Wifey Page 3

  "Well, can you tell him those good things?" she asked while pointing to Zeke. "Because right now I'm not getting a warm, fuzzy feeling from him."

  "He's just protective of his family," Ethan informed her. "Zeke, she's a good person. She helped me with some issues, nothing else," Ethan stated to his brother.

  Avery could tell that she wasn't going to win Zeke over yet. "I have a feeling we're going to be best friends, but I don't have time to establish a bond with you today. So, maybe next time?"

  Ethan and Jonathan chuckled. Avery smiled at them. "It was nice meeting you, Jonathan, and good to see you again, Ethan. Congrats on the baby," she said before walking away.

  The men watched her leave.

  "Where in the hell did she come from?" Zeke asked.

  Ethan shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, but she's a breath of fresh air. I like her."

  Zeke stared at his brother. "You like her?"

  "Not like that, you idiot. She's just a friend. You didn't have to mean mug the woman."

  "I didn't mean to. It's hard to trust women I don't know. They're not all loyal."

  Ethan laughed. "You’re taking advice from singers now?”

  Jonathan chuckled because Zeke didn't get the joke.

  "Congrats on the new baby. He’s handsome,” Jonathan said.

  Ethan popped his collar. “He looks like his daddy.”

  Chapter 6

  Johari held Baby Sammie in her arms and stared at his beautiful face. He was the perfect blend of Sierra and Ethan and a future heartbreaker.

  "Johari, put my baby down before you spoil him."

  Johari continued to hold Sammie. "It's too late; this little boy is going to be spoiled rotten. Whatever I don't get him, his aunts and uncles will."

  "I'm just glad he's out of me. His big ass tore my body apart. Ethan wanted a baby, and I gave him one. No other baby is coming out of this vagina."

  Johari laughed at Sierra. "Yeah, but he’s worth it."

  Sierra smiled at her son. "He is. Have you guys gotten a chance to visit Nina? She was admitted in the hospital. Demetrius is a mess. It’s really taking a toll on him.”

  Johari nodded. “I stopped by, but Demetrius’s sister was there. She hates me, so I didn’t stay long.”

  Johari snuggled the baby close one last time and placed him back in the hospital bassinet. She went over and gave Sierra a hug. "I won't see you a few days. Stay out of trouble."

  "Where are you going?"

  "I'm headed to Sean's house over in San Antonio.”

  Sierra smiled big. "All right now, don't go over there and let that old man turn you out."

  Johari rolled her eyes.

  “He probably wants to show you off at the nursing home as arm candy," Sierra said while chuckling.

  Johari didn't find it funny. "There's nothing old about Sean. He's in is early forties. I thought he was in his thirties when I first met him."

  "Well damn, I didn't mean to offend your man. I admit that he is sexy as hell."

  "Who's sexy?" Ethan asked stepping back into the room. Jonathan was behind him.

  "You are baby," Sierra stated quickly.

  Ethan could see the mischievous glint in her eyes and knew that she was lying. "Uh huh. You better be talking about me."

  Johari laughed and gave Ethan a hug goodbye. "Congrats Daddy. Sammie's perfect."

  "Thank you."

  Johari admired the baby once more as Jonathan said goodbye to Sierra and Ethan. When he was finished, they left the hospital room. Johari held Jonathan's arm as they walked towards the elevators. The doors opened and Sierra and Ethan’s adoptive daughter, Noel, was standing there. They embraced the teen immediately.

  “I can’t believe I have a little brother,” she gushed. “I tried to get here sooner, but I had to complete an exam. How’s my mom?”

  Noel was a petite blonde with pale skin, but it didn’t matter. She was family to the Coleman and Adams’ families. She saw Ethan and Sierra as her parents and Jonathan as an uncle.

  “She good,” he responded. “Don’t waste time talking to us. Go see her.”

  Noel didn’t argue with Jonathan and rushed down the hall. Johari and Jonathan watched her leave.

  “I’m proud of her. She has turned her life around and is doing well at school,” Johari stated.

