Page 83 of Newly Tied

“That’s so interesting. Not what I pictured at all. Tell me about him.”

I didn’t want to do that, but it looked like Lang and Sharpe were ready to tell her stories. From Lang’s hand on my shoulder, he wanted me to stay there as well. So I cheated—I looked at Etta and sighed. Loudly.

“Love?” She sounded so concerned.

“I’m sorry, but I’m about to pass out. I’m so hungry,” I said as pitifully as possible.

“Oh my goodness,” she said, taking hold of my arm. “Did you have breakfast?”

“No, ma’am.” I whimpered a bit. “Your son didn’t feed me.”

Her glare at Lang made him groan.

“Are you kidding me?”

My stomach growled then which was perfection. I couldn’t have planned it any better.

“My poor baby,” she soothed me, though I didn’t need soothing, just food. “Come with me, love. We’ll fix you a big plate with some biscuits that I put away for you.”

“There are more biscuits?” Talia asked her mother.

“For Ethan, so he sees I can feed him,” she said, beaming at the man who was smiling at her. “And for Del because you all know he’s my favorite.”

“Oh, for heaven’s⁠—”

“No,” she chastised her son. “My Lord, Lang, it’s almost one in the afternoon and you have not fed this man.”

“Mother, I am not his keep⁠—”

“Are you not? Tell me if you’re not.” She glared at him for good measure.

I tipped my head and arched an eyebrow at him.

“I am,” he grumbled, and when she turned back to me, as I was still looking at him, I caught his mouthed threat. “I’m going to murder you.”

I scoffed.

He would have come after me, but Talia caught his arm, trying not to laugh.

“Ethan, sugar, come on,” Etta called over her shoulder.

And he moved quickly because he was not a stupid man.

NINE

We stayed at the house until five, when Duke and his family left. Lang wasn’t comfortable leaving his mother with her ex, and neither was I. No amount of her saying we were being ridiculous was going to change either of our minds. Sharpe thanked us for staying because he wanted to show Talia his condo, where it was, all the great restaurants around it, and the bookstores, cafés, and yoga studio. These were, conveniently, all things she loved.

“I’ll see you at Miro and Ian’s later,” Sharpe called over to us as he was walking Talia out of the house. “Don’t forget food and a bone for a really big dog.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Really big dog, man,” he repeated.

I didn’t know if he was screwing with me or not.

Lang and I played Spades with his mother, Duke, her sisters, and some other family members for a couple of hours. Etta had taught me how to play when Lang first started bringing me over, and while the game itself was not that hard, the strategy was what took time to master. I was nowhere near his mother’s level, but I loved it whenever she complimented me.

When Selah told Duke they had to be on their way, I could tell he wanted to stay. Perhaps he didn’t have this same kind of neighborhood where people walked over to say hello and Etta told them to make themselves a plate of food. She had people in and out all day long, bringing her lots of homemade goodies, bread, pie, and muffins. Her house was one of the focal points of the neighborhood. I didn’t know if Duke was part of a close community at home. Maybe he had lots of friends there, or maybe he didn’t. Perhaps that was a piece of his old life he missed. Regardless, he lingered on the covered porch after the rest of his family said their goodbyes, leaning on one of the redbrick columns.