I knew my brother and that he was trying to antagonize me, but it wouldn’t work. I was too emotionally intelligent for that kind of shit. He’d piss himself off before he made me mad.
“I might not have had her first, but I can promise you I’ll be her last.”
Kenya sighed, and I imagined him running his hand over his face. “I’on know, Kayne. For real. I know we weren’t together long but?—”
“Please don’t let your ego have you out here faking like you really cared about that girl. You flirted with other women the whole time y’all were together, and you broke up with her just to sleep with other women. That was ten years ago at that. If youwanted her, you would have tried to get her back between now and then.”
“It ain’t that I want her . . .”
“You just don’t wantmeto have her?”
“Yeah.”
“Aight, say less.”
I disconnected the call and accelerated my speed. A part of me hated I’d done the right thing by trying to get his approval. Another part of me didn’t give a damn if he approved or not. For the last decade, I drove myself crazy wanting someone I knew I’d never have. Now, I was battling the question of why not. Because he had her and didn’t do right? That was bullshit.
I could see if they were in love and had dated for years, but that wasn’t the case. Being his blood wasn’t a good enough reason for me to not have the woman I wanted more than anything. I’d have to choose if I was going to be loyal to my brother or to my heart.
The Next Morning
After my workout, I noticed I had two missed calls from my brother. I didn’t call him back as I continued to get ready for work. Whatever he had to say would have to wait until I was off. I took intentional care with making sure I was in the most positive mood possible before I started engaging with my kids.
As I slipped into my loafers, my doorbell rang. I didn’t have to check my camera to know it was Kenya. I took my time standing and putting on my chain, watch, and diamond studs before going to let him in. Silently, he nodded then followed me into the kitchen, where I poured us both a cup of coffee.
“About last night,” he started. “I slept on it and realized I was wrong.” He paused but continued when I didn’t respond. “You were right. It was my ego. I didn’t want you with her because I failed with her. That isn’t your fault, and you shouldn’t be punished for it. Truth is, I’ve always known you had deeper feelings for her. Y’all have always connected in a way she and I were unable to. I know y’all will have a good relationship, and I was jealous.”
“And now?”
“Now, I don’t care. Like I said, I don’t want her. If you do . . .” He shrugged. “You have my blessing. I want you to be with someone you love, and if it’s her, I can’t stand in the way of that.”
“I appreciate that and you coming to me instead of accepting you were wrong but not saying anything about it.”
“Yeah, I mean . . . the shit was ten years ago. I didn’t love her, and I knew I was going to lose her if she found out. Plus, I got a feeling me saying no would come between us, and I didn’t want that.”
“I feel you. You know I’ve always cared about her, and I’ve fought it all this time. I didn’t want it to come between us, but I also can’t act like I’m satisfied with just being her friend.”
“Well, you have my blessing to pursue more. Just being honest, though, I don’t think she’s going to go for it.”
“You leave that to me.”
We shook hands and embraced in a brotherly hug. After we finished our coffee, I followed him outside to start my day—grateful that he’d had a change of heart, because I’d made up inmy mind to go after Jayla when the time was right. Now, I didn’t have to worry about our relationship being ruined because of it.
Two Weeks Later
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop my tears. It was graduation day for my little nuggets, and I couldn’t be prouder. We put together a great program and they sang their little hearts out. Now, they were doing introductions that included their name, age, and what they wanted to be when they grew up. When it was Miley’s turn, my eyes scanned the crowd to see if her father was here.
He wasn’t.
Pulling out my phone, I pressed record when she grabbed the mic and cleared her throat.
“Hi. My name is Miley Richmond, and I’m five years old. When I grow up, I want to be a teacher like Miss Anderson.”
“Yayyy, munchkin!” I cheered before ending the recording.
“That’s my sister!” Mateo yelled. “Woohoo!”
I laughed along with the rest of the audience as Miley blushed and waved at her brother, who was sitting next to Kayne. At least Mateo was here for Miley, and there was no doubt in my mind that Kayne had brought him here.
