The way he took his time crossing the floor to get to her drove Ellie insane. He was so damn arrogant. It was like he knew she wouldn’t dare move until he released her. The entire room was watching, and she was annoyed because the way she felt, she wanted to cuss his ass out. The notion of being propositioned for a threesome kept playing in her head.
“I don’t know what I did to piss you off,” he said as he stood toe to toe with her.
“Why don’t you ask Tisa?” Ellie asked.
“I’m asking you.Ain’t nobody in this but me and you, so if you listening to anybody else, that’s your first mistake,” he said.
“Yeah, well, your actions speak volumes too. Nobody in this room even knows I belong to you,” she said.
The band returned to playing at a reduced volume to try to shift the attention away from the bickering couple. Ellie was grateful because the partygoers went back to their own business once they realized nothing explosive was going to occur.
“We’re fighting in the middle of my party. I think it’s pretty clear who you belong to,” Loyal replied, annoyed as he rubbed one hand down his wavy head.
“Is it? Because I’m so fucking confused,” Ellie retorted, shaking her head.
Loyal tilted her chin toward the ceiling, and she noticed the mistletoe that was hanging from the ceiling around the chandelier. She didn’t even know how she had missed it before. It was hanging from every chandelier in the room.
When he finessed her chin back down, his lips were there.
She forgot why she was fucking mad. The band increased their volume as Loyal kissed her under the mistletoe. She had never understood the hype around this Christmas tradition, but the way her heart fluttered in this moment, she got it now. It was the most romantic and simple kiss she had ever experienced.You can’t fall in love with this man.YOU CAN NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS MAN. BITCH, TAKE YOUR LIPS BACK.
Ellie was fighting a losing battle in her head. His dominance was all over her. He commanded her mind and body. It was in the way he held her to his body. It was in the way they exchanged breaths. It was in the way that he held onto her neck like he was the ruler who decided when and where he would have her, and she was his willing subject. He wanted her here. He wanted her now. He was clearing shit up. Baby mama or no baby mama, Loyal Brier had his sights set on Ellie. She was trapped.
All I do is think of you…day and nightttt
“Whatever she told you, unhear that shit,” he whispered. He only pulled back long enough to speak the words. Ellie was floating. She absolutely hated how new this felt. It was illogical. It was young bitch shit. It was so irresponsible, and still, she was allowing it to happen. She could see the red flags from the backseat of the car. They were waving in the wind in the distance and Ellie was anticipating it like the carnival. She wanted all parts of this man. He gave her a feeling she hadn’t had since she was a young girl. The feeling of possibility. She was sure if she were in high school, his name would be all over her notebooks with hearts around it by now. Ellie told herself she could handle him, that she could control this thing, whatever it was. Just have fun. This can be fun. No strings. No expectations. Stop listening to the promises. Just enjoy it for what it is.“It’s clear now,” he said. Only it wasn’t. It so wasn’t.
Chapter 18
Sloan heard her phone going off and she couldn’t bring herself to check it. She knew she was supposed to be at the Christmas party with her girls, but facing anyone besides God right now felt impossible. She held onto the shower wall in front of her as she lowered her head, sobbing. She had scrubbed all the blood from her hands, but she just didn’t feel clean. In all her career, she had never lost a patient. There had been miscarriages. There had been ectopic pregnancies. There had even been some close calls during deliveries, and she acknowledged those traumas in women, but this was her first time losing a patient that she had grown close to. She had begun this journey with Monica and her husband, John, from egg retrieval until Monica’s very last breath. Sloan had performed a flawless C-section and brought a beautiful baby boy into the world, but the mother to this new soul hadn’t survived. Sloan was sick. It was a feeling she couldn’t quite describe. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She had done her job to perfection— if there ever was such a thing. Sometimes, modern medicine just wasn’t enough. It seemed so unfair more Black women lost their lives during childbirth than any other group of women. She was like a zombie as she grabbed her towel and exited the community shower. She dressed slowly, putting on fresh scrubs before she walked out. She couldn’t go home. Being alone would make it worse. There was only one person who could make it better, and although there were a thousand reasons why she should stay away from him, she just couldn’t, not today, not after this loss. She knew it wasn’t fair to treat him like an emotional buffet. She came and went as she pleased, choosing the parts of him that she wanted most, but leaving the rest behind. He would have every right to send her away, but she prayed he wouldn’t. She drove to the party in scrubs because she didn’t have time to change, and she didn’t have time to overthink this. She needed him. When she arrived, she felt foolish. The red carpet set the tone, and here she was in medical scrubs, a doctor’s coat, a bare face, and a curly, wet ponytail.“Damn it,” she muttered as she picked up her phone and called Cassidy’s number. It rang to voicemail, and she immediately tried Ellie. Voicemail.“Come on, somebody, answer the phone,” she fussed. When she discovered Courtney and Shy were dead ends, too, she knew she was going to have to go inside. She looked so out of place as she climbed out of her car.
“Ma’am, are you in the right place? This is the Brier Annual Christmas party,” the attendant informed as he looked at her skeptically.
She nodded and stared up at the large museum then walked inside.
She felt like a fool as people stared at her as she entered. Her eyes bounced around the room for Cassidy, and the pangs of emotions dinging in her chest caused a nausea that was almost crippling. She found Ellie first, and she rushed over to her, interrupting what appeared like an intimate dance.
“I’m so sorry to interrupt,” Sloan whispered, eyes tearing up.“Ellie, I need you.”
Ellie frowned in confusion as she took in her friend’s sudden appearance. Ellie looked at Loyal apologetically and said,“I’m sorry, give me a minute.”
Ellie took Sloan’s hand, and Sloan laced her fingers inside her friend’s. Cass might not be there, but Ellie was, and she was nobody’s substitute, the love was soothing in a different way. Sloan followed her to the hallway where there were less people, and she broke down. She was a mess. She covered her eyes and cried as Ellie stood, confused, but available to her friend. Ellie wrapped her arms around Sloan.
“Sloan,” Ellie whispered.“What’s wrong?”
Sloan was so distraught that Ellie led her to a portion of the museum that was roped off. She knew she would need backup for this. Sloan wasn’t the friend who showed her weaknesses. She could only remember a few instances where Sloan had revealed this much emotion, and it was only under the most extreme circumstances. Whenever Sloan had a breakdown like this, it was usually related to her mother. Ellie texted Loyal to send her friends out, and within minutes, Courtney and Shy were at her side. Sloan sat on a bench and sobbed as they gathered around her. They were speechless, and they knew not to say a word until Sloan got it all out. If they spoke too soon, Sloan would try to bottle it all up to appear strong, and she deserved this release. Every woman deserves to take their cape off sometimes. Sloan had been carrying a lot ever since her mother died, and finally, she had decided to lean on her friends for help.
Sloan struggled to pull her shit together. She sat there a full ten minutes, crying until she was able to breathe through it.
“I’m so embarrassed,” she whispered.
“Don’t be,” Courtney encouraged, rubbing her back.
“What happened?” Shy asked.
“So much has happened. I don’t even know where to start. I lost a patient a few hours ago, and it just cracked my chest wideopennnn,” Sloan cried, losing control again.“I just needed one person. He can take it all away, and he told me to come, and I missed him. He’s gone, and it’s too late,”
“Who, Sloan?” Ellie asked.
