chapter 18 #2
“Wes, teenage love doesn’t always survive adulting.
And you know more than anybody that there are no guarantees in life.
Today, you could be on cloud nine, ready to rule the world.
Tomorrow, you could be drowning in a deep sea of turmoil.
Time is not promised to anyone. You and Albany have a chance at something amazing.
Don’t assume the stars will align again. ”
This was the moment when all the elements combined to create the perfect storm.
The potential was there for renewal, for a clean slate.
It could also destroy us. Any sane person would’ve run away from the potential chaos, but I always wanted to run to it.
The simple truth was there were many women that had come into my life after Albany.
Beautiful, intelligent women. But none of them were her.
And I would be a fool to let her slip through my fingers.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
She hiccupped, then slapped a hand over her mouth. “Excuse me. Let me go find a hiding space. Grandma Liv has tried to introduce me to three different men.”
“I’ll walk you.”
As we neared the patio door, she told me about the guy Grandma Liv had insisted she meet. “I mean, Wes … I can’t date that man. His pants are too short. Plus, everyone knows Hendrix …” She froze. “Oh no.”
Concerned, I asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I need a hot dog.” She stopped at the buffet table to get more food. “Anyway, he’s cute and everything, but he’s not him.” She shrugged. “Alright, bye.”
My grandmother walked over. “Did you and Amber hit it off?”
“She’s nice.”
“Good. I said that I get to pick a date for you. She’s it.” Before I could object, she said, “I’ll send her information.” She waved at someone, then rushed off to talk to them.
Sighing, I grabbed two glasses of champagne and made my way toward the carriage house.
It had been a long time since I’d been there.
Sixteen years to be exact. But as I neared the structure, I was struck by the significance of the moment.
Waxing poetic wasn’t my thing. Except lately.
And only when it pertained to Albany. Yet, I couldn’t help but appreciate the symmetry of the moment.
Knocking on the door, I stepped inside when she hollered, “Come in.”
The space had always been bigger than it looked from the outside. Grandma Liv had made changes to the décor, making it feel more modern, almost like those new tiny homes. White walls had been painted gray. Instead of the brown plush carpet, she’d installed plank vinyl throughout.
“Up here!”
I climbed the stairs to the upper floor, then stepped onto the rooftop deck. “Hi.”
Albany was stretched out on the built-in sectional. “Hi.”
“This is different.” I sat next to her and passed her a glass of champagne.
“Right? It’s like a little oasis.”
Instead of wood, the terrace was clad with tiles. Potted plants and trees lined the perimeter of the space. Lights hung from the awning over a small outdoor kitchen. “Is Grandma Liv hoping to rent the space out?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Not that I know of.”
“Do you come up here a lot?”
Albany glanced at me. “I haven’t been since … about sixteen years ago.” She squeezed my hands. “This place was magic. We thought we were the shit. Acting like adults. Having dinner parties.”
“Grandma Liv was cool as hell, letting us just be here with minimal supervision. Still scared of fireworks?”
She scoffed. “Are you crazy? That was so long ago.”
One holiday, she’d been hit by a wayward bottle rocket. That night, I thought my entire world was ending. I confessed my love to her. In my head, though. I was only twelve.
“I even light them myself now,” she added proudly. “Darrell’s family had a summer home, and we’d go there for the holidays sometimes. I helped with the kiddie fireworks.”
The cryptic talk surrounding Albany’s ex had always made me wonder what the hell she’d seen in him. “How did you ever love him?”
“Mo said something to me, and it resonated. I didn’t love Darrell the way I should’ve loved the man I married. I was with him because he wasn’t you. I needed to be with someone who couldn’t hurt me.”
“He did, though.”
“Oh yeah. In hindsight, though, it hurt more because I knew better. I knew it wasn’t right, that I was doing it for all the wrong reasons, but I walked down that aisle anyway. You know I’ve always been harder on myself than anybody else.”
My throat burned as shame rolled through me. The fact that she’d charged into a relationship with that muthafucka to escape her feelings for me made me sick. “I’m sorry.”
“Please don’t apologize anymore, Wes. I heard you the first hundred times.”
I cracked up. “Wow.”
She cupped my face. “My decisions were my own.” She kissed me. “But I’m glad I’m here with you now. Full circle moment.”
I traced the side of her face with a finger. “I thought the same thing.”
