Pulling out his cell phone, he didn’t stop to think before calling David. He walked away from the club toward his motorcycle.
David answered on the forth ring. “What the hell, Kareem? It’s after midnight.”
“It’s still early. Look, I’m calling a family meeting.”
“What?” Some of the grogginess left David’s voice.
“My house in thirty minutes.”
The sound of Sandra’s voice in the background drifted through the phone. “Hold up. Tonight? What brought this on?”
“I need to talk,” Kareem said. He hung up on David then dialed Aaron’s number.
“Yo, Kareem, what’s up?” Aaron said, a lot more chipper than David.
“Where are you?”
“I got back in this afternoon. Now I’m up playing Madden online with some guy out of Nevada who’s kicking my ass.” In the background the sounds of the video game played.
“I’m calling a family meeting. My place in thirty.”
“Whoa, seriously?” Aaron sounded distracted. “Shit, Kareem you caused me to throw an interception.”
“Forget that. I need to talk.” He hung up from Aaron.
When he got into his car, he put the phone in the cup holder. Then picked it up again and called Fredrick. Hell, if he was going to get advice on relationships, he might as well call his newest brother too.
• • •
Thirty minutes later, his brothers arrived—David in pajama pants and a t-shirt beneath his tan leather coat, Aaron dressed in wrinkled jeans and a button-up, his wireless headphone around his neck, and Fredrick in a pair of khakis and a sweater. Except for Aaron, they looked tired and confused by the late night interruption.
“Follow me,” Kareem said and walked toward the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of Crown Royal off the counter and four mismatched shot glasses from the cabinet. He firmly set the bottle in the middle of the kitchen table, followed by the shot glasses. Aaron, David, and Fredrick all exchanged looks.
“Sit,” Kareem said. He pulled out one of the four chairs at the table and dropped into one.
David took a step forward. “Look, Kareem, you said you needed to talk and called all of us over here in the middle of the night. What’s going on?”
Kareem popped the top of the bottle and poured a shot into each glass. “Sit down. I do need to talk, but I’m going to need a drink before I do that.”
Again, the three guys exchanged looks before Aaron slid out a chair and plopped down next to Kareem. Fredrick took the seat opposite Kareem, and David sat to his left. Kareem slid the full glasses to each of them.
“Drink.” He lifted his glass and held it out. Slowly, his brothers lifted theirs and clinked their glasses with his. Kareem downed his shot. “I need to tell you what happened in prison.”
Fredrick coughed in the middle of his shot. David slowly lowered his back to the table. Aaron gulped the shot and slammed the glass on the table.
“We’re ready to listen,” Aaron said.
Kareem nodded, filled his glass again, and told them what he’d told Neecie. When he got to what happened with Cide his brothers each took another shot.
David cleared his throat after Kareem finished. “You didn’t lie about needing to drink to tell us.”
“I didn’t tell you because I want any sympathy. I just needed you all to hear the entire story before I go on.” He twirled the shot glass between his hands. “For years I carried that entire situation around with me. The guilt I mean. I wanted Cide dead, but instead I let Tim do it and take the blame. He told me to live, that I didn’t deserve to let my mistakes ruin my life. I didn’t think I had. I opened my business, tried not to disappoint my family again.”
David sat forward. “Talking to us and letting us know what was going on, or allowing us to help, isn’t disappointing.”
“I get that,” Kareem said. “But I thought I had to do things on my own to prove myself. I didn’t understand why everyone said I deserved to be happy when I wasn’t. I was angry at myself, the situation I put myself in, what happened to me. I didn’t think I deserved to be happy.”
Aaron poured another shot, but didn’t drink it. “Now you think differently?”
Kareem glanced at his brother and nodded. “I do. That time with Neecie, even though it wasn’t supposed to be real—”
Fredrick held up a hand. “Wait, I thought you two were real?”
Kareem shrugged. “Nah, it was just a front.” He briefly went into their arrangement.
After Kareem finished, Fredrick nodded and watched Kareem over the rim of his glasses. “But you fell in love.”
