“That's a yes,” Yaslynn confirmed with an eye roll.
I shook my head and let them have it because the truth was they were probably right. But I didn't know what was next. I knew I was happy. I knew I was his. I knew the life I'd walked into was bigger and more complicated than anything I'd planned for myself standing alone in a hotel room six months ago. But babies, a future, what came next, felt like a Lesley thing.
We talked until the restaurant got loud around us and none of us wanted to be the first to leave. We said our goodbyes and headed out with promises to link when Rebecca got back.
As I drove back to the penthouse, I thought about how important he had become to my life. How covered, I wanted to keep us. I didn’t even want to share my future with my friends. Iloved him so much. I saw it in my own face when I looked in the mirror.
When I made it to the penthouse, I felt myself exhaling. He was home, and that made me happy. All I wanted to do was drag him to bed with me for a nap. Jet lag was starting to have its way with me. I yawned as I climbed on the elevator.
When I made it in I kicked off my sandals, already thinking about a shower and unpacking, when I heard voices from down the hall.
Malice. And Lesley.
I stayed still.
“And then there were no foxes in the hen house,” Malice said.
A pause.
“Word?” Lesley's voice was flat.
“Gone. Wednesday night. The shipment went exactly how you planned.”
“Damn, rest in peace, Uncle Tommy.” Then Lesley laughed. “Pops know?”
“He told me to tell you Congratulations again.”
I stood in the hallway with my Celine frames in my hands and felt the floor shift under me just slightly.
I set my purse on the entryway table quietly and walked to the bedroom. I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at my ring. Tommy was gone. Good. But there was so much weird shit happening, and I needed Lesley to tell me something. I thought about Karyn and how she just up and fell off a damn cliff. That was white people shit. Karyn knew better.
I thought about sitting at lunch an hour ago telling my girls that I’d had the perfect week and how I could not — would never — tell them that my husband had eliminated his uncle for me. That the man who walked me into this life had also been quietly clearing the road ahead of me the whole time.
I heard Lesley’s footsteps in the hall. And stood to look busy. He paused at the bedroom door.
I looked up at him.
“How was lunch?”
“Good, we had a time,” I muttered.
His brows bunched, and I scoffed because that didn’t even sound like me. He read my face in one second and smiled.
“How much did you hear?” he asked quietly.
“Enough.” I held his eyes. “Is this my fault?”
He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He didn’t sit down. Just stood there looking at me, pretending to unpack.
“Colecion, relax.”
“Is this my fault?”
“No, hell no. You are the best damn thing that’s ever happened to me. If anything, you helped this family more than I could say.”
I nodded. Looking at my ring. Turned it once on my finger.
“And Karyn wasn’t an accident.”