“Some things never change.”
A long time ago, she’d mused that we had the same brain because we always seemed to be thinking the same thing at the same time. “Right,” I agreed.
“Wes.”
“Bug.”
She giggled. “You go.”
“No, ladies first.”
Shrugging, she peered at the setting sun. “It’s beautiful up here. So peaceful. I didn’t think it would feel that way coming back here.”
“To the carriage house or here in general?”
“Both, I guess. I have a new appreciation for home these days.” She rested her head on the back of the sectional. “I didn’t realize how much I missed it—the food, the community, the culture. Even the potholes.” She looked at me. “You. Remember our first fight?”
I chuckled. “I warned you not to touch my game.”
“I believe your exact words were If you touch my Game Boy, I’ll smack you.”
“Yeah,” I scratched the back of my neck. “I was ten years old.”
Grandma Liv had always hosted the Fourth of July, even back then.
That year, my entire family came. Albany and I had grown closer after she switched schools, but I was mad at her that day for some reason.
Probably because she’d let some little boy hold her hand at Cedar Point.
We’d clashed immediately the moment she asked to play NFL 2K3, especially after my mother insisted that I share.
“Even at that age, you were full of yourself,” she said. “So cocky. I wanted to throw that game into the Detroit River.”
“You settled for that puddle, instead.”
She cracked up, letting her head fall back as she laughed. “You deserved it.” Silence stretched between us for a moment. Then, she whispered, “I knew one thing for sure that day.”
Unable to help myself, I leaned forward, placed a soft kiss to her lips. “What’s that?”
“That my life would never be the same if you weren’t in it.
” She lowered her gaze. “Over the last few days when you were giving me space, I thought about you a lot. How you were with me, always taking care of me, making sure I was good all the time. You loved me more than anyone ever loved me. When you left, I panicked because I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel it again. ”
“Have you?”
“Never. At least, not until now.”
Unable to resist her any longer, I pulled her to me, pressing my lips to hers.
Albany melted into my arms when I deepened the kiss, moaning slightly as we fell back against the cushion.
She tugged at my shirt, lifting it up and off.
I kissed her—from her mouth to her chin, down her neck, then back up to her lips.
I wanted to crawl inside her and never leave.
The thought was sobering, but nonetheless true. I wanted more than sex. I wanted her time. I wanted to fall asleep in her arms. I wanted coffee dates in the morning before work. I wanted to share every dinner with her. Forever.
Breaking the kiss, I rested my forehead against hers. “Bug, we’re here. I could make love to you, drown myself in you. But I need to know if this is just a tonight thing. Or a forever thing.”
Albany searched my eyes, nibbling on her bottom lip. “Is that what you want?”
I brushed my thumb over her mouth, placed a kiss there. “I do. I want it more than anything.”
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared.”
“I’m scared, too.”
“Can we take it slow?”
I circled her nose with mine. “Whatever you need.”
Nodding, she said, “Then, take me home.”
Half an hour later, we stumbled into her condo, clinging to each other as we fumbled toward the bedroom. The world melted away, blurring everything but her—her soft skin, her low moans, her full lips. Damn. I couldn’t get enough of her mouth. And I would never be able to stop touching her.
But …
Her dress was like a puzzle I wanted to master. Tomorrow. Right now, I needed it off, I needed her naked.
Open.
Only for me.
Always for me.
Frustrated, I lifted her up and carried her toward her bedroom door. I paused at the threshold. I promised myself that I wouldn’t go inside unless she invited me. I needed to hear her say it, I needed to know that she was okay with this.
“Bug, are you sure?”
She sucked my bottom lip. “Very.”
Finally, I crossed the threshold into her bedroom and set her down on her feet. I turned her around so that I could get a closer look at the back of her dress. “Shit,” I murmured, tugging at the first strap. “Lay down.”
Albany crawled onto the mattress, lying on her stomach. Straddling her, I unraveled the thin pieces of fabric slowly. Along the way, I kissed her bare skin, marking her, making sure she remembered who made her feel this way when she looked in the mirror tomorrow.
Her soft moans were egging me on. I loved that she was delirious with need for me, that she pleaded with me to come inside.
Not yet …
“Wes.” Her breath hitched when I sunk my teeth into her ass. “Oh God.”
