I rolled my eyes at her calling me “little man.”I was easily six inches taller than any of them, even when they were in heels.According to some pediatrician’s prediction when I was younger, I was going to be at least a few inches taller than my dad before I was done growing.
London: Stop being such a crybaby bitch, Gen.Sixx, are you taking good care of our daisy girl?
Me: She’s sleeping.
Aubree: Send updates on how she is feeling.
Mom: I’m sending a care package via DoorDash.All her favorite bland-ish foods that will be gentle on her stomach.Give her a hug for me.
Over ten minutes passed before I got another text.
Mom: Kassa just messaged me.
Mom: She said Sixx was Caprice’s ride today.
Aubree: Suuuuurrrrre.
Gen: They both need to stop living in the land of delulu.
London: Last I checked, that little girl has her own car.And other friends she can ride with.
Gen: Our boy is not responsible for her transportation.
Mom: All key facts I pointed out to Kassa.Emphatically.
I could imagine how that conversation had gone.Kassa and Mom became more enemies than friends with each passing year.Kassa was a good person, but she had her moments, and those moments typically came from either ignoring boundaries or thinking her children could do no wrong.Although the latter had more to do with Caprice than Bentley.
Ali whined in her sleep, and I tucked her closer, kissing the top of her head.
Me: I’m putting my phone on DND so your texts don’t wake Ali.Love you.
Mom: Love you.Make smart choices.
London: Love you.Drive safely.
Gen: Love you.DO NOT GIVE ME THAT VIRUS.
Aubree: Love you, bud.See you at breakfast tomorrow.
Sixx
At some point,I fell asleep, only to wake up to Ali lying on top of me, squirming to find the perfect spot.Cock hard as a steel beam, I flipped her onto her back.She was sick, and there would be no playing around until she was feeling better.Fuck, she wasn’t even awake, but that never stopped her from reacting to me.
Ali gasped, and her eyes snapped open, confusion mixing with her pretty pout.But as the sleep fog faded, tears filled her eyes.“You’re here.”
“Always, baby.I told you I was on my way.”Brushing a few locks of hair from her face, I tangled my fingers around the strands, unconsciously pressing my lower body into her thigh.A little whine escaped her, the sound causing me to lock my jaw until I was confident I had regained control of myself.“Sleep has brought a little color back into your cheeks.How are you feeling?”
“A lot better now that I’ve got you.”Blinking away the wetness in her eyes, she gave me that soul-stealing smile.“I missed you.”
“Missed you too, daisy girl.”I touched my lips to the tip of her nose and shifted us on her queen-sized bed to keep from being molded to her, putting a few inches between our bodies so I didn’t lose control.A glance at the digital clock on her nightstand showed that it was past dinnertime.“Is your stomach up for some food?Mom said she was sending you a care package, something on the bland side.”
Her stomach rumbled in response, and I stood.“I’m going to go see what was delivered.Do you want to eat here or downstairs?”
Biting her lip, she shrugged.“I’m okay with whatever.”
“Let me see if Hayat and Abi are in the living room.If they’re not, we can camp out on the couch and watch TV.If they are, we’ll eat here.”She gave me another smile and a nod, rolling out of bed to stand in front of me.
Her teeth sank into her bottom lip, scraping it raw.Those tears that never failed to gut punch me were all dried up, but I saw something in her eyes that triggered the itch in my brain again.“Ali?”
