Page 91 of But For You

“I need to get up,” I muttered. “I can go with you.”

“No,” he rumbled and kissed my temple, his hand sliding down my back before his lips followed. “Go back to sleep. I’ll bring lunch when I get home.”

My eyes were so heavy.

“I promise not to shoot anybody.”

I smiled, and he turned my head and kissed me.

“Besides, you smell like cum and sweat.”

I sighed deeply, and then Kola was there, kissing my cheek.

“We’re going to talk to the principal, Pa.”

I bet they were.

An hour later, I got up, took a shower, stripped the sheets off the bed, changed them, and added Sam’s clothes from his duffel to the load of laundry. The coffee I had made hours ago was cold, so I dumped it and made some tea instead.

When I heard keys in the lock another hour later, I turned from staring down at the Magnificent Mile to the door.

It was just Sam and the kids, no Chaz or Pat with them. Sam set a large white shopping bag on the kitchen counter. The food smelled wonderful, even from across the room. I saw Sam’s gun safe in one hand, along with more clothes on hangers that he had brought from the house in the other.

“We’re not going home?” I asked him as Hannah streaked over.

“No,” he informed me, walking down the hall toward the bedroom.

“Would you like to elaborate?” I called after him.

“No!”

“I see you picked up your spare!” I yelled, going to my knees in front of my girl so I was ready for my hug.

“Of course!” His voice carried back.

I hugged Hannah as Kola joined us. It looked like his cast had been changed.

“Hey, buddy, what happened there?”

“Daddy took me to the doctor after we saw Mrs. P.”

“Oh, I see.” I smiled at him, letting Hannah go so I could cuddle my boy. “You like the new color?”

He nodded. “Purple’s your favorite, so I got it for you.”

“Thank you.” I sighed, squeezing him tight, loving the way he leaned and gave me his weight, his head heavy on my shoulder.

“Daddy yelled at Mrs. P,” Hannah told me.

“Did he?”

She pursed her lips like I did, and it was funny to see her do it.

“What else?”

“Daddy had Uncle Dane’s friend with him when he went to see Mrs. P,” Kola reported, leaning out of our hug to look at my face. “They both looked kind of mad.”

My eyes fluttered because really, poor Principal Petrovich. Sam Kage and Rick Jenner in the same room—it was too horrible to contemplate.