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“Okay, but this conversation isn’t over.” Remy laughed.
Mia sat as the group passed around each bowl of various salads, sides, and platters of grilled meat. She helped herself to a little of everything. A cold beer appeared in front of her, Andre’s muscular dark arm lingering just a beat longer as his other hand moved to her waist. Mia flushed from the contact, her body sparking alive. She searched the table, fearing all eyes would be on her. Only Remy gave a knowing smile, nodding her acknowledgement before she adjusted her shirt to nurse the baby.
“You looked parched.” Andre’s deep voice vibrated through her body, stirring up another kind of thirst.
“Thank you.” She fought the urge to turn and kiss him.
His friends bantered back and forth, but she tuned them out as he sat beside her, his hand resting on her thigh. She’d woken in his bed this morning sore in all the right places. Wrapped against his warm chest with sunlight peeking through the blinds was how she’d want to wake up every day if she had the choice. But I don’t.
“I still can’t believe you did that,” Andre said.
Mia glanced around the table, coming back to the conversation. “Did what?”
Bently leaned his elbows on the table as he smirked. “Your boy, Dre, here had just broken up with his high-school sweetheart. He was moping around, barely eating. So, as the good friend that I am, I set him up with a prom date.”
The laughter that burst out of Mikel signaled there was much more to this story than he was letting on.
“That’s putting it lightly.” Andre shook his head.
Bently shrugged. “Ruby Wentworth. She had the biggest crush on Dre.”
“She had pictures from my yearbook plastered all over her locker and taped together with her face to make it look like we were a couple,” Andre added dryly.
“I set up the most romantic scene in the cafeteria. Rose petals—the whole shebang. Every girl that wandered in hoped this display was for them,” Bently continued, his face shining with pride. “I even got the kitchen staff in on it.”
“So, what happened?” Mia asked, before taking another bite of her food.
“I had Mikel distract Dre outside until I gave the signal,” Bently answered.
Mikel wiped a tear from his eye as he kept laughing. “You should have seen your face when you realized what was happening. Wish we had camera phones back then.”
Dre just shook his head.
“I professed the most beautiful sonnet. Made a big show of all the mushy cheesy lines I could think of. At the very end, just as Mikel ushered Andre inside—thrusting a bouquet of roses in his hand—I announced that Andre wanted Ruby to be his date to prom.” Bently beamed.
“Did you embarrass the poor girl?” Was she a casualty in their prank?
“Nah, she was beaming,” Mikel answered.
“What happened after that?” Mia looked at Andre.
“I took Ruby to prom,” Dre said dryly. Her respect for the man grew.
“My man would never let a woman down. Ruby was good people.” Bently shoveled a big bite of macaroni salad into his mouth.
“Then why didn’t you take her to prom?” Mikel asked.
Bently rolled his eyes. “Because I’d already promised Stacy, Victoria, and Jenna that I’d take them.”
“You had three prom dates?” Mia asked, bewildered.
“The more the merrier.” Bently grinned.
Mia shook her head.
“Yeah, he probably came home with three dates too—herpes, chlamydia, and HPV,” Emma added.
Everyone laughed as Bently scowled.
