Motown Throwdown (31 page)

“It never gets any easier,” she sighs. Then taking a sip of her coffee she puts her head on my shoulder. “I’ll never forget any of them. I’ll remember every one because, I loved them all.”

“I need to say something chicky,” I tell her.

“Chicky?” she laughs. “This should be good.”

“Every time I look at you I don’t think it’s possible to love you more than I already do. Hell, it makes no sense but it’s true. I think I love you too much.”

“If you’re expecting me to complain about that, I’m not going to,” she says looking out over Woodward. “Love is the greatest gift there is, Rome. I know because I love you too much too.”

“Do I still have to take you to Whole Foods? I hate that joint.” I grunt kissing the top of her head.

“A couple that suffers together stays together,” she says standing up and offering her hand.

In a moment of seriousness, I reach for her sliding one arm behind her back for support then leaning her back so her eyes are on mine.  “No more suffering,” I tell her. “For either us, Kandace. From now nothing, I mean fucking nothing comes at us that we don’t handle together. We know what suffering feels like, we’ve had enough. Promise me we don’t let it happen to us ever again.”

“I promise, Rome.”

“Good, now let’s get this nightmare out of the way so we can get you to your dads.”

Okay now the Whole Foods Throwdown, I’m going to let her tell you about. Because I can’t fucking do it with a straight face.

“Kandace please!” she says banging on my door. “It wasn’t my idea! Let me explain!”

Whipping the door open and standing in the hall in that fucking t-shirt he gave me (glutton for punishment for life!). I throw her into the neighbor’s door and hold her there with my forearm in her throat. “Did he force you?”

“N-no,” she whimpers.

“Did he just walk up to you and ask you to fuck?” I ask through my tears. “Did you even consider what this would do to me?”

As she cries I push away from her disgusted with my behavior. Disgusted that I considered her a friend. “H-he wanted---“ she tries but I slam her back into the door and scream in her face.

“I don’t want details! Walking in and seeing you in bed with him was enough!”

“You were there?” she asks genuinely shocked.

“Walk away, Trina,” I warn her. “Or I will hurt you.”

“He asked to crash on my couch after a party, Kandace, I didn’t sleep with him. I swear!”

“Go fuck yourself, liar!”

“I’m telling the truth! I wanted to, I even tried, but he told me no and then I passed out, that’s it! When I woke up he was still on the couch!”

Okay, so I didn’t see that one coming. Backing away I processed it, called up the details and it did make some sense but then her last confession registered and it ruined her chances of a Christmas card from me this year.

“Did you just say out loud that you wanted to fuck him? That you tried but were shot down? Did my one-time very best friend just stand here and tell me that had he been willing, she would have fucked the guy I wanted for myself? The guy I cried over? The same guy you swore you hated?”

“I-I-I----“ she says trying to slide down the wall.

Getting in her face I whisper, “Run, Trina,” before smiling.

No, I didn’t chase her down. It wouldn’t have mattered if I did. She was screaming so loud security was on her in seconds thereby ruining my vengeance. Roman, I decided, really knew how to work me up and still I couldn’t hate the guy. Shit.

Whole Foods is not my idea of a fun day but I promised my dads I’d grab the items for bean dip and this location was the half way point between Rome’s home and theirs. Taking my hand, he pulls me through the aisles quickly forcing me to stick to the list. Lucky for both of us, it didn’t take long and we were in line to check out in under twenty minutes.

“This ass,” he says squeezing it secretly. “Missed this ass.”

“We need a countdown,” I announce proudly.

“For what?”

“No,” I correct him. “Not
for
what,
to
what. A countdown for how many hours until we get back home and---“

“I tap that ass,” he says nodding his head in victory.

“Precisely,” I giggle. “Four hours,” I say starting the timer in my phone.

“A four-hour stiffy is doable,” he says loading our food on the belt. “Your dad’s won’t like looking at it but they’ll deal.” Laughing while helping him, the cashier asks if we have any coupons to which we both say ‘no’ in unison.

Getting out my debit card and stepping in front of the keyboard she says, “Kandace?”

Looking up I see her and let out an audible ‘ugh.’

“It’s been a minute,” she says sizing me up. “Yeah, about five million two hundred and fifty six thousand of them, not counting leap year.” I offer waiting on my total.

At a loss, her heads snaps to Rome when he lets out a laugh. “You two are together, huh?” she asks me without making eye contact.

“Just tell me what I owe Trina.”

“Twenty nine even,” she says watching us like a tennis match.

“It’s our lucky number,” says Roman smacking my ass which gets a squeak out of me.

Running my card through, she bags our items and hands me my receipt. “You look happy Kandace, I’m glad.”

Handing the bags to Rome and not caring about the people in line hearing me I say, “You look fat, Trina, and I don’t give shit what makes you glad.”

When Rome lets out a howl, I felt my cheeks get warm. Putting his arm around my shoulder he keeps laughing all the way out to the car. “I bring out the best in you,” he says smirking.

“That’s debatable,” I say buckling my belt.

“I didn’t fuck her,” he says several minutes later.

“I know.”

“But
when
did you know?” he asks taking my hand.

“Why didn’t you?” I ask him. “She wanted you. An easy notch, you would say.”

