Chapter 3
As anxious as I was to see Jelai, I didn’t go to her immediately.
She wasn’t hard to find. After her father’s death, I used Sonny and Cole to keep track of her.
They were also at her high school and college graduations, plus when she and her mother buried Dylan and when she celebrated starting her small business.
Jelai may not have boasted about what she did, but I was proud of her.
She helped the community with her nutrition coaching and meal planning, and I loved that.
Her and Sidney were like a dynamic duo in the hoods of The Hills. Jelai planned the healthy soul food meals and Sidney cooked them. Having Caden as a client had given Sidney all the recommendation she needed for people to work with her. His reputation spoke loud volumes.
Mama loved the food at Southern Delightz, and she’d been raving about it since I came home.
I told her I’d join her there for lunch one day, but I wanted to see Jelai on my own first. I thought I’d worked up the courage to see her today, but when I pulled up to her neighborhood, I started feeling crazy.
She’d spent the last ten years trying to talk to me, and I kept turning her down.
Now, I just randomly pulled up at her home? The shit sounded crazy as hell.
Just when I was about to start my bike back up and leave, I saw Chris pull up. I couldn’t stop myself from frowning at the sight of him. While I’d only had a few encounters with him as a teenager, they were memorable. He wasn’t the friendly neighborhood cop, let’s just say that.
To avoid drama, I waited until Chris left to go to her door. Even if she sent me away, I needed to see her face to face. After I knocked, she swung the door open with irritation covering her beautiful face.
“I said I’ll tell you when I . . .” Her mouth snapped shut as she stared at me. “See him.”
I didn’t want to assume the him she was referring to was me, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was. Just like my father had warned me about her, I was sure Chris was here to warn her about me. Teenage Jelai was pretty as hell, but the grown woman standing in front of me was absolutely beautiful.
She’d always been tall, and that was one of the first things I noticed and found attractive about her. I was six-four, and she was maybe six inches shorter than me. Her height and shape reminded me of Megan Thee Stallion. Jelai was bottom heavy with a flat stomach and small breasts.
Her skin was caramel brown with a golden undertone. She had dark eyes, round lips, and a small nose. I didn’t want to be that person and assume her hair was weave, but the thick honey brown strands fell in waves and stopped at the top of her ass.
For a while, all I could do was stare at her. Her trembling fingers lifted and caressed my cheek, as if she couldn’t believe I was real.
“Wicked,” she whispered with watery eyes.
“In the flesh,” I replied, smiling. I couldn’t believe I was finally face to face with her after ten years.
A soft whimper escaped her before she hugged me. It caught me so off guard it took me a second to return the embrace. When I did, we melted into one another. I picked her up and wrapped her legs around me as she sniffled.
“Thank you,” she said, voice muffled against my neck. The feel of her breath made my dick harden. “Thank you so much, Wicked. Thank you. I-I’ve waited so long to say that. Thank you. I owe you so much.”
“You owe me nothing.”
“You gave up ten years of your life for me,” she said, as if I didn’t already know, resting her forehead against mine. Her eyes were closed as they leaked. “How can I repay you? Do you need a job? Money?”
Chuckling, I resisted the urge to kiss her.
Though I knew we mirrored the same feelings when we were in high school, I didn’t know how she felt now.
Plus, I wanted her consent for anything physical that happened between us.
Had she not initiated the hug, I wouldn’t have touched her, regardless of how difficult that was going to be.
“I’m more than good with money, and I have my own sources of income.”
Her forehead lifted from mine, and she looked into my eyes.
My heart skipped a beat and body relaxed even more.
The longer we locked eyes, the calmer and more at peace I felt.
If I ever needed confirmation that she was the one, I’d gotten it just now.
I wouldn’t lie and say I hadn’t fucked around with women over the years to help my time pass faster, but Jelai was always in the center of my heart.
Now that I was out, I had no desire to be with anyone but her.
“Then how can I repay you?” she asked softly.
“You’ve said thank you. That’s enough.”
Jelai stared at me like I was speaking a different language before she shimmied against me and climbed down.
“Well, thank you, Wicked. Um, I’m actually late for work so—”
Ignoring her, I stepped into her home. “We need to talk. It’s been a long time coming, bae.”
I heard her nervous chuckle behind me. “Look, I’m happy you’re out, no doubt, but now that I’ve thanked you, there’s nothing else I have to say.”
“And why’s that?” I asked, turning to face her in time enough to see her roll her eyes. That quickly, her relief and happiness to see me appeared to be replaced with anger. I wasn’t expecting that, and I was certainly curious as to why . . .