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“If he changes his mind, would you take Theo to see him?” Quinton asked.
“As much as I would hate to do it, I don’t think it would be right to keep Theo away from him.”
“How much time does he have left?”
“Just two more years. I’ll worry about the family reunion then.”
“You plan on reuniting with him too?”
“Hell no. I was done with him before he went down the road. He kept promising to get out of the game. All the while, he was getting deeper and deeper. We were broken up for close to a year before he got locked up. We’re done, but he was a good dad. I hate that Theo’s missing so much precious time with him. That’s the number one thing I didn’t want for my son in the first place.”
“That’s exactly why I left the game. I realized that I was all Victor had. If something happened to me, what the hell would happen to him. I couldn’t risk my boy going into the system. I put all my focus in getting my shit together.”
“Eight years later, here we are,” I said, waving my hand around the room.
“I’ve never once thought about looking back either.”
“Well, if no one else has ever told you, I’m proud of you,” I said.
“Thank you. I have to say the same to you. You turned your situation around, and now you’re your own boss. That’s one of the things I admire about you. That’s also why I would never let you sit around worrying about how to pay me, even if I wasn’t your man.”
“I have a hard time accepting things without trying to figure out what I need to do in return.”
“We already agreed that you’re going to repay me by staying posted up outside.”
“Quinton, that’s you doing something for me again.”
“That’s for both of us. I get a cinnamon roll and hot chocolate on the house every morning, and you get to see my fine ass every day.”
I burst out laughing. Quinton’s comment was funny, but maybe he was right. I hadn’t seen a loss since I’d changed locations. Actually, I sold out earlier than ever a few days since I’d been there. Quinton leaned over and kissed my cheek before standing.
“Let me check on the weather. It’s been about forty-five minutes.”
“OK.” I nodded, watching as he crossed the room to look out the window.
“It looks like it’s clearing up. You ready to go? I know you’re ready to take a shower and wind down because I am.”
“Definitely. I gotta go get the boys and get them ready for bed.”
“Well come on. I’ll follow you home.”
“If it’s clear, you don’t have to do that. I know better than to try to argue with you at this point, though,” I said as I stood.
“Good. I love a fast learner.” He winked.
That simple gesture made my cheeks warm. I had already had sex with the man, so why was I still so turned on by him? As we headed out the door, I realized that I would actually miss him once I was back home alone, looking crazy. I almost considered asking if he wanted to come over, but I needed some time to myself to process what had happened between us. Once we were in the garage, Quinton opened my car door for me.
“Your truck is safe here if you want to park it in the garage after hours every night,” he offered.
“Thank you. I usually open really early though. I don’t want you to have to get up to meet me to let me out.”
“I get that. Either way, it’s safe here. I have plenty of cameras, even on the outside of the garage.”
“OK then, I think that might be a good idea.”
“Let me let the doors up, then I’ll meet you in the parking lot. Don’t try to speed off and leave me.”
That made me laugh, but I definitely understood why he would say that. I didn’t take any and everybody to my house. Quinton wasn’t just anybody. I wasn’t sure who he was yet, but I could admit that I liked him.
