Her eyes widened. “What? Why?”
“Too much time to think. Too much quiet. I preferred being at the studio. Hearing the kids and their parents’ voices in the background. I just needed . . . wanted to stay busy.” I looked at her pretty ass across the table. “But you got me reconsidering everything.”
She blushed.
“If slow Saturdays mean rubbing up on you like I did this morning, I’m about to rework the studio’s entire schedule. We closed on Saturdays from here on out.”
Her laughter floated into the atmosphere, causing me to grin.
“What is it about you, E? How’d you bring me back to life? How you got me so fucking open for you in just a few months?”
“I don’t know. But I hope you don’t change up on me.”
I shook my head. “Never that.” I heard my phone ring in the distance. “Damn, I left my phone in the bedroom, and I’m expecting a call from Smitty. His mother went back into the hospital.”
“Dang.” She gave me the pouty face. “If that’s him, tell him that I’m praying.”
I stood from the table and walked to the bedroom. I smirked at the fact that the bed was now made. She must’ve done that while I was getting the food from the delivery driver. I grabbed my phone and checked the text messages. The message wasn’t from Smitty. It was from my wireless company, letting me know that my bill was ready. That damn bill was ready the day after I paid it every single month. I huffed out a sigh and headed back to the kitchen. On the way to the kitchen, I noticed Eastley heading to the front door. I followed her.
I didn’t like her answering the door when I was home. I was her protector. I liked to answer the door and make sure no danger came her way. Besides, she didn’t need to be answering the door in what she was wearing. It was a T-shirt and shorts. The way my baby’s body was set up, that shit fit her like a glove and didn’t leave enough to the imagination for my liking.
She opened the door, but I couldn’t see who was there, because her body was blocking the doorframe. When she turned around and our eyes met, hers were wild. I closed the distance to the door in three steps and blinked about fifteen times in a row when I realized it was my in-laws.
What the hell were they doing at my door? “Mom? Dad?” I was confused as hell.
“Hi, Quentin.” My mother-in-law’s tone was terse. “Who is this?”
“Hey, Q. We’re sorry to stop by unannounced like this. Clearly, you have something going on. We’ll call you and—” My father-in-law jumped in, but his wife cut him off.
“No, we want to know who this half-dressed woman is that answered your door,” my mother-in-law insisted.
“That’s none of our business, Monique.”
“Yes, it is, DeVaughn. To show up at our son-in-law’s house only to have some half-dressed woman answer the door? We have questions, and he needs to have answers.”
“Answers for what? He’s a widower, Monique. He’s single. He can date. Teagan is gone.”
“What are y’all doing here?” I was still stuck on them being at my door unannounced.
Monique rolled her eyes. “Did you forget that Teagan’s birthday is week after next?” Before I could respond, she kept talking. “I mean, did you forget while you’re running around here laying it low and spreading it wide?”
“Monique!” DeVaughn’s voice held a warning.
Monique broke down in tears. “He’s supposed to love her forever, DeVaughn. Not have some—” The rest of her thought dissolved into tears.
“Excuse me,” Eastley said, then bolted from the doorway.
DeVaughn looked over his wife’s head at me as he comforted her. “I’m sorry, Q. We really should’ve called first, and in the future, we will.”
I watched in shock as he ushered her down the walkway toward their car in my driveway.
What the entire fuck?
Eastley and I had spent the entire morning chilling, but the visit from my in-laws immediately killed the vibe. She’d gone into the guest bedroom, and to be honest, I’d been a little embarrassed to face her. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want Eastley to be hurt or worried about her place in my life. But Ialso didn’t want to have to downplay or minimize what Teagan meant to me. The whole shit felt like a no-win situation to me. All I could do was hope that none of those ill feelings carried over into lunch with my father.
A few hours later, Eastley met me in the living room. She looked beautiful in a colorful sundress with her hair pulled up into a ponytail.
“Hey.” I held out my hand. She crossed the room to me and took it. I opened her hand and kissed her palm. “I apologize if you felt unprotected or exposed by Teagan’s parents this morning.”
