“Hey, baby girl,” Duke said. “You’re here early.”
“I came with Dad.” Raven shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Are y’all,” she motioned between me and Duke, “getting it in?”
The vein in Tristan’s neck bulged out and he balled his hands into fists. “Bubbles, why don’t you go downstairs? I’ll be down in a minute.”
Raven crossed her arms over her chest. “Dad, I’m grown as hell. I don’t need to stay in a kid’s place. Clearly, Demi looks like she’s been caught slippin’. I just asked a question.”
Duke cleared his throat. “Do you really want to know the truth?”
“Obviously.” Raven hunched a shoulder. “I asked.”
“Duke,” I warned.
“There is something going on here,” Duke explained. “I know you think that Demi and your father are going to end up together. But, nah… That’s not gonna happen.”
I blinked, whirling around to face Duke. “What?”
Duke tipped his chin up. “Raven told us she hoped you and Tristan could be together.”
Looking at Raven, I asked, “Really?”
Raven shot her father a sidelong glance. “Umm, yeah. Looks like Dad got beat to the punch, though. His loss. Uncle Duke, are you making breakfast?”
“What do you want?” Duke asked.
“Anything you make is good.” Raven patted his shoulder. “Alright. I’m out.” She walked away without another backward glance.
When she disappeared down around the corner, I muttered, “That was awkward.”
“Hell yeah,” Asa said, drinking the milk out of his bowl. “I’ma get dressed so I can eat breakfast. I think you should fix shrimp and grits, bruh.”
“I got you,” Duke said.
Asa closed his door, leaving the three of us in the hallway. We stood in silence for a moment, before Duke said, “I’ll give you your minute.”
I smiled up at him. “Thanks.”
Finally, I was alone with Tristan. I swallowed. “I hate that this happened.”
“Are you happy?” he asked.
His question caught me off guard. I half expected us to continue our heated conversation. “Yeah. I am.”
“Duke, huh?”
“Yep,” I confirmed. “I want to say I’m totally surprised, but I’m not.”
“I’m not either,” he confessed. “I do have eyes.”
It was the same thing Ma had told me. And the sisters. “I really do care for you. But you know that we would’ve never worked out. In hindsight, I knew it too.” For so long, I’d had a singular goal.Be with Tristan. As I grew into a woman, I’d tried to hold on to that teenage fantasy. Maybe because it felt like a safe space, because I instinctively knew it would never happen. The reasons didn’t matter now. My heart was clear, and it beat for only one brother.Duke.
“You’re falling for him,” Tristan said.
“Notfalling.”
Tristan let out a slow breath. “I guess that’s all that matters, then.” He brushed his lips over my brow. “I never wanted to hurt you.”
“Yeah, well… you did. But I’m not mad at you anymore. You did me a favor by stepping off that pedestal I put you on. Because now, I’m free.”
