“That’s harsh,” Blake said. “It’s not her fault Dex didn’t tell her the rules.”
Saidruleswere simple. Don’t dress like the birthday girl. Period. “You’re so soft,” I grumbled. “What happened to myfuck-her-feelingssister? Oh, I know. She’s cuddling with her boyfriend right about now.”
Blake laughed. “Wrong. Because if Lennox was here, you would be on the other end of a dial tone.”
“I swear, if you hang up on me for Lennox, it’s on sight.”
“You’re always threatening me. You do realize I have a black belt. You beating my ass is kind of laughable.”
“Well, I have a sword—”
“That wouldn’t even be drawn before I kick you in the throat.”
I chuckled. “Shut up. Now, back to the matter at hand.”
“Aren’t you there yet? I’m tired of this conversation. Just buy another damn costume. It’s not that serious. You have other shit to think about right now. And why the hell did y’all pick a Marvel theme? I was Valkyrie last year, remember?”
“That’s on Duke,” I explained. “He wanted to be Deadpool.”
For our birthday, we’d decided on an MCU theme. It had taken weeks to convince Preston to go as Star-Lord so I could be Gamora. He’d been adamant against “going as that chump who basically ruined everything.” A few well-timed blow jobs did the trick, but my victory was short lived because Dexter’s date purchased the same costume even after he’d told her it was off limits. Not a good way to endear herself to me.
“Wait,” Blake said. “Deadpool? He told me he was coming as Luke Cage.”
Figures. My brother’s bright idea and he’d once again chosen to do the least work when it came to his costume. “Whatever. Forget Duke. I’ve been trying to get Dex to give me ol’ girl’s number so I can call her, and he keeps telling me no.”
“I don’t blame him. You’ll scare her away.”
With a frown, I glanced at my phone. “I had to check and see if I was talking to the right sister. You’re sounding suspiciously like Bliss.”
“Girl, stop.” Blake giggled. “Fine. Let’s call the girl and cuss her ass out. Better?”
I hit the speakerphone button on my phone, turned off my car, and dug around my purse for my keys. “Shit,” I murmured when my finger brushed against something wet. I pulled out my almost empty bottle of hand sanitizer. “Oh damn. My Purell spilled in my bag.”
“Ugh, I hate that,” Blake said. “Anyway, I’ll handle Dex’s boo. I’ll see him this weekend at the food pantry, and I think he’s bringing her. If he does, I’ll make it very clear that Gamora is not who she wants to be at this party.”
Recently, my brother had started dating a woman we went to college with. He seemed to genuinely like her, but none of us did. Which didn’t bode well for any relationship. Even Duke didn’t care for her and had voiced his disapproval loud as hell. I couldn’t stand her either. And I suspected my mother had reservations about her too, but she rarely ever got involved in our romantic lives unless there was some sort of abuse going on.
I scanned the area in front of Preston’s house. His truck was parked in the driveway, but it didn’t look like he was home. I needed to talk to him sooner than later. “Thanks,” I said.
“If she’s not there, I don’t mind telling Dex I can’t stand his bougie-ass girlfriend,” Blake added. “Well, I don’t mind saying that even if she’s standing right there.”
“That’s even better.” I looked in my purse again.Finally. I pulled out my keys. “So, have you thought about Secret Santa this year because I was thinking—”
“Oh, Lennox is here,” she interrupted. “I promised him I would be naked and bent over the couch when he got home. Call you later. Let me know how it goes. Bye, Sissy.”
Before I could respond, she’d ended the call. Laughing to myself at my sister’s antics, I got out of the car and walked to the front door. It smelled like fresh-cut grass, which meant he’d once again mowed the lawn. It appeared he’d been in some sort of competition with one of his neighbors. Every time he noticed they’d cut their grass,hecuthisgrass; and vice versa.
Preston had moved in last month, and I’d spent a fair amount of time at his new home. I loved it here. I loved him. That love was so pure, so real, it took my breath away when I thought about him.
My father had been right about stepping up to bat and hitting the ball out of the park. Because once I’d declared my love for him,to him, things had changed for me. It was like those three words had unlocked something inside of me. Loving him and allowing him to love me had been the best choice. I didn’t regret it.
In the short time since we’d made it official, we’d traveled, taken walks, held hands, kissed each other hello and goodbye—even in public—and just enjoyed each other. My work life had changed too. While my job was still important to me, work didn’t supersede Preston and the life we were building together. Even now that I was a full member of Color of Law, I’d set hard boundaries on my time so that I could be free to do other things—sometimes with my family, other times for self-care, but mostly time with him. I’d teased Blake earlier about her and Lennox, but I’d ended a few calls prematurely myself for very good, very satisfying reasons. I didn’t regret that either.
I unlocked the front door. “Preston?” I stepped into the house and tossed my purse onto a chair. After I locked the door and took off my coat, I kicked my shoes off and padded through the kitchen into the sunroom overlooking the river. “Pres—?” I gasped.
In the middle of the floor was a fort. White sheets hung from the ceiling above a bed of pillows and a thick down comforter. String lights and the glow of battery-operated candles set the mood.
“What do you think?”
