Chapter 13 Sincere Bellamy
SINCERE BELLAMY
“Jamir, I need you to do something for me,” I said as soon as he answered, while easing through traffic.
“What’s up?”
“Reek overheard Langford say Kai might be getting backed by dirty money. I need you to dig into that. Quietly. Follow the money. See who’s behind him and why.”
“I’m on it.”
We hung up, and I tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. My focus shifted immediately, like my body knew where I was headed. I was already running late in my head because Rhythm’s mother had the kids tonight, and I wanted all the time I could get with her.
The obsession with her had intensified this past week.
I’d never felt this natural with a woman.
Not even Tempo. With Rhythm, my soul felt relaxed.
I felt settled in a way I never had before, like something in me finally unclenched.
She’d already shown me what deep and impossible-to-ignore hunger felt like.
I wanted her mind first, because I knew once I got in there, her body would follow without me even asking.
And when she touched me, it wasn’t just pleasure.
It was the kind of feeling that stole my breath and revived me at the same time.
Because I had given her my ETA, when I pulled up in front of her place, she stepped outside. That’s when I knew she was it for me. Watching her walk toward my car did something dramatic to my heartbeat. I knew right then I was head over heels.
She slid into the passenger seat, smiling, as she greeted me with a kiss. “Hey you.”
I chuckled, shaking my head, and she looked at me, confused, as I said, “Yeah, you it, Mama.”
She blushed as I pulled off. My hand found her thigh immediately. She rested her palm over mine like it belonged there, and we settled into our usual deep convos. Our conversation was always easy and layered as we talked for hours after her kids went to bed.
“You ever think about having more kids?” I asked.
She looked at me, tilting her head dramatically. “Where did that come from?”
“Just curious. I told you, I don’t do anything random. I don't have any kids, so I’m just wondering where your head is at with that.”
“I honestly haven’t thought about it. I knew that I didn’t want to have more kids with my children’s father, so it hasn’t been anything that I considered, since I knew I would be raising my kids alone soon.”
“What if you weren’t alone?” With her eyebrows knitted together, she turned toward me. So, I reiterated. “What if you were married?”
She smiled then. “Of course I’d give my husband children.”
“Being an only child, I’ve been waiting my whole life to have kids. I felt so alone as a kid, especially with parents that were so focused on their careers. So, I gotta have more than one. You know how that is, since you’re an only child too.”
“Right. I wished that I could have had Nari sooner, so that she could have been closer to KJ’s age. But he is a good big brother, regardless.”
“I would have loved to have younger siblings.”
“At least you have your college buddies, though. You said they are like brothers, right?”
“They are.”
“And your parents sound like they kept you occupied.”
During many of our conversations, I’d told Rhythm about all of the vacations my parents took me on and all of the after-school programs and activities they insisted that I be a part of.
Both of my parents were senior associates at a private equity firm.
They insisted that their only child not become a statistic.
They refused to let me end up in the streets, so they kept my mind busy and occupied.
“Yeah, they were really active parents,” I agreed.
“Mine were as much as they could be. They worked a lot to keep the bills paid. They were always doing overtime or working more than one job.”
Then I looked at her, saying, “I’m sorry about your father.”
She had briefly mentioned her father’s death during one of our many conversations at night that went for hours after her kids went to bed. She had breezed over it so quick that I knew she wasn’t handling it well or at all.
Her body stiffened briefly. “Thank you.”
“I can’t imagine.”
“It’s rough. Some days it still feels unbearable.”
I squeezed her thigh gently to comfort her.
“I throw myself into my work and my kids. It’s the only way I know how to survive it.”
“I guessed that. I respect it, though.”
I drove with one hand on the wheel and the other still on her thigh. I kept stealing looks at her, unable to stop myself. Every time our eyes met, it felt like something real and intimate passed between us.
“You’re staring,” she teased.
I looked at her, realizing that I could very well be looking at my future. “Can’t help it.”