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DeAndre squinted at his dad. “That’s one of my jokes. I recognize it.”
Leslie chuckled. “You could humor me!”
DeAndre laughed. “Alright.” He feigned ignorance. “Are you serious?”
“No,” Leslie said, and DeAndre shook his head.
“Only Avery can get me like that.”
“I see. I’ll have to devise another way to get you off your game.” The men chuckled. “No, seriously. To answer your question, we talk it out. What can we do to compromise on the issue? If I can let go of something, I’ll do it quickly. There’s nothing like letting anger or misunderstandings fester in a marriage. Life is too short, and I want to spend all of it in as much bliss with your mother as possible.”
“What if it’s something that could harm her? Would you still let it go?”
Leslie entered the drive-through of Bank of America and stopped behind a waiting car, then looked at his son—his eyes rising.
“This would go back to finding a solution that works for us both. But I’ve got to ask, does she want to mountain climb or something?”
DeAndre chuckled, remembering Avery’s words.“It’s not like I’m falling from Mount Everest.”
“No, it’s not that serious.”
Leslie twisted his lips. “Are you sure you’re not being overbearing?”
DeAndre’s brows rose, and he frowned. “No. I’m not.”
“What is it, son?”
DeAndre thought for a minute, unwilling to tell his father the details of their disagreement for the sake of Avery’s privacy. “If mom said she wanted to learn how to hula dance on skates, but you knew she was clumsy and would likely hurt herself, would you try to get her to find something else to enjoy?”
A deep guffaw sprinted from Leslie’s mouth, and he let off the brakes as the car in front of him moved.
“She’ll be alright. If she banged herself up, I’d rub her down later after a good soak in the tub. Trust me; if I know your mother, she won’t try it again the next day.” Leslie laughed. “Those falls would surely make her find something else to love without me intervening.”
DeAndre thought it over. “You’re right.”
“And then, too, I’d love to see your mother in a hula dress, skating and dancing around me. I wouldn’t dare discourage her from it—even with the potential hiccups involved.” Leslie stared at his son, noticing he was deep in thought. “I don’t know if hula dancing is what Avery wants to do, but I can tell you’re overthinking it.”
“How?”
“You’re considering what would happen if she fell or hurt herself instead of the appeal your wife would have dancing around you, flirting and confident.”
DeAndre peered at his father, then his thoughts shifted to Avery pole dancing—her hips and body gracefully spinning around.
Heat attacked him all at once, and before his mind could venture deeper into those musings, Leslie spoke again.
“The look on your face tells me you didn’t think about the good first.” He chuckled. “Avery will be okay. You can’t save her from everything. A few bumps won’t hurt.”
DeAndre peered at his father. “Who says I’m trying to save her from anything?”
Leslie twisted his lips, pulled to the window, and dropped a deposit bag into the bend, smiling and nodding at the clerk behind the window.
“Good morning.”
The clerk smiled back. “Good morning, Mr. Valentine. I’ll take care of this right away.”
“Thank you.”
“How does she know your name?”
