Page 71 of Steel

Present Day

We steppedout onto the back deck, and I led Neha out to the tree swing.

My mom told me she was coming over today when I came to pick Kalia up. Jaiden’s idea of a playdate was perfect. His little ass was itching to tell Nayelli who he was. I was glad I’d put my mother up on game because if I’d ambushed her, she might have lost her shit on Neha. If she knew beforehand, she could conduct herself.

“This is nice,” Neha commented as we took a seat.

“Mom loves the outdoors. She’d spend all her money on this place if she could.”

I took a seat in the swing opposite from her. It didn’t surprise me that she refused to look at me. This conversation was long overdue, and I hated to admit that I was finally ready to know the truth.

“Neha.”

“Hmm?”

“Can you look at me, please?” She slowly turned to face me. “Why did you leave like that?”

“I was afraid.”

“Of what?”

“You, Kerrion.”

“You knew I would never hurt you. In all the time we were together, did I ever yell at you? Did I ever raise a hand to you or make you feel unsafe?”

“No.”

“So why would I start? I loved you. I would have done anything to protect you back then. What the hell would make you think I’d ever put my hands on you?”

“You triggered me, Kerrion.”

My brows furrowed. “Triggered you?”

She sighed heavily before telling me the story of her parents and how her father used to beat them. I was confused because Iwas under the impression that the man she called daddy was a good man. Then she explained that he was her stepfather, and her biological father was in prison for the aggravated assault and attempted murder that left her mother hospitalized. The more she spoke, the more the tears fell from her eyes. The more they fell, the angrier I became, but I kept it together.

“I wish you would have told me that back then,” I stated softly.

She shook her head. “I didn’t want to relive those moments. That man doesn’t exist to me, Kerrion. As far as I’m concerned, Evan Malone is my father. I took his last name. If I ever get married, that’s who will give me away. That’s who my children will call grandpa. Timothy Oden is dead to me.”

She said that with every ounce of conviction.

That was good for me because as she spoke, I was already plotting on how to take that nigga out on the inside. Her slipping up and giving me his last name was all I needed to get Jaeda or Quaid on the case.

“I used to dream about him,” she said quietly after a beat of silence. “I used to be so scared to walk around after he was arrested. Part of me felt like he would get out and come back to finish the job. What if he broke in and killed my mother? What if me or my sister had walked in and found her dead? What if he caught me alone? I couldn’t fight him off or defend myself. Who was going to protect me from him?”

She sniffled and wiped her eyes. After taking a few deep breaths, she continued.

“I avoided you back then because I was afraid that no matter how much you said you loved me, you could turn into the person I feared the most.”

“I’m sorry what I did triggered that memory for you, Neha. I just . . . The thought of that nigga hurting you . . . it sent me to another place. I held you in the same regards as my family. I’dprotect them at all costs, and you were no different. You were mine, and I’d die about mine.”

She finally looked over at me. “Your mom. She said something to me earlier. She said you needed to explain to me who you are and what you do. Basically, it would help me understand why you did what you did. What does that mean?”

Fuck!

Tavia put her damn foot in her mouth. I was hoping to avoid this conversation for a little while longer, but I guess not. I finally gave her the chance to be honest, and I needed to do the same. This shit might just do more harm than good.

“There’s something you should know,” I said, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees.