In Love with My Enemy

by A'zayler

  Ezra smiled at the thought. “I can see you now, wearing one of my jerseys looking all extra pretty and shit.”

  Cannon laughed and continued rubbing his back. “I just love that you think I’m the prettiest girl in the world.”

  “Ain’t no thinking in that. I know that for a fact. Don’t nobody look better than you, and there’s most definitely nobody that loves me like you.”

  “I’m glad you know.” She raised her head and pulled his head backward so that she could see his face. “Stop stressing. You’re going to do amazing and I’m going to be here cheering for you the whole way. Me, Danna, Vonetta, and probably even Echo. Just embrace your blessings boo.” Cannon pecked his nose before going for his mouth.

  Ezra stood back some so that he could hold her while they kissed. Upright, with two handfuls of her body, Ezra explored her mouth with every ounce of passion he could muster without going overboard. Cannon’s body scooted subtly closer to the edge of the dresser and before either of them knew it, she was in his hands and being carried to his bed.

  “Did you lock my door?” Ezra broke their kiss to ask her.

  Cannon nodded and pulled him right back to her. “I can’t get enough of you.”

  “Who the fuck you telling?” Ezra moaned as he pushed the towel he’d been holding onto the floor.

  Cannon sat up in a hurry removing her clothing. Once she was nude again, Ezra dove face first into her loving. He’d live and die in Cannon if she’d let him. The love and warmth that he got from her made him feel like he could conquer the world.

  “Make love to me good, baby. I’m tired.” Ezra pulled away and lay on his back so that she could get on top.

  Cannon moved with urgency to connect them. The moment she did, his eyes closed and her breath left her body. Pure fucking ecstasy. The slick softness of Cannon’s body took him to another place. Somewhere where he had no problems, no cares, and no fears. Their lovemaking was intense and much needed, as always. By the time they’d finished and gotten put back together, his entire family had arrived.

  Nuke, Vonnie, and Danna were all standing around the kitchen talking to Vonetta as she finished preparing food. Karina was seated at the table spreading whipped cream on some sort of dessert, while a host of loud children ranging in ages ran around the living room.

  “Where’s Yara?” Ezra asked, making his presence known.

  All eyes went directly to him and Cannon. She was behind him, but he was sure they could see her. They all looked at him with knowing looks, but only loud mouth Danna said something.

  “Somewhere trying to enjoy being the youngest as long as she can.” Danna and Vonnie both snickered. “The way you and Cannon be going at it, she’ll be somebody’s auntie before she even turns one.”

  An array of laughter sounded throughout the kitchen, including his. Ezra was smiling guiltily as he pulled Cannon around in front of him. She was bright red and covering her face with both of her hands.

  “Don’t be embarrassed, baby. They’re just jealous because we’re in love.” Ezra pulled her hands from her face.

  “If that’s what love is, I don’t want it.” Karina shook her head. “I’m too old for all that mess y’all be doing.”

  “You better tell them.” Vonetta consigned. “I’m too big and I get too tired too fast.”

  “Maaaa,” Nuke’s face frowned as he looked at his mother in disgust. “Don’t nobody want to hear that mess.”

  “Why not?” Vonetta asked incredulously. “I have to hear about how much all of y’all be fucking, but as soon as I say something, it’s a problem? Nigga, please. How you think you got here?”

  “I know that’s right, Ma. Tell him. Ain’t nothing wrong with getting your groove back.” Vonnie chimed in.

  “Yes, the hell it is too. Mama better not be doing shit she ain’t got no business doing.” Nuke continued ranting while grabbing a slice of cornbread from the platter in front of him.

  “Boy, me and Karina are the only two old enough to be fucking. That’s the rest of y’all that ain’t got no business fucking.”

  “Who’s fucking?” Echo came walking into the kitchen with Yara thrown over his shoulder.

  The kitchen was awkwardly quiet for a second, until Danna walked to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “Your wife and your nasty sons. Not me and not Vonnie.” She smiled at her siblings as she held onto their daddy’s waist.

