Page 41 of Sweet Love From Saturn

“Don’t look at me like that, baby. I’m just now finding out like you. This man tells me everything else, but he ain’t say nothin’ about this,” Mccoy explained, waving his hand between Sapphire and Justin.

“And y’all talkin’ about me keepin’ secrets,” Aaron said.

“Aaron, you might wanna sit this one out, homeboy,” Ava chimed in, shocking the hell out of me.

Rolling his tongue along his jaw, my brother threw his hands up in mock surrender before changing the topic of conversation. I wasn’t sure if it was the liquor hitting me, but tonight turned out to be a time I didn’t know I needed. Everyone was lighthearted, and outside of my siblings’ almost argument, everything was cool. Before the party had even started, I was thinking about how I wouldn’t have another one for a while, but I was eating my own words. The people surrounding me were here to support me and it all felt genuine. I wouldn’t lie and say I’d have company every weekend, but I could see myself hosting more events like this.

As the night went on, Truth or Dare eventually turned back into everyone playing Spades. The drinks kept flowing and so did the music. It wasn’t until two in the morning that the party ended. Stacey kept true to her word and slept on the couch. Before everyone could leave, I made sure they were sober enough to drive. Pleasant Springs wasn’t a big city, but that meant nothing to me. Anything could happen on a ten-minute ride home. Once I made sure the doors were locked and the alarm was set, I checked in on Stacey who was snoring like she’d just worked a double shift. By the time I made it to my room, Mccoy was sprawled out in the middle of the bed still fully dressed. All I could do was shake my head and help him under the covers.

SIXTEEN

Mccoy

“I see I’m not the only person still tore up from last night. I don’t wanna see another drink for the rest of the year,” Justin said as he tossed me a water bottle.

Saturn and I had arrived at the shop not even an hour ago and I was already over it. Last night, when I was throwing all those shots back, I kept telling myself I’d be fine. The event didn’t start until the afternoon, but I didn’t consider that we’d have to be here early to set up. Luckily, Saturn’s booth was set up right in front of the shop. The problem was I had a headache out of this world and Saturn was putting my ass to work. All I had left was to move the table, which was why Justin was here. As soon as we were done, I’d run across the street to the diner to get some food on my stomach.

“I’m with you. I’m not drinkin’ with Aaron’s ass anymore.”

“I told you not to go toe to toe with that man anyway. Ain’t no way you thought you were about to out drink somebody who did years in the Navy. There’s no telling what that man went through while overseas,” Justin countered.

“That’s true. All I know is I learned my lesson and it won’t happen again.”

“What did you end up doing when you left last night?”

“I followed Sapphire home to make sure she made it in okay, then I went home myself.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t try to get her to spend the rest of the night with you,” I admitted.

“If she was anyone else, I would’ve tried my hand. It took me weeks to convince her to give me her phone number. At this rate, it’ll be years before anything else happens.”

“What are your plans with that? It seems like you’re already throwing the towel in.”

From the look on Justin’s face, I could tell Sapphire had him conflicted. Back home, Justin dealt with so many women that woman issues were nonexistent on his end. I could only recall a time or two that a woman had him in his feelings. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, I was always there if he needed to talk. If a woman had Justin thinking too hard, I knew he had feelings involved.

“It’s a complicated situation, bro. Part of me wants to be the man she opens up to and make her feel safe, but the other part of me is saying to leave it alone. She’s not very open about her personal life, which is frustrating because she has a child. I don’t know anything about her baby daddy or past relationship. She hasn’t said much about her family and she damn near begged me not to follow her home last night. She’s a complicated mystery but I can’t seem to walk away.”

“Saturn told me she was like that. If I’m being real, I was shocked to see her come to the house yesterday. Then, it was even more surprising to see her stay and drink with us. It seems like she’s warming up, but I think she went through something traumatic. I would tell you to follow her pace and start off as friends, but I know you don’t wanna stay in the friend zone.”

“I don’t. Honestly, I don’t know what I wanna do. All I know is I can’t leave her alone. It took everything in me not to be all in her space yesterday,” Justin admitted.

The feeling he was explaining was the same feeling I had when I came to the shop to apologize to Saturn. Watching her beautiful ass run this whole store without any panic in her demeanor was a turn on. The freckles that littered her face along with those ginger curls only pulled me in even more. Justin didn’t have to convince me of what he felt. I already knew.

“Well, don’t give up. A persistent man is a winning man. All I can say is even when you get her, keep chasing her. Don’t jump over all these hurdles to get her and be on bullshit. Get her and keep her, man. I’m not trying to preach to you, but I know how you are when it comes to women. Don’t waste her time.”

“I have no plans of wasting her time. I may not have had many serious relationships in the past, but I know how to treat a woman. Sending my woman flowers every Tuesday just to put a smile on her face was something I always wanted to do. I just didn’t have a woman worth the effort.”

“How will you handle things if her child’s father isn’t in the picture? I don’t have a problem with women who have kids, but I don’t know how I’d feel if I got attached to a child that wasn’t mine and the relationship didn’t work out,” I vented honestly.

Since I was a man with no kids of my own, I preferred to date women with no kids. The flip side to that was I wouldn’t mind dating a woman with one child. One child was a personal limit, but the thought still made me uneasy. Even if the father was in the child’s life, it would still hurt if the relationship didn’t succeed. My dad was a family man and even included a few of my cousins on a lot of things he did with me and Stacey when we were younger. There was no way I could be one of those men who played stepdad from the sidelines. I’d be just as involved as the biological father, but I was just cut that way.

“I don’t have an answer for that question. I feel like the more she lets me in, the better I can handle the situation. If I feel like there’s a chance, then I’m all in. If I start to feel like it’s a lost cause, I’ll let up. That’s all I have for now.”

With that, I dropped the subject and we got to work. It took less than an hour for me and Justin to get the table outside. As if on cue, Saturn’s parents came from the back of the shop carrying two big plastic bags. I was sure decorations were in the bags since that was what Saturn asked her mother to do. After speaking to them, I informed Saturn that Justin and I were going to grab something to eat. The smell of coffee and donuts hit me as soon as I stepped inside the small café. There were a few people in line to order, but most were waiting at the opposite end of the counter for their orders.

“I’m about to step out and take this call really quickly. Will you grab my stuff if they call my number?” Justin asked as he handed me his receipt.

Taking it, I nodded and looked on as he walked out of the door holding his phone to his ear. To pass the time, I took my phone out and checked my email. I now had two cars to work on once I was finished with my current project. I was hoping to get a small break once these were all finished, but I was grateful for the steady flow of income. Consistency in the industry I was in was a blessing, so I wouldn’t complain about it. Just as I hit send on an email, my head shot up at the sound of a familiar voice, a voice I hadn’t heard since I left Gwendal.

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