Page 13 of Gaining the Heart of a Gemini (BLP Signs of Love #15)

Connection.

Oh, Klayton.

I stared at the bouquet of roses he had delivered to my house with a simple note that read ‘Thank you, Mami.’ Over the last two weeks, we’d gotten closer. We talked more. We hung out more. We were doing our best to get to know one another, and truthfully, I was enjoying the ride.

With all he’d been going through lately, I wanted to do something special for him.

I wanted to do something to temporarily take his mind off everything, so I set us up a date to go bowling and have a private cooking class.

Klay was used to having someone cook for him, so I wanted to put his skills to the test.

After I placed the roses in a vase, I headed to my room to get ready. Bentley and Jake would be arriving to get me in about an hour. I sent Klay a text, letting him know I’d see him soon, and he immediately video called me.

“Hey, you,” I answered and started my shower.

“Is there a particular way I need to dress?”

“Comfortable. It’s going to be a fun but chill night. A night for you to let your hair down and try to be stress free.”

“I got you. What time do I need to be ready?”

“I should be there to get you around seven.”

Klay ran his hand through his beard and chuckled. “This shit feels weird. I’m supposed to be the one doing for you, mami.”

“What did I tell you before?”

“We’re here to balance one another.”

I winked at him and giggled. “Exactly. There’s nothing wrong with me doing for you. Even if it was, you’d have no choice but to accept it.”

“Did you get your roses?”

“Yes, I did. They’re beautiful. Thank you, Klay.”

“You deserve them. Let me get ready so you won’t be waiting for me when you get here. I’ll see you in a little, mami.”

“See you.”

We ended the call, and I found myself smiling well after we’d hung up. It was crazy how he was beginning to have that effect on me in such a short amount of time. Klay was proving he was a rare breed, unlike any man I’d ever encountered, and I was loving it.

The only thing I didn’t like was that I found myself comparing him to Trent.

It made me think that maybe, just maybe, I was still holding onto some of the hurt from our relationship.

The last thing I wanted to do was take it into my marriage with Klay, so I needed to do some serious soul searching beforehand.

Once I finished cleansing my body, I stepped out the shower to do my skincare while listening to some R&B music. I was in the middle of everything when I received a video call from Mommy. That was my girl. She stayed checking in with me.

Imagine my surprise when I answered the call to see my brothers in the camera. I had the right mind to hang up, but I knew I couldn’t avoid them forever. It wasn’t fair to them that I had forgiven Daddy and not them.

Of course, Boston was the first to speak. “You can’t ignore us forever, Parrish. We need to talk.”

“I know.” I rolled my eyes and tried to hide the smirk drawing my lips up. “What made y’all think it was okay to pawn me off to Klay?”

“Because we trust him.”

“Yeah,” Lance chimed in, stepping closer to the camera. “Klay is a real one, Parrish. We weren’t with the shit at first, because you know how we are when it comes to you, but Klay is an all-around good person. We fuck with him.”

Boston agreed. “We do, and from the updates he’s been giving us, you do too.”

“Updates? What do you mean updates?” I asked for clarification.

“Oh.” Boston chuckled and hit Lance with the back of his hand. “You thought we were about to let this shit fly without getting updates? We meet with Klay every week to see how things are going.”

That was news to me, and truthfully, it didn’t surprise me. Regardless of anything, my brothers were protective of me. It made me feel good to know that despite my stubbornness, they continued to make sure I was good.

I stepped out the camera to moisturize my body. “I forgive y’all. Was I being petty by not talking to y’all all this time? Yes, but it was only because my feelings were genuinely hurt. I’m good now that Klay and I are getting to know one another. Maybe y’all are onto something with him.”

“We are,” Lance stated. “So, we good now?”

I playfully kissed my teeth. “Didn’t I say I forgive y’all?”

“That doesn’t mean shit. We need to hear you say we’re good.” Boston backed Lance up.

“Better let her ass know.” Lance cosigned, causing me to release a hearty laugh.

“How are y’all asking for my good graces while ganging up on me at the same time?”

“Y’all better leave my daughter alone,” I heard Mommy say in the background. There was some rustling, and her beautiful face came into the camera. “Where you at, Parrish?”

“I’m getting ready for my date with Klay. What are y’all doing? Why wasn’t I invited to the party?”

