Page 67 of Desire

“You’re wrong, son.”

A speech from my mother was the last thing I wanted to hear right now, but I had no choice.

“You were eavesdropping?”

“No, but you two weren’t whispering. I could hear you loud and clear as I came down the stairs. You’re wrong,” she repeated.

“How? Decisions were made way before Desire was in the picture. I still stand on those decisions, and I’m not changing up because she doesn’t know the whole story.”

“And whose fault is that? It’s your job to tell her the whole story so she understands why you had to make certain decisions.”

“Why do I have to explain decisions I made years ago? They had nothing to do with her.”

“Because she’s your wife, and those decisions now affect her.”

“They won’t if she minds her business.”

Before I knew it, my mother popped me upside my head. “Boy, are you stupid? That is your wife, and she’s willingly taken on the role of the mother of your child. You don’t shut her down when all she wants to do is understand. You’re wrong, son, and you’d better figure out how to fix it.”

Whatever my mother came downstairs to do was long forgotten. She gave me an earful and returned to the guest room. It took me about an hour to finish cleaning the kitchen alone. I did a lot of thinking while doing so, and I didn’t see my mother or Desire’s point of view.

It was late, and the day had been exhausting. I decided to push my thoughts to the back of my head and revisit them in the morning with a fresh mind. When I finally made it to the bedroom, I almost broke my nose when I tried to open the locked door.

“Ain’t this some shit,” I mumbled, shaking my head.

I could’ve made a fuss and forced Desire to let me inside, and I may have had we been alone. Instead, I went to one of the guest rooms. After a quick shower, I slid into the empty bed and immediately missed my wife. However, I let stubbornness win and settled for a lonely, sleepless night.

I wasn’t sure if I was more hurt or angry after Aziel spoke to me the way he did, but I felt both emotions strongly. I thought I knew all the essential information about his relationship with Iris and how he became a single father. However, after tonight, I’d concluded he hadn’t told the whole story.

Surprisingly, I slept like a baby. My body and mind were exhausted, and after a hot shower, I was asleep minutes after my head hit the pillow. I was surprised when I woke up alone, but Aziel’s absence jarred my memory.

I was pissed when I left him downstairs and locked him out of our bedroom. I intended only to keep it locked until after I showered because I didn’t want him creeping in there and trying to use his dick to apologize. However, the locked door didn’t cross my mind again once I was ready for bed.

If Aziel wanted access to our room, he could’ve found a way to let himself in, and because he didn’t, I knew he was still on bullshit. I’d let him stay in that mental space for as long as he chose.

It was approaching eight o’clock, so I took care of my basic hygiene, peeked in on a sleeping Azaria, and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. The house was quiet, so I assumed everyone else was still asleep as well.

I made scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, and pancakes. The aroma of the food must have pulled everyone from their slumber because they appeared as soon as I placed everything on the kitchen table.

“Good morning! It smells good,” Mrs. Harris said.

“It sure does, and my stomach is growling,” her husband added.

“Thank you. Everything is ready and on the table. Y’all can dig in whenever you’re ready.”

“Mommy, I hungry,” Azaria announced, extending her arms to be picked up.

“I knew it wouldn’t be long before she called you Mommy. Hearing it warms my heart,” Mrs. Harris said.

“I love it,” I replied to her before addressing Azaria. “Okay, greedy, but can you say good morning first?” I teased as I held her in my arms.

“Good morning, Mommy. I want pancakes.”

She kissed my cheek and rested her head on my shoulder.

“Did you use the bathroom and wash your face and hands?”

“Yes, Gamma help me.”

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