Page 145 of Buy Back My Love

Mama shook her head. “You gon’ have your hands full.”

“I know.”

“Do you?”

“Yes, Mama.”

“You gotta house-train her, feed her, take her outside, pay vet bills. Then you finna have a newborn on top of that.”

“Mama.”

“I’m telling you.”

“Okay!”

Van finally stepped in. “I’ll help her with the dog.”

That shut Mama up for about two seconds. She looked at him, and I did too.

Van shrugged like he hadn’t said anything serious. “I got Snoop. I know what I’m doing. If she needs help with the puppy, I got her.”

Mama studied him for a second, then pointed at my stomach. “What about that baby? You gon’ help her with that too?”

My head whipped toward her. “Mama.”

“What?”

“Why would you ask him that?”

“I asked a question.”

“Yeah, a crazy one.”

Van didn’t jump to answer. He looked at me first, probably trying to figure out whether he was supposed to touch that question at all, before turning back toward Mama.

“I like to think I’m part of her village,” he said. “She knows if she needs me, she can call me.”

Mama nodded slowly. “Aight.”

I stared at both of them.

Apparently that was enough for her because she turned toward the kitchen like she hadn’t just put this man through a surprise interview.

“Van, you want a plate before you leave?”

He looked at me, and I immediately shook my head. “Don’t do it. If you say yes, she gon’ send you home with enough food for three days.”

“I heard that,” Mama called.

Van grinned. “I’ll take a plate.”

“Traitor.”

“Free food,” he said like that explained everything.

I went into the living room with the puppy still curled against my chest and sat down on the couch. Somewhere in the middle of Mama interrogating everybody, the puppy had fallen asleep like none of us had anything to do with her.

I rubbed my thumb over the top of her little head. “Now I gotta figure out what to name you.”