“Zio… why would you do that?” she choked.
“I’m over thirty years old, Sky,” I said, calm but firm. “And I’m too grown to be playing house in the dark. I know you’re scared. But I don’t want to play games with my heart or my time. Or yours.”
She opened her mouth, ready to fight, but I cut her off.
“Eat your food,” I said. “And just listen.”
She hesitated, then picked up the fork.
“I got a big family,” I continued. “I got friends. I want them to meet you. I want to spend Valentine’s Day with you—have dinner, exchange gifts. I want to spend the fourteen days leading up to Valentine's with you like a couple. I want to send you a corny 'be my Valentine' text the day before... to wake up with you on February 15th, smelling like your pussy, and the 16th.”
"I don't know if I can do that," she finally said.
I nodded, just to appease her. “I feel you, but this is an ultimatum. Tomorrow, my friends are having dinner. Xavier—he owns some properties with his wife, Ivy. They have a beachside house in Clearwater. I want you to go with me.”
“And if I don’t?”
“We’ll reassess what we have.” It was hard, but I had to put my foot down.
“What does reassess mean, Zio?”
“It means I might have to find somebody else to—” I stopped myself. Not because I didn’t mean it. I wanted her to feel the words. “—to give my heart to,” I finished. “Because I can’t keep pretending what we have doesn’t matter.”
The room went still. Olivia Dean sounded louder.
“Alexa, stop music.”
Sky looked furious. Terrified. And soft in a way she hated.
“You’re serious about this?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t have put my momma in it if I wasn’t.”
She laughed, then pressed her palm to her forehead. “Why are you changing the rules suddenly?”
“I’m not changing them,” I said. “I outgrew them.”
She looked down at her plate like it might explode.
“I want to give you time to think, Sky. I love you. Call me tomorrow morning and let me know.”
“You're not staying?” she pouted.
It killed me to say no. I shook my head. If I had stayed, we would have fucked and she would have had the upper hand. She wasn't going to be getting any dick from me—not until she made up her mind. I needed her to feel how cold her bed would be without me. I set my plate on the table, picked up my keys, and left her sitting there pouting.
In the parking lot, I stood at my car for a second, looking at her window, wondering if she was still pouting or if she was finallycrying. Either way, the ball was in her court. I loved her, but I loved myself enough to not keep playing with my own feelings.
Chapter three
Sky
February second
The sun wasn’t even up yet but I was wide awake. My room was heavy with the aftertaste of crying and the smell of weed smoke. I had spent the last eight hours pacing the length of my apartment, cursing Zio’s ass out until my throat felt like I’d swallowed glass.
How dare he bring his mother into this? How dare he walk out on me like I was the one who had been wasting his time on purpose? I thought we had an understanding.
I picked up the phone. I hit the contact for the one person who usually made the world make sense. The phone rang.
