“Don’t be sad. I’m a grown man with a good life.”
“I’m not crying for the man you are now. My tears are for the little boy you once were. Mikey had no power, no real home, nothing. That little boy deserves my sympathy, even if the man he became isn’t bothered by what was stolen from him.”
“That’s very poetic, but I don’t like it when you cry.”
“I don’t like it, either. It stuffs up my nose and makes my face blotchy,” Elle said and patted my hand. “Am I still fuckable?”
Smirking at how she was letting the uncomfortable moment pass for my sake, I nodded at her question.
“If you genuinely feel bad for me and want to make my life easier, promise you won’t exert yourself today. Only do the small shit like putting dishes away. Don’t pick up anything. If you’re tired, sit down and put your feet up.”
Sensing Elle wasn’t taking my request seriously, I added, “Because if you don’t, I will be focused on you instead of York. This is his first real house since he nearly died in the military. The guy has been stagnant in his life for years. He’s finally moving forward. That’s where my head should be, but I can’t do that if I’m worried about you.”
“Aww, you care about people,” Elle cooed, full of mockery. Yet, I could see in her still wet gaze how she understood today was important to me. “I want to help you make today good for York, so I promise to be lazy.”
I appreciated how Elle wanted to know my people. We might still be dancing around an actual relationship, but there was no doubt she valued the men I rode with.
Kissing her softly, I found myself wondering what I was capable of as a man. I hadn’t minded keeping my dick dry while I remained fixated on Elle. I had adjusted to the idea of fatherhood. Yesterday, I’d let myself look weak in front of my guys.
As I drove to York’s new house, Elle talked about Cher’s upcoming birthday party at the Sorority House. She was clearly hinting for my guys and me to ride to Little Memphis to join the celebration.
Taking a large group of guys to Arkansas seemed insane when trouble could be around every corner. Logically, I needed to stick close to home for a while and keep an eye on shit.
But I still agreed to visit Little Memphis because going weeks without seeing Elle just wasn’t an option.
ELLE
Zodiac and I arrived at York’s house to find the move underway. I promised him again how I’d chill out, so he could focus on his friends. Zodiac still checked on me repeatedly throughout the afternoon.
While I was lazy, Lula organized the kitchen with Alabama. Sutter, Skylar, and Lyric played on the backyard’s swing set left over from when the girls lived here.
I sensed Nova might be sad over her former house’s changing décor, so I asked her about the updates she made. That kept her busy for a few hours. She’d apparently redone the entire house.
“If you ever want to start a business, maybe you could do house rehabs,” I suggested as we joined the kids outside. “You’re really smart about home repair.”
“Do you think I should get a job?”
“You already have a job, don’t you? I thought you took care of the houses for Lula.”
“That’s not a real job. I live in the houses, so it’s just me taking care of my homes.”
“You need to own your awesome qualities more. Be a diva. It’s fun.”
Nova smiled. “Does being a diva help you deal with Zodiac?”
“Yes, like today with his foster mom stinking up the world with her presence. If I were less diva-like, she might have upset me. But my sass acted as armor against the wig-wearing infected toe.”
“Was she mean to you?”
“I don’t care what a random bitch says to me. But the fact that she still comes around just to hound Zodiac pisses me off.”
“When she had surgery on her knee, he showed up as she was leaving the hospital to smile smugly and jog in place. Exile said they like to torment each other.”
“Zodiac’s all messed up.”
“Is he sweet to you?”
“Yes. He bought me snacks for his apartment. He also let me hold the remote this morning,” I murmured before adding, “He wouldn’t let me push the buttons, though. Baby steps, I guess.”
