The Love You Give

by Sheena Binkley

  “Good thing I wore sneakers.”

  I smiled. “Come on.”

  We got out of the car and I led the way to my spot. I helped her along the way, so she wouldn’t fall as we went through several rough areas with rocks and ridges. As soon as we got to the area, we stopped to admire the spectacular view ahead of us.

  “Wow, I’m still amazed by this.”

  “It’s nice, isn’t it? Growing up, I loved to hike, but of course there’s not too many areas in the city to venture to. My dad took me to this place when I was six. It’s everything a hiker would want in the city, including watching this view, which is even better during sunrise. I loved it when I was a kid and I still love it to this day.”

  “I would have never thought you were sentimental,” Kia said.

  “Well, when it comes to my dad, I am. He helped me through a lot, so I try to cherish everything he has shown me.”

  “Is he”

  “He’s still breathing, if that’s what you were going to ask. He just helped me through some rough times in my life. More than anyone else has.”

  Kia nodded and looked ahead. I did the same, wishing I didn’t tell her that. I shouldn’t be telling her anything about my past life because that’s something I didn’t do with women.

  “I’m not much of a hiker. Anything outdoors is an issue for me, but this is beautiful.”

  We waited for a little while as the sun began to rise, which gave me a sense of calm. I took a deep breath, exhaling everything that had been hindering me recently.

  “Have you taken anyone else up here?”

  I looked at Kia and shook my head. “You’re the only person. Even my brother doesn’t know about this place.”

  “If no one knows about this place, why bring me here?”

  I glanced at her as I wondered that same question. “Maybe because you need this as much as I do. Maybe you need your place of calm.”

  “You’re willing to share it with me?”

  I nodded. “Why not? Just don’t tell anyone, okay? I don’t need people looking for me when I don’t want to be bothered.”

  Kia nodded. “Your secret is safe with me. But, trust me, I probably won’t be coming up here anytime soon. Like I said…”

  “You don’t hike. But, there’s a first for everything.”

  Kia gave me a bashful smile, which had my dick jumping. I needed to control him, but damn I was trying my hardest not to grab her and kiss her. I could have any woman I wanted, so why did I feel she’s difficult to understand?

  Instead of me wondering, I just continued to enjoy the view. Maybe if I got to interact with her more, I’d get to know her better.

  ***

  Once I dropped off Kia at her room for a second time, I finally went home, showered, changed, and headed back out. I wanted to rest, but I promised Aaron and Lucas I would meet them for breakfast. I really wasn’t in the mood to be around anyone but, since I hadn’t seen them in a while, I figured I’d make my presence known.

  I pulled up to Aaron’s, giving myself a minute to prepare for this visit. I knew there would still be some tension since I told off the two during the last conversations I had with them and, with those two, they didn’t let things go.

  I slowly got out, wanting to get this over with as I approached the door. I rang the doorbell, when Lucas suddenly answered.

  “Hey, we didn’t think you were going to show.”

  “Why wouldn’t I? I said I was coming.”

  “Because no one has heard from you.”

  “When I say I am coming somewhere, I’m coming…” I slowly said.

  I stopped walking inside and looked at Lucas. “What the hell is going on?”

  I looked ahead to see Lillian sitting with Marcia in the kitchen. She looked over at me, giving me an evil smile, which made me do the same.

  “Look who decided to join us for breakfast,” Marcia said. She got up and came over to me, giving me a devilish grin.

  “You did this on purpose,” I said through gritted teeth.

  “Mess with me again, Cane, and I’ll do a lot worse,” Marcia said. She walked back over to the kitchen and I sighed. What did I possibly do to her? All I said was I didn’t want to date her friend anymore.

  “Did you know about this?” I asked Lucas.

  “She just got here. I tried to text you, but you were already here.”

  “You still could have warned me. If I knew she was here, I damn sure wouldn’t had come.”

