He cut his eyes at her. “It’s still mine.”
She giggled at his serious expression. “Whatever. I know my mama can be a lot, baby. Thank you for putting up with us. I promise she isn’t all that bad. She’s literally just bored.”
Prosper shook his head like he didn’t want to argue before he cracked another grin. “You know you real for that, right?”
Teonny rolled her eyes to the ceiling. It hadn’t been the first time he called her that.Real.She didn’t even know what he meant by it. Teonny was always justher.
“Here you go,” she mumbled.
He chuckled. “I’m just sayin’. You don’t let anyone talk bad about the people you love. I admire that about you.”
Her brows dipped. “I don’t think anyone should allow someone to talk bad about someone they love.”
“You not wrong, but you’d be surprised by how many people do. People like to fit in, and they think words and shit are harmless, so they let shit slide when it comes to people they love, just to fit in.”
Teonny shook her head. “Couldn’t be me.”
He kissed her lips. “That’s why you’re real.”
“I guess.” She giggled, and as she leaned into him, she asked, “Still no word on Ghost?”
“None.”
She hated that. She knew this entire situation weighed down on Prosper too. The entire house was tense, and she hoped everything would come to a head and end soon. Though time had passed, both she and Prosper were nervous about being outin public. They’d only been to the grocery store one other time, but Tameka was right; they needed to stock up on food. Maybe she would see if the grocery store had some playing cards or board games or something to help take the edge off.
Prosper’s phone rang, bringing them out of their thoughts. He adjusted them so he could reach his phone in his pocket, and then he answered.
“Yo.”
He didn’t say anything else for a solid thirty seconds before he said, “Bet. Give me an hour or so. I need to make a run, and then I’ll be there.”
Teonny looked up at him in confusion. He had yet to leave the house since the first day they got there, outside of them going to the grocery store.
“Everything okay?”
He tapped her thigh. “Go get ya mama. We ’bout to go to the store quick, and then I gotta go handle something real quick.”
She eyed him wearily. Her heart felt like it fell to her ass, but she simply nodded and made a move to get up. He tugged her back and kissed her lips. When they pulled apart, they looked into each other’s eyes. It felt like they communicated without speaking, and the words spilled straight from her heart and out of her mouth.
“I love you.”
“I love you.”
They looked at each other in shock. They said the same damn thing at the same time, and it couldn’t have been a more perfect moment.
He chuckled while Teonny giggled.
“Glad we on the same page.” He smoothed her curls away from her face. “I been knowing I loved yo’ stubborn ass. I’m happy as fuck you love me too.”
“I do.”And that scares me,she wanted to add, but she didn’t. She didn’t want to be afraid of love. For Prosper, she wanted to embrace it.
He stared at her for another moment before he said, “I’m gon’ marry yo’ ass.”
She grinned. “How you know I want to get married again?”
“I know.” She shrugged and wouldn’t argue, because he wasn’t wrong. She would definitely marry Prosper, but she still didn’t want any more kids. She chewed on her bottom lip as her thoughts drifted. “Aye, what’s good?”
His voice grounded her, and she looked back at him. She felt comfortable being honest with him, so she decided to just say it.
