Page 28 of Saved By A Small Town Country Boy
“Uh huh.”
It was a good thing that he was teaching her basic survival skills. She’d be able to live in this world and not need anyone for anything. I’m not saying that there’s something wrong with needing someone. I felt like everyone needs someone every once in a while, but Khali would be able to live off the grid if she needed to.
“Wanna play?” She handed me one of the dolls. For the next hour or so, I sat there, playing and talking with Khali.
She got up from the floor and turned on her television. That’s when I decided that I was about to go into the kitchen and see what Khalif had going on. By now, I’m sure whatever he planned on doing to that chicken, he’d done it already.
I tread down the hallway and made my way into the kitchen. Khalif was no longer in there, and from where I stood, I didn’t see him in the living room either, but there was a bottle of Meadow & Mill wine sitting on the island along with two glasses.I needed to make my way back to the farmers’ market to stock up on some because they had some of the best wine I’ve ever tasted in my life, and I’ve lived in two of the most popular cities in the world and traveled to several different places.
When I turned around, I bumped right into him. I knew it was Khalif because the smell of fresh rain and deep wood crept up my nostrils. His arms wrapped around my frame as I melted into his damp skin. Something hit my feet. I looked down, and that’s when I realized it was his towel. My eyes bulged from my head. Pushing him back away from me, I quickly covered my eyes, not wanting to violate him.
“It’s okay,” he said. No, it’s not. If he knew the things that play in my head when he’s not around, he wouldn’t have said that. Not at all. “You can look now.”
I peeked from my right eye and saw that he’d wrapped the towel back around his waist. That still didn’t stop the water from turning on in the water park just from looking at him standing there. I swear it’s like Khalif should’ve been on the cover of a magazine or the front of a calendar somewhere.
The way God chiseled this man’s body was insane. Every turn and curve looks as though he’d taken his time creating him and broke the mold afterward. I’m certain he did because I had yet to find another man who’s made like him. He may look like him from the outside, but that interior… this man is one of a kind.
“I was in the shower and wanted to come in here and check on the food. I set some wine out in case you wanted some,” he said and moved around me toward the stove. After seeing him, I was going to need something to help calm my nerves.
As he checked the food, I popped the wine open and poured us a glass. “The food is almost done. I’m going to go put on some clothes.”
Yeah, you do that.
He left me in the kitchen. I took a sip from the wine and sat down at the island. Not long after, Khalif found his way back into the kitchen, and this time he was fully dressed in a pair of sweats and a white beater.
“Tell me about your wife.” His eyes cut in my direction. I know I might be overstepping it, but I wanted to see what I was up against.
“Don’t really talk about her.”
“I know you don’t, but I want to hear about her. From the way Khali talks about her, I just know that she was the best.”
“She was.” He picked up the other wine glass and took a gulp from it. “She was the love of my life.”
“Do you ever think that you’d love like that again?”
“I don’t ever want to love like that again.” That response crushed my little heart. I understand where he’s coming from, but if he doesn’t have an open mind, I wouldn’t stand a chance.
“It must have been hard to fall for someone so hard and then have them taken away. I’ve never had that before. I’ve never been in love.” I can only go off the stories that I’ve heard. Mine was never written for me because I’m so guarded. From watching what other men did to people that I love, I placed up so many walls around my heart that I don’t think anyone would ever get in.
“Don’t get me wrong, being in love is a beautiful thing. I just don’t want to ever experience the hurt that comes along with it ever again.”
“Where did you two meet?”
“High school.”
“Aww, the high school sweethearts story. You don’t hear about those much anymore these days.” Maybe it’s the fact that Magnolia Falls was in a timeframe of its own.
“Yeah,” was all he offered before turning back to the stove and removing the pan from it.
“It smells good. What did you decide to cook with the chicken?” Getting up from the stool, I stepped behind the counter and stopped at the stove to take a look at the chicken. Shutting my eyes, I took a huge whiff of the chicken. It wasn’t even uncovered yet, but I can still smell it.
“Baked macaroni, cabbage, and cornbread.”
“Sounds like a Sunday meal to me. You can really throw down like that?”
When I turned, his face was mere inches away from mine. I studied his lips that played peekaboo from inside his facial hair. Mine drew to them. My eyes deeply searched his. Briefly, his eyes derailed, but when they returned, he came with a spoonful of macaroni. His mouth didn’t have to move to tell me that he wanted me to try it. My lips parted, and he placed the spoon inside my mouth. The cheese melted onto my tongue and all the flavor oozed out.
“My mama’s recipe.”
