Instead of whining about us being in relationship limbo, I decided being her friend was what she needed most right now. “Hey! You said you like gumbo. And we always make Senior’s gumbo every Thanksgiving. It’s tradition.”
Ari shrugged and I knew then what she was thinking: It was a date. One where she was meeting my entire family. Calmly, I assured her that it was all good but internally my brain was yelling “Just say yes. God, just give being a normal couple a freaking chance.”
“It’s not what you think. Listen, this is one friend looking out for another. It’s Thanksgiving and you don’t need to be alone. Besides, my mama would love to meet the woman who’s been my rock at work. Don’t break my mama’s heart, Ari James!”
I could feel Ari watch me as I left the office and rounded the corner toward Greer’s office. I stopped midstride to face her. Worry was etched all over that pretty face of hers.
“It’s just dinner, Ari. Trust me, it’ll be fun.” I gave her a wink as I headed down the hall.
Chapter Nineteen
Ari
I handed Bella her favorite cup of pumpkin spice latte as I sat next to her on the bench at the park. She smiled, grateful for a cup of warmth as she watched the girls and her husband playing on the playground. At three years old, the twins were fast as lightning, and Zach was having a hard time keeping up. The October air was crisp, swirling the orange and yellow leaves all around them. It looked perfect, as if Bella had staged the outing. I looked around, waiting for a camera crew to pop out from the bushes. They all had on various shades of designer plaid prints and looked like an ad for laundry detergent or something. Bella, coordinated in a Burberry print poncho, dressed as the chicest mom of toddlers that I’d ever seen. I swear, the woman didn’t know the meaning of the word casual.
“Malia! Sasha! Slow down, loves!” yelled Bella, peering over her copy of Harper’s Bazaar.
I smiled. “You know, I still can’t get over the fact that you named your girls after the former First Daughters.”
Bella turned to me, pulling her shades onto her nose with a quizzical expression. “Name a greater duo of sisters? I dare you.”
“Hmm. Venus and Serena? Beyoncé and Solange? Debbie and Phylicia? Oh! I know! Tia and Tamera?”
Bella turned to me with folded arms. “Okay. Fine! I get the point!” We both let out a laugh as Bella nudged me playfully.
“So, what made you join us on a Saturday afternoon? Don’t you have a social life, girl? Work? Renovations?” asked Bella, taking a long sip of her latte. “Or some fresh man to get under? Didn’t I tell you to find a man to get under?”
“Can’t I just want to see my best friend and my gorgeous goddaughters? They’re getting so big. Maybe I’ll push them on the swings. Give Zach a break.”
Bella put her shades on top of her head and furrowed her brow. “Cut the shit, Ari. You hate playgrounds. You’d rather take the girls shopping and get them sick off Pinkberry. So...what is this about?”
I pulled the zipper of my insulated vest up and took a deep breath as it all came out like word vomit. “Maybe I willed this to happen. You did tell me to get under a man. Then I did. And I didn’t stop even though I said I would. It was, well is, so damn good. We probably, no, definitely, shouldn’t be doing this. And I...”
“Wait! What are you talking about?” Bella interrupted. Her face was obviously full of confusion at my rambling. Hell, my own ramblings confused me.
“I slept with Porter, Bella. Well. I take that back. Because slept with implies one time and well...there have been multiple times. So, I’m sleeping with him, I guess.”
Bella turned to look at me, silent as a stone. Bella’s mouth normally moved a mile a minute so clearly, she was beside herself.
“Bella! Say something! Anything. I made a mistake, didn’t I? I mean, I should have learned my lesson with Maurice. But...”
Bella’s lips turned up into a sly smile. “It was good, wasn’t it? Dick this good tends to make a chick ramble.”
Exasperated, I let out a sigh. “Oh my God, Bella. I lost count of how many orgasms I’ve had. But it’s just sex. Good sex, but just sex. He knows this. I mean, I told him I can’t be in a relationship. I’m not getting caught up like last time. He knows about Maurice and the shit in Chicago. He knows I can’t do it again.”
Bella took a sip of her latte. “But?”
“But my God, the man has skills. Girl, the things he did with his mouth are probably illegal in a few of the red states. And God, he can go nonstop rounds like a prize fighter.”
“Damn!” yelled Bella. The girls immediately paused in the middle of a rousing game of tag. Malia wagged a finger in her mom’s direction. Zach threw up his hands in confusion.
Bella held up her hand, apologetically. “Sorry, girls! Mama said a bad word! I’ll put a dollar in the swear jar.”
Bella scooted closer to me and began whispering at toddler-and-husband-proof levels. “Now, I need details, bitch. After I met Porter at Dunn’s River, I did some digging via the alumni networks. Nothing major. No real red flags. His family is loaded, though. Seems like his grandfather was a US senator from Louisiana. Very old money. Other than his very impressive pedigree, I have nothing to report. Porter was a couple of classes ahead of us at Hampton, so I don’t have any dick reports. Which is surprising because, man, do I know some hoes. Well, reformed hoes.”
I glared at Bella. “Dick reports? Really, Bella? We hadn’t done that since we were in our twenties. I’m forty. I don’t care about dick reports.”
“Yes, girl! Dick reports! At our age, that’s even more critical. You have to wonder why a man that rich, accomplished, and fine is over forty, single, and not an ex-wife or baby mother in sight. Besides, you never know what girls we know that may have been with him! As soon as I learned who he was, you know I asked around. And the HU gossip networks were surprisingly dry. Seems like despite being a frat boy, Porter didn’t get around like that. Maybe he’s the real deal, Ari.”
I rolled my eyes. “Bella, I don’t care about, nor do I want to hear about his so-called dick reports. My report is the only one that matters.”
“Okay so, give me your report, heifer! Is he big? Is he small? Does he have any special skills? He’s a little on the light side, so... Is it all the same color? What?” Bella was squirming in her seat like an eager teenager at a slumber party.
My eyes nearly bulged out of my head in shock. “Is it all the same color? Jesus, Bella, have you no shame! All I’m going to say is, I feel like it was perfectly crafted for me.” I put my hand over my chest, thinking about last night and early this morning. And meeting up later that afternoon.
Bella raised a brow. “And by it you mean his dick, right?”
“YES! BELLA! HIS DICK!” I said, loudly. This time it was Sasha who yelled, “Oh, Auntie Ari said a bad word! Is dick a bad word, Daddy?”
Zach rolled his eyes as he yelled in our direction. “I swear to God I’m going to have to ban the two of you from being within earshot of the girls! Save that talk for brunch and mimosas or whatever the hell!”