  “She is.”

  "Today was a good day," she commented as the doors to the elevator opened again.

  "It was," Jonathan agreed. He pressed the button for the lobby and chuckled when Johari held him tighter.

  "It's not funny," she mumbled while the elevator lowered. She kept her eyes closed until she heard the doors open again. She could breathe easier once she was off.

  They remained close as they walked out of the hospital to Johari's car. "I can't believe I have another nephew. My two little sisters are mothers," he mused.

  Johari unlocked the doors and sat inside the car on the driver's side. "It's incredible."

  Jonathan and Johari were lost in their own thoughts while they rode home. She was thinking about her trip to see Sean. She was nervous about meeting his daughter. Based on what she heard from Sierra and Sydney, the teenager was a terror.

  Jonathan was thinking about food. "I’m hungry," he blurted out.

  "Didn't you go to the cafeteria before we left?"

  "Yeah, but they didn't have anything worth eating. Can you cook for me when we get home?" he whined.

  She laughed. "Are you sure you're not the baby? Because sometimes you act like it."

  "I'm the only boy."

  Johari laughed. "I'm sorry Jon, but I can't cook for you. I'm leaving tonight."

  Hearing that put Jonathan on edge. "Where are you going?”

  Johari parked the car in the driveway of Jonathan's townhome. “I'm visiting Sean a week early."

  He forgot about her trip to see Sean. “When are you coming back?"

  "Why? Are you going to miss me?"

  Jonathan shook his head. "No. I’m trying to figure out how many days I'm going to starve."

  Johari laughed and got out of the car. He followed her to the door. "How did you survive before me?" she asked as she unlocked the door.

  "My mom, sisters and girlfriends."

  "Wow. Well, I guess your mom and sisters are going to be feeding you until I come back," she said before walking down the hall to her room.

  "That's cold."

  ↔

  Johari packed a small bag for the trip and decided to take pity on Jonathan and made a late dinner. After preparing steak, roasted potatoes and asparagus, Johari put it on a serving tray with a glass of sweet tea and walked towards Jonathan's room. She kicked the door with her foot since her hands were occupied.

  When he didn't come right away, she kicked the door again. A couple of minutes later, Jonathan opened the door with a towel wrapped around his waist. "Sorry, I was in the shower." He looked at food and smiled. "You didn't have to really cook for me, Jo. I was just teasing you."

  Johari lost all her train of thought as she observed the water dripping down Jonathan's chest.

  When was the last time she saw a man's chest? She couldn't remember.

  "I. Um. I.”

  Jonathan cocked his head to the side amused. "You okay, Johari?" he asked touching her arm.

  She sobered up. "Yeah, I'm fine." She passed the tray to him. "I wanted to feed you before I left."

  He placed it on his dresser. "Wait. Why are you leaving tonight, Jo?"

  "I prefer to drive at night."

  Jonathan didn't like the idea of her driving so late. "Maybe I should follow you there."

  "Jon, I'll be fine. It's only an hour and a half away."

  She was being stubborn. Nothing he said was going to change her mind. "Promise to call me once you make it."

  "I promise."

  Johari and Jonathan shared a hug. The same chest she was drooling over was pressed against her now. She could feel his muscles. "Jonathan?"

  "Yeah Jo?" he r
esponded still holding her close.

  "When did you get so muscly?"

  Jonathan laughed. Muscly. "In college, I was on the weightlifting team. I don't lift weights as much now, but I still do pushups to keep in shape."

  "Well, they're working."

  Johari removed herself from his arms and walked across the hall where her room was and grabbed her things. "I'll call you when I get there."

  "Okay." Jonathan watched her walked towards the door. "I'm going to miss you. Call if you need anything."

  "I will."

  ↔

  Johari called Sean when she was within ten minutes of his home in San Antonio. She placed the call on speaker, so her hands could remain free. His cell went to voicemail, so she called the house.

  "Hello?" she heard a female answer. She assumed it was Sean's daughter.

  "Hi, is Sean there?"

