Page 18 of Essence of his Soul

That thought hit me like a punch to the gut, and I didn’t like it. Not one bit. I knew I didn’t have the right to feel some type of way about her seeing another man. But that didn’t stop the anger bubbling up inside me. I wasn’t about to sit back and let it slide. Essence and Tyler weremyfamily, and I wasn’t about to let some other dude come and play house. Not now, not ever.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter, my mind made up. If Essence couldn’t see it yet, she would soon enough. I wasn’t going anywhere.

Chapter 5

My back was turned, yet I could feel my father’s eyes on me as I stared out the kitchen window, lost in my thoughts.

“Son,” he called out, breaking the silence and drawing my attention.

I turned and met his gaze across the table. “Yeah, Pop?”

“What’s on your mind?” His cocoa-colored eyes narrowed behind his glasses, studying me like he could see through the fake front I was trying to put up.

I walked over to the table and took my seat. “Nothing in particular,” I lied, trying to sound casual. But the truth was, there was someone particular on my mind—Essence. She had been there all night, taking up space in my head, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake her.

I wasn’t sure how I had lived the last two years without grazing my mouth against her silky skin. I could still feel her arms wrapped around me, her fingers in my hair, her body molded to mine. I could hear her gasps and sighs or groans and moans as I licked her eager flesh.Dear Lawd!I had tortured myself with those memories all night at the possibility of making love to her again. In the car, on her table, in her bed, I didn’t care where as long as I was deep inside of her wet center.

“What are you planning to do today?” Pop’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts, snapping my mind back to the kitchen.

I shifted in my chair, trying to shake off the weight of everything swirling in my mind. “I’m thinking about knocking out some Christmas shopping this morning.” I got up and grabbed the gallon of milk from the fridge, trying to focus on something simple.

Pop folded his newspaper in half and set it down, giving me a look filled with curiosity and something else I couldn’t quite place. “Mind if I join you?”

That caught me off guard. I couldn’t help but smile, genuinely happy at the idea. “I’d love that, Pop.”

I reached for the cereal box and forced my mind away from Essence. I glanced up at my father and noticed how much he’d aged in the two years I’d been gone. His hair was gray now, and the fine lines around his eyes and mouth told a story that hit harder than I had expected. I hadn’t realized how much time had passed until I saw it etched on his face.

“When do I finally get to meet my grandson?” he asked, his voice lighting up with excitement like a kid ready to open presents on Christmas morning.

“I’ll talk to Essence and see if I can bring him over soon. I don’t think she’ll mind,” I said, imagining how much my parents would love Tyler.

“Good,” Pop said, that same kid-on-Christmas look spreading across his face. “I can’t wait.”

I knew how much becoming grandparents meant to my folks. My sister Calaine had already given them their first grandchild, little Dominique, and now it was my turn. Returning to the East Coast was the right move. My parents weren’t getting any younger, and I wasn’t about to pretend they’d be around forever. That’s one of the main reasons I’d requested Ft. Meade as my next duty station. That way, while trying to convince Essence to marry me, I’d be close enough to see my parents and spend time with my son.

I looked toward the door as my mother entered the kitchen, her energy always filling the room.

“Good morning,” she greeted us, bright and cheerful like usual.

Dressed in her purple sweatsuit, fresh from her morningtreadmill routine in the basement, she looked as healthy as ever. She always credited her good health to regular exercise and a balanced diet.

“Morning, Mama,” I mumbled through a mouthful of cereal.

She kissed both of us on the cheek, then made a beeline for the fridge to grab her usual cup of yogurt. “What would you boys like for breakfast this morning?”

“Nothing for me,” Pop replied, shaking his head.

“I’m good. Cereal’s fine,” I said, though I could see she wasn’t thrilled with that answer.

Yogurt in hand, she sat across from me, a slight frown on her face, but still managing to smile. My father just grinned—he knew her better than anyone.

“So, have you asked Essence to marry you yet?” she asked, wasting no time as she spooned into her yogurt.

I should’ve known better than to have brought it up yesterday at breakfast. I paused, swallowing hard before answering. “I did, and she turned me down.”

She waved it off like it was no big deal. “Well, what did you expect? You’ve been gone for two years without a word. Did you really think she was sitting around waiting for you to come back?”

“No, but I didn’t think she’d be this stubborn either,” I said, frustrated, mostly with myself for not seeing it coming.

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