Page 16 of Loyalty, Lust, Love
Lynx walked away before she agreed. Before he could get too far, he was stopped by some relatives he barely knew. It seemed that every time one pair or group walked away, another would appear. His head was pounding, and he was starving, but he respected them enough not to send them on their way.
“Lynx, there you are. I made you a plate. Come on so you can eat,” Fateema said, politely pulling him away from a small group.
When they entered the kitchen, they ducked off into the pantry, closing the door behind them.
“Thank you for rescuing me, Bunny. I was about to lose it.”
“I would’ve done it sooner, but I got caught up talking to one of your older cousins. I think she said her name was Pearl.”
He chuckled. “If she talks a lot, it was definitely Pearl.”
“Sit down. I hid our plates in here earlier. I figured you’d have sensory overload at some point.”
“And you wonder why I love you so fucking much.” He briefly pressed his lips against hers. “Thank you.”
His words made her blush, even though she’d heard it hundreds of times. “You’re welcome. I warmed it before coming to find you.”
He ate a fork full of food and moaned. “This is the first time I’ve eaten all day.”
She sat on the stool across from him and did the same. “I told you to eat this morning, but I understood why you may not have had an appetite. How are you feeling?”
He shrugged. “All this shit is surreal. Everything from him having cancer and not telling me to finding out he cheated on my mother, and the biggest kicker, meeting my baby sister.”
“Yeah, it’s been a lot.”
“A tragic-ass movie, and I’m glad this scene is almost over.”
“I’m sure. I haven’t seen Kena and her mother.”
“They decided to go home after the burial. Kena wasn’t comfortable with all the awkward glances and whispers. I wish I could’ve done a formal introduction, but I didn’t want to put her and her mother on the spot. I don’t blame them for leaving.”
“Me either. Maybe you can get a few family members together before you head back to DC and introduce her.”
“I doubt if I can put anything together before I leave.”
“When will that be?”
“Friday, and I still have a lot to take care of before then.”
“Let me know if I can help… or maybe your girlfriend can stick around to help you.”
He sighed as he filled his mouth with his last bite of food. “She’s not my girlfriend. I don’t know why she said that shit.”
“You didn’t correct her, so she must be someone special.”
“You’re the only special person in my life. I didn’t invite her here.”
“It was nice of her to come.”
“It was nice but unnecessary.”
Fateema wanted to ask him more about her but decided against it. She had enough to worry about with Cornell’s surprise attendance.
“I thought the same thing when I saw Cornell.”
“Did you tell him to come?”
She shook her head. “Absolutely not. He said your father seemed very important to me, and he wanted to show his support.”
