Page 36 of Your One

“Yes, it is. I never want you to think I’m taking advantage of you. Please… let me pay you back.”

I didn’t respond to her. There was no way I was taking money from her. “Well, get some more rest until I get there. You sound tired.”

“I am, a little. I’m gonna go get a medicine ball from Starbucks and some mint tea to keep my throat right.”

“When do you practice again?”

“We aren’t practicing again until Monday, so you have all of me while you’re here.”

“Good. I plan to take advantage of every moment. Get some rest, and I’ll see you soon.”

“Okay. Bye.”

I ended the call with my heart heavy. Feeling her sadness and depression was weighing on me. The way she sounded was something I’d never heard from her. Every time I was around her, she was always happy. She didn’t sound this bad when she found out her ex was cheating on her.

My soul felt hers. My spirit was intertwined with hers. There was no way I could let my fears or my mother’s words interfere with what we had. We just needed to come to an understanding about communication. My heart was already in this, despite my mind trying to warn it to slow down.

I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was her one and she was mine.

CHAPTER 14

KENYA

My mind was everywhere, and for a couple of days, I thought I’d inherited my father’s mental illness of schizophrenia. I didn’t feel like myself. When Arik provided documents that uncovered so much wrongdoing concerning my father, I wanted to literally go to Big Easy Records and blow that shit up. Taryn was so torn up inside. Her voice was more like my father’s, and it was like she carried him in her soul because of that. Whenever she was feeling a way, she hummed. I believed that was her way of self-soothing.

I wanted to make an appointment with a therapist just to talk things out. My father’s death seemed to be wanted by the industry, because he was threatening to uncover so much. There was no proof of what happened to him, only that it seemed he jumped from the window of a five-story building. With all the shit he was stirring, it was speculated that someone had pushed him.

Seeing how the record label was scamming from the beginning, regarding his career, was a heavy blow to all three of us. I literally fell on Arik, crying my eyes out. Then I felt guilty about that, because Nate should have been the only man that I allowed to comfort me. I no longer loved Arik. It was just the situation that had me feeling so emotional. It was like my father’s legacy meant nothing to them.

Arik assured me that he respected my decision to leave well enough alone, and he could see that I was happy with Nate. He wasn’t typically a shit starter, but he knew what he lost when I left him. He would have been a fool not to at least try to get me back. He even admitted that he’d been too aggressive in his attempts and apologized for everything. Too bad he couldn’t show that much effort when we were in a relationship.

After cleaning myself up and straightening my house, I went to the store to be sure I had stuff for us to eat and went to get a medicine ball. By the time I unloaded the groceries and put them in their proper place, it was time to go get Nate. Although I was feeling somewhat down about all the shit that was uncovered the other day, I was excited to see him at the same time. It felt like we’d been a couple forever, and it had only been a little over a week.

I was so remorseful for how I shut him out. It surely wasn’t intentional. The information Arik provided us with just took me low, and I didn’t know how to handle it. I’d been handling disappointments and failures all by myself for years, even when I was in relationships. I supposed it was habit. I was just grateful that he somewhat understood what I was going through.

When I parked, I saw Nate exit the airport. People were staring, like they were trying to figure out who he was. I quickly got out of my car and waved him over. When he saw me, a big smile emerged on his face. His long strides became quicker, and he got to me in no time. He released his luggage and picked me up, kissing my lips. Although short, it was passion-filled. I loved his kisses and couldn’t wait to continue to feel them until he had to leave. “Hey, Nate.”

“Hey, baby. You look good.”

“So do you,” I said as I popped my trunk for him to put his luggage inside.

He came to my door and opened it for me, then walked around to the passenger side. Once he got in, he leaned over and kissed me again. I quickly merged into traffic as he stared at me. “Damn, girl. You look good as hell.”

My cheeks heated as a smile played on my lips. I wore leggings with a thin, off-the-shoulder sweater. He softly slid his finger over my bare shoulder as a chill went up my spine. “Thanks, Nate.”

I concentrated on getting out of O’Hare airport, fighting the traffic. Maneuvering through this traffic was some shit I could do without in my life. Once we were on the highway, I reached over and grabbed his hand. “I’m so sorry about shutting you out. I realized it was somewhat of a habit. I tend to handle problems on my own, even when I had a boyfriend. I didn’t even think twice about it.”

“Well, from now on, I need you to think about it. What am I here for? If I’m your man, why wouldn’t you lean on me? Forget about those past niggas. They obviously didn’t know how to cherish their woman. I promise you, I know how to take care of you from the inside out. I don’t miss shit when it comes to my woman. I need you to lean on me. Show me you need my attention and the consolation I can provide. That’s what real niggas do, baby.”

I nodded, thankful that I chose to reach out when I did. “You’re so perfect and so for me. Lord, have mercy.”

“Always remember to depend on me to be there for you. When you’re hurting, disappointed, sad, pissed, whatever. I want your first thought to be about your one… the man that’s perfect for you… Nate Guillory. Period. I’ll drop everything for you. I have enough money to live well, even if I don’t play another game in the NBA. I feel that strongly about you already, Kenya. Take advantage of that shit.”

He slid the backs of his fingers over my cheek as I heated from his touch. I didn’t know what I did to deserve a man like him, but I was thankful. I glanced at him and gave him a small smile. “I promise I’ll do better. Again, I’m so sorry, baby.”

“A’ight. I forgive you. You don’t have to keep apologizing. Just so you know, I put Sheila in her place this morning. When she started talking shit about you not being there, I had to politely tell her to mind her fucking business and let me mind mine.”

My eyebrows lifted as he chuckled. “I said politely, woman. I didn’t talk to my mama like that. I just said that I was grown, and I can handle my romantic affairs without her interference.”

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