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I cut the thought off abruptly, turning away from the window.
“You good over there?” asked Juvie.
“Yeah,” I mumbled.
“You don’t believe that ‘just friends’ shit?”
Never let it be said my young nigga was one to bite his tongue.
“If he lyin’, he going in one of them damn hog pens for real. Either way, I ain’t worried about it.”
He let out a low chuckle. “Trust me, he ain’t lying. Anyway, what you worried about? Over there looking like you need to face all the blunts Markel can roll. I know shorty ain’t stressing my OG like that.”
The kid was finding this funny. I thought about knocking his head off, but it wasn’t his fault that Love had me in knots. Shorty was indeed stressing me like that.
“Keep the commentary to yo’self,” I warned, grilling him.
He shrugged. “I’m just saying, you ain’t got shit to worry about. And… well, that part don’t matter. She feeling you. I think she just scared.”
Scoffing, I looked at him. “You nineteen, Julien. What you know about women and relationships?”
He stroked his chin. Ol’ baby face ass wanted a beard so bad!
“I am a student of human behavior. I watch, and I learn. Trust me. That nigga Danny was right. She’s yours to fumble, OG. You just gotta be careful.”
I shook my head at the fact that I was listening to a teenager give relationship advice.
“Are you being careful?” I shot, turning the tables on him.
He did a double take before pointing at himself with an exaggerated expression. Juvie was a damned character.
“Me?”
“Yeah. I see how the lil’ one been checking you out,” I said.
“Mannnn, she gon’ be beautiful like the rest of them, but I already told little mama that it’s a ‘no’ for me. She only fifteen. I ain’t come to Louisiana to end up in jail. They’ll put my ass under Angola!” he exclaimed.
Grinning, I shook my head but stayed quiet. Danny passed Main Street, then turned a block down. Juvie followed him as he pulled into the gravel lot of a two-story building, fronted in the red brick residents of this town seemed to love. It was obviously empty, the windows allowing a peek into the bare interior. I frowned, wondering what was up.
Danny got out and started to make his way around to Love’s door. He helped her down as Juvie, and I climbed out of the SUV.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
I watched as she squeezed his arm softly before linking hers through it.
I had never been a jealous man. If a woman was feeling someone else, I was unbothered—there were too many of them out there, too many ready to give up whatever I wanted. So, I couldn’t explain the jealousy that spiked through me seeing Love with Danny or even Marlon and Naaman. I realized in that moment that I didn’t want any other man enjoying her small touches and bright smiles. I hadn’t lied to her stupid ass brother—Love was mine and despite Danny’s earlier words, I was tempted to smash his head through something.
“Just say the word, and he can find himself head-tapped,” Juvie mumbled.
He patted his lower back, where his gun rested. Chuckling, I shook my head, and we followed the three of them into the empty building.
“…was gon’ be an urgent care, but the plans fell through. I thought it’d be perfect for what you want,” Danny was saying.
My gaze swung to Love. Her eyes were big, and tears filled them as she covered her mouth with one hand. She turned around slowly, and I could almost see her mind working, envisioning the clinic she wanted to build. She took a few steps and peered down the hallway lined with multiple doors, then backed up to look at the loft that could serve as office space. The spot was big as hell and so clean, I swear it gleamed. I looked at her again. I could see she’d fallen in love already.
“Whitney is the realtor. I heard her talking about it and she gave me the door code cuz I wanted to show you. I know you got other stuff you needed to do before copping a place, but this, in Emancipation, is too good to miss,” Danny said.
Love nodded, blinking back her tears as she cleared her throat.