“Wait, yall mess with each other?” Malaya questioned, real voice showing now, laced with irritation and hoarse like she smoked ten packs a day. Kormia smirked, slow and petty. “Whyelse would I be in his car this late?” Right on cue, Cal’s voice mumbled from the backseat. “Cap.”
“Mind your drunk ass business,” she whispered.
“Stop lying then,” Cal shot back, loud enough for just her to hear. Parrish was walking up, at the exact moment Cal exposed her. But Kormia didn’t fold. She snatched the ice pack out of Malaya’s hand without breaking eye contact. “Better had bitch.”
Then rolled the window up in her face. Cal shifted. “You really messy as fuck.”
“And you really drunk as fuck.”
“I’m telling,” Cal said before dozing off mid-sentence. Newdy got in the driver’s seat, shut the door and started the truck like none of that happened. His eyes flicked to her arm.
Then the ice pack. Then back to the road. “Where to?”
“Jackie’s,” she said, sinking into her seat as the first streaks of sunrise touched the sky.
She pressed the cold pack to her arm and watched the Wyncote houses faded into trees.
For the first time tonight, the pain in her arm dulled. What hurt now… was something else entirely. Something she wasn’t ready to name yet. They rode the rest of the way in a quiet that wasn’t so heavy anymore. It wasn’t awkward, tense or uncomfortable. But quiet… in a way that made Kormia way too aware of him. Every so often, she felt his eyes drift over to her arm, checking if she was still holding the ice pack right. He tried to play it off, but she caught it.Every time.When they reached Jackie’s block, he eased the truck into park and let the engine idle. He didn’t unlock the doors. Didn’t tell her to get out either. He just sat there. Kormia stared ahead, pulse tapping lightly at her throat. “Thank you,” she said finally, voice low. “For… everything.” Newdy didn’t look at her at first. His jaw flexed once, slow, like he was deciding whether to respond at all. Then he turned, eyes hitting hers with a steadiness that made herbreath hitch. “Don’t thank me,” he said quietly. “Don’t be out there like that again.”
It should’ve annoyed her. Ordinarily it would. But in this moment, it didn’t “I hear you.”
“Do you though?” Her chest fluttered. Stupid. She reached for the door.
“Yo.” She paused.
“You good to walk?” She smirked. “Why? You gone carry me?”
“If that’s what you want.” She froze. Then stumbled over herself. “I’m good.” He nodded once. Still watching her She stepped out. But before she closed the door, she looked back. He was still looking at her. And for some reason… that meant something. “Goodnight, Mr. Parrish.” His eyes softened.
Just a little. “Get some rest, Kormia.” And just like that—her knees went stupid.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
JACKIE
Three weeks later…
October had finally arrived in the city, and the hawk was out for real.
It wasn’t winter yet, but the chill in the air was just as disrespectful. Days like this made Jackie want to disappear under a blanket, phone on Do Not Disturb, and binge-watchScandalfor the fifth time. But unfortunately, that wasn’t her life. Not even close.
Instead, she was being pulled in a million different directions. Max had his first Pop Warner practice Saturday, his first official day as a Fairmount Falcon. And Jackie was already dreading it.
Not because it was one more thing added to her never-ending list of responsibilities. But because practice meant facing Cassius. This would be their first interaction since the club incident, and just the thought of it made her chest tighten. Then there was Syxe, completely ignoring the doctor’s orders, waddling around the house, still trying to be supermom. The baby would be here in two weeks, and Syxe refused to stay on bed rest or hire another nanny. So Jackie had been splitting her days between Syxe’s house and On Bended Bean. She dropped Max off in the morning, then headed to the coffee shop to check on the staff and fill in where needed. Syxe all but forced her totake a salary. Something Jackie initially refused. In her mind, this was what friends did, and she didn’t need to be paid for it.
But Syxe insisted. And honestly? The extra money helped. Jackie’s event planning business,Jackie of All Trades, had slowed downsignificantly.Jackie had a few bookings lined up for November and December, but her bills were due now. Syxe’s salary was the only thing keeping her afloat during this dry spell. Because of it, Jackie had finally been able to handle a few things around the house. She had her hot-water heater fixed instead of replaced, which felt like a small miracle. Her radiators were still on bullshit, hissing and clanking like they were possessed. She managed to replace the radiator in Max’s room, and the one in the living room. As for the one in her bedroom, she would just have to thug it out with a space heater until she got some extra funds. By some miracle, her car was still running.Barely. It was unpredictable as hell. Jackie only used that car to go from point A to point B, and most days that was enough. She knew the likelihood of her car surviving the winter was pretty slim.
But she intended to drive it until the wheels fell off. Literally.
Now, Jackie stood in front of her mirror, towel knotted around her chest, staring at her reflection like she owed it answers. She exhaled, letting the towel drop so she could moisturize the rest of her body. Her movements were slow, deliberate. Anything to keep her mind from drifting to the one place she was trying her hardest to avoid.Najee.His name alone tugged at something under her ribs.
It had been three weeks since that night, that soft, impossibly gentle night, three weeks since he touched her like she was something rare, delicate, and worthy of care.
Yet here she was, trying to make sense of how a man could hold her like that… then disappear. Jackie’s jaw tightened at the thought of it. She could still picture that night sovividly,as if it had been etched in her memory. The whole night was a masterclass in sensuality and softness.
And that’s just how Najee left her feeling...soft.
Soft enough to trust the moment, soft enough to trust him. Especially after he made sure Kormia made it in safely, that’s when she finally allowed her guard to slip and soften to the idea of him. So soft that, for the first time in forever, Cassius didn’t cross her mind. Not evenonce. Even when she turned her phone back on and saw the sea of notifications—fifteenmissed calls,sixunread messages,twovoicemails…all from him. She deleted everything, didn’t even bother to open them.