Page 36 of Love's Free Will

I nodded, but deep down, I knew his feelings were hurt. King was the oldest. The one he put the most pressure on. I knew it bothered him that King hadn’t been picking up.

“I’ll make sure he answers for you next time,” I promised.

“Yeah, do that,” he muttered. He shifted gears. “What about my baby girl?”

I smirked. “Princess good. Getting ready for school. She still your spoiled-ass kid, though.”

He chuckled. “That’s my baby.” His tone softened. “You making sure she straight?”

“You already know I am.”

“Good,” he murmured. “She got enough niggas out there waiting on her downfall. You make sure she don’t ever struggle.” I didn’t need the reminder. Princess was my heart, and he knew that. There was another moment of silence, then— “How’s your mama?”

I hesitated, my eyes flickering toward the bathroom just as Queenie walked back into the kitchen. She heard him say her name and immediately shook her head, silently telling me not to put her on the phone.

I swallowed the lump in my throat hating the lie I was about to tell before it exited my mouth. “She good,” I said. “Out running errands.”

He let out a short breath. “She still won’t talk to me?”

I didn’t answer that. Instead, I kept it business. “She good, Pops.”

“Yeah, aight, baby boy. Tell her I love her.”

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. We said our goodbyes, and I hung up. Queenie exhaled sharply, setting her glass down.

“You can’t avoid him forever,” I muttered.

She lifted her chin, her expression unreadable. “And you can’t keep running from Averi.”

I scoffed. “Not the same thing.”

She arched a brow. “Ain’t it?” I clenched my jaw, staring at her as she smirked, picking up her wine glass. “You talk to her; I’ll talk to him.”

Averi sat across from me,eyes focused on her laptop screen, probably making more damn notes on my music like she always did.

I should’ve been paying attention to the track playing through the speakers, but I wasn’t. I was too busy watching her and thinking about the conversation I’d had with my mama earlier.

I caught myself staring at her lips too long, remembering the way they felt against mine, the way she sounded when she moaned my name, the way they swelled after they’d been perfectly perched around my dick, the way she arched her back when I?—

Nah.

I dragged a hand down my face.Get yo shit together, nigga.

Just then, she closed her laptop and turned toward me. “So…” she started, tapping her nails on the table.

I raised a brow. “So?”

She hesitated, then exhaled. “I got Serenity’s wedding in LA this weekend.”

“I thought she was already married.”

“They are, it’s really a vow renewal.”

I blinked before sarcasm dripped from my mouth. “Okay? That’s cute. What that got to do with me?”

She gave me a look before rolling her eyes. “Do you ever just let a person finish talking?”

I smirked. “Nope.”

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