Page 149 of Love's Most Wanted

After the services were over, we migrated to the room behind the church for the repast. It was filled with catered food, but it didn’t look too hot, so my brothers and I refrained. We’d been spoiled, having too many good cooking women in our family.

I spotted Sharon leave to the outside on her lonesome.

“I’ll be right back.” I kissed Kabrina’s face and rose, excusing myself from sitting with my family to find Sharon.

“Oh, I meant to thank you for coming,” she said as soon as my foot hit the pebbled ground outside.

“No need. This was nice,” I said.

She was leaning against the wall as if she were in deep thought.

“Yeah… I tried to make it so.” She stared off.

“You mind if I ask you how all this shit happened? I thought he was good and happy y’all rekindled.” I leaned up against the wall in the space next to her.

“We were until I saw he was conversing with a man via email. He left his computer open on the bed while I was asleep, and I don’t know what it was, maybe God, but I’d woken up and saw the computer open. So, I looked at the screen and read the messages.”

“Messages like, on some flirting shit?” I looked at her side profile since she was staring off still.

She nodded, saying, “Yep. More than flirting. They were speaking sexually, and I just exploded when Kyle came from the bathroom.” It was weird hearing her call him that name. “I went crazy, and he explained to me once I had calmed down that he was struggling. He claimed when he was stressed, that was when it was the most difficult to bottle up his desires.

“I told him he had to get help immediately and that he couldn’t keep stringing me and the kids along. That he’d ruined one family, and he couldn’t do it again. I asked him to be honest and tell me if this was what he wanted and he said he did.” She sniffled, a tear trickling down her face. “All was well. I should’ve known something was up when he sent me to the mall the following week with his credit card to shop for myself and the kids. Kyle was always a provider, but he was never that generous. I just thought he did it to make up for what I’d found.” She paused, wiping the tears that had now tripled. “When we got home, I found him in the bedroom, and he had put a bullet in his head.” She broke down, and my only thought was to hug her frail body.

I felt terrible as fuck for her.

“Damn, Sharon,” was all I could think to say.

“I wish I hadn’t have confronted him. I should’ve ignored it, because he was trying,” she sobbed.

“It’s not ya fault, Sharon,” I said. “You gotta understand that Devante or Kyle or whatever could never live a life with you knowing how he was deep down. No matter if you forgave him, the fact that you knew his struggles is something he couldn’t deal with. He gotta be able to put up a façade, and when he can’t do that, he runs. He knew he couldn’t reinvent himself again like before, so he did the only thing he could.”

I felt her nod as she laid against my chest.

Finally, she said, “Thank you, Unique. I don’t know why Kyle left you guys, but he severely missed out.” She hugged me tighter.

I did the same, appreciating her words more than she knew.

* * *

MONTH AND A HALF LATER…

“This house is insane,” Deacon said as we entered Cemone’s crib.

All my brothers were in the backyard on the basketball court, ready to play with Deacon and Adriel.

“It’s aight,” I joked.

“You think I can get some autographs?” Adriel asked, holding his basketball on one side and his football on the other.

“I think so.” I winked as Yolani came down the stairs with Yailey and Harmony, hugging Kabrina once she got to us.

“Yolani.” Deacon and Adriel stated in unison, eyes widening like only a little ass boy would at the sight of a woman.

“Nice to meet you.” Yolani beamed.

“I’m Deacon.”

“Adriel.” He bumped his brother to the side.