Page 54

Chapter Seventeen

Tae

some time later…

It had been a few weeks since Gabi moved out, and I was still trying to get used to coming home to an empty house. I’d gotten comfortable having her around, and as pissed as I was about finding out she had a husband… I missed my woman.

I hadn’t answered any of her calls or texts since she left. Finding out she was married had fucked me up, especially after I’d let my guard down and fallen in love with her. But after Saint told me there was more to her situation with Kentrell, I decided it was time to hear her out.

I grabbed my phone and texted him.

Me: What time Gabi get off today?

Saint: The fuck you wanna know for?

Me: You can’t be my brother asking all these questions like a gah damn bitch.

Saint: Nigga, she gets off at 6, and don’t bring your ass up here on no dumb shit.

Me: You worried about the wrong shit.

I shook my head and tossed my phone onto the passenger seat. It was already after five, so I headed toward the shop.

A little after six, Gabi came outside carrying her work bag. She spotted my truck but kept walking toward her car. I got out before she could leave.

“Gabriana,” I called, walking toward her.

“What, Tae?” she asked, stopping beside her car.

“I wanna talk to you,” I told her.

“Oh, now you wanna talk?” she questioned, folding her arms. “I’ve been tryna talk to your ass for weeks.”

“I know. That’s why I’m here,” I replied. “Come sit in the truck so we can talk without everybody in our business.”

She stared at me for a moment before walking toward my truck. Once we were inside, I turned toward her.

“Tell me what’s really going on with you and that fake ass husband,” I said.

Gabi took a breath before answering.

“Tae, I married Kentrell eight years ago because the police wanted me to testify against him. We thought getting married would keep them from making me testify,” she explained. “It was stupid, and I know that now, but I was young and scared. He went to prison anyway, and I moved on with my life.”

“So why the fuck you ain’t divorce him?” I questioned.

“Because I wanted to forget that whole situation. I wasn’t visiting him or having any kind of relationship with him. He was supposed to serve ten years, and I didn’t know he’d gotten out early until he started calling me,” she replied. “He gave the parole board my information without asking me, and now he thinks I owe him something because we’re still legally married.”

I leaned back against the seat, taking in what she’d told me. I understood why she’d wanted to leave that part of her life behind, but I still couldn’t understand why she’d kept it from me.

“You should’ve told me, Gabi,” I said. “We were talking building a future… all that shit. And you let me find out you had a husband from another nigga.”

“I know, baby,” she replied, wiping her eyes. “I didn’t expect us to get serious when we first started messing around. By the time we did, I was scared to tell you. I knew you’d be angry.”

“And I had every fucking right to be,” I told her. “You knew how I fell about being lied to.”

“I did, and I’m sorry. But I wasn’t cheating on you, Tae. I’on want Kentrell. I love you,” she assured me. “I’ve already started looking into getting a divorce.”

I sat there for a moment before reaching for her hand. I was still pissed about how everything had happened, but I believed her. And if I was being fair, I hadn’t given her a chance to explain before shutting her out.