“Your brothers showed up over here unannounced, hassling me for my phone to call you. Your father is at Grove Shadows, handling some business, so you’re not missing out on anything but your brothers harassing me.”

All I could do was shake my head and laugh.

I could only imagine how long it took them to convince her to let them use her phone.

Through it all, Mommy had been on my side.

She respected my decisions and boundaries, which I was beyond grateful for.

All in all, I felt lighter being on better terms with the men in my life.

I stayed on the phone with her while I finished getting ready.

Since we were doing something chill, I chose to wear a white tennis skirt with a loose neon pink graphic tee to tie up in the back.

I paired it with long white socks and white and neon pink shoes.

My hair was in messy space buns with loose strands framing my face.

As always, my face was beat to perfection.

Once I secured the diamond set Klay had gotten me on my body, I checked the time to see I needed to be out the door to make it on time to Klay. Mommy and my brothers wished me well, and we ended the call.

“Good evening, Jake,” I greeted him as I opened the door.

“Good evening, Parrish. You look beautiful.”

“Thank you. Do you think we’ll make it to Klay’s by seven?”

Jake peered at the watch on his wrist. “We can tell Bentley to push it to make sure we do.”

“Perfect.”

I greeted Bentley as I climbed in the back of the truck. Thankfully, the traffic in Harley Grove wasn’t bad, so Bentley was able to easily maneuver and get us to Klay’s in the nick of time.

When we arrived, Klay stood on his porch waiting for us, looking good enough for me to take a bite of.

I loved when he had his tattoos on display.

He usually wore long sleeves whenever he was handling business, so to see him in a red athletic tank made my pussy throb.

The ice dancing on his wrists and ears gave him his usual wealthy appeal.

On the inside, I felt a little giddy knowing I matched his fly with mine.

Bentley got out and opened the door for Klay. The warm, spring breeze wafted his enticing scent into the truck before he climbed inside. I took him in from head to toe, noticing we had the same vibe with our attire. White cargo shorts hung loosely from his waist, and his shoes were white and red.

“I see great minds think alike,” I stated, smiling.

“We do. You look beautiful, mami.”

“Thank you. How was your day? How’s Javier today?”

“He’s managing. The new treatments are taking a toll on his body, but he’s been awake more than usual. Honestly, I don’t believe the treatments are going to help with anything, since it’s spread, but since Mama and Karmen wanted him to try, I went with it.”

“Did you express how you felt about it to them?”

Klay swayed his head from side to side. “No. I didn’t feel the need to. They’re hopeful, and I don’t want to take that from them.”

“And how do you feel?”

“Truthfully, I don’t know how to feel. I’m taking this shit day by day and just trying to be strong for them. I’ve been keeping a close eye on Mama. I worry she’ll fuck around and spiral with how calm she’s been.”

“Maybe it’s her way of processing. You never know how she is behind closed doors,” I stated. I sensed Klay’s mood changing, so I switched the subject. “Are you ready to see what I have in store for us? I’m excited.”

Klay chuckled. “I am. You don’t have me doing any crazy shit, do you?”

“And if I do?”

“I guess I have no choice but to go along with it. You said it’s chill, so it can’t be too crazy.”

“It’s not. It’s competitive. You’re about to see a different side of me.”

He leaned back in his seat, slowly gliding his tongue over his lips. I’d been itching to taste them lately. Our intimacy stopped at hugging, but I was ready to take it to another step. I didn’t want to move too fast, so I followed Klay’s lead.

With his hand held out, Klay suggested, “Let’s make a bet.”

“Oh, are you competitive too?”

“Very. Ask my sister. We used to bet on everything growing up. Whenever we received our allowance, we would bet on something for the week.”

“My brothers did the same. They hardly ever let me join in since I’m the only girl.” I held a finger up with expanded eyes. “Speaking of my brothers, why didn’t you tell me you met with them every week?”

“Because I know what it’s like being protective of my sister and how dramatic y’all can be. It’s a way for them to keep check on you without being all in your business, so I figured we would keep it between us.”

“I’m not dramatic, and I’m sure Karmen isn’t either. I appreciate you for being willing to ease their minds. With me not speaking to them, I’m sure they were concerned.”

“They were, but they knew you were in good hands.”

“What if I don’t agree?” I asked in a teasing manner.

“You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t agree, right?”