Page 55 of Search My Soul (Taylor Family Saga #3)

He looked good as he always did, but I was more curious about the person he had next to him.

I recognized her body anywhere because she constantly sent me pictures when she needed help picking out an outfit.

While I was no longer interested in being with Tone, it struck me as odd that they were here together.

Instead of reacting right away, I decided to sit back and observe the scene.

I watched the way the two of them interacted with one another and my anger began to ignite.

Tone was free to do what he wanted, but why her?

They were escorted to their table, and it happened to be in a spot where their backs were facing me.

They were accompanied with a group of people, but you could tell by their mannerisms that they were involved.

The wheels in my mind began to spin as I thought about how this bitch had tried me again.

“You okay, boo? You seem like you zoned out on us for a moment,” Patience inquired with concern in her voice.

“Umm, yeah. I’m sorry. I was thinking about something. Plus, this hookah has me floating. I’m good though.” She eyed me curiously as if she didn’t believe me, so I made sure to smile widely.

“Yeah, your ass is lying through your teeth, but that’s okay. You’re gonna have to tell me eventually because one thing I don’t do is let shit go.”

I continued to vibe with them, deciding to deal with that situation later. After all, he wasn’t my man, and the last thing I wanted was to show my ass in front of Soul’s family, especially over someone who wasn’t their brother.

“I don’t know what they put in this drink, but I’m drunk as hell. These are the times when I wish I had a man so I can drunk text him,” Lovely blurted drunkenly. It was funny seeing her in her element because she always came across so serious at times.

“Girl, who are you telling? Liquor goes right to my coochie, and the next thing I know I’m doing God knows what with the nigga I swear I’m done with.” Patience chimed in.

“You can tell yourself that lie, but your subconscious knows better. You are never going to leave that man alone, and I don’t even know why y’all are still playing games.” Lovely huffed.

“Wait. You have a man? Soul told me you were single.” His sisters weren’t a common topic of discussion, but I recalled him mentioning that they were all single.

“That’s because she hasn’t told our brother that she’s been banging his best friend for years,” Lovely shouted over the music. I almost spit out my drink the moment those words left her.

“Wait a minute. Who is the best friend? And why am I just now hearing about this?” Patience dropped her head in shame, but it was too late for all of that. I wanted details, and I wanted them now.

“It’s Duke. We’ve been messing around on and off for a while, but I wouldn’t necessarily call him my man.”

“What exactly would you call a man you’ve been messing around with for five years? That’s way too long to be a fuck buddy.” I had so many questions because Patience seemed so sweet and innocent.

“Girl, that’s her man. Don’t even let her fool you like that. We’ve been keeping this secret for years because she doesn’t want our brothers to know that she fell in love with a hoe.” Adore snickered as she took another sip of her drink.

“Okay, you’re gonna have to break this all the way down for me.”

“That’s a story for another day, sis. I’m too drunk and it’s too much history to cover in such a short amount of time.

All I can say is that he’s my man, but he’s not my man if you know what I mean.

I haven’t had sex with anyone else in the last five years, but I can’t say the same for him.

I’m not upset about it because we had an understanding, but it’s one of the reasons why we will never be anything more than what we are.

” Her revelation stunned me as I took a moment to process the information.

From what I saw Duke seemed like a nice guy, but he definitely was a ladies’ man.

Any time I’ve ever seen him out in public, he was usually surrounded by multiple women. I would’ve never even guessed that he was involved with someone seriously because of the way he carried his self.

“Do you wanna be more? Have you ever talked to him about how you feel?” I probed, trying to get a better understanding of their dynamic.

“Duke has wanted me to be his woman from the very beginning, but I refused to set myself up for that. I’ve never known him to be faithful a day in his life, and I know that if we were to take things seriously, I would only end up being hurt.

Besides, him and my brother are best friends.

As much as he loves Duke, if things went left, Soul would be ready to wring his neck.

I don’t wanna come in between their relationship, especially when I already know what to expect from him.

” I understood exactly where she came from because I was the same way.

The last thing you wanted to do was waste your time on a man that you knew couldn’t commit to you.

“Well at least you’re getting some good dick out of the deal until you decide to fully walk away.

Do you think that he’ll ever let you move on once you’re ready?

” I only asked the question because him and Soul seemed very similar in mindset.

I already knew that if I tried to walk away from Soul, he would probably be ready to tie me up and toss me in a trunk.

“I honestly don’t care what he wants. He can’t give me what I need so I should have every right to move on if that’s what I wanna do.”

“That all sounds good, but we both know that Duke is just as crazy as Soul. He isn’t gonna let you go without a fight, and we both know he’ll never stand by and allow someone else to love you. Men are selfish like that.” Adore chimed in.

She wasn’t wrong because I’ve seen it myself time and time again.

A man will take you through all of the motions, but when you finally got fed up enough to leave, they would do everything in their power to sabotage your new relationship.

They weren’t selfless enough to stand by and let you be happy with someone who could be what you need.

“Yeah, well if that baby turns out to be his, it’s a wrap for any type of relationship with him. I’m not about to set myself up for that kind of drama.”

“Do you think it’s a possibility?” Adore asked. This was all news to me, so I sat and listened.

“He swears on his momma that he never had sex with her unprotected, but it doesn’t mean anything.

Men lie all of the time, and I struggle to believe she would be going so hard if there wasn’t some type of possibility.

” The somber tone in her voice let me know this was hurtful to her.

A baby changed everything. I would never even look in a man’s direction if he had a fresh baby or one on the way. That was a recipe for disaster.

“Nee-nee?” I caught an attitude as soon as I heard my name roll off her tongue. When I turned to face her, she wore a smirk that let me know she was on some bullshit.

“What’s up, Kamesha?” I kept it short, because I wasn’t in the mood to deal with her. The liquor in my system had me feeling good and I wasn’t trying to fuck up my buzz.

“Oh, I thought that was you. You’ve been M.I.A lately. You must have found you a new nigga to obsess over.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder with her other hand on her hip.

“I’ve never obsessed over a man, and I’m not the one who stopped answering the phone. I called you several times after the concert and you never answered or called me back. Once I saw you posting on social media, I stopped reaching out. The phone works both ways.”

“Oh, you mean the night you cockblocked then sent me home while you rode off with the man you knew I wanted.” My brows dipped because her version of the story was nowhere close to what happened the night of the concert.

“I don’t know what you were drinking that night, but it must have altered your brain.

You got sloppy drunk and almost ended up with some creepy ass dude, so I made sure you got home.

” Kamesha glared at me like I was her enemy, confusing the hell out of me.

None of what she described actually happened, yet she was acting as if I betrayed her in some way.

“Of course, you’re going to twist the story to make it seem better, but I know the truth.

You knew I had a crush on Soul, now all of sudden you’re with him.

Which doesn’t even make any sense because you and I both know you’re not his type.

” I had managed to keep my cool, but this bitch must have bumped her head because she was talking crazy.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I shifted my body so that my legs were hanging out of the booth. Kamesha and I were family, so she already knew how I got down, especially when I felt disrespected. I don’t know what possessed her to try me today, but it was a poor choice on her behalf.

She tried to laugh it off, but the damage had already been done.

“Oh, please. You and I both know a man like Soul needs a bad bitch on his arm. While you might have a decent looking face, your body needs a lot of work, love. No man wants to go out in public with a bitch who has to tuck her stomach in her pants.”

“Aww, hell no, bitch!” Lovely shouted as she stood from the booth, but I held my hand up to stop her. This was between Kamesha and I, and it was obvious she had some things she needed to get off her chest.