  “Oh stop, Cane. Just because she’s here, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy time with your family,” my dad said as he came up to me.

  I smiled as I gave him a hug. “Hey, Dad.”

  “Hey. Besides, if you stop leading these women on, you wouldn’t be having them wanting to kill you every time they see you.”

  “I don’t be leaning them on, Dad. She knew the deal when we got together; she just got too caught up on my d-”

  “Seriously, Cane,” Elle, my dad’s girlfriend, interrupted. I stared at her and smiled.

  “It’s true, Elle. Women can’t resist all of this.”

  “You’re really full of yourself,” she said while giving me a hug.

  “And damn proud of it.”

  “I see Cane is here,” Aaron said while walking in.

  “I’m finally here. But, why you didn’t mention anything about Lillian?”

  “Because Marcia surprised me. She heard that you’ve been talking shit about her, so she decided to bring the one person you don’t want to be around.”

  “See, that’s why I don’t like her.”

  “She’s still my wife.”

  “And my sister,” Lucas pointed out.

  “Whose side are you on?”

  “Just ignore her and enjoy breakfast, okay,” Elle said.

  “Gladly,” I replied. That I didn’t have a problem doing.

  We sat down at the table as Aaron and Marcia got the plates. I sat down across from Lillian, who was still giving me that evil smile. This was going to be interesting.

  Once everything was set, we grabbed what we wanted and began to eat. It was complete silence as everyone was digging into their meals.

  “How is everything at the club, Cane?” my dad asked while munching on a piece of toast.

  “Everything is good. Business is booming. I even hired a new bartender to help out Karla. She’s really good.”

  “Humph,” Lillian mumbled.

  “Is there something you’d like to say, Lillian?” I asked.

  She looked up at me with daggers in her eyes. “You mean your new whore.”

  “Seriously, Lillian? We’re trying to have a peaceful breakfast,” Aaron said.

  “She’s not a whore, Lillian. You’re just mad because I don’t want you.”

  “Here we go,” Lucas mumbled.

  “I don’t want you either, Cane, but you need to be nicer to the women you try to pursue.”

  “I have been; you just the one who can’t take a damn hint.”

  “You are so rude, Cane!” Marcia exclaimed.

  “And you just as messy since the first day we met. You love to spew drama everywhere you go.”

  Marcia couldn’t come back with a response; instead, she gave me a heated glance, She knew I was right, that’s why she didn’t say anything.

  “Okay, Cane, just calm down.”

  “No, Marcia did this on purpose. She needs to be concerned about her own damn business instead of in everyone else’s. Get a damn hobby or maybe a job. Oh, I forgot, she’s relies on Aaron for everything because she lazy.”

  “That’s enough, Cane!” Aaron exclaimed.

  I shook my head. “She shouldn’t dish it out if she can’t take the criticism.”

  “Well, let me burst your bubble some more. We all came to the agreement that Christmas dinner should be at your place this year. And I also invited Melissa. You do know her, right?” Marcia said and sinfully smiled.

  If looks could kill, Marcia would have fell out o
f her chair and sparred out on the damn floor right now. I stared at Aaron, who sighed.

  “Marcia, we agreed that we weren’t going to discuss this right now.”

  “But, we agreed-”

  “I was going to talk to Cane about it first before you blurted it out.”

  “Wow, so Marcia really does wear the pants in the marriage,” I said.

  “Cane…” my dad started.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m not going to be a part of this charade any longer. Dad, Elle, I’ll talk to you soon. The rest of you can go straight to hell.”

  I got up, threw my napkin down onto my plate, and walked to the door. I was halfway to my car when my dad yelled out my name.

  “Cane!”

  “I don’t want to talk, Dad!”

  “Cane, please, just for a second.”

  I turned around to look at him. He gave a sincere look and my expression soften. I could be cold to everyone but, with my dad, he’s the one person I could never be mad at.

  “You know how I feel about her.”