Kareem shifted in his seat, not ready to admit to the emotion he couldn’t believe had taken over his heart. “I won’t say all that. I like her. A lot. I still want her, but I don’t know if I can trust her.”
“Why not?” Aaron asked.
He told them about the soft opening and the fiasco of the rest of the night. Then about her keeping the bulimia a secret. “I mean, I told her everything, and she held back. And she doubted me so easily.”
David slid the bottle across the table to refill his shot glass then passed the bottle over to Kareem. “But you admit that by the time you got to her parents’ house she seemed to have realized her mistake.”
“Before that really,” Kareem said. “When we were talking. But I was so pissed that she’d even considered it.”
“Look at it from her end. A celebrity comes in and tells her some crap like that. Of course she’s going to ask you about it.”
“It’s more than that. The whole thing with her ex and her family.”
Fredrick laughed. “Ex-boyfriends and family come with the package, man. You have to deal with all of that if the woman is worth it.”
Aaron looked at Fredrick, his best friend since grade school. “So you’re dealing with us because of Janiyah.”
Fredrick held up the shot glass. “Family meetings in the middle of the night where I get buzzed with her brothers. Yes, all for Janiyah.”
Aaron refilled Fredrick’s glass. “That’s because you’re a lightweight.”
“Men who don’t drink typically are,” Fredrick said. He’d only had two shots before sliding his glass away. “Kareem, you’ve got to learn to work through all of the differences to make a relationship work. The good, the bad, the moments of distrust, the moments of uncertainty, they’re what make you stronger. So she kept back some of her issues, but I don’t think it was malicious. Maybe she was just as afraid to reveal her problems as you were. And after digesting everything you told her, she might not have wanted to up the ante by throwing in an eating disorder.”
David leaned back in his chair. “Think about this, Kareem. I went ten years without the woman I wanted, and my screw up was a lot worse than what either of you did. Don’t let time pass when you can fix things. I say go after your woman.”
Fredrick nodded. “I pushed Janiyah away for too long. Relationships are hard; you have to continue to work. We aren’t perfect together all day, but every day I’m with her is. If you feel that way about Patrice you’ve got to go for it.”
Kareem spun the empty glass then looked at Aaron who shrugged. “Hey, I’ve never pined for a woman,” Aaron said. “But when I want a particular woman I don’t let the opportunity pass. If you want Neecie, go get her.”
Kareem thought about going the next ten years without Neecie, or even longer the way Fredrick had with Janiyah. The idea of possibly seeing her and not having her made him uncomfortable, and the idea of never seeing her again seemed unreasonable. He wanted her. He did deserve to be happy. He wanted to be happy with her. He loved her.
“Nothing I said tonight leaves this room. Understand?” He gave each man a hard stare and didn’t look away until they nodded their agreement.
“And as for the lounge,” David said. “I know Lucas Perry, the star running back for the Carolina Panthers. He’s got more pull in the city than Paul, and if he likes your place, you’re set.”<
br />
Kareem raised a brow. “How do you know him?”
David gave a cocky grin. “I sold him a car once. We hit it off, and I hit him up whenever I’m in Charlotte.”
“And I know several successful accountants in the area,” Fredrick said. “Many work at some of the larger firms. I’ll put in a word for you.”
Aaron tapped his glass on the table. “Believe it or not, I hang out with the son of Raul Miles, the COO of Omeris Bank. I’ll tell him to check out your place.”
Kareem stared at them, stunned. “I had no idea you all had hook ups.”
David shrugged. “You never asked. I know we’ve had our differences, but you’re our brother and we love you. We’re your family, and we’ll do whatever it takes to support you, Kareem.”
Words stuck in Kareem’s throat. Never had he imagined having such strong support from his brothers. He looked at each man at the table and felt a bond stronger than anything he once thought he would only get from the Runners. Everything he needed was right here in front of him. Everything except Neecie.