  Ezra smirked but only at her. He wasn’t thinking about Echo’s ass. It was obvious that she knew the rest of them weren’t going to speak to him, so she’d had to do it in a hurry. Danna was such a daddy’s girl and it angered Ezra because as much as she loved him, Echo still wouldn’t do right. That nigga came and went, not thinking twice about it. The rest of them had gotten accustomed to it, but not Danna. She still had hope for whatever reason.

  “Good. Don’t y’all be like them.” He told her before kissing the top of her head.

  “I’m good. Me and my girl getting married.” Ezra spoke before taking his seat, pulling Cannon behind him.

  Once in his seat, he pulled her down so that she was seated on his lap. The weight from Cannon’s body made Ezra fall in love. Her thickness drove him wild. As naturally as he breathed, Ezra circled her body with one of his arms as he rested the other one on the table. Echo watched him and smiled.

  “Married? When?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to see,” Vonnie was looking at him as well.

  “Whenever we feel like it.” Ezra scooted down in his chair some, holding on to Cannon so she wouldn’t lose her balance. “That way we can do it as much as we want, whenever we want.”

  “Jesus,” Karina grabbed her forehead and shook it.

  More laughter came as conversation continued. A few hours had passed before everyone was seated around the table preparing to eat. The grace had been said and everyone had just begun digging in when the doorbell rang. All heads shot up, because everyone that had been invited was there already. Vonetta moved to get it, but Ezra stopped her.

  “Sit down, Ma, I’ll get it.” Ezra was on his feet and headed to the door within seconds.

  The conversation behind him had resumed and the house was lively with interaction as he passed the small table of kids eating their food. Ezra checked the peephole before opening the door. As soon as Don came into view, he held his hand out and dapped him up.

  “What’s good, bruh? What you doing over this way?”

  “Just came to check in on my people. I heard you out of here tomorrow.” Don’s voice carried into the dining room, gaining a few of his family members’ attention.

  “Cool, well come on in. We’re just about to eat anyway.”

  Don followed Ezra after he ushered him inside and closed the door. The moment they walked into the dining room, conversation ceased.

  “Don, I didn’t know you were coming.” Vonetta smiled at him while ushering him into the chair beside her.

  “I know. I’m sorry for dropping by unannounced. I was in the neighborhood and saw all of the cars, so I stopped to wish my li’l homie well.” Don’s words were nice, but his face was anything but.

  He hadn’t taken his eyes off Echo yet. Ezra was still standing near the door for a minute, and caught the glares that were being sent his way. He wasn’t sure what that was about, and honestly didn’t care. It was probably some shady street shit anyway, so he went back to his seat and continued eating.

  “Echo, long time no see.” He spoke across the table.

  “Ye . . . yeah,” Echo cleared his throat. “You know me, I’m always sticking and moving.”

  Don nodded. “Don’t I know it. How long you around for this time? You know the streets missing you.”

  Danna’s hand went to Echo’s shoulder. “I keep telling him that. I miss you too, Daddy.” Danna smiled up at him.

  Echo looked a little unstable as he wiped his mouth with the napkin that had been in his hand. “Duty calls, sweetheart. I can’t take care of y’all the
way I do if I’m here every day.”

  “We’re grown now. We can take care of ourselves. Whatever we can’t handle, all of your workers take care of for us.” Ezra stated, unknowingly adding fuel to an already blazing fire.

  “Right! Even if we don’t want their asses to.” Danna rolled her eyes toward Don. “Him being the main one. He follows me everywhere. It’s so annoying. I can’t even talk to men because they always think I’m with him.”

  Echo coughed roughly as if he was choking on his food. Danna patted his back softly until he calmed down.

  “He follows you?”

  Danna nodded dramatically. “Everywhere. He’s such a creep. I don’t know why you hired him. I don’t need a babysitter.”

  Vonnie and Cannon both giggled at Danna’s dramatic revelations.

  Echo and Don locked eyes for a minute before they shifted from Danna to Ezra. “I’m sorry it has to be this way. This isn’t how I thought life would be for us. I really thought the choices I made in the streets were for our good.” He looked around at everyone with water in his eyes.