  “I know and I understand, Cane, but you have to realize that sometimes in life you have to forgive. You won’t be able to move on with your life if you’re still stuck in the past.”

  “You can do that, but I can’t. She is the reason why I can’t trust anyone. She has lied to me so many times, that’s why I can’t forgive her. I don’t want to.”

  My dad nodded. He put a hand on my shoulder. “That’s not the way to live, son. I used to be like that as well, but I had to realize that in order for me to be happy, I had to let go of the pain and misery that I felt in my life. That’s when I met Elle. She was and still is a saving grace for me. To a certain extent, Marcia is for Aaron too.”

  “Ha! That she-devil.”

  “Cane.”

  “Sorry, that slipped out.”

  “I just wish you can find your saving grace one day, that way you won’t be so angry all the time.”

  “I’m not angry; I just know what I want out of life.”

  “You’re angry, Cane. Especially now during the holidays.”

  “If you say so.”

  My dad gave me a hug. I didn’t know why he thought I needed to find someone. I was fine just the way that I was. I didn’t need someone calling all the shots for me, and I damn sure didn’t need someone controlling me. If that’s how a relationship was, then I’d rather be single until the day I take my last breath.

  11.

  Kia

  Since I didn’t have to go back to the club until that night, I just laid in bed staring at the ceiling, wondering what I should do about Cory. After coming back to my room, he had tried to call me and texted a few times, but of course I never responded. Instead, I tried to find, as Cane would say, my “sense of calm,” but I couldn’t find it anywhere.

  I rolled over to my side when my phone rang. I sighed, hoping it wasn’t Cory again, but it was Brooke. I answered after the second ring. “Hey, girl. What you doing?”

  “I’m about to visit you.”

  “Wait, you’re in Tyler?”

  “Where else would I be to see you? And hopefully you don’t blow me off like you did Cory.”

  “He called you?”

  “He put me on blast on social media. He figured I wasn’t going to answer his calls.”

  I sighed. I didn’t want Brooke to be in the middle of this, but she was whether I liked it or not. And I unfollowed him on all of my social media pages, so I didn’t know what he’d been posting.

  “What choice do I have but to see you?”

  “You damn right because I would have bugged you until you told me where you were. But don’t worry, I’m only going to stay until tomorrow. I do have a job to go back to. Jade already lost you, so she can’t afford to lose anyone else.”

  “I get it, Brooke. But, I’m really sorry for leaving you like that.”

  “Like I said, it’s cool. I got over the initial shock of everything, so it’s fine now.”

  “I guess you’re coming to check on me?”

  “Yes, but since Cory is there, I do want to run interference between you two. Well, if you see him again.”

  “I’m sure he’s going to try to come back to the club later. That’s the only place he knows where I’ll be.”

  “How was it seeing him?”

  I sighed again. “A little sad, but frustrating since I told him not to find me.”

  “You knew he was. And yes, Jade was the one who told him. She saw him at Smoothie King. She thought he knew you left town.”

  “Wonderful.”

  “But, he did mention that you been hooking up with someone. Who is this person and why you never told me about him?”

  “Because it’s all a lie, Brooke. The guy Cory saw was my boss, Cane. He just happened to walk in on Cory and I arguing.”

  “But he said that the guy is your new man.”

  I began to explain the plan to Brooke, who gave a long-winded sigh.

  “Seriously, Kia. What possessed you to come up with that stupid idea?”

  “It’s a way to get rid of Cory.”

  “Why you just can’t say I don’t want you anymore and to move on? Damn, that’s a childish move, even for you, Kia.”

  “I just want him to officially move on. If I try and tell him my feelings, he’s not going to understand.”

  “You’re not giving Cory enough credit. I think he would. Are you really trying to hurt him, so he won’t trust any woman again? Because that’s what you’re doing.”

  “I seriously thought you didn’t like Cory.”

