"Leslie!"
He ran down the stairs to the kitchen where Leslie was clutching her bleeding finger, tears streaming down her face. The blood-stained knife and some vegetables sat on the cutting board on the kitchen counter.
Momentarily, he was taken aback by Leslie's white satin, thin strapped nightgown that contrasted her ebony skin; his eyes drawn to the cleavage of her full breasts and perky nipples that rubbed against the thin material.
He shook his head and shifted into action leading her to the sink and washing off the wound.
"It doesn't look like it'll need stitches, so that's a good thing," he stated, after taking a look at the slice across her finger.
He steered her to one of the stools around the kitchen counter. "Hold it tightly, let me just get the first aid kit."
Leslie nodded and did what she was told. Dwayne removed the first aid kit from one of the kitchen cabinets, then took a seat next to her. As he tended to her wound, their eyes met, and Dwayne's pulse raced.
"Dwayne, what the fuck is wrong with you?" he scolded himself silently. "The last thing you should be worried about is booty when your loved ones are still in danger."
"There that should do it," Dwayne stated and he closed the first aid kit.
Just as he was about to stand Leslie grabbed his arm. "Thank you. I'm such a clutz sometimes."
"It's ok, that's what friends are for."
Dwayne stepped out of her grasp and packed away the first aid kit.
As Leslie stood up to clean up the mess Dwayne stopped her. "Leslie, it's ok, I'll clean up. The food smells delicious by the way."
"Thank you. I just wanted to make it as a little 'Thank you' for letting me stay."
"Have you gotten ahold of Richard yet?" he asked.
He threw the blood-covered vegetables into the bin and tossed the knife and cutting board into the sink.
She shook her head and glanced at her phone.
"Shoot my phone's dead and I don't have a charger. I didn't have a chance to purchase one this afternoon."
"You could use the landline."
Leslie tilted her head and smirked, "Do you really want Richard to know I'm calling from your place, at this hour?"
Dwayne lifted an eyebrow. "Why would Richard have a problem if you stayed here? We're just friends, nothing is going on between us."
Really? Well, tell that to your budding erection.
Leslie smiled and folded her arms under her breasts. The movement pushed her breasts upward, her nipples barely concealed by the nightgown.
"I sort of admitted to Richard that I have a crush on you. Trust me, if he knows I'm here, he'd give both of us the third degree."
Dwayne swallowed hard, trying not to let Leslie's words shoot straight to his southern region. If the blood rushed there any more than it already had, she'd definitely notice. And besides, he was in love with McKenzie.
So why the hell are you acting like some schoolboy in heat?
He had to admit, though, Leslie had grown up a lot since the last time he saw her. She had curves in all the right places now and didn't seem the least bit shy about showing them off.
It made him wonder if she'd even called Richard…or if showing up at his place had been the plan all along. Especially now, standing in his kitchen wearing a nightgown that left absolutely nothing to the imagination.
Shoving those thoughts aside, Dwayne's tone was flat as he responded, intentionally ignoring her comment about the crush.
"Well, there's a charger in the top drawer of my nightstand."
Her smile faltered briefly. "Okay, great, thanks."
After she left the kitchen, he busied himself tidying up, switching off the stove to prevent the meal Leslie had prepared from burning.
He had just sat down on a bar stool, drinking a bottle of water, when she returned to the kitchen. She held the charger and something else in her hand.
"Dwayne, who's this little girl in the picture with McKenzie?" she asked softly.
Dwayne shot up from the stool, snatching the photo from her hand, causing Leslie to jump.
"I sent you for a charger, not to snoop," he glared at her.
"It's not snooping if it's right there for me to see," Leslie retorted but in a softer tone asked, "And why does the little girl look like you?"
Dwayne sighed heavily, as he leaned against the kitchen counter. "I think she's my daughter."
Leslie gasped, her eyes widening in surprise. "So she kept the pregnancy?"
Dwayne should have been angry that Richard told Leslie about the pregnancy, but he had too many other things to worry about to feel any type of way about it now.
"I guess she did. But she never told me anything about it. I found the picture in her things," Dwayne admitted, as his chest tightened.
Dwayne watched as a smirk spread across Leslie's face. "So you found a picture in McKenzie's things and kept it, but you were angry because I saw a picture you kept in a drawer that you sent me in?"
Dwayne's glared at Leslie. "Really? That's the best you could come up with? I can't believe she kept something like this from me all these years!"
"And why shouldn't she? You left after high school and never looked back!" Leslie shot back.
"I got a scholarship, and I took it. What was I supposed to do, Leslie? Give it up?"
"You were supposed to make it work! Long-distance relationships are a thing! I don't blame her for keeping it from you."
Dwayne felt defensive. "So you're taking her side?"
Leslie sighed and held his hand. She looked into his eyes and spoke softly. "Dwayne, you left! It meant you wanted nothing to do with McKenzie or the baby. You made a choice that was best for you so she did the same for herself and her child."
Dwayne closed his eyes. He knew Leslie was right. Even though he left, they could've made it work. His parents and Olivia had loved McKenzie, they would've supported her while he was studying. He fucked up, but he wanted to make things right.
Even though she's engaged to Yellows?
Dwayne sighed. "McKenzie doesn't know I have the picture. And I haven't been able to ask her about it yet. I just wished I knew if she truly was mine," he confessed looking at the picture.
"Are you sure she's still alive?" Leslie asked in a concerned voice.
"I'm not sure," Dwayne admitted. "I guess that's why I haven't started investigating yet. I'm afraid of what I'll find."
"Does Richard know?" Leslie inquired.
Dwayne shook his head, his eyes pleading as he spoke, "And please don't tell him anything about it."
Leslie nodded. Silence hung between them for a minute before Dwayne summoned the courage to continue.
"I never stopped loving her, you know."
Leslie squeezed his arm in a comforting gesture. "Have you told her?"
He nodded. "I have, but now she doesn't want to have anything to do with me. In fact she's engaged to someone else."
"So why not move on and give someone else a chance? Why not give me a chance?" Leslie asked, searching his eyes for answers.
"Because I can't just unlove someone that I've loved for over twenty years."
Leslie moved her hand from his arm, her eyes clouded with sadness. "You can't build a future if you keep holding onto the past. Especially a past that no longer has space for you."
Leslie turned and walked away.
McKenzie wasn't just his past, she was his present and his future. Now that she was back in his life, there was no way in hell he was letting her go. She was his before, and she damn sure would be his again.
No one, not Alejandro, not even Yellows, was going to change that. He was ready to fight for her, no matter the cost.