The compassion she spoke with cracked through his discontent. Ahmeek crossed the parking lot, and Morgan met him halfway, dropping her bag along the way as she met him with urgency.

“Don’t be mad at me,” she pleaded as she threw her arms around his waist. He kissed the top of her head, fisting her hair as he pressed her into his chest. They stood there letting the seconds of their discontent wear away, unsure of what to say but knowing exactly what they felt.

“I’m real fucking mad at you, love, I can’t lie,” he answered. She expected him to let her go, to walk away because she was no longer the perfect girl he had imagined her to be. This was the moment where he gave up on her, but instead, his hold tightened. “You can’t play with that man’s kids, Mo. The girl I love is better than this. You got to do better.”

“I know,” she whispered. It had been so long since she had been in his arms. It was freezing outside, but she didn’t feel it. The warmth he filled her with was all she recognized. She pulled back and then looked down at her feet. “I was going to give it a try. A family with Messiah. I don’t want to lie to you again, so I got to tell you everything. How it happened. How he found out. I saw him at Ethic’s, and for the first time since he’s been back, we were able to spend time together without fighting, without me being angry.”

Ahmeek pulled away, brow denting. He nodded. “That’s what it is, then, Mo,” he said. He dug in his pockets and pulled out his car keys. He took a step back.

“Ahmeek—”

“What you want me to say, Morgan? Huh? Y’all got kids. That changes shit. I can’t fault you for wanting to work that out. That’s what you felt like you needed to do earlier? So do that, Mo. Do what’s best for you.”

“You’re what’s best for me,” she said.

“And earlier when you were telling Messiah about his kids and wanting to give it a try? It was him then, right? You tell him this same shit? You cry these same tears for him?”

Meek was beyond fed up. Morgan was exhausting. Loving her was painful, and he thought he was insane because a large part of him wanted to do it anyway. Ahmeek hated that he was this attached. He had always been able to remove himself from any situation, but this one was getting the best of him. He was in too deep here. He loved this girl, loved her kids. It was excruciating to be away from them.