Always Wrong - Xyla Turner Page 0,51

funny, because it was one reason why I left the States. Only this woman could bring me back here. Not even my mother. We all want to find love, connection, and to belong at the end of the day. I guess even my mother befriended Elsbeth, and she gets paid.

I get it.

As promised, they were able to take the test and the next day, we were at Jeryl’s house, where it looked like the whole town was there. A sign was on the door that said Welcome. The tears began to come, but I kept her by my side as she was greeted by so many as Jeryl proudly showed her around. His other children were there, and they seemed so happy to have another sibling that lived outside the state, they said they would come to see her. They noted how fancy she was and often referred to me as the white boyfriend. I would just correct them and say white fiancé. Mostly, they just drew back and said, “Okay, white boy.” We laughed and kept meeting people and eating good food. Jeryl kept her close, and so did I. A few times she leaned in and asked if I was okay. I wasn’t sure if that was because I was literally the only white person there or because I was the only one who wasn’t family. I assured her that I was just fine and wanted to make sure she was okay.

“Oddly enough, I am perfect.” She squeezed my hand and laid her head on my shoulder.

Every day that week, Jeryl and Sheryl got together. Often it was the three of us, but there were times when I thought she might want to just connect with him. The result came back as promised, and when they gave her the results over the phone, Sheryl turned to me with tears in her eyes and said, “I knew it. Jacquez, I knew it.”

We called Jeryl and told him the news, which he received shortly after from the clinic and they decided to have another shindig. This time the whole town was invited. Sheryl didn’t have to convince me to stay one more week, as I knew she wanted to spend as much time as possible with her now official father.

One night as she drifted to sleep, she told me, “He asked about you. Asked why I hadn’t said yes to you. I told him that I did, you just didn’t remember.”

She chuckled as I went solid in the bed, but then she was gone. Completely knocked out, with little snores and all.

What the fuck was she talking about?

Chapter Seventeen

Sheryl South

The emotions that ran through me before I knew Jeryl was my father and after I knew officially was hard to explain. The fact that the deadbeat wasn’t proved that I was right, but to see this man, who looked like me and even had a familiar way about him come into that diner, I knew. People in the family I had various interactions with looked familiar and had some of the same mannerisms like me. It was the weirdest thing, but I knew it.

Jacquez was with me the whole time, and hell, I don’t know if I would have been able to get through all of that without him. He didn’t say much but stayed by my side with a hand on me always and never let me go. I don’t even know if I knew that I needed that, but he was there. I swear, I fell more in love with him, if that was even possible. When it was finally time for us to leave Indiana, Jeryl and I shared a long hug with a promise to come and visit him, along with the family to come visit me. They were so excited about coming to the big city with their cousin or sister. I was so excited for them to come as well.

When we were back at the beach house, well, both of our beach houses, Jacquez spent the night. I didn’t think anything of it until I woke up to him staring at me while I was sleeping. The sun had barely risen, and I thought the two of us would be jetlagged, but not him.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as I nabbed the glass of water on my night table.

Without any hesitancy, he asked, “Last night, you said that I had asked you for your hand in marriage and that you had already said yes, but