Page 11 of Bound to a Virgo Menace
My body stilled. Did that thought just fill my head? I wasn’t sure if I wanted to have breakfast with him or not, yet I’d just created a whole fake relationship scenario in my head. Good grief. I was delusional.
I stopped at his photo wall. There was a full-sized picture of Cache and a beautiful middle-aged woman that sat in the center of the wall. Smaller picture frames surrounded the image on the wall. I looked closely at the smaller photos.
There were pictures of Cache and Tread, the middle-aged woman with a little Cache, pictures of my cousins and him, and one lonely photo of me at Bryte and Tread’s wedding from years ago. I couldn’t believe it. Why did he have that photo of me? Did Cache take that picture? That was interesting. I strolled out of his living room and joined him in his kitchen.
“You have a nice home, Cache, but why is there a picture of me on your wall?” I took a seat at his island and observed him.
Cache continued to make his buttermilk pancakes when a sexy grin slowly revealed his white and jeweled teeth.
“Every person on that wall means a lot to me. If you’re on that wall, you’re special,” Cache answered simply.
He placed the last pancake on the platter then turned the stove off.
“Hevyn, you fascinate me. I’ve never met a woman like you. The power you hold over me is so immense that there’s no metric system that could weigh it. I like you a lot, Hevyn, and I really want to get to know you better. Can you allow me to get to know you? I have no ulterior motives. The only expectation I have is ending every day with you,” he confessed, placing a heaping plate of food in front of me.
Cache used my fork and cut a section of my pancakes for me. He held the fork to my lips.
“Make your decision after you try my famous buttermilk pancakes. Open up,” Cache commanded.
I gave him a funny look.
Cache smirked. “I said open up.”
He wedged his big body between my parted legs, and I swallowed hard. I hadn’t been this close to man since my high school boyfriend Rashad. During that time, we’d only kissed and made out, but that was as far as it went. I’d never had sex before, and from the looks of things, Cache would change my status.
Our eyes connected. Cache gave me a subtle nod, relaying to me that I was safe and could trust him. It was at this point that I decided to let go and trust him. My lips parted, and Cache smirked.
“That’s my butterfly.”
He guided the fork into my mouth. The succulent, soft, and buttery sweet portion hit my tongue. My taste buds went haywire from the forkful. I closed my eyes. Nostalgia overwhelmed me. My mama made fluffy, delicious pancakes just like his. This was the closest I’d felt to mama in years.
I sniffled after I swallowed my bite. Memories—they were all I had left of her. At this moment, though, I could feel her. What a beautiful feeling. I opened my eyes and stood to my feet.
Cache’s brows merged together in curiosity. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in for a tight embrace. His body was stiff for a few seconds until he returned the affection. He embraced me in a hug so tight I melted against his chest like butter on those pancakes.
Cache made me feel safe yet wanted in a matter of minutes. How in the world do I not fall hard for him? Hell, I didn’t even want to let him go. He had proved on several occasions that it was me and me only that he wanted. It was time for me to open up and show him that I wanted the same thing. We causally separated. I looked into his eyes after I cleaned my face.
“Those are the best pancakes I’ve had since my mama passed away. Your presence and actions just remind me so much of her and our old life together,” I confessed.
Cache helped me back into my seat and placed my fork on my plate.
“I’ll surely take that compliment. Tell me about your mom and y’all’s life together.” He walked around his island and fixed his own plate of food. When he was done, he took the seat next to me.
I swallowed the mouthful of food I’d inhaled when Cache walked away. “Let’s see. I’m from Savannah, Georgia. Mama was a successful real estate agent there. She was literally the best. There was days Tevyn and I didn’t see her because of her busy hours. She always made up for it though.”
Tears sprang up in my eyes again. I gulped down some of my orange juice, but nothing could stop the wave of tears that spilled down my face. My emotions overwhelmed me, but I pushed through.
“I was once ranked the top high school volleyball player in Georgia. Mama was my biggest supporter next to Tevyn. The last night of the playoff games, I served a perfect game. My team and I won our place in the championship game. I made it home and was only granted minutes with her before a drunk driver crashed inside our home and killed her.
“The driver ripped through our house, taking mama and the stove through a couple of walls and out the bay window in the living room. Mama’s body rolled and rolled until she stopped in the street. She took her last breaths in my arms. It was and will always be the worst day of my life. That goes for Tevyn too. We’re still trying to make sense of losing our mama in such a tragic and gruesome way.”
Cache left his seat and food to comfort me. He stepped in front of me and cleaned my face. Afterward, he embraced me in another hug.
“You are safe with me. I’m so sorry your mama had to endure such a fucked up ordeal. What’s worst is that you both had to witness it. I wish I could take that painful memory away from you. It’s not humanly possible. However, what helps me when painful memories surface, is focusing really hard on the good memories I’ve made with that person. I know it’s easier said than done, but I’m not consumed with grief like I once was.”
I wiped my eyes and swallowed. “Thank you for your kindness and support. I’m going to work at using that strategy. I really need to. Furthermore, you speak as if you lost someone close to you. May I ask who it was?”
Cache leaned against his island, but he was still in front of me. He released a deep breath. “Just like you, I lost my mom too, and tragically. I was twenty-two at the time. She was a great mom and worked hard every day. I didn’t make life easy for her at first. I was a bad ass for sure, but my mom held me tighter the badder my ass was. Eventually, I got my shit together, and we were locked in.