“Then maybe you three can help me with one more thing.” He tugged on the edge of his black t-shirt. “There’s something else I need to change before getting Neecie back.”
CHAPTER 33
Patrice zipped closed the suitcase on the bed. She let out a sigh and looked around the room. She was struck, as she had been for the last few weeks, by how empty the space seemed without Kareem there with her.
She shook her head with the hopes of driving away another round of the If only I’d done this thoughts that had paraded through her brain ever since he walked away. What could have been different didn’t matter. He was gone. She wouldn’t pine away over what went wrong.
“All packed I see.” Janice’s voice came from the door.
Patrice turned toward her mother who leaned against the doorframe, a slight frown on her beautiful face.
“At least this time I actually get to see you pack up and leave,” Janice said.
A twinge of guilt tugged at Patrice’s insides. She didn’t regret leaving her family years ago, but she was sorry she hadn’t explained to her parents why.
“I’m not going far,” Patrice said and tugged the suitcase off the bed onto the floor. She’d signed a lease on an apartment in Concord on the northern end of the city. Going back to Columbia was out of the question, so she’d begrudgingly accepted a position with Lorelei’s modeling agency—after putting her foot down about not accepting any flack about her weight.
“Do you need help taking the rest of your things?” Janice asked.
“No, I only had a few items of clothes, and Fran arranged to have movers bring over the bed later. Thanks again for letting me have it.”
Janice shrugged. “I wish you’d let us get the rest of your furniture.”
“I can handle it, Mother. But I do appreciate the offer.”
Janice walked into the room and stared around as if she too realized it felt too empty. “Are you going to Kareem’s opening?”
Patrice sucked in a breath through her nose and gripped the suitcase handle. Her father had reported Kareem was indeed back in town and working with his brothers on the delayed opening of his lounge. While she was glad the brothers had reconciled and Kareem hadn’t let go of his dream, a part of her mourned the loss of not being there to celebrate with him.
“Is it today?”
“It is,” Janice answered, her tone saying she was aware Patrice knew the lounge opened today.
“No. Now that we’re over it’s better to just limit contact.” Better for her heart anyway.
Janice ran her hand over the footboard of the bed. “I gave him a hard time when he first arrived. We all did. I didn’t like the way he looked at you. So intense, as if he couldn’t believe he had you.” Janice shrugged. “I thought that was because he couldn’t believe he’d snuck his way into the family. By the time I realized it was because he loved you, it was too late.”
Patrice’s throat constricted. If only he had. “We weren’t real. You imagined that.” The pain of those words seared her heart.
“I’m not so sure.” Janice pulled a white card out of her back pocket. She came around the bed and handed it to Patrice. “This came for you this morning.”
Patrice took the note out of her mother’s hand. On the front in bold black script were the words “You’re Invited.” Her heart jacked up on speed, not at the basics of an invitation inviting her to the grand opening of Kareem’s lounge, but instead at the straight, tight handwriting on the left side of the card.
Neecie,
I hope want need to see you. Please come to the opening.
Kareem
She sucked in several quick breaths as her skin tightened. He wanted to see her, personally invited her. Hope that the invitation meant he wanted to try again sent trembles through her.
“Are you going?” Janice asked.
Patrice gripped the card and met her mother’s hopeful eyes. She ran her tongue over dry lips and nodded. When Janice smiled, she couldn’t help but grin back.
“Yes.”
She quickly changed into a gold, knee-length skirt and black turtleneck. Her kinky curls were somewhat tamed into a puff at the top of her head. Her hands shook as she walked up the sidewalk to the front of Kareem’s lounge. Pressing one trembling hand to her stomach, Patrice hoped to stop the butterflies from playing ping pong there.
Kareem could have invited her only because she’d helped so much. Maybe he still wanted them to be friends. Or he could think this was a good way to ask her to still cut hair for him. The personal invitation didn’t mean he wanted her again. But her pounding heart wanted him to.
