“Um, um,” I replied, too slow to tell him.
Kev stood up. “I’ll give you a second or two to answer that. I gotta use the bathroom, excuse me.” He stood, and walked toward the bathroom.
I watched Kev walk away. I felt like I was on a roller coaster going down the hills and sharp turns and twists. Man, I wished so much that Kev and I could have been, but under all these circumstances I knew it was impossible. I thought, maybe a different day and different time. I daydreamed and imagined being loved back, but realized I couldn’t continue to look for love; it had to find me.
“He who finds a wife finds a good thing. Humph. How far away am I from that, Jesus?” I laughed to myself. I was thinking about that scripture; then I heard my cell ring. I didn’t recognize the number. Maybe it was the credit card company calling me or something.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Reese, what’s goin’ on? You at home?” Jason asked.
I sat in my seat and tapped my nails against the table. “What do you want, Jason? I can’t believe you calling me after all the hell you have caused. What do you want?”
“Who you think you talkin’ to? You better remember who you talkin’ to!” Jason yelled through the phone.
“Jason! You in Aruba wit’ my so-called girl and you want me to sit here and pretend I don’t know?” I looked around the restaurant, then remembered I was in public and quieted down.
“Woo, wait a minute. Who told you that? Huh? Kev said that to you? Sweetie, I’m not I’m in New York takin’ care of business that’s all. I been here since we got into it. I was hurt after all that stuff at the house wit’ you,” he convincingly said.
I laughed, got up from the dinner table, and walked into the hall so I wouldn’t disturb the other guests. “Jason, the credit card company called me because of all the transactions in the last day in Aruba! And on top of all of that, tell Eva her husband is probably lookin’ for her!” I took a wild guess that was who he was with.
Jason sighed, exasperated. “Now, I let the money go and wanna believe you don’t have it! But don’t make me mad by disrespectin’ me!” he fumed and hollered.
But I wasn’t trying to hear him anymore. I was out of the city. My boys were out the city and there was nothing he could do about it, or the money missing. I hung up on Jason, walked back to the table, and noticed Kev sitting there. I tried to hold back the tears before I reached the table, but they continued to flow. It was painful, to be betrayed and disrespected by Jason and Eva, and what they were dishing out still hurt. No, I didn’t want Jason in my life anymore, that was clear, but to think I had done all I could to be a good woman to him and he did me dirty like this. And Eva, my girl, was icing on the cake!
Kev noticed me crying and came over and hugged me. “What’s wrong? You okay?”
“Yes, I will be. It’s Jason. He and Eva—”
Kev cut me off and started talking. “Listen, we ain’t gonna worry ’bout that mess. Leave it in Ohio. You in Vegas. We gonna enjoy ourselves, okay?” He kissed my forehead. “I didn’t wanna tell you. I just thought you didn’t need to hear what Jay was doin’ or who he was with. I’m sorry, okay? I thought I was protecting you.”
I believed him and nodded. “Thanks, Kev, for everything. You’re a good friend.”
Kev released me from his embrace, looked at me, and kissed me on my cheek, then my nose. We both laughed, then we looked into each other’s eyes and he kissed me on the lips.
We stood in the restaurant and kissed for what seemed like eternity.
I couldn’t help but wonder where this was headed.
Chapter 20
360
Kev sat back down at the dinner table after releasing our embrace. He leaned in and grabbed my hand. “We have been kiddin’ ourselves. You feelin’ me as much as I’m feelin you. It’s been that way since we met, but now I need to know where you are goin’ from here with Jason. With me.”
My heart was fluttering. I squeezed his hand tight.
He continued to hold on to my hand while he talked. “I know Jay, but what you gonna do, Reese? You stayin’ in it?” He motioned circles on my hand as he held it, and he waited to ask me the next question. He rubbed the side of his face where his shaded facial hair was. “Are you movin’ on?”
I paused for a moment, and tilted my head while I squinted my eyes at him. I wanted to make sure I meant the words I was about to say. “I’m movin on.”
Kev waited for those words to roll off my tongue. He grinned. “Watch that, Reese, ’cause if you mean that, then that opens the door for me to enter in.”
I smiled, and took a deep breath. “Enter then.”
Kev’s grinned widened. “Okay, so you didn’t hear me knocking? I’ve been standing out here knocking for months; it’s about time you let me come in.”
My very dream was coming to pass. The man I wanted to spend forever with was standing at my door.
“Reese, I wanna turn it around. I want us to do this together. I mean no more drug life!” he demanded. Then he got serious. “You know we can’t stay in Ohio, don’t you?”
I listened then replied, “I know.” I felt so warm all over; I was so in love with Kev and now I knew what I suspected was true, he felt the same about me; no more hiding it.
Then reality crept in and hit me. My eyes got big and I panicked with thoughts. Oh no! How can I tell him I’m leaving Ohio and headed to Atlanta? How can I tell him I took that money? I wanted to tell him the truth but how could I?
I decided to just play it by how our conversation would go from here on. I knew he would never trust me after I told him what I had done. What I wanted was now in front of me and ready to start a life with me, but because of my determination to get revenge on Jason it would never happen.
Kev told me how relieved he was to finally know that I felt the same way he was feeling all along. I listened to him go on and on but the money issue was all that was on my mind. I wished I had never taken that money. Dang, what was I thinking about? I wished I could have returned it without him ever finding out, but it was too late. Then I started wondering if this all was a setup. If Kev was just trying to get me to tell him the truth. After all he and Jay had been best friends since they were kids. What would make me think they aren’t playin’ me? They might be planning to kill me or something!
I was getting paranoid, tapping my nails on the table again; then I started biting them. I crossed my legs and shook them, then uncrossed them and repositioned myself in the chair. I kept looking at the entrance, thinking Jason was going to come in any minute. “Kev, what’s goin’ on? You talk to Jason? Did he put you up to this? Please tell me the truth,” I pleaded.
Kev frowned. He looked confused. “Oh, wow, you believe I would do something like that to you, Reese? Huh? All I have ever shown you was love, girl. Even before I fell in love with you I looked out for you.”
He got up from the table and went over beside me and bent down. “You think I’m setting you up with Jay? Yeah, right. I ain’t got time for games, Reese. Look, I love you. I don’t know why I feel like this but I’m willing to betray my best friend for you, so please don’t think this is a game. I don’t play games!” Kev was upset as he walked back over to his seat.
“I’m sorry, Kev, but I’m scared that’s all. Please forgive me. I didn’t want you to get upset, I just wanted you to be honest,” I explained.
“I do, I forgive you, and I can understand a level of fear being there because I know all the stuff you been through with Jay. But I need you to believe me when I say this: I love you and I want nothing else but for you to be by my side until the day I die,” he proclaimed.
