Page 29 of Somebody Else Will

Jerzey nodded as she answered her phone and walked to an empty corner of the room. Once we sat, the severs immediately placed to-go boxes of food in front of us. I wondered if we were supposed to leave with our food. I glanced around to see no one was moving like they were about to leave, so maybe that was just something they put the food in, in case you wanted to take it home. I opened the lid and removed the slice of cake in the plastic bag then the foil to see the typical repast food: baked chicken, green beans, potato salad, a roll, and a green salad.

I wanted to chuckle. Churches were predictable when it came to that. I supposed it was the easiest thing to prepare for families. They didn’t have to prepare anything. Denishia and Ms. Julia could have been sent on their way to find their own meal. I could imagine it was a huge cost to them if they did this after every funeral.

I glanced over at Denishia to see she was talking to Jamia and had hugged a man offering his condolences. She’d never opened her box of food. When Jerzey sat back down, she said, “My sister is having a birthday party for her daughter and needs help.” After rolling her eyes, she continued. “Mekayla has all the help she needs, but Keonshay said that we needed to be there more for her instead of always letting her in-laws handle everything.”

“Well, you don’t think she’s right?” Denishia asked.

“I guess. Mekayla and I aren’t all that close. You know that.”

“Yep, and you need to change that. She’s a different person now, and she’s apologized for everything. She was a kid too. Go get counseling if you need it, but let that go and go love on your sister like she’s trying to love on you,” Denishia said.

She turned to me as Jerzey nodded. She gave me a closed-lipped smile. “Hopefully, they will eat a little faster so we can get out of here. I’m ready to go home.”

I smiled and wrapped my arm around her, pulling her a little closer to me. I kissed her forehead, then took a deep breath. This was still too good to be true. She was my woman. I had to be the most blessed man alive.

“How long will you be in town?” she asked.

“At least a week unless my agent calls. Is that okay?”

“Absolutely.”

She puckered her lips, and I kissed her tenderly.Pillow tops.I smiled at her and said, “I know you probably don’t have much of an appetite, but you still need to eat something, baby.”

I opened her box and began feeding her green beans as she stared at me. Yeah, she was going to be it. The next time we were at the altar at a church, I would be making her my wife.

Beingin Ezekiel’s presence was soothing to my mental. While I missed my mama something fierce, I knew he was the reason why I hadn’t let it consume me. Lying in his arms was everything. He’d even gone to the floral shop with me and watched me design an arrangement. He’d only been here for three days, and I was already attached. I never wanted him to leave.

He'd taken a couple of business calls, and I knew he would have to leave sooner rather than later. He was waiting on his agent to get back in touch with more details about an audition. We’d spent time with my grandmother, but I realized she was way more social than me. There were people at her house every day, keeping her company.

Had it not been for Ezekiel, I would have been home alone, trying to figure out how to cope with this loss. During the day, I would have work to keep me busy and occupied. It was at nightthat I knew I would have the most problems. That was why I really didn’t want her casket to be open. All I saw in my mind was her beautiful face, lying there with a slight smile on her thick lips.

It was hard to conjure up any other memory, because that was the last visual I had of her. Our last day together had come to mind as well, but because it was filled with drama that Will caused, I found myself not wanting to think about it. His ass had been eerily quiet, but I had a feeling that he was going to show his face sooner or later. He was probably waiting until he thought Ezekiel would be gone.

I got out of bed to find Ezekiel in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. I smiled softly at him. Cooking was the last thing on my mind, because my appetite was nonexistent. However, he learned his way around my kitchen to take care of me. I couldn’t appreciate him more. Although I was just getting out of bed, I’d awakened at four this morning and taken a shower while he slept. When I was done, I’d gotten back in bed and dozed back off.

Looking at the time on the microwave, I saw that it was only eight. So I didn’t sleep that long. As he stood at the stove, scrambling eggs, he looked over at me and beckoned me to him by tilting his head. When I got to him, he kissed my forehead. “Good morning, gorgeous.”

I gave him a one-sided smile. There was nothing gorgeous about me this morning. My eyes were puffy, my hair was a mess, and I was slightly congested. “Good morning.”

“What’s that look for?”

“I look a mess.”

“And still gorgeous. So, imagine how I feel when you’re all made up. Girl, I can barely contain myself when I’m near you.”

He kissed my head again, then went back to his eggs. Once he plated them, he turned to me and asked, “Now, can I get the kiss I want?”

I licked my lips then bit my bottom one, giving him permission without saying a word. He smiled and circled his arm around my waist, pulling me closer again. When his lips touched mine, I wanted to melt to the floor. He’d been here for three days, and we hadn’t had sex again. He was more concerned with consoling me through my grief and catering to my emotions and mental state. However, I needed him to cater to my body… my physical needs.

I wouldn’t let his efforts go to waste, so after breakfast, I would let him know just how much I needed him. His tongue slid against mine, and his hands slid down my back to my ass. He gripped it as I brought my hands to his face. Words wouldn’t be needed after this. I believed he could read between the lines. My actions were speaking loud and clear.

He pulled away as he sucked my bottom lip, then stared at me. “You’re making me want to say to hell with breakfast. So if you want to eat, I suggest you go sit your fine ass at that table.”

I smiled. “You don’t want to eat?”

“Oh, I do, and I will. My menu choices will just change, depending on your answer.”

My smile got bigger, despite my efforts to suppress it. “I suppose I should eat breakfast and get my strength up.”

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