tightened. “Watch how you talk about her.”
“See? That’s your problem. You think you know her because you fucked her a few times.”
I stepped closer. “I ain’t finna tell you again. Watch your mouth when you speaking on mine. I’m sparing your ass cause you drunk and we at this wedding but make no mistake I will lay you the fuck out in here.”
He chuckled flicked his nose and glared at me, “you don’t know shit. Kema is using you.”