Page 89 of The Phyre that Burns
“Since the divorce, she’s been living her best life, and I don’t blame her, but I could see where that’s kinda weird for you and Phoenix.”
“Extremely. The thought of it is kinda disturbing, but she’s trying to get her groove back, and the last thing she’s interested in is being somebody’s grandmother.”
“Thankfully, Kevin’s parents play an active role in baby Kevyn’s life. Baby girl is spoiled rotten, but she’ll have to share some of that attention when Kavia has her baby.”
Phoenix and Kevin’s daughter had recently turned a year old, and his parents couldn’t get enough of her. It was kind of hard not to spoil her, though, because she was adorable. My parents wanted to do the same with Phinley and were willing to move halfway across the United States to do it as often as they wanted, and not just every few months.
We’d recently found out that Kavia was pregnant, but no one knew who the father was because Ethan dropped her ass after Mrs. Jordan’s birthday party. Devyn was visiting a few months ago, and her, Phoenix, and I were having dinner at Elm Street Blues. Kavia approached our table and had the nerve to try to make amends and asked if she could join us.
The only reason I didn’t drag her ass through that restaurant was because she was obviously pregnant, but I gave her a verbal beatdown she wouldn’t soon forget. It was so bad, I was bannedfrom the restaurant for ninety days. Thankfully, we hadn’t had any more run-ins with her, but she could forget about us ever being cool.
After Phyre proposed, we exchanged vows in an outdoor ceremony three months later, here in Black Elm because the weather was pleasant. Our guest list was on the shorter side, with less than fifty people in attendance, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
For our honeymoon, we rented a cabin in the mountains because neither of us were comfortable with me flying so far along in my pregnancy. I couldn’t have planned a better wedding and honeymoon if I’d had three years to plan it.
“Have your parents reached out to any realtors out this way yet?”
“No. My dad is supposed to reach out to you about that tomorrow.”
“I have a few I can recommend. How does your brother feel about his immediate family being so far away?”
“I haven’t talked to him about it yet, but you know he loves it here. I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes the move at some point. I wish I could get Devyn and Tariq to move, but his business might make it difficult. We’ll just have to make our visits more frequent, because I refuse to have our kids be strangers. Especially Phinley and Devine, since they’re so close in age.”
On the day that Phyre proposed, and my family found out I was pregnant, Devyn was pregnant as well. She waited until a few days later to tell me because she wanted that day to be all about me. Our daughters were born three months apart.
I couldn’t believe how much my life had changed over the past year and some change. I’d pushed my feelings and thoughts of Phyre to the deepest and most hidden parts of my heart andmind, never imagining we’d be given another chance to have our happily ever after.
Little did I know, the fire between us continued to burn, even though I thought my love for him had long been extinguished. Were it not for the praying man lying with his head on my lap as I massaged his scalp, and a God who was still in the business of answering prayers, I wouldn’t be the happiest I’d ever been in my life.
For thirteen years,I’d prayed for moments like this. To be lying with my head on Ginae’s lap, with her pussy only inches away from my mouth while she rubbed my head, was nothing short of amazing. Our journey to this moment could be made into a movie, and I’d watch it over and over again.
From the moment Ginae accepted the assignment to work in my office, life came at us fast. We were forced to slow down, release what we knew as love in the past, and embrace the new love of the present and future.
“Have you talked to your father lately?” Ginae asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Last week. He wants to see Phinley.”
“It has been a while since he last saw her. She probably won’t remember him.”
“I’m sure she won’t.”
“What’s he been up to?” she asked.
“Shit if I know. He sounds sad, lonely, and regretful every time I talk to him, which isn’t often.”
“A small part of me feels bad for him.”
“You shouldn’t. He did this to himself.”
After I found out my father had been sleeping with Linda, I gave him thirty days to confess his sins to my mother and sister. The nigga literally waited until the thirtieth day, and we may as well call that day Bloody Monday, because all hell broke loose.
My mother was devastated and heartbroken, but more importantly, she was pissed. My father all but begged for my presence, and thank God, I agreed to be there. Clementine Jordan beat his ass for a good ten minutes before I pulled her away from him. He knew he was wrong, so he took every blow like a man. Plus, had he even looked like he was thinking about putting his hands on my mother, I would’ve laid his ass out.
“He did,” she agreed. “Now he’s living the sad and lonely life he deserves.”
“I’m sure he thought he’d skip off into the sunset with Linda once the divorce was final. Hell, I kinda thought he would too.”
“Me too. She was no better than him. Not only was she sleeping with a married man, but she had that married man thinking her son was his.”
