Page 53 of Divine II

“Well, be patient, baby. I promise to be honest with you about everything, and I expect the same in return.”

“Like I said, pour the drinks. We can talk. Let me go out here and check on the garden while you get everything together.”

He leaned against the counter, watching me like a hawk as I walked over to the refrigerator and took out some of the fresh lemonade and tequila that I had been dying to mix. I took out some fresh strawberries and pineapple to toss in for a little popof flavor. Plus I had been craving something fruity. I knew if nothing else the pineapple would hit the spot.

Eventually, Liam pushed off the counter and went out the back door to tend to the garden. I was so proud of how well I’d watered and kept up with the plants during the time that he was gone. Not that I wanted to get used to his absence, but I was no green thumb. It was good to know that I was able to keep everything alive on my own.

I cut up the pineapple and strawberries and threw them into a pitcher before crushing them a little with a big spoon to bring out the flavors. I added some agave and a splash of pineapple juice before adding the lemonade and a generous amount of tequila. Once I had the concoction ready, I added some of the cut up fruit to a plate and grabbed two wine glasses.

Just as I was stepping out of the back door, Liam stepped in front of me and stuck a flower in my hair. The way he smiled at me warmed my heart. This felt like my happily ever after. I just needed to get past the obstacles standing in our way somehow.

After briefly admiring his handiwork, Liam took the pitcher and glasses from my hand and led the way to the sitting area that had a few lounge chairs under a huge umbrella.

“Oh, I didn’t tell you the realtor that sold us this house called me this morning. Of all the people I expected to hear from, he was definitely at the bottom of the list,” I mentioned.

“What did he want?” Liam wondered.

“Apparently, someone wants to buy this house. They’re willing to make a cash offer. I love my house, but it got me thinking. The guys bought this house for me. A good way to get out from under their thumb is to start showing them that I can stand on my own.”

“So you plan on selling it?” Liam asked as he placed the glasses on the table and filled them with the drink.

I got settled into my seat and kicked my feet up before answering. “I’m going to get an appraisal later this week. I’m not even sure what it’s worth at this point.”

“It won’t hurt to find out, huh?” Liam noted, passing me one of the drinks.

“Not at all. Plus, I need to know what it’s worth anyway. Even if I don’t sell, I have been thinking about giving the guys their money back. As much as I appreciate them for buying it, sometimes it feels like a leash. Like I feel obligated to do shit like pretend to be in a relationship with a sociopath because I feel like I owe them.”

“Right.” Liam nodded as he moved over and got comfortable in his seat.

“This is really good,” I told him, changing the subject as I took another swig of my drink.

“It looks good.”

“This is the best time of year for sitting outside the pool day drinking…in the shade, of course. In a few weeks, it’ll be too hot to even come outside.”

“You have the fans and all that under that little cabana area. It’s pretty cool under there in the late summer months.”

“Yeah, but in the dead of summer, I’m not trying to be out here drinking and getting even hotter.”

“I feel you,” Liam said, nodding in agreement.

He reached over and picked up the second glass finally tasting it as he sat back in his seat. I wanted to get a little tipsy before we got into the hard conversation about what happened to Sherrod, but obviously, Liam didn’t need the liquid courage. After only a taste test, he put his drink back on the table.

The way his chest rose and fell when he took a deep breath told me that he was mentally preparing for what he was going to say. The labored breath didn’t stop him from diving right in.

“I followed him,” he said without any preface. “I wasn’t intending to do anything to him. If you were going to be spending time with him without your family knowing, I wanted to get a feel of who he was. I didn’t like him from the word go. I had to literally rescue you from his drunk ass one night.

“It wasn’t my call who you spent time with. You wanted to think he was worth your time, so I tried to make myself believe it. Honestly, I don’t think there is a better man on this side of existence for you than me. At the time, I couldn’t make you see that. Since you were so caught up with him, I wanted to see what the hype was.”

I didn’t know how to respond or if I should say anything at all. Since I was essentially speechless, I took another drink.

“It was only a couple of times. I found out where he recorded and watched him leave the studio and go to this bar down the block a couple of times. One night, I went inside and sat at the bar. He was his usual obnoxious self, standing on the couch, drinking brown liquor out of the bottle, and pouring it in girl’s mouths. He was a fucking clown. He didn’t deserve you, Divine.”

“I wasn’t trying to marry the man, Liam. I was just seeing where things led. Is that why you killed him?”

“Hmph. I was sitting at the bar nursing a beer, and his loudmouth ass was on the dancefloor. He spotted me and came over talking shit. He recognized me off the bat and came over and slapped me on the shoulder like we were old friends.”

Fourteen

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