10. Nyle Brown #3
The sound of AJ’s voice startled both of us. Brittish jumped with her hand over her heart while I glanced back with wide eyes.
“Boy!” Brittish screeched. “How long have you been up?”
“When you were plotting on sneaking Nyle in,” AJ revealed, yawning. “All I care about is taking a shower and going to bed. I’m exhausted, and I want to call Dad before I go to sleep.”
“That’s fine. Come on. Let’s go inside then.”
Brittish bit her bottom lip and shook her head as I killed the engine.
Once we were inside her house, AJ gave both of us a hug before disappearing.
I followed Brittish to the kitchen where she grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge and held it up.
I nodded, so she grabbed two glasses and led me outside to her back patio.
It was set up nicely with a couch, two chairs, and a sheer cover to keep the bugs from getting inside.
She poured us both a glass and handed me mine.
“You gotta get your game right, Pretty Lady. How we get caught before we even get inside?”
Brittish almost choked on her wine from laughing. “I’m saying. His little sneaky ass probably heard our entire conversation.”
“Probably so. It’s good we weren’t talking about anything we didn’t want him to hear.”
“Exactly. Can I ask you a question, Nyle?”
“You can ask me anything.”
“What happened to the men who abused you?”
Her question wasn’t what I expected, but I had a feeling she would eventually ask.
I leaned back and told her, “Their murders were never solved. It happened shortly after Nannie and Uncle Bernard found out about the abuse, so I believe they know what happened.”
“Oh, wow.” Brittish uttered barely above a whisper. “Do you think they have something to do with it?”
“I do, but I never questioned it. Before Uncle Bernard passed, I thanked him for taking care of me. He said he would do it all over again if that meant protecting me.”
“That’s love right there. How did he pass?”
“COPD. He was hardheaded and never stopped smoking, even after he was diagnosed. Nannie used to fuss at him all the time, especially with him being her only sibling. She was fussing at him at his funeral for dying on her.” I couldn’t help but to laugh, picturing her fixing his tie while she mumbled underneath her breath. “I miss him.”
“How long has it been?”
“Almost seven years.”
Brittish reached over and placed her hand on my arm. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you. It’s life.” Not feeling the energy shift, I decided to ask her a question of my own. I needed the conversation not to be so heavy, but then again, what I was wondering was probably heavy for her. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Is Asher the only man you’ve ever been in love with?”
She paused and leaned her head back on the chair. “He is. Once upon a time, I thought I was in love, but when I got with Asher, I truly realized what love was.”
“Are you scared to fall in love again?”
“With you? No. You’re making it pretty damn easy for me to do so. I mean, I know no relationship is perfect, and things change, but I feel it’s different with you.”
“How so?”
“Honestly.” She paused and took a sip of her wine.
“Asher and I had problems from the beginning. He cheated, and it made me have trust issues. I always needed reassurance, which was exhausting for me, so I know it was for him as well. When he finally got it together, I hadn’t.
My trust still wasn’t there one hundred percent, and I know that affected us.
By the time I got pregnant, I believe we had both mentally checked out but not emotionally.
“With you, you haven’t given me any reason to question you.
You give reassurance without asking as well as being consistent.
I’m grateful for that. It’s been easy for me to follow your lead without holding my guard too high.
We’ve both been through things, and I think that makes a difference as well.
For you to not have ever loved before, you do a damn good job at showing it. ”
I touched my heart. “That worked on me. It made me feel good, Pretty Lady, so thank you.”
“No, thank you for giving me hope on finding love again. Thank you for not letting up and leading me here. Leading us here.”
We toasted and sat in a comfortable silence until AJ came outside.
He was dressed in his pajamas and cuddled up next to his mother.
I half listened to them talk while my mind drifted to Renee.
All day, being with them, I hadn’t thought about her.
For some reason, seeing them interact in that moment tugged at the little boy in me.
For years, I wondered why Renee couldn’t be that for me and my siblings. Why did she have to be so selfish?
In the end, it wasn’t for me to figure out. My love and gratitude for Nannie outweighed my desire to need answers.
Brittish exuded what I looked for in a woman. The way she was with AJ was another way she healed me. She was a great mother, something I used to yearn for. The more I watched them, the more I felt myself falling for her.
Was it possible I’d fallen in love?