“I’m saying, you should come, too. Be no problem to getcha in there. Just wear something nice and behave.”
He side-eyed Juvie who gave his best, “Who me?” look. I glanced at Targen because there was no way in hell that I was unleashing Juvie on these innocent people. No one deserved that unprepared.
Except maybe the McKinley boy.
“I’on think we packed no real nice shit and it ain’t like we can just run in any store for it,” was Targen’s only comment.
Scoop stood up straighter and smiled like a man on a mission. “I’m a fella of size myself. Give me your info and just leave it up to old Scoop.”
* * *
Love had basically given me her ass to kiss all day, so when we were settled back at the Stone House, I swore I was good on her. I sat in the living room with Targen after Juvie and Markel went a little further down one of the roads that ran through the farm to the house Granny Nette had directed them to.
But by the third time Theory had walked through the living room “looking for something,” which coincided with the third time Targen greeted one of my statements with a distracted, “Huh?” I decided I was sick of their asses, too.
After strolling outside, I decided to take a little walk down the roadway and see more of the farm. This wasn’t my kind of living, but I couldn’t lie—the place was beautiful, and the Miller family seemed as crazy and close-knit as my own. I had just turned right when a familiar voice called my name.
“Where you going?” Love asked.
I hadn’t even seen her curled up on one of the swings they loved in the middle of the wildflower garden in the front yard. Shorty was so fucking pretty, man, sitting there in her purple dress surrounded by purple and pink flowers. But she was also frustrating as hell. I looked at her and kept walking, ignoring her question.
“Montréal! I know you hear me.”
Shoving my hands into my pockets, I started to whistle. The road here was shaded by a tree tunnel, just one more thing that made this place picture perfect. My gaze darted around, taking in what the Millers had built. Love came from some pretty dope people.
I walked a couple of minutes, pretending not to hear the footsteps behind me. I had every intention of continuing to ignore her until suddenly, there was a thick little honey-gold beauty standing in front of me, hands on her hips.
“This ain’t Texas, negro, and you don’t come to my neck of the woods and ignore me,” Love snapped.
I looked down at her and smirked.
“Gon’ on, Everly. Find you something to do. I’m busy,” I said.
Reaching out, I grabbed her shoulder gently and turned her sideways out of my way. She made a little outraged sound as I continued up the road.
“What are you doing, Real? You’on even know where you going!”
I shrugged. “Can’t a nigga sightsee?”
She stomped in front of me again.
“No! Not on my family’s property,” she huffed.
“Everly—"
“Love.”
Her eyes got big, and her cheeks reddened once she realized what she had done. I bit back a smile.
“But you right. I should call Danny or Heath and find something to do,” she taunted.
She wanted a reaction and even though the comment made me hot as the damn weather, and my hands balled into fists inside my pockets, I wasn’t letting her see shit.
“Why you tryna make a nigga you ain’t interested in jealous?” I asked calmly.
“Why you playing interested?”
We stared at each other for a long minute. This girl was turning out to be stubborn and annoying and?—