“I have an idea,” I announced between bites.
Three sets of eyes turned to look at me.
“She can read to stuffed animals. Just to get some practice doing it out loud.” I set my fork on the edge of my plate. “We don’t have to listen to her, and she still gets practice reading.”
Just then, Ms. Gina came into the kitchen. “That’s not a bad idea, Christian.” She swept her eyes across the table to look at Harlow. “What do you think, sweetie?”
“I can try,” Harlow said with a shy smile.
As soon as I heard that, I pushed back from the table and went to get my bear out of my book bag. I carried it with me some days when I missed my parents. Just knowing it was near helped.
Soul collected a few of his favorite stuffed Power Rangers and sat them up against the back of his desk with my teddy.
Then we left Harlow in the room with a book and told her to come get us when she was done reading it.
She looked at us with trust in her eyes and nodded.
But when we were in the hall, none of us left the door. Trying not to make noise, we pressed our ears to the door and waited to hear her reading.
“Ow!” Mia’s mom stubbed her toe…
Her sweet voice carried through the small crack in the door and a proud smile took over my face.
We listened until we heard her turn the first page then tiptoed down the hallway.
“You wanna throw the football until she’s done?” Soul questioned, his eyebrows wiggling. “Then we can watch a movie with Harley.”
Rico nodded but let Soul walk into the backyard first before putting me in a playful headlock.
“How’d you think of that?”
“I don’t know.” The truth was it wasn’t hard to solve a problem when you loved someone. And I loved all three of them. When one of us was sad, it made me sad until I could figure out a way to fix it.
They were my best friends; they would do anything for me the same way I’d do anything for them.
If I had to give Harlow every new teddy bear my parents got me that was okay.
She held my hand when we sneaked to watch scary movies at Soul’s house because she knew I was too nervous to tell everyone I was scared.
This was the same thing; I was holding her hand until she wasn’t scared anymore.
Always Want You
Saturday, June 14, 2025
“You look good,” Rico whispered against my lips as his arm slid around my waist, holding me in place against the door. “Where you going?”
“To pick up donuts from Frenchy’s.”
“Hmm.” The vibration of his hum traveled to my core seconds before he started kissing my neck. “You got the keys to the Jeep?”
“Yeah.” The word was breathy and so fucking telling because his lips on me changed the rhythm of my breathing and sent all the blood in my body rushing in one direction.
Rico’s obsession with my neck led to dangerous places. Because we’d already spent all morning together and I was ready to climb back in bed after a few kisses.
As the sun came up, we shared a blunt on the balcony, made each other come in the shower and got distracted getting dressed.
And here I was, a second away from letting him pull down my pants and do whatever he wanted with me.Again.
