Page 30 of Low love Low fidelity

“Yeah. Krista got me fucked up. She thinks I’m her brother and not just Lia’s father. I’ve got my own shit going on.”

“Do you think she takes advantage of you?”

“I think her asking me to do this is taking advantage. I’ve told you the shit I’ve done for her financially. The way I see it is if Krista can be her best, having goals and reaching them, then Lia will see it coming up and subconsciously understand what feminine development is. She doesn’t have examples of that on her mother’s side of the family.Shit. It shocked the hell out of me when Krista jumped up saying she wanted to be a nurse just before giving birth to Lia. But I supported it.”

Lennox nodded soberly, mouth twisting before pulling her glass of water to her dulled, pink lips. “How was Ghana? I don’t think I asked. When you called after coming back to the States, you blindsided me with the proposal for this week.”

She was right. I checked in with Lennox as soon as I returned home from a three-week trip to West Africa. I’d been out there for work. When I called to check in with her, Lennox mentioned her annual homecoming weekend. I didn’t have time to think before blurting out a half-baked proposal.

Now, this is what you call a proposal, Krista…

“Ghana was chill. I didn’t do much tourism because work was the priority. But the love the people showed in hospitality and food!” I groaned, head falling back at the memory. Lennox’s giggle encouraged my dramatics. “I’m serious, man. I did a lot of running out there, but not a full gym workout, because I had to. I ate shit I can’t pronounce, even discovered a few favorites.”

“Sounds good.” She brought her elbow to the table.

“It was. You should go.” My eyes rolled up to her. “With me.”

Lennox’s lashes clapped a few times, effectively taken by my flirting. “And how were the women? Did they treat you right?”

That shit doused me like fucking ice-cold water in the dead of my sleep. Swinging my attention behind her, I shook my head. “We got along.”

“How well?”

Then my chin dropped to my chest. “We really doing this?”

“I’m joking. Kinda.” She sat up. “Anyway. You were able to visit Nigeria, too, right?”

“Yeah. Another artist making waves was there. I was able to get in like…two studio sessions with him before flying back out to Ghana to finish Ogya Boy’s album.”

“Is that what you were listening to when I showed up on Wednesday?”

I didn’t recall. Actually seeing Lennox in the flesh stole my breath.

“Probably. The engineer sent the polished tracks back over. There were a few tweaks I knew had to be made. But it’s done. I finished it two nights ago when you went to bed.”

“InSamsara?”

“Nah. I ran over to my studio at home. I needed my equipment for that. It took a couple of hours…three, maybe. Then I sent it back.”

“And you went for a run yesterday? When do you sleep guy?”

“I’ll sleep when I awake from this dream.”

We locked eyes for a bit. Lennox’s expression was deadpan, studying me. I had no shit to hide. In fact, I welcomed her inspection of my innerworkings. Every inch of me was made just for her. Whatever she needed, I’d flip the fucking earth to bring it to her feet.

When she broke her gaze and fingered her loose golden curls, I knew she’d found what she needed when seeing into me. I understood her situation and would continue to practice patience until she was ready.

“How was your time with your girls?”

“Well…” She sat back in her seat, pulling in a breath. “Very interesting for sure.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’ve gotten lots of revelations.”

“What?” I pretended being shocked. “No empowerment?”

“Not exactly. This year Nisha, Lisa, and I played it smart with Mya, understanding her ‘busy’ ways. But the glimpses I got into their personal lives let me know we all have problems. All with imperfect lives. All with the same genesis of that campus. We were making big girl decisions when it was time to leave.”

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