Page 29 of Pieces of Us

“Oh, goodness. I hate that for her baby daddy.”

We both laughed as we headed inside.

Morgan

“Why do I feel wrong about this?” I asked Drue as we sat outside of Prime Steakhouse waiting for Justin to emerge.

“What do you feel wrong about, Mo? It’s clear you’re having doubts about your marriage, and the only way to get answers is to go seek them.”

“Yeah, but…I mean, he told me where he was going. It’s not like he lied.”

I felt foolish as soon as the words left my mouth. Justinhadbeen lying to me. I could feel it. After spending years with the same person, it was easy to memorize their patterns. Work had never interfered in our marriage. However, I did notice when he started getting bigger clients, his workload superseded his work hours. I could be tripping, but I knew I wasn’t. Those hushed phone calls and staying out late were clear signs that something in the milk wasn’t clean.

“Then go home, Morgan. If you believe your husband, then take your ass home, and leave it alone.”

“Nah. I think I’ll stay…just to ease my conscience.”

“Cool.” Drue pulled a pre-roll from her purse as I frowned.

“Since when do you smoke weed?”

“Since my doctor diagnosed me with bipolar disorder.”

I laughed aloud. “Drue, please. I cannot with you. You are not bipolar!”

“Shit, I might be. Your daddy really did a number on me.”

“Speaking of him, did you know that he used to work for Nehemiah’s dad?”

“Yeah. I overheard him talking to Mommy about it a few years ago. The nigga wasn’t a saint then, and he sure isn’t one now…ol’ hypocritical ass. I’m almost sure he’s taking those folks money to fund his lifestyle. He’s one of the reasons why people don’t believe in God now.”

“He also said that if I tell Nehemiah about Megan, he’s going to get his father arrested.”

“You’re kidding, right?” I shook my head. “Morgan, at this point, I don’t even think this is about you. Daddy has a personal vendetta against Cole Newson. Something happened that he’s not telling us, and it’s clear in the way he’s moving. Why the fuck would he say that shit to you when he’s the sole reason why you’re going through this now?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t want anything to happen to Mr. Newson, even though the man didn’t like me.”

“So, you’re not going to tell him about his daughter? You’re going to let Dad still take the wheel of your life. His ass is manipulating you—”

“I know, Drue, but maybe I shouldn’t tell him. I’m afraid that Megan won’t accept him, and Nehemiah will resent me. I-I still love him. It never went away, only suppressed. His smile, his kisses, that body, the sex…”

I closed my eyes trying to stop myself from feeling things I shouldn’t.

“God, please forgive me. I should not be lusting after another man when I’m married!” I scolded myself. Drue stared at me as if I had lost my mind. “What?”

“Sometimes, I worry about you, baby sis. In no way am I encouraging you to cheat on your husband, but if this man is deceiving you, then it’s only right that you get your lick back.”

“I’m not like you, Drue. I’m not a cheater.”

“Bih, you just sat there and got wet from memories of him alone. You already damn cheated!”

I slapped my forehead. My sister was a different breed. We may have been brought up in a church but wasn’t anything Christian about my dear sister. She may have followed the rules of saving herself for marriage, but once Ishmael broke her heart, she became a savage.

I may have been the one to break the rules when it came to saving myself, but I learned my lesson and stayed celibate until I married Justin. My sister, however, did not give a damn about the whole religion thing. She was going to do whatever she wanted when she wanted.

“And I doubt Nehemiah was laying it down like that back then for you to still have memories of y’all’s first time.”

My eyebrow raised as a smile crept on my face. “You have no idea, girly. He was way more skilled than me. So, trust me. It’s still imprinted in my memory.”

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