Page 36 of Rounds
“Because she’s embarrassed about this whole situation.”
“She wasn’t embarrassed to rub her foot up my leg a minute ago. I may have been a lot of things in the not-so-distant past, but one thing I’ve never been is a liar. I’m extremely transparent, and I always make sure there is clarity whenever I’m involved in something. I work all the time. My free time goes to Delaney and my father. I don’t have time for shit else.”
Delaney stood from her seat and grabbed my hand. “I’m sorry, Mom. We can’t stay. Y’all enjoy the rest of dinner.”
Delaney began walking away, so I quickly stood and followed her before she pulled me right out of my chair. Before we could get to the door, her parents were on our heels. “Delaney, wait!” her mom said.
We stopped walking, and when I noticed the tear slide down Delaney’s cheek, it made my heart sink. I pulled her in my arms.“I’m sorry, baby. I know you don’t like confusion and making a scene. I didn’t mean to disappoint you. Please don’t cry.”
I gently rubbed my hand over her curls. She lifted her head and said, “I’m not disappointed in you, Glover.”
“Delaney, please don’t leave. I would never allow my daughter to leave over someone else. Please stay and finish your dinner. If anyone leaves, it will be them. Are you okay with that, Glover?”
“I’m okay with whatever she wants to do.”
Ms. Boutté’s gaze went back to her daughter’s, waiting to see what she would decide. Delaney was so excited to be here, and my bullshit with Charleigh ruined everything. She took a deep breath and said, “It’s okay, Mom. We’re just gonna go. Maybe we can visit another time. I love you.”
Her mom pulled her in her arms and hugged her tightly. It wasn’t nearly as awkward looking as it was earlier. Her dad shook my hand. “I’m sorry my past interfered with and ruined dinner. I just want you to know that I’m very serious about Delaney. I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize our relationship.”
He nodded, but he didn’t say anything. Her mother extended her hand to me for a handshake while Delaney hugged her dad. Once he released her, she grabbed my hand, and we walked out the door. Stopping before we got to my SUV, I said, “Baby, if you wanna stay without me being here, I’ll come back and get you. I’ll go see my dad while you visit with your parents.”
She shook her head rapidly as I nodded my understanding. I opened the door for her, then went around and joined her inside. I sat still for a moment, feeling disgusted with myself then cranked the engine. I was pretty sure she didn’t want to go to the nursing facility now. I would just take her home so she could shower and relax, and I would have to explain to my dad how my past came back and fucked up dinner and his visit with his future daughter-in-law.
“Why are we here? You aren’t going to the nursing facility?”
“Well, I figured you just wanted to go home and relax after I fucked up dinner.”
I closed my eyes. It wasn’t his fault Charleigh was full of shit. While the fact remained that he had recent history with that woman, and there wouldn’t have been any bullshit had he not, what happened still wasn’t his fault. Had she not been on bullshit, dinner may have been awkward or uncomfortable for the both of them, but shit wouldn’t have hit the fan the way it did.
It pissed me off that Denver basically sat there and called Glover a liar. I was two steps from slapping the piss out of him. The first step was slapping the piss out of his lying ass daughter. Glover and I had been damn near inseparable, except for when he was at his office. He called me almost every damn hour. Theman didn’t have time to cheat. I knew he called me all the time to relieve any doubt that may have entered my mind about his whereabouts.
The last place I wanted to be was anywhere without him. I turned in my seat and put my hand to his cheek, stroking it gently with my thumb. “I can’t let my future father-in-law down.”
A huge smile broke out on his face. “Okay.”
He backed out of the driveway and headed to the facility. I grabbed his hand and caressed it between mine. “I’m sorry, I’ve been so quiet. I’m just a little overwhelmed. I’m not disappointed in you. I’m overwhelmed with the tenderness and care my parents showed me tonight. We never had that sort of relationship. We didn’t show emotions like that. While I always wanted that from them, my emotions were way too high. I reverted back to what they taught me, although they were showing me something different tonight.”
He nodded and kept driving. Finally, he said, “I’m so sorry, baby. I still feel like this shit is all my fault.”
“Glover, I feel like whether you had fucked her the day I moved into your home or a year ago, she still would have been on bullshit. Like you told me about Jaunté, that shit ain’t on you. That’s on her ass. She better thank God my mama brought me to that kitchen to ‘talk’. I would have dog walked her ass.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“I may look mild and sweet, but I will fuck a ho up, especially if she’s threatening me or someone I care deeply about. I don’t play those kinds of games. She almost fucked around and found out. You haven’t seen this side of me, but you were so close to getting an introduction this evening. Her dad is full of shit if he couldn’t tell she was a lying ass bitch.”
I closed my eyes and took deep breaths. I didn’t need to bring this hostility inside Mr. Israel’s room. He didn’t deservethat. Glover gripped my inner thigh, and that shit had my anger dissipating at rapid speeds.
“It’s getting hot down there. Has all the heat left your head yet?”
I opened my eyes and stared at him as he tried to restrain his smile. “Glover, are you saying that I’m hotheaded?”
He could no longer hold his laughter. I had to chuckle with him. “I mean, I’m just saying. You sounded like a whole ass thug a minute ago, talking about dog walking a bitch.”
I laughed more. “You make me sick, man.”
He laughed, and just like that, my anger was gone. I was still slightly irritated, but I could hide that while talking to Mr. Israel. I actually couldn’t wait to see him. He was such a sweet man. He had to be where Glover had gotten his tenderness and charm from. The way he cried and poured out his heart to me about Glover sacrificing his life to take care of him had stayed with me. He loved his son so much. He was their only child, and their pride and joy. I knew what that was like. Although I had an older sister, I felt like an only child since she lived in DC. We rarely talked.
When he turned in the parking lot and had parked, he turned to me and stroked my cheek. “Were you crying because you were hurt or angry?”
