Page 16 of Anything Goes

I dropped my head, hating to see her disappointed.

Although I was the little brother, I protected Tokyo like I was the oldest. “Okay, fine. I’ll talk to her and try to be the bigger person. But, if I catch him doing some bullshit, all bets are off. I’m not playing it cool anymore.”

Grinning from ear to ear, she kissed me on the cheek. “Okay, I promise there won't be any more issues. Reggie and I are solid. We've been communicating well these days. We're even going to premarital counseling.”

“Oh, well that’s good to hear.”

I was genuinely happy to hear that.

If Reggie was willing to take the steps needed to better himself, then I definitely had to respect that. I was still going to keep my eye on him though. People like him loved to do shit when they felt like no one was paying attention.

“Yeah, we’ve learned a lot about each other so far. I’m looking forward to seeing where this takes us.”

“For your sake, I hope it takes the two of you down a good path.”

“I think it will.”

The smile on her face said that she was feeling positive about the outcome, and I didn’t want to ruin that. “Like I said, I’ll try to see what I can do with Mama. In the meantime, talk to Keyon about changing his work hours. I can’t have him missing practice.”

“Will do. Oh, how are you and Coach Jeffers working out? I’ve only met her a few times, but she’s a good coach.”

Tugging at the collar of my shirt, I smirked. “Oh, she’s definitely a good coach.”

Tokyo paused, giving me a suspicious glare that made me feel a little nervous.

I stepped back, but she hurried forward and leaned right into me. “Holy shit! You’ve fucked the coach.”

“What?”

“You heard what I said. How in the hell did you—”

“I’ve got to go. You’re tripping.”

“I’m not tripping,” she said, hot on my heels. “I know when you’ve been out here doing the nasty. I used to catch little girls in your room all of the time, and you would have that exact same guilty ass expression. How did you even manage to hit that?”

“Bye, Tokyo. Don’t forget to talk to Keyon. Oh, and I’m planning his graduation party. You’re more than welcome to chip in.”

“Mmhmm, you’re not slick. I know you’re sleeping with the coach. You better be careful. I hear she’s no joke.”

“I already know, but thanks for the heads up,” I said before hurrying to close the door.

Damn, she read my ass like a book.

I’ve got to be more careful.

7

Alauni

I couldn’t stop staring at my couch. Well, the part of my couch that reminded me of Law that is. But that wasn’t really outside of the norm. After nights like last night, the shit stayed on my mind for days. But this time I was feeling a little something extra.

I wanted to give in.

I wanted to explore our options.

“Mommy, Daddy’s on the phone,” Layne said, holding up her cell.

I tried not to express how I really felt about him using our daughter to get in touch with me. He knew how much I hated that shit. But he also knew that I wouldn’t ignore him in front of her.