Page 84 of Tutoring Mr. Hotshot

“Love you,” I whisper against Raymond’s lips as I steal one last kiss.

“Love you too, Daddy.”

I wave to the other boys in the room as I head back into the main area where the other Daddies wait. Andry tucks his phone away when he sees me coming.

“Everything ok?” I ask him.

He nods. “Yeah. Checked with Ma. She said he’s still out.”

“I bet he is. You said she gave him pain meds?

“The nurse did.”

Bellamy laughs. “He’s going to be out for a while. Last time he got the flu and took an over-the-counter cough syrup, he slept for like sixteen hours straight. It was hilarious.”

The guys all laugh as I shake my head. “Y’all think it’s funny until you’re the one trying to get the kid up and dressed to go to school. He fought us like mad until we realized it was the drugs. You better hope he sleeps through it.”

“Good to know. I want to make sure I’m ready for any future illness.”

I raise my brow at Andry. “You say that like you plan to be around for a long time.”

He shrugs. “I plan on being around forever. If Rodney will have me, I want to marry him one day.”

Bishop claps him on the back. “Good man. Make an honest boy out of him!”

“You already planning a wedding?” Bellamy asks. “Let me warn you, it’s a tough job. There always seems to be something else to add to the list.”

Andry grins. “I was thinking we’d elope.”

The room goes silent before bursting into noise. Everyone shouts over one another, each of us trying to tell him how fucked up that is.

Leon whistles to cut through the chaos. He points to me and says, “Maybe we should let his biological relative voice his opinion first.”

“Thanks for that.” I give it a minute before facing Andry head on. “Eloping is fine for some, but that won’t work unless you bring us all along. Ma won’t forgive you if you do it without her.”

He shakes his head quickly. “You’d all be there. I just mean, I don’t want something big and fancy. If he agrees to marry me, it’s going to be quick and done. I don’t want to call him fiancé for more than a few days.”

“That’s dedication,” Maddox comments. The others all agree.

Meanwhile, I’m worried I might start crying or some shit. I always hoped my brother would find someone to love him the way he deserved. He’s the best of the best. It’s beautiful that he’s found his person. It makes me stupid happy.

“Alright! Time to load up and move out. Do we know where this guy is?” At my question, the guys all turn to Andry.

He shrugs. “Probably at the team house, I’d guess. That or a party. How are we going to get him alone?”

“Don’t worry about that part,” I say quickly. “Get us to him. We’ll handle the rest.”

Since there are five of us, we all pile into the massive SUV Bellamy invested in earlier this year. The damn thing seemed ridiculous at first, but it’s come in handy more than once when everyone needed to get someone all at once.

Why drive all the vehicles when you can use one? His logic won out in the end.

The drive to the campus is quiet. I’m not sure what the others are thinking about. As for me, I keep pondering happier thoughts about my boy, the future, and what it means for my brother once this is done. If I don’t work to be happier, I’m going to lose it before we even get there.

When Bell pulls onto a residential street, Andry tells him, “Keep going. Pull around the corner and park so the car isn’t at the house.”

“You sure know a lot about being discreet and committing crimes.” Leon says the words slowly, as if he’s thinking it through before he finishes speaking.

Andry turns from his spot in the front to look at us. “I told you my uncle is a crime lord, right?”

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