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“What?” He smirks, a hint of his animosity chipping away. “They’re magically delicious.”
This seems so … domesticated.
Not what I expected from him.
I check items off our list and play with the pen in my mouth as we walk to the meat counter. Ralph makes small talk while cutting our order. I answer most of the questions. Benny is like his father. He doesn’t speak much in public. I don’t miss the curious glances from other customers. Some even creep along our aisles just to be nosy, pretending to be interested in an item before placing it back onto the shelf. No wonder Benny doesn’t like grocery shopping.
“You ready to go?” I ask, glancing back at him after checking the last item off my list.
He nods.
“Why aren’t you two lovebirds on a honeymoon?” Lorna, the clerk at the register, asks when she begins scanning our items.
I pause.
I never considered a honeymoon, nor was one mentioned by Benny or my family. They probably knew it was for the better.
My only response is a warm smile.
It’s not until Lorna rattles off the total that I realize I don’t have a purse. Benny immediately slides into my space and hands her cash.
“Add the change to the donation box,” he says.
I have money. Not as much as Benny, but sometimes, I’ll fill in at my father’s alterations shop that one of his men runs for him. The pay is decent, but my father doesn’t care much about the cash flow it brings in. It’s an easy business to launder money through and pay all of us.
The teenage boy bagging our groceries stares at Benny in awe and drops a few items on the floor. I hold back the urge to tell him not to idolize this life.
Benny wheels the cart out and doesn’t allow me to help load the bags into the back of the SUV.
“I can pay you back for the groceries,” I tell him when we’re in the car. “I would’ve offered, but I don’t have my purse.”
Benny reverses out of the parking spot. “You’ll never pay for our groceries.”
I shake my head. “I make my own money, Benny.”
“Cool. Buy yourself something nice with it then.”
“That’s not what I meant,Benito.” I don’t know what motivates me to randomly call him by his full name.
“Oh, she’s pulling out the full name now.” He smirks. “Not going to lie. I kind of like you calling me Benito.”
I throw my head back. “I just wanted to shop in peace.”
He brakes at a stoplight and reaches over to squeeze my knee, and his voice turns rough when he says, “Peace doesn’t belong in my world, Neomi.”
* * *
We makea quick pit stop at the mansion.
The only people there are employees and guards. I stop Benny from coming inside with me, dash upstairs, and grab my phone and purse. We need to get our groceries home.
When I’m back in the car and Benny drives off, I unlock my phone to find endless notifications.
Texts.
Missed calls.
Tagged wedding pictures, which irks me. I told my parents I wanted a strict no-photos policy. Not that I can complain because when I click on the notifications, I realize most of the photos are from my mother’s profile.
