They knew I was there.I knew it when I stood in the doorwayand stared at them staring at me.
Darius, Lee and Eddie.
My son’s Transformer décor was in boxes in the hallway.Hisfurniture had plastic over it.The walls were mostly painted a pretty, butmasculine, blue.And there was a plethora of Target and Dillard’s bags outside,not to mention a queen mattress resting up against the wall and a new,dismantled bedframe still bound in its delivery protective wrap leaned againstit.
Where Liam’s twin bed was, I didn’t know.Just his dresserand desk were under the plastic wrap.
I ignored Eddie and Lee, looked to Darius, and ordered, “Myroom.Now.”
I also ignored Eddie and Lee glancing at each other, lipsquirking.
I marched to my bedroom.
I stood, holding the door, until Darius walked through it.
I slammed it behind him.
“So, five years, you’ve still been letting yourself in andchecking things out,” I said with false calm.
“Malia, he’s growing up, and he’s got a little kid room.He’s gotta have a growing man’s room.”
“So you decided just to show up with your buds and make thathappen without speaking to me?”
“It’s been a while,” he said cautiously, “so I see I gottaremind you that mestayin’ away—”
“Fuck that!”I shouted.
His brows drew low.“Calm down,” he growled.
“Fuck calm too,” I retorted.“You can’t waltz in here andgive your boy everything he wants—”
“Wrong,” he bit off and stabbed a finger at the wall throughwhich, beyond the guest bedroom and the upstairs bathroom was our son’s room.“Seein’ as that’s what I’m doing right fuckin’ now.”
“You made the decision it was nothing but envelopes and cashand no promises,” I reminded him.“That wasn’t me.”
“It was the hardest decision I’ve made in my goddamnedlife.”
“Seems like it was easy to me.”
“Yeah?”he grunted, eyes flashing with rage.
“Yeah,” I replied fake easily, swinging a hand out in frontof me for good measure, then settling it on my hip.
Darius watched my hand move, then his eyes sliced to myface.
I glared at him.
He scowled at me.
For the life of me, I couldn’t say who made the first move.
Though, I thought it was the both of us.
I went at him.
He came at me.
He was bigger, stronger.He had me up against the wall andthen we were kissing and tearing at each other’s clothes.
