Page 54 of Terms of the Flight

He leaned against the bar top with a lift of his brow.

“Don’t let this gray hair fool you and get yo’ ass whooped. Me calling her Julia is a compliment of sorts. At first it definitely meant prostitute, but now it’s our thing. I never had a thing with that other busybody you brought around here.”

“I hear you, but what am I supposed to do?” I asked.

“First, don’t go taking the shit back. It’s too late for that, and if you do that, you’re going to piss her off. You let her make that decision for herself. Unbeknownst to her, I know you would help fund the expansion she wants without thinking about it. But she doesn’t seem like the kind of woman who wants a handout. This agreement allowed her to think of it as a transaction between two people. Now it would just be you giving it to her. But that’s relationship stuff, and right now, has she agreed to be with you, for real this time?”

“Nah, she hasn’t. That’s why I’m going over there after I leave here.”

He nodded, then walked from around the bar towards the door to leave the office.

“Where you going?” I asked.

He stopped and glanced over his shoulder with a lift of his brow.

“Don’t you have a woman to show you’re a Blackwell? Blackwell men get what they want.”

I smirked and nodded.

“I thought you were calling me in here to tell me my time was up regarding you wanting me to choose between the bank and my jewelry business.”

“Oh, it is. But I realize you’re hardheaded, and if you think you can do both, who am I to tell you that you can’t? But being a man is knowing when to ask for help. I’m always here if you need me. Oh, and don’t ever let me hear you say you aren’t worth nothing. That last one wasn’t worthy of you. You’re caring, charismatic—shit, you come from me. You deserve to be loved, and I think Julia—I mean Khaleya—is the right one to do it. Now stop allowing past hang-ups to hold you back.”

My eyes widened.

I don’t remember the last time my pops had spoken to me this way, or cared about how I saw myself. Maybe I wasn’t trulypaying attention to the way he really felt about me. My pops held his arms open, and I went into them without a second thought.

He kissed my temple and patted my back before releasing me. When I looked up, my mother was standing there, witnessing it all with glassy eyes and a smile.

“I’m going to assume he told you everything,” I mused aloud.

“You damn right I told her. I don’t keep secrets from mine for nobody. Not even your hardheaded ass,” my pops said, stepping back and walking over to my mom to wrap his arms around her.

She chuckled and nodded. “He did. But I will tell you this. You two should never take up a career in acting. You cannot go falling for everyone you pretend with. Those masks fell a long time ago. Now don’t mess it up. I love this one.”

I smiled and strolled over to kiss her cheek. “I got you, Ma. Hopefully she is ready for more.”

“It’s going to happen the way it should. Now go handle your business. I plan to see her in Tuscany too, so we can shop, and she told me she would bring me some of that oil.”

I shook my head and made a beeline for the front door. I never expected this trip to my parents’ place to end this way, but it was everything I needed.

30 minutes later…

I pulled in front of Khaleya’s building and sat still for a moment. Then I let myself out. I glanced around as I jogged up thesteps, then knocked on the door. Moments later, her roommate opened the door with a smile.

“Da’ana?” I questioned.

She nodded. “That’s me, and I don’t need to ask who you are. You got here just in time.”

I lifted a brow as she pulled the door open wider to reveal Khaleya grabbing her keys. Her curly hair was tamed in a big bun on top of her head. She was dressed down in a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, with a bit of lip gloss on her lips. The moment she glanced up, her eyes widened.

“Big, what are you doing here?” she asked.

“I would think you would be expecting me. The way you’ve been leaving my messages on read.”

She rolled her eyes and grabbed her purse from the counter. Then she walked in my direction before looking over at Da’ana, who looked amused as hell.

“You need anything from the store?” she asked.