Page 68 of SIN Looks Good On Us!

He nodded, looking down at his sneakers. "Yeah. I know."

"That doesn’t change nothing between me and you, though. You hear me? Whatever's going on with grown folks, that's grown folks' business. If you need me for anything, you call, and I'm gonna answer every time."

"Every time?"

"Every time."

He smiled at that and I reached into my pocket, pulling out a hundred-dollar bill and folding it into his palm.

"Get you something you been wanting."

His eyes lit up. "For real?"

"For real."

"You still coming to my game?" he asked, tucking the money into his pocket.

I paused, hating what I had to say next. "I have an emergency I gotta handle right now, but I'll be at the next one. I promise you that."

He thought about it for a second, then nodded. “You promise?”

“I promise.”

"Okay."

We did our signature handshake, a dap, a slide into a grip, a bump of the shoulder, then a snap as we pulled apart. Something just between us. Then I pulled him into a hug this time. For the past two years, we have built a father and son bond. His father wasn’t around to build one with him, and I couldn’t break it on my own accord. That wasn’t the man my grandfather raised me to be.

"I love you," he mumbled against my shoulder.

"Love you too, man."

I pulled back and looked him in the eye. "Go on inside. And remember, man talk stays between us."

"I remember."

He disappeared back through the front door. I stood there another second before heading to my car, already shifting my mind toward Kaior and whatever I was about to walk into once I got home.

I walked into the penthouse and found Kaior sitting on the couch, still dressed in the same clothes I dropped her off in that morning, arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to herself together.

"Hey." I dropped my keys on the entry table and crossed the room, sitting down beside her.

"Hey."

"Talk to me."

She let out a shaky breath and told me everything. She told me about the argument, how the outfit and the purse had set Kyrie off, and how things turned physical, before she finally got out of there. My jaw tightened with every word, but I forced myself to stay calm. Instead of letting my anger take over, I pulled her into my arms and held her a little tighter.

"I'm sorry," she whispered against my chest.

"You ain't got nothing to apologize for." I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, then tilted her chin up and kissed her slowly, trying to give her something steady to hold onto. "Don't worry about none of that right now."

"I was trying to shower before everything happened," she said quietly. "I didn't even get to grab any clothes before I left."

"Don't worry about that either." I stood up, pulling her hand along with mine. "I'll take you shopping."

"Jokah, no. You've already done enough."

"I'm taking you shopping."