“Tricks, I said no—”
“She’s a lesbian.”
Covering his face, he flops back on the bed and starts to laugh.
“The fuck, Dad,” I huff.
Still laughing, he says, “Little dude, you are supposed to avoid no-win situations, not dive into them face-first.”
“I’m not trying to tap that.” Only because she’s not having it. “I’m trying to be her friend.”
He tries to stop laughing, but he obviously can’t. “And then tap that.”
“Jesus, Dad, no.”
He pushes up and scrubs his hand over his face. “I’m sorry, but I’ve never seen you act like you did around any of the girls you’ve dated or hung out with like you did at The Bean.” He loses his composure again. “Then I find out you ‘had a date’ with her roommate, and now that ass isn’t just a situation to overcome, but it’s untappable.”
I cross my arms and stare down at him.
“Tricks, chill and laugh a bit.”
“Or better yet, ignore the advice from a grown man who hasn’t matured past twelve.”
I look back as Mom walks in the room and scowls at him.
“Oh, please, Irish, you love that I’m not a slippers and robe kind of guy. And you definitely love the fact that my stamina—”
She cuts him off, which today, I’m thankful for. Any other day, I give a shit less.
I love that my parents still look at each other with nothing but love … Well, and that sparks still fly, but this shit sucks.
Mom puts her hand on her hip. “I love a lot of things about you, but I deal with the heart stuff. Now go pack your shit, man child.”
“It’s not like that. Just a friend helping a friend.”
They exchange a glance.
“I’m serious. Don’t make something more out of this than it is. She needed help and—”
“Did she ask for help?” Mom asks suspiciously, knowing how many hands get held in front of you when you have more than others, and after they’re fed, you’re not shit, not even a memory. I’ve seen it a lot in the music business. We’re lucky that they’ve not signed many artists like that, but have taken on a few that left a label because it didn’t feel like home.
Home. I hope I never take for granted what that means to me.
“No, she’d probably have a fit if she knew. Hates men, apparently.”
Mom’s face tightens. I know what she’s thinking. After Noah Beckett’s life was all but ruined, she’s terrified it’ll happen to me.
“Not like—”
“Good, because I will straight up cut a hoe.”
“Damn, Mrs. Steel.” Dad pops up from the bed and walks over to her, but when he reaches out to grab her, she steps back and holds a hand up to him. “Oh, come on.” He laughs.
“You walk. I’m gonna talk to my son.”
“Seriously, I’m straight. No need to—”
Dad’s laugh stops me, and Mom and I roll our eyes at each other.
“Go, Xavier.”
He holds his hands up as he walks out the door … laughing.
Mom’s smile is almost sad as she walks over to me and begins refolding the clothes that Dad messed up.
“Not a big deal, Mom. I’ll be hanging them at the new place anyway.”
“So …” she says as she folds them anyway, “this girl?”
“Mom, I’ve had actual girlfriends, and you two weren’t tripping on them like you are one who’s, at best, just a friend.”
“An actual girlfriend, that one. And she hurt you.” Mom places two shirts in the box.
“That wasn’t hurt; that was pissed off. The shit she did because she was jealous of my damn cousins, unacceptable.”
“You weren’t trying to be her friend, and that’s the part that worries me.”
“You know damn well I have charm.” I nudge her. “She hasn’t a chance.”
Smiling, she picks up another shirt and messes with it. “If she can’t see what a good friend you are, then she doesn’t deserve you.”
“That’s just it, Mom; I don’t think she believes she deserves friends.”
“I trust you, Patrick Jonathon Steel. Just be careful. I don’t want you to get taken advantage of and end up in a Noah situation.”
“You know I’m careful. Hell, you all made us take a sexual harassment class together, and we know what he went through. None of us will fall prey to that kind of shit.”
She nods, putting the last shirt in the box. “So, are you ready to hit our new home?”
“Yeah, about that … I’m good with you and Dad taking the first night to yourselves.”
“He put you up to that?” she asks, trying her best to look annoyed, but she’s not. She’s totally fucking in love with him.
Someday, I want that.
“Well, let us at least take these couple of boxes,” she says, her face turning a bit pink.
* * *
Once I’ve said goodbye to Mom and Dad for the night, I flop down on the couch next to the girls. “So, what are we up to tonight?”
They all look up from their phones.
“Lemme guess … Tris, you’re messaging with Marcello. Kiki’s stalking baby daddy via social media—”
“She doesn’t have to stalk anymore.” Truth wags her brows. “She’s branded for life.”
“Oh my God, shut up.” Kiki’s face turns beet red.
“He really is dreamy.” Brisa hugs herself.
All my female cousins are bad ass and cute as shit. Brisa, however, needs to step up her game. Her bad ass growth seems to be delayed. She acts like she lives in some seventies sitcom.
“He better be.” I nudge Kiki. “If not—”
“You’ll give him another black eye?” Kiki interrupts me.
Truth laughs. “I thought Uncle Jase did that.”
Jase walks by and clamps his hand over her head. “He’s lucky Tricks got to him first. I would have put a daddy-sized whoop-ass on him.”
Aunt Carly calls from the kitchen, “Jase, gross.”
He smirks then looks back at her like he’s in shock. “I was talking about—”
She laughs. “Don’t you dare.”
She walks in, carrying a sheet-sized cake. “Week one at the new school is down; let’s eat cake.”
And all the Steels throughout the house
