Page 47 of Love At Close Range

“You expecting somebody?” Lennox asked.

“No,” I answered as I headed toward the front of the house.

Rhyse hopped down like he planned to follow me, but I looked back at him and pointed toward the kitchen. “Stay right there.”

He stopped, and Lennox glanced over at him. “You heard your mama.”

Rhyse dropped back onto the stool and shook his head. “Damn, both of y’all bossy.”

“Rhyse,” Lennox and I said at the same time.

He pressed his lips together, but the smile he was trying to hide gave him away. I shook my head as I walked toward the front door, and for the first time since telling Rhyse the truth, some of the weight sitting on my chest had finally started to ease.

I reached the door and looked through the peephole. The feeling disappeared immediately when I saw Dorian standing on the other side. My hand stayed on the door as my stomach tightened, and behind me, I heard Lennox get up from the stool. Whatever little bit of peace had finally settled over the house disappeared just as fast.

17

Reiana

My hand stayed on the doorknob after I looked through the peephole and saw Dorian standing on the other side. Out of everybody who could have knocked on my door tonight, he was probably the last person I wanted to deal with, especially after everything that had already happened. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Lennox standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

Dorian barely greeted me before his eyes shifted toward the driveway. “Whose truck is that outside?” he asked as he looked past me like he was already trying to figure out who was in my house. When I didn’t immediately answer, his eyes came back to me and his forehead creased. “Reiana, whose truck is that?”

“Damn, hello to you too,” I replied.

Dorian ignored the comment and stepped forward as he entered the house and looked toward the kitchen. I followed his line of sight and saw Lennox standing in plain sight while Rhyse remained near the island… watching everything.

Dorian’s whole expression changed when he saw them together. His eyes moved from Lennox to Rhyse before turning back toward me. “What the fuck is going on?” he demanded as he pointed toward the kitchen. “And who the fuck is that nigga?”

Before I could answer him, Lennox looked toward Rhyse and nodded toward the stairs. His voice stayed calm when he told him, “Go to your room for me. I’ll come get you when we’re done out here.”

Rhyse slid off the stool but didn’t move right away. His eyes stayed on Lennox when he asked, “You leaving?”

Lennox shook his head and kept his attention on him instead of Dorian. “Nah, son. I’m not leaving. Go ahead, and I’ll come find you in a little while,” he assured him.

His head snapped toward Lennox before he looked at me again. “Son?” he repeated.

Rhyse looked toward me like he wanted to ask what Dorian’s problem was, but I pointed toward his room before he could get involved. “Go ahead, Boosie. I’ll come check on you in a little while,” I said.

He hesitated another second before walking up the stairs. I waited until I heard his bedroom door close before looking back toward Dorian. He was still staring at Lennox, but there was something different in his expression now. He wasn’t just irritated anymore. He was trying to put pieces together.

“What the fuck does he mean, son?” Dorian asked as he looked at me. “What is going on, Reiana?”

“We can talk about it without all the yelling,” I told him, keeping my own voice low so Rhyse couldn’t hear. “But you need to calm down first.”

Instead of listening to me, Dorian’s attention shifted completely to Lennox. His eyes traveled over him slowly before settling back on his face. “Who the fuck are you?”

Lennox pushed away from the island and stood straight. His face went blank as he looked Dorian over.

“Nigga, who the fuck are you?” Lennox spat.

“Nigga, you’re the one standing in my woman’s house. You need to be the muthafucka introducing himself,” Dorian countered with a grimace.

Lennox stared at him for a second before looking over at me. The shift in his expression made my stomach tighten before he even opened his mouth. “Man, Ree, this the nigga you had around my son?”

Dorian’s face changed immediately. “Your son?” he questioned as he looked from Lennox to me. “What the fuck does he mean his son?”

“Lennox is Rhyse’s father.” I exhaled.