My friend had no idea Aunt Lou had left me everything. “Not really. She left me practically everything.”
Her mouth fell open.
“And let me just say it’s more than enough to handle the upkeep of this home and more”
“Wow, sis!” Her whole face lit up. “That’s pretty awesome. I’m happy for you. Maybe you can stop working so damn hard and live a little?”
“Don’t start,” I grumbled. These days, every talk with Tee ended with her telling me to let my hair down and experience life.
“Angel.” She stepped over to me and grabbed my hands. “I’m so serious. It’s time you get some.”
My head whipped to the door, hoping Mehki was nowhere near this conversation. “Tee! Mehki?” I added in a whisper.
She shot me an annoyed look. “My godson is in his happy place right now. This is between me and you.”
“Still…” My shoulders fell. “I don’t want him hearing about his momma ‘getting some’. He remembers everything.”
“And I’m sure he will also remember his momma never doing anything other than work and taking care of him,” she retorted. “Sis, getting some doesn’t just mean sex—although you definitely need some dick. You need to have some fun.”
“I have fun,” I argued. “We go shopping, we go to the movies… That last book club we had was amazing!”
Tee glared at me. “That’s old woman fun. And I only do that shit because you love it. I’m talking about traveling, dancing.” She bumped my hip. “Double dates and cruises on a yacht.”
“You know I have Mehki. I have to be there for him. I’m his only parent.”
“Youarethere for him. You’vebeenthere for him. You’llcontinueto be there for him. But what happens when he’s grown and wants to get married?”
The thought of my baby having a baby made my chest hurt. He was so little, so needy. “I guess I’ll be there with bells on. As long as he’s happy.”
“What aboutyourhappiness?”
“I’ll be happy if he’s happy,” I insisted, pulled my hands from hers. Opening a lower cabinet, I pulled out a cake pan and set it on the counter. “Look, I’m fine.”
“You could be better, sis.” I felt her approach me. She laid her head on my back and hugged me. “I worry about you.”
Turning, I asked, “Why?”
“Because my friend is letting her life pass her by. I know Malachi’s death was tough.” She wiped a tear from her cheek. “It was devastating.”
My heartbeat pounded in my ears as tears welled up in my eyes. Talking about Malachi and the accident and the aftermath was a touchy subject for me, even seven years later. The fact that he never even knew I was pregnant, that I couldn’t even tell him the good news after we’d tried for such a long time, felt like a weight in my gut that never let up. What should have been a carefree, happy pregnancy turned into a traumatic, grief-filled time of regret and overwhelming sorrow. It was Mehki that brought back light into my darkness, joy back into my heart. I vowed to be everything he needed from the moment I looked into his big brown eyes.
“You’re an awesome mother,” Tee said. “Mehki is intelligent, handsome, gifted, funny… He’s so many things, and that’s because ofyou. And I know Malachi would agree with me.”
I shook my head, averting my gaze. “You don’t know what Malachi would think.”
“I do. We all grew up together. I’m the one who pushed him to ask you to Homecoming. I know that he would want you to be happy. That doesn’t mean you forget him, but it does mean you give yourself some grace and let someone in.”
I thought about my late husband, my first love every day. Malachi loved me. Hewouldwant me to be happy. I knew that. Ifeltthat in my bones. Still, I could never bring myself to make that move, to accept a date, to even allow myself to be attracted to another man.Until Cutie Prescott.
Cooper had stepped into Aunt Lou’s house with his dimpled smile and mysterious, dark eyes, and I felt genuine attraction to another man. It had been a long time. Part of me wondered if it was because Mehki seemed to be drawn to him. Part of me knew it was becauseIfelt a surprise connection to him. But the thought of opening myself up again scared the shit out of me.
I’m sick of thinking about this. Shaking my mind free of those thoughts, I said, “It’s not the right time, Tee. Besides, I’m content.”
“I got a job offer,” she announced. “Actually, a business opportunity. To partner with Jessica Austin on her new interior design business.”
I gasped, smiling. “That’s great, Tee! It’s your dream. You were holding out on me.”
“I’d have to move to California,” she confessed.
