Page 81 of Real's Love

"Ain't no use in you sitting there, red as a pretty li’l tomater. Why you ain't said nothin' bout no left behind boyfriend?"

"Lee Earnest! She don't wanna talk to her crazy granddaddy bout her personal business," Granny fussed.

"She talk to you!" he fussed back.

Granny looked at him indignantly. "I'm a lady!"

"Don't feel bad, PawPaw. She ain't talk to nobody about this one," Emory mumbled.

I grilled her as Prime called her name softly. He'd been letting her skate all morning, so I knew that shit was about to end, and I was ready. Prime would rather take a bullet than hurt her, but he was all alpha, and even Em's ass fell in line... sometimes.

"Why?" PawPaw pressed.

I sighed. "PawPaw?—"

Real covered my hand, silencing me.

"It's my fault. I got this, Love."

He had to stop calling me that,immediately. It was different when it seemed like some random, pet name. Now that he knew my real name, I felt it everywhere when he uttered it.

"I'm sure she didn't tell y'all about me because I messed up. Got too caught up in things… people that didn't matter," Real said, sounding so... well...real.

I had to fight to keep from rolling my eyes at this nigga.

"And now?" Granny encouraged.

This lady and a lifetime of romance novels!

"I realized as soon as she left that nothing mattered as much as she did. Her presence. Her spirit. Her voice. Her silences. Her laughter. I missed it all, had to get it all back."

I stared down at my plate, dragging a fork through my grits. He was good. Very good. It almost mademebelieve him, and I knew better! I had to get myself together before I could look up, though.

"Is this how they growing' em in Texas? These boys gotmyhead gassed up, hell. Hyacinth, we gon' have to pack a bag and fly out?—"

"Unless you want me taking planes down like I'm representing some terrorist cell, be quiet, Cynthia," Hyland's deep voice rumbled out of his barrel chest.

Aunt Cynt blinked innocently.

"Baby, I'm just tryna find our daughter a good man?—"

"I'on need yo' help, Mama," Hy whispered.

"I can't tell," Aunt Cynt mumbled before shutting up under Hyland's glare.

"You acting all impressed, Auntie. Sounds like a case of a no-good bum not missing his water until the well ran dry," Em said, giving Real a vicious smile before stabbing a piece of sausage.

"Mm-hmm," PawPaw said. "Probably too late, anyway. Ev, you 'posed to go out with that McKinley boy again, ain't you? Thought maybe y’all were getting serious."

Look at God! My PawPaw was giving me an out! I dabbed at my mouth before opening it to speak?—

And being cut off.

"Nah, she's not going out with the McKinley 'boy' now that her man is here," Real said, his eyes spitting fire at me. “So, you dating now, huh?” he muttered to me.

But I was stuck on him calling himselfmy man. Okay, this was too much. I let out a deep breath.

"Now, Real?—"

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