I shrugged. “How do you know I don’t?”
“Because if you did, you wouldn’t be here.” He licked those dark tinted lips, sending straight heat across my flesh.Shit, I should have taken my ass home.
I shrugged in recovery. “And how do you know that?”
“Because if you were mine, your ass wouldn’t be out at this time of night keeping no nigga company. I run a strict program, Greene with an e.”
The last part of his statement earned a smirk from me. “Well good thing I know nothing about your program, huh?”
“Yeah, sure, good thing.”
I rolled my eyes at the way he responded. “What about you though? Why are you traveling, looking for fulfillment alone during the holidays?”
“Simple. Everybody isn’t as genuine as they come off when they want something from you. Here, I don’t feel like that. Here feels like home.”
I nodded like I knew what he meant. Before anything else could be said between us, a silent but powerful vibration had me reaching into my pocket. When I pulled my phone out, I realized it was a FaceTime request from my son’s iPad. That alone had me eyeing the time. Because why in the hell was he even up?
I clicked the green circle on the screen, waiting for his face to come into view. “Ethan Osef Harris, why are you still up?”
“Because Mommy, you didn’t call me. You always call.” His little voice was so worried that I smiled. My baby thought he ran me.
“I’m grown, Ethan, but I’m sorry, baby. I ended up having dinner with your auntie. Now, you need to be asleep and off this tablet.” I hated that my sister had bought him an iPad for his birthday, because I swear he called me every time I wasn’t in his sight.
“I know, Mommy. I love you.”
“I love you too, baby boy.” We hung up about a second later and I could feel Hudson’s eyes before I even looked up at him. When I looked up, I couldn’t read his expression.
“My son, Ethan. The only program I’m part of that’s strict.” I laughed at my own joke and he joined in.
“How old is he?”
“Six.” I shook my head, thinking about how much older Ethan acted. He spent so much time with his grandfather I was convinced that’s where it came from.
“Damn. I didn’t see that on you.”
I shrugged. “Kinda my surprise attribute.”
“Hell yeah it is. You thirsty?” He turned his back on me and opened the fridge.
“Yeah, what do you have?” I moved toward the island to see.
“Versai stocked the shit out of this refrigerator. So, some of everything. Water, juice, Coke, Sprite, Pepsi.”
“I’ll take cold water.”
He turned around and slid the cold bottle across the counter. “So, your kid’s father, is he local?”
“No. I met him when I was off at school.”
“Where did you go to school?”
“Arizona State, you?”
“Georgia State for most of it. I went to the league after,” he responded, throwing me for a whole loop because what league?
“The league? What do you mean?” My confusion had to be plastered across my face because now he was smiling.
Chapter 3
