Page 21 of Defending the Post (The Complexity of Love #3)

I blinked a few times to pause the tears. “I don’t know what we are. He said I was his woman, but things are merging and blurred. We are supposed to be friends...I guess,” I said.

“Friends. Oh baby, no. After he called Noah and you being his first kiss, I say you mean more to him than a friend.”

I perched my lips upward. “I’m not his first kiss,” I rebutted.

“He wasn’t lying, you’re his first everything outside of sex. Marquise did not kiss women because it made it personal. Shopping spree? Matching shoes?He’s never stayed the night with a woman. Erin, people think Marquise lives downstairs. You mean something to him,” Jhae said.

My shoulders deflated as I listened to her words. Guilt surrounded me as I replayed avoiding his kiss before he left.

“I don’t know if you knew this, but Marquise and Malcolm were abused as children, before Anissa.

They have abandonment issues. Don’t allow Malcolm to fool you.

He is Marquise two point five, but he sees a therapist. Malcolm is determined to get his brother back in with Dr. June.

You didn’t do anything wrong. Stick to your guns and let Marquise figure himself out.

You are teaching him to respect your boundaries.

Sometimes, being supportive is showing up saying I’m still here,” she said.

I hugged Jhae, thankful she didn’t tell me I was crazy. As she dressed for the next location, I searched up abandonment issues. Marquise checked the boxes, but it softened me a little. Once we get closer, I’m going to join Malcolm in pushing him back into therapy,

“This is the money shot,” the photographer said, stealing my attention.

Jhae and I sat on the couch while the game played in the background. We were trying to narrow down the shots to pick an album cover.

“I can’t pick one. I mean, I’m beautiful in all of them,” Jhae said.

She wasn’t being self-centered. Jhae rocked every photo. We could easily make a photo book, which I planned to do. But we needed to nail down the cover.

I peered up from the tablet in time to see Marquise slam the ball down.

“Hell yeah!” I screamed, standing on my feet.

The stadium lost its mind as he slapped hands with Malcolm. Adrenaline flowed through me as the replay appeared on the screen. Marquise had been in beast mode from the moment he stepped onto the court.

“I don’t think you’re mad anymore,” Jhae said.

I lowered myself back to the couch and blushed at her statement. Jhae didn’t realize she only had me for thirty good minutes. There were five minutes left in the fourth and Marquise had twenty minutes before I called his phone.

“We need a third party. How about we ask both Tyrus and Malcolm? We will narrow it down from there,” I suggested.

Jhae gripped her wineglass before sitting back in her seat.

“Okay, let the men decide,” she said.

I sipped on Marquise’s water he bought by the case, propping my feet on the ottoman.

“Malcolmmmmm for three,” the announcer said.

The ball glided through the net, and Jhae clapped her hands. We peered over at each other before we broke into a hard laugh.

“And that’s the end of the fourth quarter. I’m Madison Reed with USPN with Marquise and Malcolm Shaw-Jefferies. Marquise, you were on fire tonight. With the playoffs approaching, what was going through your mind?”

Marquise wiped the sweat from his forehead with his jersey. “Honestly, I was trying to get the game over to make up with my woman. Weirdo, answer the phone,” he said.

“She has an interesting name. You heard it here, ladies, Marquise is off the market.” Madison said into the mic.

I covered my face, but Jhae pulled on my arm. “Get ready, women gon’ be coming out the woodwork for your man,” she said.

“Malcolm, do you plan to go for the three-point record?”

“Madison, if it happens, it happens. Right now, we’re focused on getting to the playoffs and bringing the chip back home as promised.”

She pulled the mic back to her mouth. “The fans want to know, when’s Jhae dropping the album?” she asked.

Malcom smiled. “Make sure you’re following her on all social media platforms. You never know when she will drop some news.”

“Jhae, we want the album,” Madison said before she ended the segment.

My phone rang twenty minutes later, and I hightailed it to Marquise’s room.

“Did you have to tell the world our business?” I said.

“Let me post it to my social media pages,” he said, and I giggled as I propped my back against his bedroom door.

“I owe you an apology,” he said, and I remained quiet. “Erin, I have some things I need to work through. Stick it out with me. I need to respect your job. If I cross the line, curse my ass out,” he said.

I closed my eyes, imagining how his face looked. Odds are, he sucked in his bottom lip and released it slowly.

“Okay, keep it real with me and I’m here,” I said, thinking back to what Jhae had said.

She confirmed it wasn’t my job to fix Marquise, but I could stand beside him.

“I miss the hell out of you. I want you to come home,” I admitted as I flopped down on his sectional.

“I miss rubbing your fat ass at night too,” he said.

I cackled at his comment to stop myself from crying. If he heard me sniffing, I wouldn’t hear the end of it.

“Don’t be touching on my ass while I’m asleep. Friends don’t grope each other.”

“Ah. Other people still finding their way into our business?” he said, and a smile stretched across my face.