Page 138 of Lily In The Valley
Maverick scrunched up his face as if he’d been insulted. “You busy asking me what I’m going to do. Y’all need to be asking what his lame ass is going to do. Fuck you talking about.”
I leftthe shop with a crisp line and smooth fade, feeling cleaner than a confession. The sun was bright overhead, but bearable. I had one more stop at the flower shop before I headed to the airport. When I walked in, the woman behind the counter saw me and grinned.
“Long distance must be going good.”
“Better than ever,” I said, tapping the glass counter. “Give me my usual, except no delivery this time.”
She bundled the bouquet like she was filling a treasure chest and slid it to me.
By the time I hit arrivals, traffic was bumper to bumper. I texted Kelly to let her know I was pulling up outside. I parked on the curb and watched the doors slide open and shut like a pair of lungs. Then she walked out, rolling a small suitcase and carrying Karter’s carrier on her shoulder. Even in the chaos of the airport, she was a problem I wanted for life. Long body waves blew around her face, fanning out in layers, gold hoops caughtthe rays of the sun, and a matching leggings set hugged her body too right. I got out and took the suitcase handle with one hand and her waist with the other.
“A fresh cut? Just for me,” she teased as I nuzzled my face into her neck.
“Most definitely.”
She curled into me, one arm around my neck, the other gripping my chin as she stood on her toes to meet my lips for a kiss. Heat rose clean and fast and I had to pull away to ground myself.
“I missed you,” she whispered against my mouth.
“I missed you, too,” I replied, feeling fourteen, and not thirty-years-old. We broke when a security guard in a neon vest gave the universal keep-it-moving look. I got Kelly into the car and strapped Karter in the backseat, her suitcase next to him.
When I got in the driver’s seat, she had the bundle of flowers close to her nose, inhaling the floral scent. “I do believe you’re keeping the lily industry afloat.”
“Me?”
“Umm-huh.” She sniffed the flowers again and looked at me as I pulled away from the curb. “I know I’m only here for a few days, but I’m going to enjoy every bit.”
“I’m just trying to make sure I get my time in,” I said. “Everybody’s been waiting on you to come back in town.”
“Then I came back on time.” She took my hand across the console. “And they’ll have to wait their turn, because I need my man to dick me down a few times before I go back.”
I laughed. “You ain’t said nothing but a word.”
We rode like that, our fingers tangled and her humming along to the music playing through the speakers. As we merged onto the interstate, the downtown’s skyline came into view, slow and grand. And in that moment, a small quiet traveled betweentwo people who’d been missing each other something fierce. A soft clicking of a key fitting right where it belonged.
Hours after Zaria’s christening,Vanessa had Zay book a private room at a karaoke spot where the floor lights changed color every time you breathed wrong. The host led us down a hallway of doors until we hit our room. There were couches along three sides of the room with a screen on the fourth, a low table in the center with two mics, a tablet with more song choices than a DJ at a wedding.
“I’m pumping and dumping tonight,” Vanessa sang at the table, before throwing back another Green Tea bomb with her friends.
“Bless it.” Lynn winced, shaking off the sting of the alcohol. “That was strong as hell.”
“Nessa baby, you sure you want wings? You know you and spice been enemies since Zaria was born.”
“I’ll worry about heartburn tomorrow.” She shrugged off, flipping through the tablet of songs.
Kelly slid beside me and propped her legs over my lap. She tilted her face toward me with a look that would set heaven on fire. She leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “I want a repeat of this morning. The dick felt too good.” I kissed the base of her neck and squeezed the skin of her thigh that was exposed from the way her dress rose. The soft moan that left her lips had all the blood racing to my dick.
On the other couch, Nyah sat between Maverick and her husband Antonio. Maverick popped a bottle of something fizzy and poured Nyah a glass. She replied with a quiet ‘thank you’ asher husband looked on, a tightness in the corners of his mouth, as if smiling cost calories he was trying to conserve.
The first round of songs were predictable—old-school R&B everyone knew by muscle memory, rap songs that had us reliving our glory days in college. Lynn and Nyah tag-teamed a drunken duet of Beyonce’sIf I Were a Boy, much to Antonio’s chagrin. When they finished, we all clapped. Antonio clapped too, but his was the slowest, a clap out of obligation, not appreciation.
Kelly and Vanessa went next, howling their way through Monica’sWhy I Love You So Much.When Kelly’s voice croaked on a high note, they fell into each other in laughter, lost the beat, but didn’t care. They were proof that confidence couldn’t buy a note. As they wrapped up, a waitress brought in hot wings, fries, and another round of drinks that made everyone behave worse. Everyone noticed the tight look Antonio gave Nyah as she sipped from her glass.
“You did your thing up there with Lynn,” Maverick said, breaking the tension.
“We were just having fun,” Nyah replied, avoiding his eyes.
“Fun looks good on you,” Maverick replied. “Nessa, Zay, where we going for this joint bachelor/bachelorette trip? I still don’t understand the concept.”
