“Oh,” Rodney said as he looked inside the house as if he were waiting on an invitation inside. “Well, is Tameka here? I’d like to speak with her.”
“Nope,” I said quickly and defensively. I just couldn’t shake the way I had observed him treat Tameka and the kids before. The Rodney I had ingrained in my head was unable to be separated from this new Rodney, who, although was making a complete fool of himself, appeared to be less of an asshole.
“Well, can we talk?” he asked.
I sucked in a huge breath and motioned for Rodney to come inside, and I shut the door behind him. He looked nervous as he walked into the foyer and then the living room. I watched as he drew his attention to the pictures of the kids and Tameka on the ledge of the fireplace. Standing behind him, I witnessed his cheeks rise into a smile at the sight of what used to be his family.
“So, you wanted to talk?” I asked.
He turned and took a step closer to me. “I was hoping we would have a chance to talk since I’m pursuing your lady,” he said.
I looked at him with furrowed brows, and he started giggling.
“A joke man…it’s a joke. Look, I know this is awkward for you, but imagine how it feels to wake up from a coma looking for your beautiful wife only to find out she’s your ex-wife, and she has a new man.”
“I can imagine how you feel, but now you know the truth,” I said sternly. “So you have to move on.”
“I do, and everyone has explained how I got to this reality.” Rodney looked down at the carpet then turned towards the pictures, specifically to the professional photo of me, Tameka and the kids that sat on the mantle over the fireplace. “But I’m sure you understand that I can’t let my family go that easily. I won’t go out without a fight,” he said.
“Excuse me? Have you bumped your head again?” I asked.
“No, but I have to fight for what’s mine. And this is not a slight to you,” he said as he put his hands in his pocket, gesturing that he meant his fight wouldn’t be physical. “I woke up in that hospital bed still married to the love of my life with a family waiting for me at home, and that means the world to me, so I can’t so easily let go—”
“She’s not yours anymore, Rodney. She’s mine, and there’s no question about that,” I barked.
“I have to fight for her love. It’s all I know,” Rodney said, standing face to face with me.
“It’s over, completely over. You’re stuck in the past. You were married to her, but you cheated on her and devalued her. You broke her heart and turned her ice-cold, and you know how I know? Because I was there to clean up the mess. I was there to pick up all the pieces of her heart and put it back together again. I’m the reason she’s whole again. She meant enough to me for me to hang in there with her.”
“Tameka means the world to me,” he murmured.
“Bullshit. When you had her, you didn’t treat her right. Now, the real daddy’s home, and I take care of your children and Tameka. I’ll be damned if I let you waltz in here and stake a claim on my future. But I understand why you would want to because Tameka is an amazing woman who’s smart and makes me happy. You walked out on that. So thank you. Because of you, I’m marrying her, and I’ll be there for her for the rest of her life, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Rodney looked astonished as he glared at me until the creaking sound of the floor captured his attention. I was so wrapped up in our tense conversation that I didn’t hear or see Tameka walk into the house. She had tears trickling down her face, and I walked over to her.
“Baby, are you okay?” I asked.
“I love you, Jeb,” she said to me then turned to Rodney. “You heard my man. We’re spending the rest of our lives together and there’s nothing you can do about it.” She touched my face and pulled my chin downward to kiss me. We embraced in that kiss until Rodney couldn’t stand to watch us any longer and walked out the door.
Chapter 3
Tameka
“I love you too,” Jeb said as the door closed behind Rodney. He stared down at me with those ocean blue eyes that made my knees buckle each time he looked at me that way.
“Thank you for saying those things about me to Rodney. It’s good to be appreciated.”
“Well, I meant every word.” Jeb paused as if he were thinking about something heavy then added, “I’ve been thinking about how I was going to propose an idea to you.”
“You already proposed, silly,” I said, hitting his shoulder playfully.
“I know, babe, but I have something spec
ial to ask you,” he said.
I was beyond curious now. “Oh, really? What do you want to ask me?”
He smirked cockily, and ooooh, it drove me crazy when he looked at me like that. “I want to take you to your favorite restaurant first,” he said.