“Yeah. Big Homie sent me right on the court and told me to hit that three. I’m looking pretty good from where I sit.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah. Just know that my only intention today is to be your support system, someone you can lay your head on if you need to cry. But get that shit out of your system. After today, I don’t wantto see another tear or hear another word about Clayton Settles. You hear me?”
“I do,” I mumbled.
“Good, beautiful. But tonight is all about you.”
“Naijhel, you’re too good to be true.”
He chuckled and replied, “Only for you. When did you realize that your marriage wouldn’t work?”
“The second year into our marriage. I came home from work early one day because I wasn’t feeling well. I didn’t get to call him right away because my mother called me right as I was leaving work. We talked for a while, and when I got off the phone with her, I called him and told him I was on the way home. He said that he was on his way home, too, and he’d see me there.
“I pulled up and saw a woman pulling out of my driveway, and he was in the doorway. I questioned him, and he swore that she was a rep from the internet company, but I noticed my bed was a little messed up.”
“What did he say when you asked about it?”
“He had been laying down resting and that he hadn’t told me he was home because he wanted to surprise me. The third year, a woman called and told me she was messing around with him. She told me the color of and the intricate details about my bed sheets. Then she advised me to check my dirty clothes for a gift that she left there.”
“Let me guess, panties.”
I nodded. “A couple of months later, the same woman texted me a picture of her lying in bed beside my husband who was asleep; he was supposed to be at an out-of-town conference. He was already busted at that point, but he kept making excuses saying someone photoshopped the picture.
“But when I caught an STD from him, there was no more denying it. I threatened divorce and left him for two months,but I came back when he supposedly had a cancer scare. His cheating didn’t stop.”
“Why did you stay?”
“I was a damn fool and desperate for a man. I always felt incomplete without a partner. As a leader, I take charge in the boardroom and the office. I’m the Queen B of my social circle and a social butterfly. But as a companion, I found myself drawn to powerful, assertive men. I saw my mother completely dedicated to her spouse and his goals, and that’s the type of woman I am.
“I used to blame the women who tempted Clayton instead of him, and I often exhibited fits of jealousy and rage toward them when I was humiliated by his extramarital affairs. I overlooked his transgressions for the sake of my marriage. It wasn’t their fault; it was Clayton’s and mine, and I refused to lay the blame where it belonged.”
“How was it your fault?”
“I allowed him to do it. By accepting his behavior, my acquiescence toward Clayton gave him permission to treat me that way.”
“I’m about to teach you how to accept care, compassion, and love from a real man. I’m not letting up off your ass, Delaney. You’re about to learn exactly how you should expect to be treated.”
I smiled, and a mist of tears came into my eyes. Naijhel cupped my chin and stared into my eyes.
“May I kiss you?”
“Why are you asking me?”
“To make sure we’re on the same page.”
“Why do you want to kiss me?”
“I just want to see if the reality of you is as wonderful as what I dream about.”
“Please kiss me. I’m tired of waiting for you to do it.”
Naijhel covered my mouth and chased away all my anxieties, my blues, and my curiosity. His kiss was everything that I thought it would be and so much more.
10
DELANEY
