Page 15 of Until the Ink Dries

I removed my jacket and placed it on the chair against the opposite wall, then climbed in bed beside her. I pulled her close to me and she wrapped her little arms as much as she could around my neck.

“Daddy, will you be with me forever?” she asked.

For the first time, I allowed my tears to slip from my eyes and down my cheeks. I placed a kiss against her forehead and her cheek.

“As long as God will allow me, baby, I’ll be here.”

I closed my eyes tight and allowed the rhythm of her heartbeat to put me to sleep. I knew what I had to do.

Afew days had passed since my night out with Shirah. I was feeling bad about the way I kind of snapped at Benjamin. After sitting with my thoughts, I realized I was wrong to come at him the way I did. My being triggered had nothing to do with him, and I had to apologize for that. Tonight was our class reunion, so if he happened to show up, I would talk to him then.

Today, I had a little free day to myself. Shirah had to work and so did my parents, but I did have lunch with my mother. When my father found out, he was on my line being salty, so I promised to have lunch with him next week. It made me laugh, but also warmed my heart that he wanted to spend time with me, even though I was temporarily living with them.

I cruised down the semi-busy street after leaving lunch, just taking in the scenery. Rose Haven seemed to change a little ever so often. I loved to see my hometown growing. As I pulled to a stoplight, I noticed what I now knew was Benjamin’s tattoo shop. I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel, contemplating if I should stop.

What if he didn’t come to the class reunion? I’d have to find him to apologize anyway, so I might as well stop. It wasn’t like I had anything to do today. Deciding to follow my first mind, I put on my blinker and prepared to turn. As soon as I entered the parking lot, my phone started ringing. Looking down, I saw that it was Ellis.

“Oh, my God,” I mumbled, throwing the car in park. With a heavy sigh, I answered the call. “Yes, Ellis?”

“Why do you have to sound like that, Willow?”

“Because you’ve called me every day for the last five days.”

“I miss you, baby. Listen, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking?—”

“And that’s fine, but I’m not ready to talk to you right now.”

“Baby, please. Hear me out.”

“I’ll hear you out when I get back.”

“And when is that?”

“I don’t know. Whenever I’m ready. You know, since I’mlazyand don’t work arealjob, I can be available from anywhere.”

He sighed. “I love you, Willow. I’m sorry about my mom. I’m gonna talk to her.”

I shook my head as though he could see me. “See, that’s the problem, Ellis. If you’d been thinking like you said, you would have already handled your mother. No woman wants a man when she has to date his overbearing mother, too.”

“She just… she cares. Maybe she’s a little too outspoken. Maybe she does need to be mindful?—”

“And you’re still defending her. Bye, Ellis. Call me again, and I’m blocking you.”

I hung up and dropped the phone into the cup holder. I’d been ignoring this man for days now. Five days wasn’t enough time for the conversations he needed to have with himself and his annoying ass mama. Hell, he would need those five days to explain to her all the ways she had me fucked up.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. After a few breathing exercises, I grabbed my phone and finally got out of the car and headed into the building. As I stepped inside, I looked around for Benjamin, but I didn’t see him.

“Can I help you?” asked a young woman, standing behind a desk.

“Uh, yeah. I’m looking for Benjamin Davis.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No. It’s a personal visit.”

She looked me up and down for a second. “What’s your name, hun?”

“Willow.”

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