Chapter 3

Iwoke up to a warm body stretched across mine.

Last night.

Billye was confident, feminine, and sexy. She was incredible and felt amazing. It was not my intention to make love to her. I was planning on helping her to her room and leaving, but when she kissed me, I knew I wanted a whole lot more. I stayed quiet, thinking I could move fast enough to get out of her bedroom, but when she pulled me on top of her, it was a wrap.

I looked at the clock on her nightstand and realized I had a few hours before I needed to be anywhere. I closed my eyes again.

* * *

Feelinglight kisses on my face and lips, I opened my eyes and found Billye straddling me.

"Good morning," Billye said.

"Good morning."

Her face was clean, and her hair was in a ball on top of her head. Her full breasts were on display, and I could feel the heat from her center on my lap.

"Is your ankle okay?" I asked.

"Yes, it"s fine," Billye responded.

She leaned in and kissed me again. I held her head in place and deepened the kiss. Her lips were soft and pliable. I was immediately addicted to the way she kissed me.

"Do you have to be somewhere soon?" she asked.

I looked at the clock and realized it was two hours later than it was when I first opened my eyes.

"I have to meet my brothers for lunch in about two hours."

"Is it far from here?"

"No," I answered.

I moaned loudly as she sank onto my dick.

"Good," Billye responded.

* * *

I pulledinto Wyatt"s driveway about ten minutes after I was supposed to arrive. I didn"t want to leave Billye"s bed, and she didn"t want me to. I would"ve stayed, but my brothers and I had a standing bi-monthly date, and I couldn"t miss it.

My phone rang just as I was about to get out of the car.

"What"s up, O?"

"You got it. I had a few minutes before I went into Kennedy"s recital. I was just checking in," Owen responded.

"Lisa allowed you to go? That"s good news."

"Yeah, she"s been trying to give me a chance, and I appreciate it. I got some flowers for my little lady and for Lisa. I"m trying, Z."

"That"s all you can do is your best."

"What"s up with you?" Owen asked.

"I"m in Wyatt"s driveway. I"m about to go in here and hold my niece and chop it up with him and Israel."

"Israel is Baby Girl"s husband, right?"

"Leona, yeah," I responded, knowing where the conversation was headed.

"Do they seem to be doing alright? Is he treating her right?"

"They"re good. You know you never had a chance with Lee, right?"

We both laughed.

"Aye, it don"t hurt to ask," Owen laughed.

"You keeping up with your meetings and everything, right?"

"I don"t miss them. That"s what"s helping me get back into my baby"s life. I gotta keep going," Owen answered.

"That"s what"s up. I"m proud of you."

"Thanks, bro. That means a lot, for real. Sometimes I feel like I"m out here by myself," Owen confided.

"As long as I breathe, you"ll never be alone, bro."

"Knowing that and feeling that are two different things, you know?" Owen responded.

"I know, but call me anytime. I mean it."

"Anyway, what about you? Are you ready to settle down or are you and ol" girl gone keep hooking up for the rest of your life?"

I laughed.

"I haven"t heard from her in a while. I"ve moved on," I answered.

My night with Billye ran through my mind.

"You always talked about having a family. You should make that happen. Tomorrow ain"t promised to any of us. What"s even worse is hard dicks most certainly ain"t promised; use it while you can."

We laughed.

"A family is still the plan. Aye, shouldn"t you be getting in there to see Ms. Kennedy?"

"Yeah, I should. I ain"t gone lie. I"m nervous."

"Do you know how many games you played while you were nervous? That ain"t never stopped you."

"Facts. A"ight. I"m out. Tell Leona I said hi."

We laughed.

"Yeah. Okay."

I ended the conversation and stepped out of the car. I announced my arrival by knocking on Wyatt's door before going in.

"Hey, beautiful," I said as I greeted Arizona.

"Hey, brother," Arizona said.

We hugged.

"They"re in the den," Arizona said.

"Where"s my niece?"

"She"s in there already. So is Izzy."

I walked through the house to the den. I smiled when I saw my niece and nephew in the room.

"I can"t believe I get to spend time with both of my favorite people today. What are you doing with Izzy?" I asked Israel.

I reached for the baby. He smiled and extended his chubby little arms.

Israel replied, "Lee had a last-minute showing she needed to attend. Izzy wanted to come and hang with the fellas anyway."

Izzy was growing every day. It seemed like he"d grown since the last time I saw him a couple of weeks ago.

"I picked up barbecue from Smothers for you guys. I left out the plates and everything on the kitchen counter. I"m leaving. Love you," Arizona said.

"Love you," both Israel and I replied.

"I"ll walk you out," Wyatt said and handed Regal to Israel.

Israel and I went into the kitchen to fix our plates. After Wyatt returned, we sat down to eat.

"So, gentlemen. How"s it going?" Israel asked.

Wyatt started. "It"s been different. I didn"t know what to expect with this little lady coming into the world. Fatherhood changes the way you look at things."

"Like what?" I asked.

"Man, everything. I was walking into the grocery store with her stroller and had to find the lower part of the sidewalk. I was like, why wouldn"t all of the sidewalks be low so strollers can get on them?" Wyatt explained.

"Right, or wondering why they have bleach on the lower shelves at the store? I"m like, kids could get to this stuff," Israel added.

They laughed.

I"d never thought about grocery placement or sidewalks.

"I remember driving Izzy and Lee home from the hospital and feeling like everyone on the road was driving crazy or too close," Israel said.

"Things change for real. Other than that, it"s all good. I want to be a great husband and father, so I talk to Arizona to make sure she has what she needs. We go to our maintenance therapy sessions and try to apply what we learn to the marriage. We"re still newlyweds for the most part, but I love her. So, whatever it takes to make it work, that"s what I"ll be doing.

"The car dealerships are running smoothly. Dad and Uncle Theo have talked about opening another one near the Lariece Park area," Wyatt finished.

"That"ll be cool," I said.

"So, what about you, Zec?" Israel said.

"Let"s see. I"ve been busy with the Gala, working with the kids at the center and I"ve met someone that I"m trying to get to know better."

"Ms. Couture?" Israel asked.

"How did you know?"

"I noticed how you talked about her when we were at dinner. Even after you told the story of the war you had going on, I could tell you were interested in her," Israel said.

"You know Iz is always paying attention to crap," Wyatt said.

"It"s a blessing and a curse," Israel answered with a shrug. "Plus, Lee said you took her to Eberly Farm on a date."

"Of course she did."

We shared a laugh.

"The feelings I"m developing for Billye are different from anything I"ve felt before."

"Is it similar to what you felt for Mikar?" Wyatt asked.

"Who is Mikar?" Israel asked.

"Mikar Phillips was a girl I met in college. She was my sunshine and rain. I loved the hell outta that girl."

"What happened?" Israel asked.

"She had a thing for athletes. She smashed a couple dudes while we were together. I cared more for her than she cared for me. I think Mikar was the reason I didn"t get serious with anyone during my NBA career."

"She broke him down pretty bad. I had to stay with him on campus to make sure he went to class and practice. He wasn"t eating and listened to "End of the Road" on repeat. It was pretty pitiful," Wyatt explained.

"People think men don"t go through heartbreak, but we do," Israel said.

"Yeah, we do," I agreed. "The only thing, other than Wyatt, that kept me going was knowing that I was going to make it into the NBA and stunt on her ass."

We all laughed.

"There"s something about Billye that makes me want to show up for her. I think it"s because she shows up for me. She single-handedly saved the Noir Gala."

"How did she do that?" Wyatt asked.

I ran down the story of the Grand Hall's issues and her coming up with the idea at the dog shelter.

"Wow," Israel said.

"You took the words out of my mouth," Wyatt added.

"That"s what I"m saying. I"m intrigued by her every day."

"What does she think about you? Have you talked to her about how you feel?" Israel asked.

"No. I try to do things to show her…"

"No," Israel interjected. "Actions are good, but they can be misconstrued. You need words and actions. Not just words and not just actions. You have to have the combination. She could assume that since you have sisters and cousins, you just naturally know how to treat a woman. So, the things you are doing aren"t special to her because you do that with everyone."

Wyatt added, "Yeah, man, that communication and follow-through are crucial. I remember doing a lot of stuff for Arizona, thinking I was showing her how I felt. I hadn"t said anything like I wanted us to be together or told her that I loved her. I was just doing the stuff. One day, she confronted me, asking where the relationship was going. I was blown away. I said you don"t see all this stuff I"m doing? She wasn"t impressed. She needed me to tell her where she fit into my life. So, what Iz said is true."

"If you like her, then tell her. Don"t just keep sending flowers or spending time with her without learning how you two communicate. Don"t assume she knows how you feel. You need to tell her," Israel said.

"Do you see a future with her?" Wyatt asked.

"I do. I don"t know what she thinks about the future, though."

"Have the conversation, Zec. Don"t make her bring it up. If you want her in your life, then talk to her. After the conversation, you may find out some things that could change your mind. Does she want a family? Does she aspire to be married? How does she feel about your commitment to the community and your family? Is she a woman you just want to date, or can she become your purpose partner? If she is your purpose partner, then what is the purpose you both are working towards, and does she know it?" Israel said.

"Yeah. I haven"t asked any of that."

"And you aren"t getting any younger. If you"re finally trying to settle down, do it the right way," Wyatt said.

Sitting listening to Wyatt and Israel"s relationship advice made me feel like the little brother. I respected both my brothers and would follow their advice.

"You both are right. I will talk to Billye. What about you, Iz? How"s everything going with you?" I asked.

"My biological father reached out to me. He wants to have a conversation," Israel said.

"Really?" I said, surprised by the revelation. "It"s been over thirty years since you"ve heard from him, right?"

"Yes. It kinda messed me up. There is this rage that I have for that man that I thought was gone. As soon as I heard his voice, and he told me who he was, because I wouldn"t have recognized his voice, I was angry," Israel explained.

"Rightly so," Wyatt said.

Israel shrugged. "I guess I have the right to be angry, but I don"t want that poison festering in me. I thought I was indifferent to him, but I"m actually pretty pissed off. I"m glad I know that now. I don"t want to pass on a generational trauma to my son."

"What did he say when he called?" Wyatt asked.

"He said he"s found the Lord and wants to meet so he can apologize and explain himself."

"Will you meet with him?" I asked.

"I haven"t decided. I told him I would get back to him. Joe wants nothing to do with him. Gail is going with the flow. I can"t base my decision on what my siblings will do, but either way, I"m going into counseling. I have to stay mentally healthy for my family and for ministry," Israel said.

"That"s what"s up. Make the best decision for you," I agreed.

"We support you either way. It"s enough of us in this family to roll out with you and whoop his ass – sorry for the language – if necessary," Wyatt said.

Israel chuckled.

"I appreciate that."

"Aye, bro, I also want to add that I admire the hell outta you. You"re a pastor, but you"re a real person. You make me feel comfortable in my walk with God. I appreciate that."

"Fa sho!" Wyatt added.

"Thanks. That means a lot coming from my family," Israel said.