  Ezra was thrown completely off by the tears. He’d never known Echo to show any emotion when they were around. He was always smiling or straight faced with some sort of lecture accompanying his words. His current demeanor was anything but normal.

  “Aye, Echo, you good?” Nuke asked.

  Echo smiled and ran his hand over his face, wiping away his tears. “Yeah. Just getting a little emotional. I’ve spent so much time trying to give y’all a good life, that I’ve missed it all.” His lips trembled as he fidgeted in his seat. “All of y’all are grown up, starting your own families and shit, and I’ve missed it all.”

  Being the woman that she was, Vonetta stepped in and saved him. Her bracelets jingled when she reached across the table to hold his hand.

  “You did what you had to do. I understand, and have raised these kids damn good. Don’t be sorry, just enjoy what you have left. We know how this street shit goes.”

  “We really do, Daddy. We’re not mad.” Danna scooted her chair over so that she was lying her head on his shoulder.

  Don cleared his throat at the same time Ezra reached for Yara. Karina had just gotten up to answer her ringing phone and passed her off with a quickness.

  “Let’s just eat and enjoy each other. Tonight is a joyous occasion, our baby is going to the NBA!” Vonetta switched the mood of the room.

  Everyone cheered and expressed their congratulatory praises as they began eating again.

  “Danna, can you grab Don a plate from the cabinet?”

  Danna’s nose turned up and she rolled her eyes. “No. Don is grown. He can get it himself. He ain’t no guest.” Her tone was so nasty that Ezra had to turn and look at her.

  “Damn,” he said while trying to suppress his laughter.

  Cannon, on the other hand, didn’t find anything funny. She elbowed him and stood up instead. “I’ll get it.”

  “Thank you, Cannon, because my rude ass daughter has lost her mind.”

  Don looked at Danna and winked at her. Ezra hadn’t missed that, and would make it his business to check Don on that shit later.

  “It’s cool. Danna is always mean to me.”

  “Because I don’t like you.” She came back without missing a beat.

  Ezra, along with all his siblings and Cannon, were laughing at Danna when Karina came back in. She smiled politely at everyone before stopping on Vonetta.

  “Thanks for the invite, Vonetta, but that was my second job. They need me tonight. Somebody called out.” A sorrowful expression covered her face until she looked at Ezra. “I’m proud of you, sweetie. Go down there and live it big, my baby.”

  “Yes ma’am. Let me take your daughters with me.” He responded with a large smile on his face.

  “You can have Cannon, but I’m going to have to keep my Yara.”

  “Well just throw me to the wolves,” Cannon laughed.

  Ezra pecked her cheek quickly. “Not the wolves, baby. The Rockets. Throw you to the Rockets.”

  Everyone began laughing again before Karina excused herself once more. Echo stood behind her.

  “Let me walk you out. It’s too dark for you to be out there alone.”

  Karina nodded and the two of them exited. The room’s energy picked back up immediately with everyone conversing and eating. Well, everyone except Danna. She wasn’t as lively as she had been, but she was still talking. Ezra noticed the change in her and wasn’t necessarily sure what was going on, but he’d find out one way or another. Although he knew she most definitely wasn’t going to tell him, he also knew if he fucked Cannon good enough, she’d tell it all. With a smile on his face, he looked over at her. She’d just bit into her chicken when her eyes caught his. She smiled and Ezra winked.

  “Hurry up and eat, I need to be inside of you,” he whispered to her.

  Cannon’s smiling face was the beat to his heart. “I’m hurrying.”

  Ezra winked at her again, sealing his plan for the next day. There was no way he could go to Houston without her, she was his everything. Where he was, she would be too. That was a promise.

  18

  I promise

  The warm water rolling down both sides of her face was really starting to become irritating. No matter how hard she’d been trying to make it stop, every time she thought about leaving Ezra, Cannon’s tears started back up. Here she was for the fifty-thousandth time that month, crying! She’d been certain that she’d been preparing herself for what was to come, but clearly even the pep talks, long hugs, lovemaking, or sweet whispers Ezra rendered, was not preparation enough.