  There was a long pause and some shuffling before the girl spoke again. "You have the wrong number."

  Before Johari could say anything else, the phone disconnected. What in the hell?

  She had Sean's house number programmed in her phone, so she knew she had the right number. She called again.

  "What?" the female answered rudely.

  "Excuse me? I'm trying to reach Sean. Is this his daughter?"

  "Look trick, I already told you that you had the wrong number. Stop calling here," she said before hanging up again.

  Johari didn't know what to do. She decided that she was going to go over to Sean's house and, if there was an issue, she would go to a hotel.

  Ten minutes later, she ended up at a large, two-story home. She couldn't see a lot of the features because it was dark, but what she could see impressed her. It was a nice home with a well-manicured landscape.

  Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door. She expected Sean to answer, not some petite teenager. The girl was beautiful with her long, dark hair and a light skin complexion. If looks could kill, Johari would be dead. Destiny didn’t want her there.

  "You must be Destiny; I'm Johari," she said introducing herself.

  She shut the door in Johari's face and walked away.

  Really? Johari thought. She was shocked at the child's behavior. She thought Sierra was over exaggerating when she described Destiny as a little bitch. It was a harsh reference for a child, but now Johari could see there was some truth to it.

  She knocked again, and this time was happy Sean answered the door. "Hey beautiful," he greeted.

  He was just as handsome as Johari remembered. His features reminded her of celebrity Shemar Moore. He wore his age well.

  "Hi."

  Sean gathered her in his arms and held her tight. "I've been waiting for you to get here. Why didn't you call?"

  Your rude daughter hung up on me. Johari was about to explain what happened and then decided against it. She didn't want to start things off on a sour note. "My phone was acting up," she lied.

  "Let me know if you need a new one. I'll get it for you."

  Sean helped Johari with her bags and gave her a tour of the house. The inside was just as gorgeous as the exterior. "I want you to meet my daughter."

  Sean opened the bedroom door and Johari saw that Destiny was on the bed with a book. "Destiny, this is Johari. Johari, this is my daughter, Destiny."

  Destiny got off the bed and came to shake her hand. "Nice to meet you," she stated with a smile.

  Johari shook the child's hand. "You too."

  "I look forward to spending some time with you," she said.

  Johari wasn't convinced. She was going to keep her guard up around Sean's little princess.

  "Me too."

  ↔

  "How about a drink?" Sean asked Johari.

  "Yes please."

  He chuckled and grabbed Johari's hand and led her downstairs to the kitchen. She didn't pull her hand back and followed behind him.

  "Was it a long drive? I could've came and got you," Sean stated as he opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of red wine. He then grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet. Johari was watching him from a barstool across the island.

  "You sound like Jonathan. He wanted to follow me here."

  "Jonathan? Why would he follow you?" Sean asked trying his best to hide the annoyance in his voice. He considered Jonathan competition for Johari's heart.

  "I told you he's my best friend. Well, really my best guy friend, because I have Sierra and Sydney," she further explained. "Without Jonathan, I would be long gone. I wouldn't feel safe, if he didn't let me live with him."

  Johari stopped talking when she heard the shatter of glass. She hopped off the barstool and walked around the island and saw Sean picking up the broken pieces. "What happened?" she asked before kneeling and helping him.

  "Clumsy fingers."

  "Where's your broom?" She couldn't get any of the tiny pieces. They were secure in the cracks of the tile.

  "In the closet behind you."

  She stood and turned to see a wooden door. After retrieving the broom and dust pan, she cleaned up the remaining pieces of glass. Sean dumped the glass that he held in his hands on the dust pan and she threw it away in the small garbage can in the closet before putting the broom away.

  Sean had a glass of wine waiting for her when she turned back and faced him again. He handed it to her. "This is how it was supposed to happen. I was going to give you a glass of wine to help you relax, not make you clean my kitchen."

  Johari received the glass and laughed. "It's fine. It happening this way allowed us to break the awkwardness," she confessed. She was a little nervous about coming face to face with him again. "Why do I feel like this is my first time meeting you?"

