Page 32 of Love At Close Range

13

Reiana

same day…

Ipulled out of the parking lot with my mind everywhere except where it needed to be. Out of all the things I expected to happen when I walked out of work today, seeing Lennox Steele damn sure wasn’t one of them. Eight years had passed since I last saw that man, and I thought I had done a good job of leaving everything connected to him back in Cannon Hills where it belonged.

Seeing him brought back shit I hadn’t thought about in years. Not just how everything ended, but everything before that, too. Lennox had been such a big part of my life at one point that losing him felt like somebody ripped a piece of my heart away from me. I eventually learned how to live without it, and once I had Rhyse, I didn’t have time to sit around mourning what could’ve been. My focus became my baby and making sure we were good. Now the same man I spent years convincing myself I no longer cared about had popped up asking questions about my son. That part pissed me off all over again because he had stood there looking genuinely confused when I told him I had already informed him I was pregnant. Either Lennox had become a damn good liar over the years, or I was missing something. I knew what I sent to his phone, and I damn sure knew what I got back, so there was no way he could stand there and tell me he didn’t know.

I grabbed my phone and called Taryn while I drove. She answered after a few rings, and I didn’t waste any time with our normal greetings because I needed both of my girls in one place before I started losing my shit.

“Meet me at Mona’s,” I said as soon as the call connected.

“What happened?” Taryn asked immediately, and I could already hear her moving around.

“I’ll tell you when you get there,” I replied. “Just meet me over there.”

“Ree, what the fuck happened?” Taryn questioned again as her voice got more serious. “You sound stressed.”

“I am, but I’m good,” I assured her as I kept my attention on driving. “I just don’t feel like telling the story twice, so I’ll explain everything when we get to Mona’s.”

“Aight, I’m on the way,” Taryn agreed before hanging up.

By the time I pulled into Mona’s driveway, Taryn was pulling in behind me. I got out and grabbed my purse while she hurried out of her car and caught up with me before I reached the front door. Mona opened the door a few seconds later and looked between us like she was trying to figure out how serious the issue was for her to be on her doorstep. I’m pretty sure Taryn called her and let her know something was up.

“What’s wrong?” She asked as she stepped aside to let us in.

“Bitch, I need a drink,” I stated as I headed straight toward the kitchen without answering her question. “Preferably something strong because wine ain’t doing shit for me right now.”

“Well, damn. Hello to your rude ass too,” Mona complained as she followed me into the kitchen. “The tequila is where it always is, but now I really wanna know what happened.”

I grabbed the bottle while Mona got glasses, and Taryn took a seat at the island. Neither one of them said anything while I poured myself a shot and tossed it back.

“Okay, you done took your shot… so talk. You called me sounding like somebody died and then wouldn’t tell me shit,” Taryn expressed after I downed my second shot.

“Nobody died,” I assured her as I poured some juice into my glass to mix with the tequila this time. “But I saw somebody today I never thought I’d see again.”

“Who?” Mona asked as she placed her glass on the counter.

I took a sip before answering because saying his name still felt strange after all these years. “Lennox,” I revealed as I looked between them. “He was outside waiting on me when I left work.”

“What the fuck is Lennox doing here?” Mona asked as she moved closer to the island. “How did he even know where you worked?”

“I didn’t ask him,” I replied as I shook my head. “I was too busy trying to figure out why the fuck he was standing in front of me after eight years.”

“What did he want?” Taryn questioned as she reached for the tequila and poured herself a drink.

“He asked me if Rhyse was his son,” I answered as I rubbed my hand across my forehead. “He didn’t even seem to be asking either. It was like he already knew and was waiting for me to confirm the shit,” I explained, getting irritated all over again.

“How the hell does he know about Boosie?” Mona frowned.

“I’on know,” I admitted as I took another sip. “According to him, he saw me at breakfast with Dorian and saw Rhyse and wants to know why I never told him.”

“So what did you tell him?” Taryn asked.

“I told him not to worry about my fucking son now when he didn’t want him then,” I replied. “Then this nigga looked me dead in my face and asked how he could want a child he never knew about.”

“So, he’s saying he didn’t know about Rhyse?” Mona asked for clarification.