  “I only didn’t because he’s boring, not because he wasn’t a good man. But whatever, you’re a grown woman Kia, so whatever plan you got going, then I guess I’ll support you on it. It’s stupid, but I’ll still support you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “But you better give me your room number because I’m outside your hotel right now.”

  “Really? I never told you-”

  “There’s a little thing called GPS on our phones now. When you called the last time, it indicated your whereabouts.”

  Damn, I forgot about that. I guess I should have taken that feature off. “Meet me in the lobby.”

  I got up and headed to the door. Even though I didn’t like how Brooke went about finding me, I was super excited to see her. I missed her, so I couldn’t wait to be in her presence once again.

  As soon as I walked into the lobby, I saw Brooke’s long, light-brown curly hair bouncing. She came to me and grabbed me into her arms. She wouldn’t let me go, which I was happy about, but a bit concerned.

  “Girl, I was only gone for a few days,” I said.

  “That doesn’t mean I didn’t miss you. You’re like a sister to me.”

  “I know, I missed you too.”

  “Now, with that being said,” Brooke mentioned. She let go of me and punched my shoulder.

  “What the hell?!”

  “That’s for doing what you did. You could have went another way with leaving.”

  “How many times am I going to apologize?”

  “Until I fully forgive you. Not only that, but your dad is really concerned. You know how badly I want to tell him where you are.”

  “I will call him, Brooke. Don’t worry.”

  “You better.”

  “Come on, so you can get settled in,” I said.

  I was about to lead the way to my room, when Brooke cleared her throat.

  “What?”

  “My bags.”

  “Are you serious?”

  Brooke pointed to her bags, and I smirked. She would. I didn’t even argue; instead, I just grabbed her things and headed to the elevator.

  “That’s for worrying me these past few days.”

  We went up to the third floor when I suddenly stopped walking and nearly dropped Brooke’s suitcases. She almost ran into me, which made me jerked forward.

  “What the hell?” Brooke whispered.

  I looked ahead to see Cane
standing by my room. I didn’t know why he was there, but I really didn’t want Brooke to see him.

  “Please don’t tell me that’s your boss?” Brooke asked.

  I went straight to Cane as he gave a snide smile. “What are you doing here? I thought we would see each other at the club.”

  Cane sighed. “I thought you might want a ride to work.”

  “I’m not scheduled to go in for a few hours. Besides, I have my car. Are you okay?” I asked. He didn’t look too well, so I became curious to why he was really there.

  “I am. I just thought you might need some company, that’s all.”

  I looked at him, realizing something was up. I hadn’t known him that long, but he wasn’t acting like his usual cocky, arrogant self.

  “Hi, I’m Brooke, Kia’s bestie. Who are you?” Brooke asked. She extended her hand out to Cane, who gave a surprised look.

  “Cane, nice to meet you.”

  “Brooke, go ahead and go inside. I’ll be inside in a second.”

  Brooke nodded and grabbed her things before telling Cane bye. I opened the door for her to go in and she closed it, leaving us outside.

  “This feels kind of awkward.”

  “Why?” Cane asked.

  “Because you’re randomly standing outside of my room when we just left each other a couple of hours ago.”

  “I know but, for some reason, I wanted to come back to see you.”

  My heart began racing, making me wonder why was it racing since I barely knew Cane. I should be feeling this way towards Cory, a man that I had known since college, but I guess no matter how I felt, that feeling was long gone with him.

  “This is crazy. I probably should go,” Cane said.

  He was about to walk when I gently grabbed his hand. I felt a spark go through me as he glanced at me.

  “You felt that too did, didn’t you?” he asked.

  I stared at him, wanting to feel his lips on mine again. I still thought about that kiss we shared the other night. It was a weird way to share our first kiss, but I wanted so badly for it to happen again.

  “Felt what?”

  “Don’t play, Kia; you felt something, just like I did. For some reason, I wanted to be here, to talk to you about the plan you had and I realized I know what I want from you.”