Page 49 of Impacted by Love

"That's right, Ms. Onesti. We're definitely safe in His arms," Pastor Reece co-signs, and Onesti repeats the last line several times.

"Safe in His arms. Oh, no matter what we go through, we're safe in His arms," Onesti sings softly before trailing off into a low hum that soothes me with her presence here through this ordeal.

"On that note, I'm gonna head to my hotel. I need to reset. I'll call you when I'm settled, Asaiah," Annalise says before breaking our close proximity and exiting the room with Justin hot on her heels.

Dang, sis, I can't even count on you to hold me down when Mom and Dad have passed.

A warm hand slides into mine, squeezing gently, causing me to look to my right to see Onesti standing with me, giving me a weak smile.

"I love you," I whisper, feeling the rasp in my vocal cords from the lingering emotion in my body.

"I love you more. I'm here," Onesti reassures me.

"I need to breathe.Go the fuck home, Onesti!" Asaiah shouts with flaring nostrils and a raging chest.

The base coming from Asaiah's delivery immediately made my eyes misty as I backed against the wall in his bedroom. What hurt more than Asaiah shouting at me was the cold and blank expression in his eyes. The man who had been retreating into himself one minute and uncontrollably crying in my arms the next had forgotten the love he had for me.

"I…" My words stall when Asaiah walks away, entering his bathroom and slamming the door without uttering another word.

While I understand that Asaiah is in the worst pain of his life, I can't understand his animosity toward me. Wiping the lone tear from my face, I gather my belongings to give Asaiah the space he desires.

Knock. Knock.

Jumping while grabbing my chest, I turn to see my mom standing outside my driver's window, assessing me with her eyebrows drawn together. Until this moment, I didn't realize that I had driven to my parents' house instead of mine. I had spent the entire drive playing back the incident between Asaiah and me, my lips trembling with each replay. Grabbing my purse, I exit the car once Mom has stepped out of the way of my door.

"Who did it, baby?" Mom softly asks, causing the dam to erupt, and I lean into her before crying hard. "Oh my." Wrapping me in a comforting embrace, she runs her hands up and down my back.

I'm not sure if my meltdown is a result of Asaiah's words or watching him suffer in the aftermath of losing both parents.

"Is she alright, Lachelle?" I hear, causing a slight giggle to cut off my crying, slowing Mom's hand glides over my back.

Mom and Dad's neighbor, Ms. Tillie, is like a bloodhound with how fast she sniffs out any sign of gossip. Had I been of a stable mind, I would have held back my emotions until I got inside the house.

"I believe so," Mom answers.

"I can make her one of my famous pound cakes if you think it'll help," Ms. Tillie offers.

"Oh, she'll be fine, but thanks anyway," Mom sweetly replies before guiding us toward the front door, mumbling so only I can hear her next words. "The day I let my baby eat that kitty litter cake will be the day dementia has set in."

According to a neighbor several houses down, Ms. Tillie is getting old and should be banned from her kitchen, because she's been known to get confused while baking or cooking. Thanks to her great-great-grandchildren, who had her watchingRatatouille, she believes her cat Dora is her cooking companion.

"Come on here so you can tell me why you're crying in my driveway for all the world to see," Mom says, entering the foyer.

* * *

I’m lying in the spare bedroom at my parents' house, staring at the ceiling while fighting against the fatigue, trying to sweet-talk me into taking a nap. I haven't given Mom the information that explains my emotional display because Dad came home with groceries. Mom had sent him for the necessities to make the perfect brunch, which led to assisting her in the kitchen as payment for sliding into the meal she and Dad were about to partake in. Mom's shrimp, salmon, and cheese grits have my eyes blinking slowly because I had two full bowls, eggs, and bacon. If I still lived at home, I'm positive I would have to spend time working to un-big my back from all the homemade dishes Mom makes.

Zzt. Zzt. Zzt. Zzt.

My phone starts dancing beside me, effectively pulling me out of the haze of impending slumber. Reaching beside me, I lift to see who’s calling to gauge if I'm up for conversation. Seeing Jarielle's name flashing, I sigh before sliding the button to answer.

"Hey, girl, hey."

"I was just thinking about you. What's going on, bestie?"

A small smile upturns my lips because mindless conversation with my bestie is in order. I need a distraction from thinking about Asaiah, so Jarielle's timing is perfect.

Humph. You should go show that ninja why Jasmine Sullivan had a hit record.

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