She smacked his hand off her and walked faster while his steps faltered from her blatant threat. His mind drifted to her late-night message sessions, and his chest tautened because if Kennedy ever brought her ex around, he would show a side of himself that would make the parts she saw prior look like a fucking saint.
Her point had been made, but Relic kept it to himself as he reached the porch where Milan stood with a coy grin and flirtatious eyes solely for him. If it was Ezekiel paying him dust while eye fucking Kennedy, he would knock the nigga on his ass. He chuckled at Kennedy doing what she was skilled at—rewiring his brain and forcing him to view things from her point.
“Milan, you don’t see her standing there?” he asked, causing her smile to drop. “This is Kennedy. Larenn, this is Milan, my realtor.”
“I apologize! I hope, I didn’t come off rude. It’s nice to meet you, Kennedy.” She held out her hand, and Kennedy shook it with reluctance. Milan sized her up on the sly and frowned somewhat after noticing the bag Kennedy shifted to the crook of her arm. “I’ve never met anyone in Relic’s family before, so this is a nice surprise.”
“You still haven’t met his family since I’m far from it. I guess he gave us both nice surprises. Can we go inside? It’s a beautiful home, and I’d love to see more.”
Milan’s face flustered before she shook it off to muster a smile and flagged her hand, signaling them to follow her lead while Kennedy shook her head. She couldn’t even get mad at the damn girl since the issue was Relic leaving her in the dark, not Milan having it bad for some dick that was no longer up for grabs.
“This is one of our new, hot properties.” Milan waved a hand and spun on her heels, relaying a memorized spiel. “It’s over thirty-five hundred square feet, four bedrooms, and an office space. Three and a half baths. A kitchen and dining area. The contemporary design is to die for...”
Relic adjusted his shades and tuned Milan out as his stare wandered to Kennedy. He couldn’t read her interest with her eyes behind her shades, but he noted the gradual movement of her head as she peered around and absorbed every word out of Milan’s mouth about the home that was small for Relic’s liking but perfect for its intended job. He didn’t miss her pausing after she spotted its fireplace with a hearth below and mantle above it.
When Milan led their tour up the open well staircase, he smirked at Kennedy grazing her fingers across the wall like she was imagining how she could liven up the house and breathe life into a non-living space like she and Jahleel did to his home. They were the two distractions Relic had learned to tolerate and didn’t mind infiltrating his solace.
“In my opinion, this room is the best in the home. The master suite,” Milan sang, reeling Relic back into the tour.
She pushed open the door with a strained smile that didn’t distract him from peeping her puppy dog gaze as it pinged from him to Kennedy with questions she knew not to press him about. Relic laid a hand on Kennedy’s back to chaperone her past his realtor who was making him out as a liar. He assumed Milan would play her part since she’d never given him trouble, but their roles seemed to reverse. Kennedy was on her game, while Milan slowly unraveled at the seams from seeing him courting another woman.
“This room has a private balcony,” Kennedy gushed, outwardly displaying her excitement for the first time. “I can already see how I’d hook it up. Me and Jah could play chess out there, or I can go there for peace when you piss me—”
The imagery she was painting of their future stopped mid-stroke after she realized Relic wouldn’t end up in the picture. She glanced at him, detecting the downturn of his mouth before he tossed his head toward the balcony.
“Let’s step out.”
Her nod was subtle before she strode to the door and swung it open, stepping out onto the wooden deck as her mouth hung from the unexpected but gorgeous scenery. A grand smile spread across her face as her stare went to the trail of pebbles in the backyard that led to a gate. The man made lake beyond it stretched further than Kennedy could see, and she envisioned Jahleel showing her how to fish at the small pier at the shore of it. If she knew Relic, and she was certain she did; she’d bet he made being near water a non-negotiable requirement for the house.
“This is beautiful, Relic. I really like it a lot,” Kennedy told him, feeling his energy as soon as he stepped outside.
“You think Jah will like it?”
“He’ll love it. It’s spacious but not too big to where he will feel my room is far. The yard is big enough for him to throw the football around. We can sit at the lake, and he’s close to the neighbors to meet friends. This is a home.”
“I thought so. This is for you and him only, Kennedy. No one will know about it, not even Shabu. Like I said, Jah deserves a normal childhood without my past or mistakes affecting it any more than it already has. Can you do that? Can you separate the two?”
“The streets and this life? Of course.”
“No, whatever I’ve done to hurt you and the love you have for my son. Jah adores the ground you walk on, and I don’t want you to break his heart. If this is too much—”
“It’s not.” She peered over her shoulder at him. “Like I told you, I got him. I did the same for my nephew, so this is light work for me.”
Kennedy put her eyes back on the pond after she gave that comparison she hadn’t noticed until that moment. She wondered if she would’ve become so attached to Jahleel if he didn’t remind her of Tekken. So smart, inquisitive, and on the path to being without both parents since life didn’t give a damn about how good of a person someone was. It stole joy, broke hearts, and caused the most traumatic and irreparable damage when least expected. If she was being honest, she’d let Relic know that he could try until his last breath but couldn’t prevent life from happening to Jahleel. Kennedy didn’t have the heart to tell him that.
“It’s still you.” Relic’s voice broke her train of thought and put flutters in her stomach. He snaked an arm around her to plant his hand there as if he knew it. “I don’t care if you’re not ready for a child, Kennedy. You fuck with mine heavy, and that’s what matters most. I hate your smart ass mouth, but I know it’s your defense mechanism like I have mine because we’re used topeople hurting us. I get it, and it’s still you. No other woman can fill your shoes or do for me what you can on the level you do it. I chose you, and I stand on that. Konprann?”
Kennedy turned to face him and removed her shades. “I hear all that, but are we in a relationship or nah?”
“Are we what?”
Relic heard her but needed a moment to regroup from some shit he didn’t see coming. He scrubbed a hand down his waves, blowing out a sharp breath as she mugged him and propped a hand on her hip, waiting for him to give up the final title he’d been avoiding handing out for dear life.
“You were talking a lot of good shit while we were on vacation, Relic. Remember, you’re too selfish to share and need me to be only for you. Well, I need the same. Are you my man or not? Think about your answer because if not, it means I’m single, and I plan to act single from here on out. I’ll play my part as usual, but I’m also going to do me.”
Her second threat of the day sent Relic backpedaling, his mouth fixing into a line at her arm-twisting, he wasn’t certain whether he was pissed about or proud of. Kennedy was still a scholar of his tutelage—learning, studying, and reenacting his moves like a student on track to surpassing the teacher. He weighed the pros and cons of allowing her to get the one up on him, and he fucking loathed she came out on top.
She was like an incurable disease to his fucking body. Impossible to flush out and invasive to the point he didn’t feel like the same person he was before he met her, and he hadn’t decided whether the changes were for the better or worse. He snorted a breath and glared down at her pouty lips curled into the sexiest smirk while she batted her lust-filled eyes up at him.
