Page 13 of Stay with Me

“I don’t want to bring the night down. I can’t seem to get my head into it.”

“How about you let one of these beauties in here get into your head.”

“That’s not going to happen.” I snort.

“Whatever happened to that lawyer? You know, the prosecutor. The Black one with the pretty brown eyes and that ass.”

I clench my fists on the table. I know he’s talking about Rem. We were all young and wet behind the ears when she was a prosecutor. Man, she was something.

“It’s complicated. My brother’s actually married to her sister,” I mumble.

“Seriously? Damn, I could see that. Your brother’s wife is fine as hell. They were just on TV the other night. You think he’s really going to put out another album? I thought he was retiring.”

He has no idea how glad I am that he has jumped to a new topic. With my thoughts riddled with Rem, the last thing I want to do is talk about her. I guess he could feel the vibe coming off me.

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to him much. Knowing my brother, anything is possible. He loves his new family, but music is everything to him. Who knows? He may write another album just for her.”

“I’d be writing lyrics too if that was my woman,” he replies and releases a long whistle.

“Don’t make me call my brother,” I warn, but the smile on my lips lets him know I’m joking.

“Wouldn’t mind hanging out with the guys. We should set something up soon.”

“Yeah, we can do that. I’ll let you know.”

Somehow, I end up at the bar until one a.m. By the time I leave, I’ve had a few good laughs and although not completely forgotten, I’ve managed not to think about Reminisce as much.

When I do stumble through my front door, I’m horny as fuck and Rem is on my mind once again. I take out my phone and pull up her number. I smirk as I send a simple text.

Me: Dinner and a movie. You can sit on my face after.

CHAPTER 6

Sick In-Law

Reminisce

“Let’s get this party started,” I sing as I dance into my sister’s house with two bottles of wine.

Her husband is heading out of town with his brothers, and my parents are babysitting her boys. We’re going to have a girls’ weekend that I seriously need. It’s been crazy at work, and I haven’t been able to focus since that text message that Knight sent me in the middle of the night.

It probably wouldn’t have affected me as much if I hadn’t been masturbating to thoughts of him when the text came in. However, I had, and I was so close to reaching for the stars. That text nearly had me sending him an invite to finish the job.

The restraint I used that night … lord of the baby Jesus rings. I didn’t think I had it in me. I learned a lot about myself.

I earned this weekend of drinking because I haven’t been able to get him or that text off my mind, but I resisted returning the text or giving him a call. When it comes to Knight, that’s an accomplishment for me.

“Hey, I was just about to call you,” Saga says as she comes into view in the kitchen.

I groan. “No, no, no. I know that face. What’s wrong?”

“Baby, I’m starving,” Bishop calls as he walks into the kitchen shirtless and barefoot with the twins in his arms.

This shit ain’t fair.

It’s not fair that my sister is married to such a fine ass man. I mean, look at him. The tattoos, his big arms holding up his sons, those abs, damn she’s one lucky heifer. If Bishop puts it down like his baby brother, Saga is indeed living her best life.

Heck, it’s not fair that the Moran men look like this. And most of all, it’s not fair that I’m not getting my girls’ weekend. I already know my sister and brother-in-law are about to drop some bad news on me.

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