Page 243

My mood had changed as soon as Rah came into the conversation. I knew he would come up, but I didn’t want it to be about him. After dinner, Q helped me clear the table without making it a big deal. Kaiden went in the living room to finish watching a game and Khari went to her room. I stood at the sink rinsing plates while Q dried his hands beside me.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine. Why?”

“Your energy changed when we got into the Rah conversation.”

“Just never knew y’all talked about business.”

“I didn’t think it mattered. Like I told you, we weren’t friends. He came in the bar a few times. I chop it up with everybody.”

“Every other week I find out you knew something else about him.”

“Averie, this city ain’t that big, and Rah wasn’t exactly unknown. He was just like me, well-known. Shit, he would talk to anyone. Half the business owners in the city probably met the man.”

“I know.”

“I’m not hiding anything from you. I can tell when you start thinking too hard into stuff.”

He kissed my forehead and went back towards the living room. I stood there for a second before following him. Kaiden was on the sofa, and Q sat in the chair nearby. They didn’t say anything to each other at first.

“You know football?” Kaiden asked him.

“I love football,” Q responded.

“Who you got winning?”

“I got the Ravens on this one.”

Kaiden started explaining the matchup, stats, and why one team had the better defense. Q listened without pretending he knew more than he did. Every now and then he’d ask something, and Kaiden answered. I sat in the other chair and watched. After the game, the kids went upstairs to their rooms as I walked Q to the door.

“You survived.”

“Barely. That little dude got more questions than the IRS.”

I laughed. “He’s super protective.”

“He’s supposed to be.”

“You handled it better than I expected.”

“What did you think I was going to do? Try to buy some shoes and tell him to call me Dad?”

“Please don’t ever do that.”

“I’m not stupid.” He looked up the steps and lowered his voice. “I meant what I said. I’m not trying to come in here and replace anything. I like you. Whatever comes with that, I’ll respect it.”

“I appreciate that.”

He leaned down and kissed me. We didn’t want the kids to walk down and catch something they weren’t ready to see.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said.

“Good night.”

I locked the door and headed upstairs. Kaiden’s bedroom door was still open, so I stopped.

“What you think?”