Page 26 of Rhodes to Love

“I think I know a way.”

My eyebrows lifted slightly. “How?”

“I was checking out some of their cattle, and they are a little too thin. Whatever vet they got seeing after them is slacking. Their diet is off. I can develop somewhat of a diet for the animals for them. Who do I need to speak to?”

“Well, Uncle WJ is over everything, but maybe you can talk to Jakari first. He’s right under Uncle WJ. I mean, you could talk to my dad, too, and he would bring it to the siblings. I honestly think you should talk to my dad first. It would be weird if you didn’t.”

“You’re right. So we need to confirm a day for me to get reacquainted with them.”

He kissed my forehead, and I smiled big. Happy wasn’t the word to describe what I was feeling. Roselynn was obviously happy with as much as she was moving around tonight. Leaning into him, I enjoyed the rest of the carriage ride. It was filled with words of love from Rhodes and kisses to various parts of my face and neck. Tonight had been so beautiful. When the ride ended, I realized we were right in front of a beautiful pond. There was a blanket on the ground with flowers and wine on it. Rhodes helped me down, but instead of me placing my foot on the ground, he scooped me up into his arms, cradling me like a baby.

As he walked to the blanket, I couldn’t help but place soft kisses on his neck. The way he was taking care of me emotionally overwhelmed me. Once we sat, I wiped the tears that had fallen down my cheeks. I always liked ponds for some reason. It was like they brought me a sense of peace. We had one at the family barn, and Uncle Marcus had one on his property, along with Aunt Jen and my grandparents. I didn’t have enough property for all of that. There was a small one in the middle of Henderson Village though.

Rhodes held me in his arms and kissed my head. “Karima, I want this to be us all the time. I can’t wait until baby girl gets here so I can cater to both of you. This shit seems so unreal. I didn’t think I had a romantic bone in my body, but you pull all that shit out of me. I don’t know how you do it, but your aura will have me doing anything to assure your needs will be met. I love you so much. A nigga can barely function away from you unless I’m doing something for you.”

I turned to face him as he wrapped his arms around my waist again. “Had I known back then that we would end up here, I would have given you a chance back then.”

He slowly shook his head. “Naw. It happened just the way it was supposed to. Not having you forced me to level up. It forced me to realize that I needed to do something with my life… make something positive out of it instead of running the streets with niggas that either meant me no good or wanted nothing out of life. When I started school a little over five years ago, eventually being with you was the driving force behind that.”

I wiped my tears and brought my hand to his face. He lowered his lips to mine and allowed his tongue to take me far away from here. We were on the Rhodes to euphoria once again, and it would suit me just fine if we never came back.

CHAPTER10

RHODES

“The only people that are supposed to be here are my parents and three brothers… oh, and my sister-in-law Cassie. But it’s the weekend, and anybody can just drop by. They don’t usually drop by my parents’ house. It’s normally Aunt Tiff’s, Uncle Jasper’s, or Aunt Jen’s. But you never?—”

I put my fingers to Karima’s lips. She was so damn nervous. It was like we were in high school all over again. “Baby, it’s cool. I can handle whatever happens. None of it will change how I feel about you. Okay?”

“Okay,” she said then smiled.

Last night was amazing. Catering to her was like second nature. It didn’t feel uncomfortable in the least. My heart was all in, and I wanted to do the most for her. She ended up spending the night with me. After she lay in my bed, her ass didn’t want to get out of it. I didn’t take issue with that at all because I didn’t want her to get out of it either.

I got out of my truck and walked around to help her out. We dropped her car off at her house before coming here. It was only a quarter of a mile away. I could see her dad standing on the wraparound porch. His hair was blowing in the wind. It was cold as shit today. This weather was so damn unpredictable. Yesterday was beautiful enough for us to be outside. It was in the mid-seventies. Now, today, it was in the forties. Damn weather was bipolar as hell.

After helping her out and closing the door, I saw Mr. Kenny’s face ease somewhat. I supposed he was trying to figure out who I was. The last time he saw me, my dreads weren’t nearly as long. They were just barely past my ears. Karima’s hand was trembling in mine as we approached the porch where he was. “Calm down, KD.”

I lifted her hand and kissed it. She nodded then said, “Hey, Daddy.”

She went to him and hugged him, and he kissed her head. “Hey, baby girl. How are you?”

“I’m good. Umm… you remember Rhodes, right?”

“Yeah,” he said while staring at me.

I stepped forward and extended my hand. “Hello, Mister Henderson.”

He nodded then shook my hand. I could see that I would have to apologize to everyone for how I handled their baby. She was their only daughter, and they protected her with their lives. She had four brothers, although one was deceased. We used to talk about him a lot, but since we reconnected, he hadn’t come up once. Maybe she’d healed from the trauma of it all.

“Y’all come in.”

She glanced up at me, and I smiled at her. After grabbing my hand, she followed her dad inside. Mrs. Keisha must have been cooking, because it smelled so good. My stomach was cutting up. Hopefully, it wasn’t loud enough for them to hear. When we got to the family room, she came to meet us from the kitchen with a smile on her face. “Hey, baby!” she said to Karima and rubbed her belly. “How are you and my grandbaby?”

“We’re good, Mama. You remember Rhodes?”

“Of course. Hello, Rhodes. How are you, baby?”

“Hey, Missus Henderson. I’m great. How are you?”

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