Page 268 of When a Soul Cries

“I miss you.”

The words landed differently because there was no joke behind them.

“I’ve been trying to give you space,” he continued. “Let you get settled. Start working. Let this place feel like yours without me all up in it.”

“I know.”

“But don’t confuse me giving you space with me changing my mind.”

I studied his face. “About what?”

“You.”

My heartbeat stumbled.

Rome stopped a couple of feet away.

“I still want to pursue you, Sol. I still wanna take you out. Spend time with you when something ain’t going wrong. Get to know you without everything being about fixing a problem.”

My fingers curled around the edge of the counter.

“I know you needed this.” He gestured around the townhouse. “Something that’s yours. Somewhere you can stand on your own feet and know you did it.”

I nodded slowly.

“So I’m not trying to take that from you.” His eyes stayed on mine. “But I’m still here.”

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say.

Then his expression shifted slightly, like he’d made up his mind about something.

“I got something planned for us next weekend.”

I blinked. “Us?”

“Me and you.” His mouth curved when my brows immediately pulled together. “Sugga already said she got a whole weekend planned for Halo.”

I stared at him.

“So you already talked to your mama?”

“Yep.”

“And y’all just planning my life now?”

Rome chuckled and pushed away from the counter. “Ain’t nobody planning your life. She wanted Halo for the weekend. I happened to have somewhere I wanted to take you.”

Of course they did.

I crossed my arms. “Rome, I just started this job.”

“I know.” He stopped near the high chair and rested one hand against the back of it. “That’s why I planned it around your schedule. We leave Friday after you get off and come back Sunday. You won’t miss work.”

That shut down the excuse sitting on the tip of my tongue.

I narrowed my eyes instead. “Where are we going?”

His smile told me immediately that I wasn’t getting an answer.