She crossed the threshold into the waiting area. The surprisingly full waiting area. Just as crowded as the night of the soft opening. Patrice quickly scanned the room for Kareem. There were several men at the bar talking, some sitting in the dark leather chairs watching the flat screen televisions. Conversation drifted down the hall from the meeting rooms and cigar room. Pride swelled in her chest. He’d done it.
“May I help you?” the receptionist at the desk to the right of the door asked.
Patrice snapped her attention back to the woman behind the desk and cleared her throat. “Yes, I’m here to see Kareem. My name is Patrice Baldwin.”
The woman smiled. “He said if you came to lead you directly to him.” The woman stood and pointed toward the bar. “He’s actually over there now.”
Patrice frowned; she hadn’t seen him at the bar. She turned that way again and made eye contact with Kareem’s dark stare. Her heart spun like a ballerina, and her jaw fell open. Kareem wore a white button-up shirt tucked into grey pants. The bright color brought out the richness of his skin. The dreads were gone, replaced with a stylish fade, thick and curly at the top and tapered to precision on the sides.
He strode her way, but she quickly hurried to meet him halfway. “What did you do to your hair?”
A sexy, sheepish grin came across his face, and he ran a hand over the back of his head. “I cut it.”
“You cut it?” Her voice squeaked. Then she burst into tears.
“Whoa, wait, hold on, Neecie.” His warm hands clasped her shoulders while she bawled as if someone had run over her pinky toe. “Why are you crying? It’s my hair.”
“Because I loved your hair,” she said in a trembling voice. She wiped the tears from her eyes, but when she looked at him they flowed again. “I can’t believe you cut it.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “I had to, Neecie. I started them for the wrong reason. You remember what I told you.”
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand again. “To fit into the gang.”
He nodded, a sad look in his dark eyes. “It was time to let that guy go.”
She sniffed and pressed the back of her hand to her nose. She glanced around the room. The conversations had quieted as several people watched her; the fool who burst into tears over a hair cut in a high-end barbe
r shop.
“I guess I can understand that,” she said. She opened her purse and searched for a tissue. A handkerchief appeared before her eyes.
With wide eyes she looked back at Kareem who held it out to her. “Here.”
“Thank you.” She took the white cloth and wiped her eyes.
“I need you to really understand,” Kareem said. He put a hand on her waist and pulled her to the side. The strength and heat of his touch made her body shiver. “Understand why I had to do this.” He pointed to his head.
“You’re letting go of the past.” Including the past he shared with her. The pain sent another bout of tears, but thankfully no sobs, streaming down her cheeks.
“I’m letting go of the guilt. It’s time for me to finally come to terms with what happened. I didn’t force Tim to stand up for me, but if he hadn’t I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t be living my dream. I wouldn’t have met you.” He swallowed hard and shifted on his feet. “Loved you.”
Patrice’s jaw dropped again. “Loved me.”
“Love you. Neecie, I’m sorry. I backed out of this relationship at the first sign of trouble. I understand why you questioned me, why you waited to tell me about your past. That night with Joshua was so crazy, I let my jealousy of you coming to check on me with Roland justify lashing out instead of listening.”
She shook her head. “It was my fault. You trusted me, and I should have trusted you. I know, knew, you would never do something like that. I don’t blame you for being angry.”
“Being angry, and breaking up with you are two different things. Letting you go wasn’t for the best. It was my overreaction to not knowing how this relationship stuff works. But it’s time for me to live. I want to live with you. I want to be with you. The hair, the clothes,” he tugged on his white shirt, “that was all for me. I had to come to terms with who I wanted to be before I stepped to you again. You deserve a man that isn’t hung up on things that can’t change.”
Kareem’s strong hand gripped her waist, and he pulled her close. The heat from his body, and the scent of his cologne turned her legs into water. “I’m not living for the past anymore. It’s only about now, the future. Let’s make this thing real. Not for a moment, not just in the bedroom, but for a lifetime. It may take that long for me to learn everything about compromise, and intimacy, but I’m willing to take as long as necessary to make you happy.” He pressed her body against his hard body. “Do you love me too?”
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