The Versace League by Shan Page B

something to hide. What he did for a living was the only thing that he’d kept from her whether she believed him or not. There was nothing else to hide and Yamin wanted her to know that.
                  “Wow, how long ago has it been over, Yamin?”
                  “It went on longer than it should have. When you and I started dating, I slept with her one time and by time you and I had our third date, I let her know that it was over with. Every now and then, she sends me messages about how much she misses me and how much she loves me and wishes she could’ve been the one to marry me. As you can see I ignore anything that has nothing to do with business,” Yamin replied.
                  Jessica stared down at Yamin’s phone not believing her eyes. There were all kinds of messages from Katrina expressing her feelings toward Yamin. True he had ignored them like he said, but Jessica was jealous. She’d never thought of anyone loving Yamin in the way that she loved him and seeing these messages scared her. She always wondered if there had been another woman, but never found any proof. Even when she searched his cell phone she hadn’t found anything. Now actually seeing something of that nature in the flesh, she knew that she didn’t want to let Yamin go. She didn’t want anyone else loving him in that way. She didn’t want anyone else’s heart to beat the way that hers had whenever she was around him.
                  She leaned over and kissed Yamin on his neck and then on his ear, “Let’s get out of here. The funeral is in the morning.”
                  Yamin turned to look at her and nodded his head. He raised his hand to wave over the waitress and then went into his pocket to pull out money to pay the bill. After taking care of the bill and leaving a tip, the two of them left Red Lobster. They had a long day ahead of them tomorrow, starting with the home going celebration of Cortez.
     

HOME GOING CELEBRATION
     
     
    Yamin stared out of the dark tinted windows of the limo as they pulled into the driveway of his home. He took a deep breath and inwardly smiled. They’d sent Cortez home in style and he felt good about that. It pained him that when he visited his father he would now be visiting his baby brother as well, but he was happy that he was in a better place. At least believing that would bring him some kind of peace.
    He truly understood what it felt like to bury a child and he didn’t want anyone else to bear that grief. Aasir, Cortez, and Aucelie were his babies; he took on the responsibility of raising them when his father had been murdered and now he felt like he’d failed them. They relied on him to hold them together and he let one of them slip through his hands. It was one mistake that he would certainly never make again.
                  “Babe, we’re here,” Jessica said as she rubbed his hand and interlaced her fingers with his.
    Yamin brought her hand up to his lips and placed a soft kiss against her skin. He was so thankful to have her. She seemed to have put their differences aside and was standing by him and he loved her even more for that. She could’ve walked out and never looked back, but she didn’t. He didn’t realize how much he’d needed her around until last night. He thought about how she stepped in and handled the situation with Katrina and he knew then that he’d picked the right woman to carry his last name. Not only would she carry his last name, but she would carry him when he needed her to. That was important to him.
    Yamin stepped out of the limo first and then reached for Jessica’s hand. She climbed out and looked around at all of the cars that were there. Family and friends were gathering here in order to have dinner and offer their condolences. Jessica moved a few feet forward and realized this was the first time she would be meeting Yamin’s extended family. She’d met his sister and