Two mornings later, my doorbell rang. I opened both doors—necessary when you wanted to appear open while someonegot real with you. The arrogant smirk that tugged at my lips fell at the sight of the wrong woman. I mean, Adelle was fine, but she wasn’t Zuri-level fine. She didn’t make me fall for her mind. Could she tell a joke? Could she satiate the ache that came crawling?—
“Hey, Montana.” Adelle’s gaze sucked me in, ready to pass a good time.
“Why you here?” My land had more private property signs than a prison yard. Gates on gates. “How you know where I live?”
“Genèse—”
“Bet.” I nodded, planning my cousin’s funeral. I scrubbed the back of my neck. “Look, ever since high school, we linked up fresh off a breakup.”Her breakups. Not mine.“You said you didn’t want to be tied down, remember?”
Adelle’s smile slipped. “I was seventeen, Montana.”
My momma would light me up if she heard this, not because of Adelle. She always told me just to not play with nobody’s daughter. And truth was? I’d been lying to myself for years, thinking I wasn’t the bad guy.
There were freaks. Some of ‘em acted like they ain’t never had no daddy.
There were good girls like Zuri.
Then there were women like Adelle … who never set the bar. Never said she wanted more. And I didn’t step up.
It was time to step up now. Couldn’t let Big Country keep acting a fool.
I swallowed. “I’m sorry,bébé. I care too much for Zuri.”
Her whole face dimmed, right before I eased the doors shut.
Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang again.
I muttered curses, dropped the remote, and proceeded to the entrance.
I flung the doors open without checking, and my expression could’ve murdered someone. Then I cleared my throat. “Momma?—”
“Why you invite thatsorcièreover, huh?”
Damn, over here calling the woman a sorceress. I held up my hands. “I didn’t?—”
“I bring Zuri and thebébéhome, and we see her driving off. I coulda snatch her face. Her whole face.”
I had to juggle this like double Dutch. Jump in when safe. “Momma … I ain’t invite Adelle. She appeared.”
“Oh, she appeared? This a magic show? Poof! She appear in ya living room with red lipstick after you got snappy with Zuri?Non, non.”
I stuttered, fumbling like a rookie at bat. “I-I?—”
“Hush!Ya nonhave nothing to say. I’m the momma. Ya think I care about whatchu say, because ya make those home runs? Oh … ‘Big Country’ bringing jezebel spirits in the house, not yah?”
I winced.
“Don’t play with me. Ya have Zuri sidelined for asorcière.” She sighed, then stepped past me, strolling into the kitchen.
“Momma, you want a cold drink?” I rushed forward, smiling. “Swamp juice?”
She sat on the stool, leaned her elbows onto the marble ledge, and massaged the back of her neck.
“Momma,bébé, you ain’t supposed to put your elbows on the table.”
Her eyes turned to slits.
No jokes, it is.
