Page 69 of Gang of Roses: Rebel

That made me laugh. “I sure do.”

“And you make my lunch.”

“I do.”

“And you read me stories.”

“I do that too.”

“So...” I smiled. “Am I a good daddy?”

He didn’t even hesitate.

“The best.”

A lump formed in my throat.

I pulled him into my arms and kissed the top of his head.

“I love you more than anything in this world, Sebastian. Don’t you ever forget that.”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

I gave him one last squeeze before standing back up.

“Now come on. These pancakes ain’t gonna eat themselves.”

His smile returned instantly.

“Can I have extra syrup?”

I laughed as I slid a fresh pancake onto his plate.

“You already knew the answer before you asked.”

After breakfast, Sebastian plopped down on the couch and turned on his cartoons. Despite his mama’s stupid ass, I was glad my son was still acting like a kid. He deserved that. He deserved to laugh, play, and worry about nothing more than what cartoon came on next. But I couldn’t even front, I was pissed at Shameka. If she was gonna talk shit about me, whether it was true or not, she needed to make damn sure Sebastian wasn’t around to hear it. Kids soaked up everything. They repeated everything. None of that grown-folk shit belonged on his shoulders. No matter how she felt about me, that was between us. Sebastian didn’t deserve to be caught in the middle.

An hour later, Sebastian sat on the living room floor surrounded by toy cars while cartoons played on the television. Every few seconds, he’d look over at me just to make sure I was watching whatever crazy stunt he’d made his toys pull off. I smiled seeing him being a kid.

For the first time in a long time, life actually felt good. Rebel and I had finally stopped pretending. After years of dancing around our feelings, we decided to give us a real chance. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Yeah, Sarah stealing her life savings and wiping out her dream of opening a tech company had been eating at both of us, but I thought the worst was behind her. I figured all she needed was time and somebody to remind her she wasn’t carrying this alone.

My phone buzzed on the coffee table. The second I saw Rebel’s name, I smiled and answered on the first ring.

“What’s up, Rain?”

It was quiet so my smile slowly disappeared.

“Rain?”

A shaky breath came through the speaker.

“I love you, Crow.”

My heart swelled hearing those words. She’d always said it before, but this time it felt different. Maybe it was the way she looked at me, or maybe it was because I wanted to take our relationship to a different level. Whatever it was, those words hit me harder than they ever had before.

“I love you too.”

She got quiet again. At that moment, I knew something felt off.