“Okay, maybe I could. But that was then, and this is now.”
“What’s that mean?”
“I don’t want us to try and recreate something off what we might have imagined things to be like back then.”
“So, you’re saying you fantasized about me too?” I teased, bumping my fist under her chin.
“Forget about it.”
“I never could. Not about you, Angel.”
“You seemed to have forgotten about me these last few years.”
“I couldn’t find you, Angel. You moved, changed your number, and blocked all of us on your social media. I wasn’t gonna push up on you. I respected the boundaries you set andthe fact that you didn’t want to be found. But now that we’ve reconnected, I would never kick you to the curb.”
“You might when you find a new girlfriend.”
“What if I said that I didn’t want a new girlfriend? I only want you and Belle,” I replied. My heart ached at the thought of not having the two of them around. It hadn’t been that long since we reconnected, but the thought of her not being around again depressed me.
She was my boy’s ex, and the last thing that I wanted was to be caught up in her, but I couldn’t help it. I was falling hard for this girl. I couldn’t even say that I didn’t want to be attracted to her because it was too late for that. The attraction happened years ago and never dimmed.
She nodded. “You’re saying that now, but another woman might come along without all the baggage and turn your head.”
“Never that, beautiful.”
“Or a wealthy man might come along and turn mine,” she replied with a wink.
“If you did find a man you’d rather be with than me and a stepdaddy for Belle, let his ass know that I’m still coming over.”
She giggled. “Aren’t you the same one who said that you didn’t want your woman to have male friends?”
“I did, but this is different.”
“How so, sir?”
“It just is,” I grumbled. My voice had grown thick with emotion. I didn’t like the thought of her being with another man or Belle having a stepfather. I liked even less the thought that I wouldn’t be allowed in their lives anymore.
“Whatever. Can we please find your suit?” she whined.
“Your ass thinks you’re slick. You just wanna change the subject. That’s cool for now. So, you said I needed to have something that matched your fly, right?” I asked, changing the subject to appease her.
“Exactly.”
“Girl, when I finish, you’re gonna have to step your game up a notch. Your dress ain’t ready for my fly.”
She giggled and punched me in the arm as we stepped into Silk Ties, a gentleman’s store. We walked around the store, checked out a few suits, spoke with the store clerks, and she even convinced me to try on a couple of suits before I was ready to go.
“What’s the problem? I saw plenty of nice suits in there,” she stated as we stepped out of the store.
“They don’t match my fly, baby girl. I’ll have to go to Wood’s Men,” I stated, referencing a men’s dress boutique that specialized in men’s formal wear. “Wynter is the best when it comes to dressing men.”
“Who is she? An ex or a woman you dated?” There was a genuine curiosity in her tone, but there was an underlying hint of jealousy too. I kinda liked that energy from her.
“What if I said she was?”
“Mm.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I chuckled.
