Necessity

Chapter Seventeen

I took the rest of the weekend to think about my discussion with Jacob the other night and after a lot of consideration, I decided that I wanted him to meet Deon. I feel like we're at the stage in our friendship where we can tell each other just about anything! He had already been so open with me about some of his darkest moments like his mother's passing, his drug addiction, his near death experience. And he's helped me through my latest dark moments as well. Of course I know that I don't owe it to him to let him meet Deon but it is starting to feel weird that he hasn't already.

As I parked in front of Chresanto's house ready to pick up our son, I suddenly became anxious for I knew that as Deon's father I would have to run the idea by him first. I recalled how he had completely flown off the handle after seeing Jacob's text on my phone back in Orlando. I couldn't even begin to imagine how he would react to me asking his blessing for Deon to meet him, especially now that Jacob and I are sleeping together. I could only hope that he would be rational about this.

I got out of the car making my way to the front door and then I rung the bell. After a longer wait than usual, Chresanto finally opened the door and by the looks of it he was getting ready to go somewhere. All he had on was a pair of slacks, socks, and a tank top. Probably a business meeting.

"Hey, he's been asleep for about an hour. You can chill here until he wakes up or just take him. It doesn't matter. Just make sure you get Mabel to lock the door behind you," he said in a rushed tone as he headed back toward the stairs. "I gotta finish getting dressed, I have a meeting in an hour"

I was surprised that he offered to let me stay awhile. Normally, it would just be a quick exchange. But staying here is the last thing I would ever do. Too many memories. I can barely handle standing in the foyer right now without thinking of how many times Chres and I had made love in this very spot. I closed the front door behind me and followed him upstairs. I needed to talk to him about Jacob now or I knew I would never ask. As I walked down the hallway toward his bedroom, what was once our bedroom, I saw him hurriedly putting on a white button-up over his tank top.

"Chres, I know you're in a bit of a rush but I needed to talk to you about something real quick. It's important."

"Okay," he said not slowing down on my account. "What's wrong?"

"What's the...rule on Deon meeting new people?" I asked stepping into the room.

Chresanto briefly looked up at me as he sat down on the edge of the bed preparing to put on his shoes.

"You mean like a playmate or something?"

"No, like if I had a friend that I wanted to start bringing around Deon."

"That's fine. I don't need to vet them or anything. Is it one of your girlfriends at work or something?"

Part of me wished it was. That would be a lot easier to explain than telling him the real truth. In fact, for a split second I considered telling Chresanto that it was just a girlfriend to make this whole thing easier. But I knew if the tables were flipped, I would want to know who my son is around. Especially if it was someone Chresanto was pursuing romantically.

"Actually, it's a guy...," I said letting my voice trail off.

Chresanto finished tying his shoes and then sat up straight. I had his full attention now.

"Who is it?" he asked raising a brow at me.

Here we go.

"His name is Jacob."

The second the name left my lips, I could see Chresanto's face change in a way that let me know that he was recalling the day he saw Jacob text me. And the huge argument that ensued the following night over that same text. But now, Chresanto was silent and I was hoping that he wasn't considering not letting Deon meet Jacob out of spite. After a few more seconds of not saying anything, he stood up and began tucking his shirt into his pants.