“She was always running her mouth about me, talking shit. Sees me at that party and was all about me, I didn’t like it. Shit, I never liked her, period. I asked her about loyalty to you and she said, Kandace wouldn’t notice because she’s too busy studying.”

“Figures,” I mumble feeling foolish again. Everybody loves to pull one over on the girl who studies!

“She wasn’t a friend and I needed you to see it for yourself. Trust me, back then, outside of you, I didn’t have any real friends either and knew what to look for. I also needed you to see the real me because hurting you was never what I was about. I figured if I crossed that line you’d forget me and find someone better.”

“Yeah, except that wasn’t the real you and I couldn’t forget you if I tried.”

“I’m loving you too much again,” he says kissing my knuckles.

“Oh just shut up and drive,” I tell him acting annoyed.

“Sing for me,” he asks when we pull in into traffic.

Clearing my throat and softening my eyes, I sing a track I knew he’d love. A track that’s had his name on it for years, Lily Allen’s
Fuck you
. When I finished he threw his head back and laughed. I happened to love it when he laughed.

“How long have you waited to do that?” he asks running his thumb across my bottom lip at the red light.

“Only about two hundred and fifty six thousand ----“ I start but he kisses me to shut me up.

“It was worth the wait,” he says kissing my nose before the light turns.

Escorting me in and never leaving my side, I spent that afternoon with all the men in my life. We ate, laughed, played football, told dirty jokes and when my timer went off Rome threw me over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry then stuffed me in the car. Waving through the window, I see the approval in my family’s eyes.

A family that loved Rome like I did.

Unconditionally.

“You’ve got an in with the Doc,” says Jules handing me my cash.

“I’m not pulling favors for you, Boss,” I joke with her. Then she got serious.

“She’s my friend, Rome, I have a handful and you know their names and faces. My friends are my family, I kill for them and that includes you. But what she did for me I can never repay. I’m here, Bishop’s here because of her. Don’t ruin this, Rome, don’t fuck with my sister.”

“I learned my lesson, Boss,” I say pulling her in for a hug. “I won’t fuck this up.”

“Good,” she says moving away. “Cause I’d hate to kill you.”

Hospital policy was a mandatory leave of absence for rest, testing, and fucking. Okay, so I added that but she did have to take time off. Thirty days minimum, to be exact. When I started full time at Second Chances I put my notice in at Lush with everyone’s blessing. I still stopped in on occasion, but I never stayed long. Without her there singing to me, I couldn’t do it.

While she’s on leave, I took some time off from work too. I was still doing my mentoring sessions but outside of that I wanted that time with her. Gage has been around more which makes her happy. Turns out he’s a good guy but I’m telling you as a guy who spent ten years behind bars, he was into some shit he shouldn’t be. He was too cautious, too diligent and hiding something.

Kandace knew it, said she always did. But her dads didn’t and she said it has to stay that way. After the three of us had dinner, he asked to speak to us in confidence and let’s just say neither of us liked his vague
I was never here
bullshit.

He took off that night in that spooky way he does and then we headed up to Lush so I could hear my woman sing. That, and Jules and Venessa threatening to abduct her if I don’t bring her in, so here I sit with the girls fawning over her while I take it all in. There was something about my Doc that made people fall for her fast and hard. I didn’t have a name for it but I know what it felt like every time she smiled at me.

With Venessa dragging her to the stage, Kandace takes the mic and as usual, a crowd gathered. Pushing me to get closer, Jules makes room and says, “Behave,” before heading back to do what she does best, give orders.

“Hi guys,” she says with a wave. “My name is Kandace and I’m going to sing him a song. I hope he likes it.”

Not even trying to hide my shit-eating grin, I cross my arms over my chest and give her a wink. With no music to help her, she wastes no time blowing my God damn mind, again.

Working the stage with her eyes on mine she points at me, smiles at me and sings the loudest I’ve ever heard. When the chorus hit, she pointed the mic to the crowd so they could join in and they fucking did. Tapping my foot and watching it all play out when Bishop rolls up dancing I had to laugh.

“Lucky fucker!” he yells and just then she gives him a wave. “I don’t get it, she’s so white!”

Leaning in so he can hear me, I yell back, “She’s got more fucking soul than anyone I know, brother!” and she did. When she let go everyone within hearing distance felt that shit.

“Ha! Truth, brother!” he says bumping fists. Just then she bends at the waist in front of me points and wails,

The place went fucking insane and for the first time in my life I didn’t mind sharing my secret. With one arm in the arm in the air and a look only meant for her man, she started chanting,
Freedom
over and over. The crowd joined in, hell, I fucking joined in. After working them up she jumps from the stage into my arms and kisses me like no one was watching. Twirling her around then kissing her again, Venessa grabs the mic and says, “Kandy Kane everybody!”

With a red face at the nickname and the attention from the crowd, she does a curtsey then wraps herself around me. That’s my Doc, always humble.

Pulling her from the floor back to the bar to get her something for her throat, I feel her being pulled from me. Whipping around I see the last mother fucker I ever wanted to see again. I didn’t know the prick’s name I just never liked the guy and I wasn’t having him putting his hands on my woman. This cocksucker wanted a piece of her ten years ago which was why I had to make her leave that fucking party. Yeah, I made peace with it but when a bad seed from your past is near what you love most, you do something about it.