Page 196 of Buy Back My Love

He nodded, then looked directly at me. “I want you and Myles to come with me.”

My sandwich stopped halfway back to my mouth. “Come with you where?”

“To live.”

I slowly lowered my food. “Van.”

“I’m serious.”

“You just asked me to be your girlfriend.”

“And?”

“And now you asking me to move in with you, and I ain’t even been your girlfriend a whole month.”

“It ain’t like I met you a month ago.”

“That ain’t the point.”

“I know.” He leaned back in the chair instead of arguing. “So tell me the point.”

I looked over at Myles. The answer was easy. “I’m scared.”

Van stopped playing around. “Of me?”

“No.” I picked at the edge of my sandwich wrapper. “Of not having my own.” He stayed quiet and let me talk. “I did that already. Me and JB was together forever, and everything was us. I thought what was his was mine and what was mine was his. Then I went to prison and came home to find out I didn’t know half the shit going on in my own life.” I shook my head. “I don’t ever wanna be in a position where I gotta depend completely on a man again. I love you. That ain’t got nothing to do with it. I just need to know if shit ever goes left, I still got me.”

Van nodded. “I’m not asking you to give up having your own.”

“If I give up my place and move into your house, that’s kinda what I’m doing.”

“Then don’t give it up.”

I frowned. “What?”

“Keep your place until the lease up. After that, if you still feel like you need something of your own, we’ll figure it out.”

I stared at him. “You done thought about this.”

“Yeah.”

“How long?”

“Long enough.”

That made me smile a little, but the fear was still there.

Van reached over and took my hand. “I'm not asking because you need somewhere to stay. You already got somewhere to stay. I want you and Myles with me.”

I looked at him.

“When I get off work, I wanna come home to y’all. I can help with him. You don't have to be up all night by yourself, then trying to function the next day like you got it handled when you tired as hell.”

“You know babies cry, right?”

“Yes, Lee.”

“A lot.”