Page 213 of 4 Corinthians

“I get it, trust me,” Cross agreed. “I have something for you to look at. Once he’s asleep, FaceTime me so I can show you, and you can decide what you want to do.”

“Thanks,” Cori said. “Bye.”

“Later.”

I listened as Cross left and then relaxed. My family was here, safe, and I needed the rest because when I opened my eyes, I had shit to do.

I don’t know how much time had passed by the time I started hearing Cori talk to Judah. I could feel Cori’s body pressed against mine, and Judah was at my feet again. The soft scent of Cori’s body wash filled my lungs, and I could feel Judah tapping against my ankle.

“A mini pug,” Judah said. “They don’t get big.”

“That’s too small,” Cori laughed. “Plus, they look mean.”

“I don’t want a girlie-looking dog, Mama,” he said. “I want a mean one, even if it is small.”

“A mini poodle,” Cori countered. “December can train it. Like he did Mahogany’s.”

“Kitten is lazy,” Judah grunted. “Focus is always saying all that dog does is eat and sleep. How about a cane corso?”

“Too damn big,” she said and shook her head. “Small, Judah DeCorte.”

“All the small dogs are girlie,” he laughed. “A golden retriever.”

“Too much damn hair.”

“French bulldog?”

“They have breathing issues,” she told him.

“How do you know?” Judah skeptically asked.

Even though Cori said no to a dog, I knew she’d been doing research for the perfect dog for him. She was keen on pets that required a lot of work, and Judah was still little, so she knew that responsibility would fall mainly on us for a while. I didn’t mind, but I loved the fact that she wasn’t just saying no and leaving it alone. She knew how much this meant to Judah and wanted to ensure that what they did would suit his temperament and lifestyle.

“I’m a mama; I know everything,” she answered.

“You sure?”

I slowly opened my eyes to see Judah sitting at the end of my bed. He wore black pajama pants, a black tank top, tall black socks, and a durag. Seeing my boy brought tears to my eyes. He looked like he had grown overnight, and I swear my eyes were playing tricks on me, and he even had a little beard coming in.

“Positive,” Cori replied. “There’s nothing that gets past me.” Cori pushed up from my side and stretched her arms over her head. “Now come on, let me get you situated so you can get some sleep.”

“I’m not sleepy,” Judah said as he climbed off the bed. I watched as Cori walked him over to the bathroom. Judah protested, but he did what she asked him. “I said I would stay up while you sleep.”

“I take care of you, Judah, not the other way around,” she said, then kissed the top of his head. “Now go brush your teeth and then lie down. You stayed up late enough.” She closed the bathroom door, then leaned against it and dropped her head. Her shoulders were tense, and her breathing was deep.

“Why you ain’t sleeping, Cori?” I asked. My voice was hoarse as shit and sounded rough to my ears.

Cori's head quickly lifted and her eyes watered as she stared at me. “You’re awake?” she asked softly.

I licked my lips and nodded. “Yeah,” I said, then cleared my throat. “Now answer my question. Why you not sleeping?”

“Because the love of my life decided to use his body as a shield and got shot,” she answered. Her tears freely fell from her eyes, and she bit into her bottom lip.

I didn’t know where I was shot, so I moved slowly and adjusted the bed so that I was sitting up. Once I was situated, I licked my lips again. “Come here.” She did what I asked and crossed the room. “Get in the bed.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” she said, shaking her head. “The doctor needs to check you out.”

“You been laying with me anyway, right?” I asked, and her brows damn near touched. “I could hear you talking.”