Page 57 of Legend's Legacy
“I do.” She nodded as she hesitantly sat down. She bowed her head, and I thought she was about to say grace over her food, but she looked up and pushed it back. “A lot has happened in my life over the last couple of weeks. I found out that my best friend is creeping with her sister’s ex behind her back. The sister found out about it and jumped her this weekend when we were in a club, my other friend finally confessed that she was the one who told the sister, and you and I fell apart.”
“Feels more like we were ripped apart,” I mumbled.
“I’m woman enough to apologize for the part that I played in it. I had no right to confront you in the manner that I did. If I had been on my own, I probably would never have set foot in that café. I would have been hurt, angry, and confused, and I would have ghosted you. But I wouldn’t have confronted you that way. I allowed my sister to get inside my head, and I did something that was out of character for me. It was my fault, though, not hers. I didn’t have to come in there and act like an ass. I’m sorry, Legend.”
I knew it took a lot for her to admit that, and I had Courtland to thank.
“Ace, I was too deep in my chest about my pain that I couldn’t see that I was hurting you. My grief and my pain ran so deep that I didn’t give a damn about what anyone was feeling in that moment, except Kali and me. You didn’t deserve my coldness, baby. If I respect and care about you the way that I say that I do, then I should’ve been protecting you and not hurt you. I’m sorry, baby.”
She rolled her eyes upward, and I saw the tears pooling there. “I hate this shit,” she declared with a nervous laugh as she ran her fingers underneath her eyelids to capture the tears.
I started to reach out and do it myself, but she shook her head. “I’ve got it.”
I realized that she wasn’t trying to smear her mascara, and I would’ve fucked that shit all up if it had been me. I sat back in my seat and handed her my pocket square.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Whew! I didn’t mean to break out crying like a big baby on you.”
“It’s all good. Now what we gon’ do to fix this shit that we broke?”
She giggled and shook her head.
“Well, in my past relationships, we always had sex to make up.”
“Listen, ma. That sounds lovely, but I ain’t doing shit like you did in your last relationship. We’re doing things our way.”
“Well, what did you do in your past relationships . . . so we can avoid doing it again, I mean.”
“We shut each other out. Distanced ourselves from one another.”
“I’m guessing that it was probably more you than your ex-wife, since it’s the same thing that you did to me.”
“Baby, I was angry, and I also wanted to give you the space that I thought you needed to get your head together. Because the way that you were coming at me, I knew that you had to be out of your damn mind.”
She laughed. “I was acting a bit crazy. I’m sorry, Legend. Do you think you could ever forgive me?”
“I already did. Why do you think I was waiting for you on that step today?”
“Thank you for being the bigger man.”
“You think you would have ever come to me if I hadn’t made the first move?” I asked.
“I know that I would have. All I’ve been talking about is how much I missed you. I’ve told everyone who was willing to listenhow much I missed you. Things don’t happen overnight though. I knew that I needed to get my heart and head right before I approached you. The last thing that I wanted was to play the fool again after I had done that with Regal. Then there were issues with my friends. There’s just been so much going on that I knew I needed time. I didn’t want to make a rash decision.”
“How do you propose we work through future problems, Ms. Reese?”
“I think that we should give each other the benefit of the doubt. It’s clear to me that you need space and don’t like dealing with things in the moment. Alternatively, I need reassurance and affirmations because my mind starts going, and it’s always gonna be the worst-case scenario with me. I’m just keeping it real by telling you how it is with me,” Legacy explained when she saw my face scrunched up.
“All right.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I vow to be more intentional about communicating with you and expressing my feelings in a positive light. I’ll make sure that I don’t leave you with all this doubt and insecurity. As your man, it’s my job to protect you, love you, and make sure that you have assurance in your heart about me and your place in my life.”
“And I will give you the same.”
Chapter 21
Legacy & Legend