Once I tugged the final strap, I flipped her over. I grazed a nipple with the back of my hand, then knelt to suck it into my mouth.
She cried out, “Please, Wes.”
Not yet …
I ripped her panties off and buried my face in her core.
She arched her back off the bed, begged me to keep going.
Her scent was intoxicating, and I was addicted to her taste, the feel of her against my tongue.
I dipped my tongue into her sweet heat, licked my way up to her clit, then sucked it into my mouth.
She came on a breathless sigh, her body undulating under my tongue. Once the tremors subsided, I nipped the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. Then, I kissed my way back up her body, lingering on her tight nipples before I pressed my lips against hers again.
Albany tugged at my belt, yanked it off, and threw it somewhere behind me. Something broke, but I didn’t care. My focus was on her. Next, my shirt was gone, tossed toward the dresser. Then, I was inside her.
Closing my eyes, I savored the feel of her around me, the heat of her body against mine. Shit, I craved her. There was nothing better than this. Nothing better than us.
I rocked into her, swallowing her low moan with another kiss. “Tell me,” I whispered against her mouth.
“Only you, Wes,” she breathed. “I want you.”
Lust snaked down my spine, wrapped around my waist and shot to my dick. I increased the pace, giving her everything I had. All my fears, all my joy. Every success, every worry. Everything.
“I love you,” I murmured. “I’ve always, always loved you, Bug. Only you.”
“Yes.” She shuddered beneath me, letting herself go, letting herself fall.
Soon, I was with her, my orgasm cracking me open and baring my soul to her. For her.
I sat up straight, my eyes flitting around the dark room, slowly adjusting to my surroundings. Next to me, the bed was empty. Where is she?
Climbing out of the bed, I went to the bathroom. Empty. I walked out of the bedroom, peeking into the living room. Empty. The balcony door was closed and the blinds drawn, so she wasn’t out there.
A soft voice drew my attention toward the office. I approached the door, pressed my cheek against it. It was Albany. She was talking to someone. Is she on the phone? Reaching up, I pushed the door open.
Albany was staring at a wall of pictures, mumbling something to herself. Her curls were wild, and she wore nothing but my shirt. The printer worked next to her, whirring as it completed its job. As I neared her, I recognized the faces—John, Jackson, Jeanette, Cyn, Samira, Elijah, Bishop Garland …
“Hey.”
She jumped. “Oh shit.” She placed a hand over her heart. “You scared me.”
I smirked, wrapping my arms around her waist. I kissed the base of her neck. “What are you doing?”
Craning her neck to look at me, she kissed my jawline. “Working.”
“This late?”
“Now is as good a time as ever.”
I pushed my shirt off her, brushed my palm over her ass, then smacked it lightly. “Come back to bed,” I cajoled, nipping her earlobe.
She slipped from my grasp, not bothering to put the shirt back on. “I love it. I love that you’re here, that we’re doing this thing. But I’m a PI, Wes. We wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t hired to find Ms. Tea.”
Grabbing her hand, I tugged her back to me. “Can’t you do that in the morning?”
Whoosh.
A chime went off, indicating the print job was done.
Albany searched my eyes. There was something there. Worry? Concern? Resolve? “Too late,” she said.
“Does this mean …”
“I figured it out.” She reached over and grabbed the paper from the tray. Glancing at me, she lifted one of the magnets and added two pictures on the wall.
I met her eyes. “What is this?”
“I’m ninety-nine percent sure.”
“That means there’s a one percent chance that you’re wrong.”
“I don’t think so.” She picked up her phone, tapped at the screen, then showed me Ms. Tea’s last post. It was from today, about four hours ago. A picture of us at the barbecue, sharing our plate of food. The caption read.
Oh Lord. Are these two former friends-turned-lovers taking a stroll down memory lane?
Rumor has it, the fire is still simmering.
But is Albany Keyes ready for Wes’s mess?
I wonder … And as luck would have it, she is newly single, finally divorced from her philandering ex-husband.
Ladies, guard your wallets cause these men out here ruining people’s credit.
#BeCareful #BatchelorShenanigans #SecondChanceSh! tShow
Speechless, I stared at the wall.
Albany peered up at me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m good,” I lied.
I was not good, though. And Albany riding my face was not on the agenda. Because the woman I loved just put my grandmother—and hers—on the wall of suspects.