Page 14 of Rhodes to Love

“KD, can I talk to you?”

My eyebrows lifted, and my heart was pounding out of my chest. I squeezed between Kane and King to see Rhodes standing there.Damn, he looks good.My lips parted but words failed me. I didn’t know how everyone knew who he was, because they’d never met him… well, my brothers had. Maybe they’d insinuated something to cause the others to know.

I stared into Rhodes’s emotion-filled eyes as I accepted the fact that he’d tracked me down. I nodded and went to Uncle Storm and grabbed his hand. I literally had to lift my hand like a child to grab his. He glanced down at me. His frown was hard, and it looked like he would get a headache at any moment.

“Uncle Mayor, it’s okay. I promise.”

He looked at me again then at Rhodes. “Say the word, and this muthafucka good as gone.”

CHAPTER4

RHODES

Iwasn’t intimidated in the least. In Oakland, this was a normal occurrence. I got ran up on by niggas a few times and had to make believers out of their asses. However, I didn’t want no static with Karima’s family. I only recognized two of them as her younger brothers. The others looked slightly familiar, but I didn’t remember them. This tall muthafucka had to be her uncle though. He sort of resembled her dad.

“That won’t be necessary, Uncle Mayor.”

He didn’t respond to her. I could feel his eyes on me. My eyes were trained on the beautiful pregnant woman in front of me. I didn’t want to feel any other emotion but love and remorse in her presence. She looked back at me, then walked past me. I gave the crowd a last look and followed her outside. They respected her, so I knew I was safe as long as she didn’t “say the word” like he suggested.

She walked through the door then went to the side of the diner. When she turned to me, a frown graced her face. “What are you doing here, Rhodes?”

“I needed to see you,” I said as my eyes dipped to her small bump.

She glanced at it, too, then looked back up at me and said, “Well, you’ve seen me.”

She was about to walk off, but I grabbed her hand and felt the tremble in it. She was trying to play it cool, but she was everything but. I didn’t know if that tremble represented anger or nervousness, but I had to try to appeal to her sensitivity. The last time I’d seen her face, her gun was aimed at my head. This time, her eyes were like daggers aimed directly at my heart.

“Karima, please give me time. Give me an opportunity to prove how remorseful I am. Don’t take destiny away from me. Please, baby. I miss you so much. You know I love you.”

She turned to me and pulled her hand away from mine. “You love me, huh?”

“I do. I know what I did didn’t say love. I’m so sorry.”

“You know whyIcalled you Rosewood?”

I frowned slightly. “The same reason everyone else did. That’s what my name sounded like when said quickly.”

She slowly shook her head. “My reason was different. I could see the beauty inside of you. The woods was your rough exterior. Once I could get past that and the horrible thorns, I could see the roses. As your woman, I should have never been directly exposed to the woods or thorns, Rhodes. When it came to me… when you were dealing with me, I should have only seen the roses. You getting me pregnant was the woods, but your deception was the thorns. They cut me deep, slicing through the feelings I had for you.”

She stepped closer to me and put her hand to my cheek. I knew she wasn’t being endearing by doing that. I was bracing myself for the slap she could inflict.

“I had planned to tell you that I loved you that night. I had fallen in love with you, Rhodes. What you did proved that love really isn’t in the cards for me right now.”

When the tears fell from her eyes, I had to close mine. I grabbed her hand and pulled it from my face and kissed it as she stared at me. Gently wiping her tears away with my free hand, I said, “Damn. I can’t believe I fucked all that up. You were planning to give me everything I’d desired from you. Fuck!”

I released her hand and brought mine to my head and slid them down my face. Her admission really fucked me up.

“Most of all, I’m disappointed. I expected so much better than California Rhodes. I was under the impression that you’d matured. After learning you’d gone to college and gotten two degrees, I thought your personality aligned with that as well. I was so wrong. Let’s just concentrate on our baby that’s coming and creating a healthy coparent environment. Our child is of utmost importance.”

“KD, you are the mother of my child. That makes you just as important. I’m going to be there constantly, making sure you’re okay… making sure you eat… making sure you rest. I want to be a part of the entire process. I really do. I didn’t just want a child. I wantyou.You are the woman I want, baby.”

She looked away, and I noticed she swallowed hard. This was hard for her. When she turned back to me, another tear slid down her cheek. “I know, Rhodes. I just can’t get past the deceptive part of it all. I realize I got pregnant before I came to the realization that you were the only man I wanted, but one thing I have always been to you, or at least IthoughtI had always been to you, was a friend. I gotta go. If I’m out here too long, they will come looking for me.”

I grabbed her hand again and slowly pulled her to me to see if she would even be receptive. When she willingly stepped closer, I pulled her in my arms, feeling my body shudder from her touch. “I love you so much. I’m going to do right by you, baby.”

She tried to pull away, and I held her a little tighter before releasing her. After she backed away, she left me standing there and went back inside the diner. She’d fallen in love with me, and my actions kept her from expressing that to me. I literally wanted to disappear. I got inside my truck and sat there for a moment before heading home. I needed to gather my composure, because I was going to stop by my aunt and uncle’s house first. I didn’t need him fucking with me about being soft.

The problem was that I wasn’t soft enough with her. The way she broke down my nickname had me sinking even more. Just as I was about to back out, I saw her heading to her car with a to-go box and her brothers right behind her. She set the box on the hood and hugged them both. She glanced over in my direction, then got in her car. While I wanted to follow her to see where she lived, I figured I had just better head back to Cheek. I’d had enough of today.

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