Page 38 of The Way Love Heals

“You can ask me anything.”

“What happened to the men who abused you?”

Her question wasn’t what I expected, but I had a feeling she would eventually ask.

I leaned back and told her, “Their murders were never solved. It happened shortly after Nannie and Uncle Bernard found out about the abuse, so I believe they know what happened.”

“Oh, wow.” Brittish uttered barely above a whisper. “Do you think they have something to do with it?”

“I do, but I never questioned it. Before Uncle Bernard passed, I thanked him for taking care of me. He said he would do it all over again if that meant protecting me.”

“That’s love right there. How did he pass?”

“COPD. He was hardheaded and never stopped smoking, even after he was diagnosed. Nannie used to fuss at him all the time, especially with him being her only sibling. She was fussing at him at his funeral for dying on her.” I couldn’t help but to laugh, picturing her fixing his tie while she mumbled underneath her breath. “I miss him.”

“How long has it been?”

“Almost seven years.”

Brittish reached over and placed her hand on my arm. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you. It’s life.” Not feeling the energy shift, I decided to ask her a question of my own. I needed the conversation not to be so heavy, but then again, what I was wondering was probably heavy for her. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Is Asher the only man you’ve ever been in love with?”

She paused and leaned her head back on the chair. “He is. Once upon a time, I thought I was in love, but when I got with Asher, I truly realized what love was.”

“Are you scared to fall in love again?”

“With you? No. You’re making it pretty damn easy for me to do so. I mean, I know no relationship is perfect, and things change, but I feel it’s different with you.”

“How so?”

“Honestly.” She paused and took a sip of her wine. “Asher and I had problems from the beginning. He cheated, and it made me have trust issues. I always needed reassurance, which was exhausting for me, so I know it was for him as well. When he finally got it together, I hadn’t. My trust still wasn’t there one hundred percent, and I know that affected us. By the time I got pregnant, I believe we had both mentally checked out but not emotionally.

“With you, you haven’t given me any reason to question you. You give reassurance without asking as well as being consistent. I’m grateful for that. It’s been easy for me to follow your lead without holding my guard too high. We’ve both been through things, and I think that makes a difference as well. For you to not have ever loved before, you do a damn good job at showing it.”

I touched my heart. “That worked on me. It made me feel good, Pretty Lady, so thank you.”

“No, thank you for giving me hope on finding love again. Thank you for not letting up and leading me here. Leading us here.”

We toasted and sat in a comfortable silence until AJ came outside. He was dressed in his pajamas and cuddled up next to his mother. I half listened to them talk while my mind drifted to Renee. All day, being with them, I hadn’t thought about her. For some reason, seeing them interact in that moment tugged at the little boy in me.

For years, I wondered why Renee couldn’t be that for me and my siblings. Why did she have to be so selfish?

In the end, it wasn’t for me to figure out. My love and gratitude for Nannie outweighed my desire to need answers.

Brittish exuded what I looked for in a woman. The way she was with AJ was another way she healed me. She was a great mother, something I used to yearn for. The more I watched them, the more I felt myself falling for her.

Was it possible I’d fallen in love?

I sat in my office and stared at my phone, completely bewildered.

I didn’t have much time to dwell on anything, but my feelings were a little hurt. It was going on two o’clock in the afternoon, and I hadn’t heard a peep from Nyle. I didn’t wake up to my usual ‘good morning, pretty lady’ text nor a phone call. All day, in between clients, I found myself checking my phone. Each time, I was left disappointed. By noon, I’d sent him a text to check on him, and nothing. He hadn’t responded nor read it, so I felt some type of way.

It was a good thing that Pilar was my next client because I needed my girl’s advice.