Page 146 of The Love of Priest

"Kaymen probably hates me," Britain muttered as Priest grabbed her hand.

Priest chuckled. "Kaymen doesn't hate you. He doesn't hate anyone," he clarified. "He just doesn't want to see his shorty down anymore. Believe it or not, you play a huge role in her life, G," he explained to her.

"She plays a big role in my life too, but there are just some things that need time. If I talk to her, I'll feel rushed to forgive her. I don't want that."

"I get it. You don't have to do nothing you don't want to,"Priest assured as they walked toward the food vendors set up for the event.

Food trucks rallied at the park, serving great food and even better drinks. "I want you to meet somebody," Priest told Britain after buying drinks for the two of them.

"Should I be worried?" She raised her brow.

"She's a sweet little lady. Wouldn't even hurt a fly," he enlightened her, causing them both to laugh.

They made their way to the other side of the park, where many people were seated enjoying food and light conversation with each other. Priest approached a table where an older woman with striking bronze skin was seated. Her keratin-treated hair was slicked back in a long ponytail that stopped at the small of her back, and it was the first thing Britain got the chance to admire. She was beautiful, and for some reason, she reminded Britain so much of her own mother, Seven. The woman was seated amongst a few other people, one of whom was a man who sported a marked veteran's hat proudly.

"Mrs. Cox, I know you not hustling these people out their money with these cards," Priest teased as he leaned down and sat a light kiss on her cheek.

Upon hearing Priest’s voice, excitement washed over her, and she sprung up from her seat. “Priest, hush! This is the longest I've went without seeing you. What's the meaning of that?"

She wrapped her arms around him for an embrace. Mrs. Cox was getting up there in age, and that scared Priest a bit. She played such a huge role in his upbringing, just like Remy. He felt guilty for not coming around to see her more often, but these days, it seemed like he was trying to please everyone all at once.

"I know, Mrs. C. I just been busy, but I'm here now," he assured her as he parted from the hug.Priest made her so proud. He and J'Ru were like her children. She looked after them and cared for them, and just like she was disappointed whenever they got themselves into trouble, she was proud whenever they did something remarkable. Mrs. Cox never got the chance to have children of her own, so she had taken both boys under her wing.

"I want you to meet Britain, my shorty," Priest introduced Britain to Mrs. Cox with just as much swagger and flavor as he used to have back in high school whenever he brought his little flings to Bueno! to grab a cheap breakfast sandwich before school.

Mrs. Cox laughed while shaking her head at him. "This beauty is not your shorty. She's your woman," she corrected Priest as she gave Britain a warm and loving hug.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Cox," Britain smiled.

"Pleasure is all mine, babydoll. I'm just grateful I'm still alive to see my handsome son has finally found someone to call his shorty," she teased Priest, causing him and Britain to laugh.

"I'm getting the hang of this whole chivalry thing," Priest told her as he hooked his arm around Britain's shoulder.

Mrs. Cox directed her attention to Britain. She was a gorgeous girl, and she couldn't help but feel like Britain reminded her of someone. "How's your mother?" Mrs. Cox sporadically asked Britain, confusing not only Britain, but Priest also.

Britain cleared her throat. "I'm sorry?" she questioned her, trying to understand how her mother had surfaced within the conversation.

"That face belongs to Jeremy Demings." Mrs. Cox smiled as she referred to Britain's looks. "And there's only one little lady Jeremy belongs to, and that's Seven Demings, I hope." Her smile stretched into a light smirk.

"You know my parents?" Britain asked in slight disbelief.

Mrs. Cox nodded. "Of course I did. They were my favorites. They were so in love. That woman had Jeremy’s nose wide open," Mrs. Cox said to Britain. Both Seven and Remy had been so guarded about the time they shared with each other. All they told Britain was that one day everything was all good, and then the next, it went to shit.

Mrs. Cox gestured for Britain and Priest to take a seat. "I'll be happy to tell you more about them, baby. I can't help but want to. You two remind me so much of them." She smiled sweetly.Priest and Britain glanced at each other before shrugging their shoulders in unison. Remy always told them he didn't want them to repeat history, and Priest and Britain were curious to find out how they would do that.

Mrs. Cox placed her hand over Britain's. "Seven was a sweet girl, a smart one, too. I met her through Jeremy, and you could tell she drove that man up the wall, but he loved her," she chuckled. "She led that relationship, and he just followed her lead. It was like she was giving him the guidance he needed. Every morning before she went to class, they would meet at Bueno! for coffee. They would take turns paying, despite how stubborn your father was. He would take her all the way to school and then make it back in time to post up and do his job.

"Seven's parents weren't the biggest fans of Jeremy, so she would stop by and just tell me how much Jeremy made her happy and how she was really invested in changing his life for the better. He was hard to get through to, but your mother was a determined woman." Mrs. Cox could remember all the times Seven and Remy would stop by showcasing how in love they were. Their relationship came with a lot of wonders and a few jealous women who were all after Remy, but Seven had his nose wide open.

"As far as I knew, the two were madly in love, and they were gonna stay together, but they just disappeared. I stopped seeing them both, and before I knew it, everyone was telling me that Jeremy had found himself behind bars. Seven had to be devastated. She went from being the girl everyone knew for keeping Jeremy in check to never being seen again." She sighed in disappointment.

"They still love each other," Priest stated exactly what Britain was thinking.

"They have to," she added.

For the duration of an hour, Mrs. Cox filled Priest and Britain in on all she knew of Remy and Seven. The more they sat and listened, the more they started to realize they weren't too far from being just like Seven and Remy. "Love, tell your mother and father I said hello," Mrs. Cox advised Britain with her sweet smile.

"Most definitely," Britain agreed. "It was so nice to meet you.”

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