  "Because it's been a long time. I'm glad you could make it. Cheers to a great weekend," he said raising his glass to a toast.

  Her thoughts immediately went to Destiny. She knew they were going to bump heads. She just hoped it didn't ruin her trip. "Cheers. Your home is stunning. How long have you lived here?"

  "Seventeen years. I got this place when Destiny was a baby."

  The home was in amazing shape; she thought it was newer. "Did you hire an interior decorator?"

  "No, her mother designed the house. After she left, I decided to leave it the same way. Destiny loves it."

  I bet she does. "That's nice."

  "You haven't seen the best part," Sean informed her.

  "Show me."

  Sean took her hand again and escorted her downstairs to his basement. Located there was his favorite part of the house - his home movie theatre.

  "This is where I spend most of my time. In the next room, there's a playroom filled with arcade games, a pool table and darts board. I come here to unwind after work."

  "It's your man cave," Johari stated.

  "Exactly."

  She noticed that the large plasma screen was on. "Were you watching something before I came?"

  "A movie. Do you want to join me?”

  “Sure."

  Sean grabbed the remote and pressed play. He pointed to the seat next to his. "You have to sit there. All of the other chairs are broken."

  Johari shook her head amused and sat beside Sean and started watching the movie. It was a romantic comedy that kept her laughing.

  When the love part between the main characters happened, Johari felt the temperature rise in the room a few degrees and she started to feel flustered as she watched a sex scene.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sean squirm in his seat and glance her way. It didn’t take a psychic to read his mind.

  "That was a good movie.”

  “It was.” Johari realized how late it was and decided to get to bed. Sean walked her to the room.

  It felt like he was walking her home after a first date. Was he going to kiss her? Or should she give him a hug? She didn't know what to do and was still contemplating it when she got to the bedroom door.

  "So, what's the plan for tomorrow?" Her back was to the door and Sean was standing in fro
nt of her.

  "We’ll sleep in and then I'm going to show you my city. Do all of the touristy stuff."

  "Sounds good."

  "Wait. I wanted to make sure my intentions are clear with you. I want a relationship. I know I'm older, but there’s something between us. If there wasn't, we would've lost touch after Sydney and Zeke's wedding."

  She completely agreed. "I think so too. It's why I came. I wanted to see if there was a connection."

  Sean stepped closer to Johari. He was in her personal space, leaving barely any room between their bodies. Johari's started to breath heavily. "Is there?" he asked.

  Sean kissed her before she could answer.

  The sound of a door slamming interrupted them. Johari was embarrassed. They shouldn't have been making out like teenagers with a teenager in the house.

  "Daddy, I'm going to a friend's house," Destiny announced.

  Sean was confused. "It’s late. You can see your friends tomorrow.”

  Destiny pouted and stomped her foot. "I want to go tonight."

  Johari snorted. There was no way in hell Destiny was going to see a friend. She was dressed in a fitted dress and heels. She was going to see a boy, in Johari's opinion.

  "What do you think, Johari?"

  She paused. "I think that you should handle this. She's not my child."

  "And I thought you were stupid. Smart choice," Destiny sneered.

  Johari took a deep breath. One negative about Sean was the fact that he had a spoiled daughter. "You know what; I don't think she's going to see a ‘friend.’ I was a teenage girl once, and I bet you my next paycheck that she's going to see a guy."

  "Daddy, she doesn't know what she's talking about," Destiny whined.

  He didn't believe her. "Give me your keys and purse. You're staying home."

  Destiny was heated. She gave her belongings to her dad and stared at Johari as she did it.

  "I'm going to go into the room," Johari stated. She gave Sean a kiss on the cheek before jumping into bed. She wasn’t sure how her trip was going to go, but she had a feeling it was going to be interesting.

  ↔

  Saturday morning, Johari was in the process of waking up the next morning when she felt something slide across her foot. It tickled her skin, so her foot twitched. A minute later, she felt it against her leg.