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Chortling, I held my hands up. “Alright, alright. Heard you. But seriously, you know I never meant to hurt you, right?”
“I know. As much as I hate that it seems someone is receiving the version of you I wanted. And I’m saying seems only because I don’t know, nor do I want to know the full details, I’m happy for you, Jamie. Genuinely. There are no hard feelings.”
“Thanks, Kins. I don’t harbor any ill feelings for you either.”
She shot me a bright smile that didn’t quite touch her eyes. “That’s good to hear. But, I’m running late, so I should get going.”
“Cool,” I nodded. “I’ll see you around.”
As awkward as the moment had been, I was glad Kinsley, and I got the chance to hash out how things ended between us. It allowed me the opportunity to apologize for my behavior and acknowledge that I understood her ill feelings about our relationship. Now that it was dead and buried, it made space for me to move forward with Nyx in the healthiest way possible, and I planned to correct every misstep I’d previously made to ensure I didn’t run the risk of making them with her.
“Now, Daddy, remember you said you wouldn’t—”
“You must be really putting something on my daughter for her to ban her parents from her first spoken word in months.”
“Daddy,” Nyx looked horrified. Lincoln appeared amused, and I was thoroughly entertained. We’d just arrived, and her father was already cutting up.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Love,” I extended my hand. “I’m James.”
“You also avoided my question,” he replied, shaking it.
Nyx shot her brother a pleading look. “Linc.”
“I don’t know why you’re calling my name as if I’m responsible for your daddy,” he tittered, nodding at me. “It’s nice to see you again, Bro.”
“You too.”
“We have to head to the lane but don’t even think about skipping out of here when the race is over,” her father eyed both of us. “I have a few questions.”
“And I have a few regrets,” Nyx muttered, pushing me toward the stands. “Here I was thinking I was sparing myself some embarrassment by having y’all meet first. I would have been better off starting with Mama.”
“You just make sure your narrow ass is in them stands once the event is over.”
I was dying of laughter by the time we made it out of earshot and Nyx finally spoke again. “I hate him.”
“Why? Pops is cool.”
“Yeah, you only think that because he isn’t your father.”
We found our seats, and things got so loud with the start of the first race that we couldn’t continue our conversation until it was over.
“I’m not even going to lie,” I rubbed my hands together as the course workers reset the track for the next race. “I didn’t even know black people did shit like this.”
From my left, Nyx giggled, bumping my shoulder with hers. “That’s the same thing my dad said when Lincoln randomly came home one night and told him he wanted to drive for a living. My mother went nuts, of course, but after making a few jokes, my father was all in. From the beginning, he’s been by Linc’s side for every driving lesson, race, crash, whatever.”
“It must be nice to have them support whatever you decide to do with no pushback.”
“I mean, don’t get me wrong. They aren’t always on the wagon and sometimes need a little convincing. And I’ve told you how judgmental my mom can be at times but when it’s time to show up and show out, they never disappoint. I’d never take that away from them.”
“Well, speaking of support, as skeptical as I was about my dad sticking to his word about taking over the landscaping business, he’s surprised me this past week.”
“I love that you two are in a space to build a better relationship.”
“I know, right? It’s crazy. Trying to get him up to speed with technology is a task, but it’s nice spending time with him without listening to him complain or spread bitterness for no reason. We’ve been together so much lately that my mom called this morning complaining about how I’ve been neglecting her.”
Nyx giggled. “If it isn’t one parent, it’s the other.”
“Right? The joys of being a child of separation. I’m taking her to dinner tomorrow night so hopefully that satisfies her for the time being.”
