Marco shakes his head.“As your lieutenant, I should probably say hell yes.”
“Okay, big brother.What would you have done if you’d seen Renee out on a date with another man that you had no idea about,andshe looked a little worse for wear?Oh, and she’d been at a restaurant that had caught onfire?”I ask Marco.
“Yeah.Renee.Myfiancée.You and London are supposed to be ‘just friends’,” he says with a shit-eating grin.
“I was just checking on her.”
“Did she need checking on?Because from where I was standing, you just didn’t like her being out without you—”
“It wasn’t that,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“Okay then.”He sighs.“You didn’t like seeing her on a date with someone whowasn’tyou.”
I jerk back like he’s slapped me.“No.Absolutely not.London and I arefriends.I wanted to make sure she was doing okay.”
“She was with adoctorwho not only helped her out of the building but was administering first aid to a burn victim whilestillwatching out for her.I think she was pretty safe.”
“She’s my girl.I’ll always check on her,” I reply.
“And that, my boy, is how you’ll explain it to London,” Dad says.“I think your sisters are more angry at you than she is.If anything, London is embarrassed and maybe still a bit worse for wear.And how you act today will determine whether this is a little blip in the road or it becomes a bigger issue.”
“At least Mama seems none the wiser.”
Dad turns around, a meat-laden plate in his arms, and pins me with a stare that tells me I’d better listen because he’s about to impart some wisdom.“Your mother is a romantic and always likes to hear about her sons being the men we raised them to be: honorable, caring,respectful...”
I really did fuck up last night.I embarrassed London, and probably came on abittoo strong with the whole protective friend role.I probably ruined her date too ...although I’m not sure that’s acompletetragedy.No one, not even Perfect Brock couldeverbe good enough for my Lonnie.
For the first time since I left her last night, a weight is lifted off my shoulders.I know I can make this right and get one of London’s honest-to-goodness smiles again.Because it may have only been a few hours without one, but I’m already missing the way she looks at me.
The way she was looking at Brock last night, the voice in my head snarks before I flip it the bird and quash it down.
“You can either open your eyes to what’s right in front of you and how good it could be, or you can let her go so she can get over you and find a man who’ll give her the world she desperately wants from you.”
No way am I letting Lonnie stay pissed at me.She’s too damn important.I just need to remind her of that.Oh, and maybenotact like a dick in public again.That might help too.