“It’s a penis, Haze,” Maya answers without hesitation. Correct terms are the only way to go when you have two medical professionals as parents.
“Gramps, that’s a private part! You’re only supposed to worry about your own private parts!” Hazel wags her finger at Dad.
“You hear that, Tre?” Dad laughs. “You’re supposed to worry about your own private parts.”
“Oh, all of you hush. I’m gonna be a nana again!” Mom goes for me first, squeezing so tightly, I’m sure she’ll leave marks. Then she sits next to Willa and pulls her into a side hug. “Tell me everything.”
Willa flashes wide eyes at me, but the smile on her face is one of amusement instead of panic. “We have all week, Ma. Willa needs to eat.”
“Oh! Of course. Everyone, food’s on the table.” She pats Willa’s leg and flits to the dining room.
After everyone else files out behind her, I slip my hand back around Willa’s. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” She nods and glances toward the sound of scraping chairs against the floor. “They’re fun.”
“They’re loud and nosy. I’m probably the quietest one.”
“That’s saying something.” She knocks into me with her shoulder and smiles. “I’m good, Trev. This is good.”
“Okay. But you tell me if it’s too much, and I’ll get you settled in the bedroom.” Standing from the sofa arm, I pull her up from the cushion, our fingers entwined.
We stand there, face-to-face, staring at each other like a crowded dinner table isn’t waiting for us. The longer we stay like this, the more aware I am of how tall she is. Everyone’s short when you’re 6’3”. But not her. I don’t even need to bend my knees to reach her lips.She’s perfectly kissable.
I’ve spent the entire day on the outskirts of her force field, just wanting to dive over the border and head straight for what I want. Maybe it’s seeing her here in my childhood home, or maybe it’s how my family embraced the news. But my mind is jumping to what life will be like when we visit next year, and the year after that. We’re not even close to being in a relationship, but as we share this moment, there’s no one else I can see myself bringing home. Willa’s all I can imagine.
CHAPTER THIRTY
WILLA
Last night’s home-cooked soul food meal was the kind of welcome I needed to squash my nerves. Crispy oven fried chicken, collard greens, and more side dishes than I was able to taste—I wish I’d had room for seconds. Fetuses are party poopers, though, and my little nugget rendered me exhausted in the middle of the Trevor roasting session after dinner. I excused myself to bed, and he helped me settle into his old room before dipping back out to catch up with his family.
This bed is so damn comfortable, I’d be tempted to snuggle back into Trevor if he were next to me. Sitting up, I take in the suitcases casting shadows in the corner beside the bay window. Early dawn peeks around the edges of the curtains as my eyes sweep the darkened room. The connected bathroom door is wide open, with no sounds coming from there either.Did hesleep somewhere else?
Unexpected disappointment shoots through me at the thought, and I’m not sure how to feel about that.Get a fucking grip, Willa. Why would he climb into a bed next to me under his parents’ roof? We’re not together.Do I want to be? Hell if I know. I do have to pee, though, and the longer I sit here, the more urgently I need to go. Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, Ihop down from the mattress and land right on the back of Trevor’s thighs. I yelp, jumping away with a hand to my chest.
“Owww.” Trevor’s muffled groan sounds from the stack of pillows he’s buried his face into on the floor. The hard muscles on his shirtless back flex as he turns his head to me, black durag tied tightly.
“Ugh, you scared the hell out of me, Trevor! What are you doing on the goddamn floor?”
“I was sleeping until you decided I’d do better as a stepping stool.”
His sleepy rasp goes right to my clit.Oh,God,now I’m thinking about his tongue.I release a breath, crossing my thighs to play it off. “Again,whyare you on the floor?”
He peeks an eye open with a yawn. “You were knocked out when I got back in, and I didn’t want to wake you. Plus, the kissing thing.”
“Kissing thing?”
Propping up on an elbow, he scrubs a hand down his face. “Yeah. You know, when two people smash their lips together…”
Ass.
“I know what kissing is. But how does that amount to you sleeping on the floor?”
“Honestly, since we’re in this blurry boundary limbo, I didn’t know if you’d want me in the bed.”
“…Blurry?”
“Yeah, like you said, you kissed me, I kissed you back, and we haven’t actually talked about it.” He shrugs. “I figured the floor was a safer option in the middle of the night.” There’s enough light for me to see the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes before they drop to the floor, and it catches me off guard. He’s always so sure of himself. This stripped-down vulnerability tugs at the edges of my heart.