  “Come on, Mama, stop that.”

  Danna walked up and slapped Cannon’s back lightly. “Yeah, Mama, stop that shit. You act you ain’t gon’ never see the nigga no more.”

  Once again, Cannon was sniffing and wiping her face. Her tantrum resembled something like the after effect of getting a whooping. Her chest was heaving, she couldn’t catch her breath, or speak any finished words. Everything that she’d tried to get out this far had only made it half way out before her sadness overwhelmed her and tears began to flow again.

  “Cannon, baby, I’m only a couple of hours away. We can see each other all the time.”

  “Bu . . . bu . . . but we won’t thoughhhhh,” Cannon was back crying. “You’re going to go to Houston and find somebo-ahhhh,” A chopped up expression of fear revolving around Ezra dating, never finished coming out, but he and Danna both knew what Cannon had been trying to say.

  Ezra walked to Cannon and hugged her tightly. “Cannon, you have to stop this, baby. I’m not going to date anybody else, because you’re all I want.”

  “That’s because you haven’t met anyone else yet.” She wiped away the freshly rising tears. “But you’re about to be a fucking Rocket. You’re going to have all the bitches.”

  “I don’t need to meet anyone else, I already have you.” Ezra pressed his forehead to hers. “Who cares about me playing for the Rockets when it comes to the matters of my heart? Huh?” He pecked her nose. “You’re the only one that’s got that.”

  Cannon lay her head on Ezra’s shoulder, doing her best to calm down. Being wrapped in his embrace was the best thing she’d felt all day. Make that all her life. Ezra was such an addicting feeling that she wanted to do any and everything revolving around him.

  His leaving to go to Houston had put a nagging feeling in her gut since graduation and she had yet to get over it. All she could think about was how fine he was and how many other girls were going to think the same thing. It didn’t help that he was in the freaking NBA. That was about to bring a plethora of new groupies.

  “Bitch, get yourself together. You act like Ezra is going to be the only nigga that’s meeting new people? When we leave, there’s going to be niggas everywhere in Atlanta trying to get you too. You might not even want his ass in about a month or two.” Danna stood next to Ezra with a large smile on her face.

  “That shit ain�
�t happening.” Ezra told her.

  Cannon said nothing to object what Danna was saying because she didn’t feel the need to. Her stomach hurt just thinking about not being with Ezra, so she already knew she wouldn’t be entertaining any other men. She had all she wanted and needed, in him.

  “Cannon.”

  Cannon looked up at Ezra’s handsome face.

  “Don’t let Danna get you fucked up, okay? She on that bullshit because she’s brokenhearted as fuck. You ain’t. We in love, don’t let her bitter ass taint that . . . aight?”

  Cannon’s eyes wandered over to Danna before smiling. Ezra was right about her. She was brokenhearted and had been since all that shit went down with Don. Though she’d done her best to carry on a happy façade, she’d failed miserably. She’d called Cannon plenty of nights suffering behind her heartbreak, but she was making it, and Cannon was proud of her for it.

  That hadn’t been an easy pill to swallow. Which was probably the main reason for her running from man to man. Every other day there was a new man taking her somewhere, or bringing her something. Cannon and Ezra weren’t fans of Danna’s bounce back mechanism, but whatever made her feel better. Ezra still didn’t know who or what had changed Danna, but he knew it was something. Cannon did her best to detour his mind from Danna and her secret man, but any time a new man popped up, he was quickly reminded.

  “I ain’t listening to her. I only want you.”

  Ezra pecked her lips. “Good. Now stay here and be a good girl for me. If I have some time, I’ll come see back and check you out before the season starts.”

  Cannon nodded and sniffed as hard as she could to keep her tears away.

  “You got my baby situated?”

  “Yeah, Karina’s cool. She’s a little nervous about me not being there every day, but I know she’ll be fine. I’m going to prepare her as much as I can before I go.”

  A distant look was in Ezra’s eyes as he held on to Cannon’s waist. “I love you.”

  “I love you too.”