Page 23 of Passion
“So there was nothing romantic about it?” Jorielle asked. “I assumed the two of you would become a couple.”
“There was absolutely nothing romantic about it. I mean, we did enjoy the moment, but no extra effort was put into it. Most of our encounters were like quickies, if I’m being honest. I hadn’t had sex for enjoyment since Kizzie was a year old.”
“Damn, sis. Gentry probably got that ass all the way right then.”
Leave it to Jorie to make me feel better. I gave her a smirk and said, “Been blowing my damn back out every night. I hadn’t had sex in over two years when we got married. He shattered that shit with gusto.”
My mama and Jorie hollered with laughter. I couldn’t help but shake my head at them. “I’m pretty sure you weren’t in objection,” my mama added.
“No. I was actually the one that initiated things before we came into the reception.”
They laughed again as I slowly shook my head. “Come on! Y’all see him! I couldn’t resist all that chocolate. The things he was saying to me while we took pictures had me at the point of no return. I needed him to put me out of my misery, but it only made me want him more. Had we could have gotten it in on the flight to Hawaii, we would have.”
“Lord, have mercy. Y’all are some nymphos… made for each other,” my mama said jokingly. “I’m happy for you, baby. Clayton will come around.”
And just like her to bring us back to the issue at hand. “Yeah. I hope so.”
After helping them load the dishwasher and put the leftovers away, I made my way to my husband. They’d retreated to the family room and were watching a basketball game. Gentry’s phone rang just as I sat next to him. He pulled it out of his pocket as he put his other arm around me. When he showed me the screen, my eyebrows lifted. It was Clayton.
“Hello… yeah, man. What’s up…? I usually leave the office around six… Yeah, that’s cool. I’ll see you Wednesday,” he said, glancing at me. “A’ight. Later.”
He ended the call and turned to me. “Clayton invited me out to happy hour with him and his boys. Turns out I know one of them. He’s been bringing his dog to me for a couple of years I think.”
“Oh. That’s good, right?”
He shrugged. “I think so.”
I could only hope this meant he would be letting my kids come home soon, because I didn’t know how much longer I would make it without them living with me, no matter how much support I had. I would take his ass to court with the quickness to get my babies. It wasn’t like he didn’t make questionable decisions at times, but I trusted that he would never put our kids in harm’s way. Why couldn’t he offer me that same courtesy?
“He’s just getting old, Paul. He’s going to sleep a lot, more than usual. Diabetes doesn’t help. Because of diabetes, he’s developed cataracts. You know all this already.”
“Yeah, I know. He’s also been having accidents in the house. Is that part of it too?”
“It could be, but we will check him to be sure he doesn’t have a UTI. Incontinence is a huge sign of aging. He’s ten years old, which means he’s about seventy years old. Bigger dogs age a little faster than smaller ones, so he could possibly even be as old as seventy-eight.”
“We still exercise as you recommended. He gets tired a lot faster though, so I’ve been taking it easy on him.” He petted Russell then looked up at me. “You ready for tonight?”
“As ready as I’m gon’ get.”
“How’s the marriage going?”
“Besides her missing her babies, it’s going well. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted. Honestly, I didn’t think there was a woman alive that could be everything I wanted.”
He chuckled as I smiled. Giselle had been amazing. My only complaint so far was the limited amount of time we got to spend together. She would go to work, go spend time with the kids, then come home and cook for the next day, usually in a crock pot or slow cooker so she didn’t have to stay awake while it cooked. There would be just enough time for her to take a shower and fuck me before going to sleep.
I just wanted to be able to hold her and watch TV sometimes. She’d also been organizing her and the kids’ things. She was still as sweet as she was day one. After we’d left her parents’ house, instead of visiting my parents’ home with me, she went to see the kids again. We agreed to dinner at my family’s house this coming Sunday. As long as the kids were with Clayton, we wouldn’t be able to spend time with both sides on the same day.
I couldn’t wait until this shit was over so we could establish a sense of normalcy. Hopefully, tonight would be a step in the right direction. It would be interesting to see how Clayton behaved when Giselle wasn’t around.
My assistant took Russell to the back to check him for the UTI as Paul went back to the waiting area. He was the mutual friend Clayton and I had. I should have asked him more questions about Clayton, but that wasn’t my style. I didn’t want to put him in the middle of anything. He obviously knew the situation though. He met Clayton in high school, so they’d been friends a lot longer than him and me.
I had one more appointment for the day before I would be able to go home and get showered for tonight. Giselle would have the kids while we went out. Although I had complaints, I sympathized with her. She wasn’t resting well, so I didn’t know how she was functioning. Some nights, I would wake up and see her staring at the ceiling. I’d pull her in my arms and comfort her the best I could.
She was a strong woman, that was for sure. She was also independent and used to handling things on her own. Sometimes it felt like I was prying the words out of her. Almost immediately after she realized what she was doing, she would apologize and open up more to me, promising to do better about keeping me in the loop.
It was hard breaking yourself out of habits, especially when there were extenuating circumstances that put that to the test constantly. I knew I had to practice patience with her in that area. I was not a patient nigga, but I found myself being whatever I needed to be for her. Although I hadn’t fallen in love with her yet, I was telling her I loved her every day to ease her spirit.
“Doctor Fleming, your appointment is here.”