Page 166 of Are You Going to Love Me

“It ain’t about being right, E. It’s about that life we’re bringing into the world. And the other kids we’ll have. That one and the rest of them are deserving of whole parents so we can break the cycle of dysfunctional parents. What is it going to hurt to get the answers and closure you need? If you decide at the end of it that you’re better off without her, that’s fine, take your answers and closures and bury it.”

“I like how you didn’t add anything else to that.”

“Mmmhmm, because I know you.”

“Are you going to at least take me up there? You know, for moral support. I’m going to need a hug and some food after she pisses me off.”

“Keon, Brody, and I will be sitting across the street while you and Staysha handle your business. Deal?”

“Deal. Give me a kiss.”

Maximus obliged her with a deep kiss, missing her lips on his. “Aight, that’s enough, we got to get this house back right. I can’t take it.”

“Me neither. Maybe we should look into someone coming in when our schedules are like this. I’ve walked by the laundry room every night and got overwhelmed.”

“I know that and all the boxes from your apartment. The agency will be here in a couple of days, but we can’t have them thinking we live like this.”

“Oh, look at you. Cleaning for the cleaning people.”

Maximus chuckled. “Soundin’ like I'm the lady of the house or some shit.”

“You’re a clean freak, you like shit straight. I get it. The way we’ve been running around, this ain’t it.”

Maximus started to talk, then paused after hearing her stomach rumble. “You eat today?”

Eden rose her brows and continued to fold clothes.

“E,” he rumbled.

“Hm?” she buzzed, giving him a subtle side eye.

“You huh you can hear. You eat today?”

“Does a muffin in the green room count?”

“Hell no,” he grumbled, standing up the piles of clothes tumbling over. “Leave ‘em, I’ll get them when we get back. Let’s go.”

“Where we going?”

“To feed you and our seed,” he stated. “A damn muffin.”

“It was a busy day,” Eden whined, dragging her tired body over to where he stood.

Maximus didn’t respond. He only shook his head.

In the car, Eden settled into the seat. “Where you taking me?”

“Lex. You said you wanted oxtails the other day, you get oxtails.”

“Keep it up, I’ll think you love me,” Eden said with a giggle, prompting Maximus to lace his fingers in hers and kiss the back of her hand as he backed out of the garage.

“That’s exactly what I want you to think. When I touch you, kiss you, taste you, inhale you, lead you, follow you, stalk you...all that, I want you to know that. Feel that shit in your core. ‘Cause I feel you.”

“That’s what got you folding clothes.”

“It’s going to keep me folding clothes, too.”

The ride to Lex was short, the traffic on their side of town dying down. When they walked in, they were immediatelyseated, and Maximus was hyper-vigilant. Most of the patrons didn’t care about who’d just walked in. However, there were a handful of people who pointed, stared, and chatted amongst themselves about everyone’s couple goals. That didn’t bother him, what bothered him was the woman at the bar, lowly recording them.

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