Page 90 of Love At Close Range

“You were waiting on us to eat?” I asked.

“Yeah. I figured Rhyse would be starving after practice,” he countered.

“When isn’t his little ass starving,” I laughed.

Taryn checked the time and grabbed her purse. “I’m about to head out,” she announced.

She hugged Reiana, yelled upstairs to Rhyse and headed for the door. I walked her to the door and when I got back to the kitchen, Reiana was putting some of her papers away.

“How everything looking with the new spot?” I asked.

“Good. The furniture comes next week, and I approved the signage today.” She pulled it up on her laptop and turned the screen toward me.

“That shit look good, baby,” I complimented.

“I think so too. I’ve got a few accounts lined up already, so I’m not starting from nothing,” she pointed out.

She turned the laptop back around and told me Tasha had called earlier with an update from Arbor Point. Everything was running the way it should, which was making it easier for Reiana to focus more of her attention on getting Cannon Hills ready.

“I knew she could handle it,” Reiana said. “I just had to get used to not being there for everything.”

“You getting there.” I kissed her.

Rhyse came downstairs after his shower and headed straight for the kitchen. Once we sat down, he told Reiana about practice. Most of it was the same stuff he had already told me, but she hadn’t heard it yet.

“I’m proud of you, Boosie,” she told him. “Keep working.”

“I am,” he responded.

After dinner, Rhyse went upstairs to call Lennyn while Reiana and I cleaned the kitchen. My phone buzzed with Rook’s name before we finished, so I stepped outside to answer.

“Wassup?” I answered.

“Ain’t shit… just letting you know everything is about done for the night,” he explained.

“Aight. Once it does… shut it down. We’ll handle the rest tomorrow,” I ordered.

“Bet.” He paused. “How you adjusting to Ree and little man being there?”

“Ain’t really shit to adjust to,” I said honestly.

“I can respect that,” he acknowledged.

“Aight then… hit me if you need me,” I said.

“I got you.”

When I went back inside, Reiana glanced up when I came back inside. “Everything okay?” She asked.

“Yeah.” I nodded as I pulled her body into mine and kissed the side of her neck.

She pushed the laptop aside and leaned back on the stool. “I really thought moving here was going to be harder than this.”

“Harder how?” I asked.

“Everything. Rhyse changing schools, me not being in Arbor Point every day, trying to get another location going.” She shook her head a little. “I had all these reasons in my head for why it might be too much, and now that we’re here, half of them don’t even matter.” She shrugged.

“Rhyse is happy, and that was one of the biggest things I worried about. I didn’t know how he would feel once everything actually changed.” Reiana rested her head on my chest as I held her close. “But he’s good… the business is good… I’m good,” she confirmed with a smile. “I thought moving here might make me feel like I was giving up the life I built in Arbor Point. Instead, it just feels like I added to it.”