Page 38 of Rhodes to Love

I couldn’t get to that bed fast enough. It was like I hadn’t seen her in months, and it had only been a week. “With as happy as we are to see each other and how miserable we both were after a week, you can’t tell me this isn’t destiny, baby. I just wanted to protect you. You and Roselynn are my primary concern.”

“I realized that, and I’m sorry for bucking against your decision to keep us safe.”

“Just tell me how to take better care of you, baby. I wanna love you how you want to be loved, not how I want to love you. I want my love to reach your soul,” I said as I slid my arms around her.

She was naked as the day she was born under these covers. As bad as I wanted to just slide my dick inside her, I chose to rest my hands on her belly. I kissed her bare shoulder then her neck as I listened to her soft moans.

“I would say you’ve already reached my soul. That’s why I was losing my mind without you. I love you so much, Rhodes.”

I closed my eyes briefly, allowing her words to free me from the regret of pushing her away. If I had to choose between her being with me or being safe, I would choose her safety every time. I supposed I was regretting it because of how I knew it affected her.

“I love you more, baby.”

She turned to face me and brought her hand to my cheek then slid her thumb over my lips. I was about to kiss her until I felt slight movement against me. My baby said I was gonna acknowledge her first. I smiled big and lowered my face to KD’s belly and kissed it. “Hey, princess. It’s daddy. You missed me? I missed you so much.”

After kissing her stomach again, I felt the movement right against my lips like Roselynn was trying to kiss me back… or punch me in the mouth. She would definitely inherit that Henderson feistiness if that were the case. Without warning, the tears left my eyes. I closed them, doing my best to lasso my feelings and contain them, but it was of no use. Karima gently swiped them away. This woman and this little girl were gonna have me softer than cotton.

“Why are you crying, Rosewood?” Karima asked softly.

I scooted up to be face-to-face with her again. Although I knew that she knew exactly why I was crying, I let her in on my inner workings. “I’m so blessed, and I haven’t figured out why God chose to give me the desires of my heart. I don’t deserve either of you.”

“Baby, look at me.”

I lifted my eyes to hers.

“None of us are deserving of His blessings, but His grace and mercy are sufficient for us. God loves us. He knows your heart. He’s not like us, where we assume things and judge each other by our actions. Beneath the flesh, which is wicked at best, is our soul. The parts of us that many people don’t get to see. That’s the part of usHesees. You’re a good person, Rhodes… despite your mistakes and bad decisions. None of us are perfect. However, through it all, you and I are perfect for each other. I couldn’t fight it if I tried. God told me a while ago that you were the man He made specifically for me. No matter how much I run, He wasn’t going to allow you to leave me.”

Nothing more needed to be said. She was proving just how merciful God was. Whenever she tried to harden her heart toward me, He wouldn’t allow it. Just like He made me specifically for her, He made her specifically for me. I kissed her lips as she wiped my cheeks. She laid her head on my shoulder, and I knew tonight would be spent with me holding her in my arms, showing her the care and tenderness she was showing me, what I knew we both needed.

CHAPTER15

KARIMA

When I woke up, I smelled bacon. A smile made its way to my lips, and I couldn’t contain it if I tried. Being here with Rhodes had my soul at ease. There was no anger, hurt, sadness, or depression. This was where I was supposed to be. I was grateful for Watchful Eyes, and most importantly, my daddy, for seeing just how important Rhodes was to me… how much I loved him. My parents knew me best, and I was beyond grateful that they trusted me and my decisions.

I grabbed my phone and read my devotion then said a prayer, thanking God for bringing me to Rhodes. He knew if I couldn’t travel those Rhodes whenever I wanted to, I would be no earthly good. After my prayer, I got up and went to the bathroom to shower and handle my other hygiene. Once I wrapped my hair and put on my shower cap, I hopped in, soaking up the warm water. I could hear my phone ringing while I was washing, so I hurriedly finished.

It was probably my parents. I didn’t tell anyone I was leaving the house. I was so excited when Uncle Philly showed up at my house. I knew he could only be coming for one reason. He’d never visited my house, but for him to be there alone, I knew he was my transportation to my man.

Once I got out, dried off, and moisturized, I made my way to the bedroom to put on one of Rhodes’s T-shirts. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand to see I missed a call from my mama. It was just as I figured. I sat on the bed and called her back. As soon as she answered, I said, “Hey, Mama. Sorry, I forgot to tell y’all I was leaving last night. I’m at Rhodes’s house. Watchful Eyes had Uncle Philly bring me.”

“Okay. I was slightly worried since you weren’t answering your door.”

I frowned slightly. I could hear in her voice that something wasn’t right. “Mama, what’s going on?”

“Umm… your grandfather had to be rushed to the hospital.”

I closed my eyes. Grandpa had been on a steady decline ever since Grandma passed away. “What happened?”

She sighed. “Someone was trying to rob him. He was outside at Jenahra’s house and decided to drive to China to go to the Dollar General for some cookies without telling anyone he was leaving.”

“Oh my God, Mama. That’s not what I was expecting you to say. I thought it was his health. Jesus! What happened?”

She broke down. “Baby, they beat him bad. I think he had a heart attack during the attack. I’m so glad you aren’t here. Things are heated out here and in China. Someone saw and instead of calling the police, they called Storm. Of course, they stopped the attack, but Ace happened to get there and unknowingly walked up on it. They said Ace had his gun and killed the boys the customers had subdued. He got arrested, baby.”

I burst into tears. This was a lot. It took me a moment to contain my cries. “How many boys did he kill, Mama?”

“Three.”

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