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“Okay then, colorful it is.” I began dropping various pieces of fruit into the bowl, creating a rainbow of fruit. I carried it to the table then returned to get Amel who I placed on his feet. He darted to the table, filling the space next to his sister’s high chair.
“Son, what do you say?”
“Thank you,” he offered with a mouth full of pineapple.
“You’re welcome.”
I headed back to the kitchen and began collecting my own breakfast. Fruit, a muffin, and some kind of candied granola which I sprinkled into my own rainbow.
“You’re good with kids,” Elias said.
“Which is surprising because I haven’t been around many.”
He nodded. “Do you want kids?”
“I do.”
He lifted a strawberry and pushed it into his mouth before leaning against the island next to me. “You’re still here.”
I peeked past him to find Amel eating and singing while his sister grinned at him.
“I am.” I turned to face Elias admiring up close just how much he and Ezekiel looked alike—same strong jawline, enticing eyes. “Is it a problem that I’m still here?”
He delivered the same charming smile his son had just offered but more intentional. “For me, no. But it might be a problem for my brother if you’re not clear aboutwhyyou’re still here.”
“Everyone in this house talks in riddles,” I mumbled while he kept his eyes on me.
“What you consider riddles is a family protecting each other. We have learned from the sins of our past. There’s meaning in everything we say but we’re cautious about what we share and with who.”
“I can understand that, and to answer your question, being here is temporary for me. So you don’t have to protect your family from me for much longer.”
“You’re not a threat, Jhorie.” The way he looked at me was a threat itself. “Did you know I own properties all over the city?”
“No.”
Was he angry I was here? This was my third day and I hadn’t seen him or his kids once. Ezekiel hadn’t lied when he said you could go days at a time in this house and not see anyone if that was your choice.
Shit. Had he been avoiding me? He didn’t want me at his house.
“Ez does too. Most of his are commercial but I have houses, apartments, and condos. It seems like you being here, temporarily or not, isn’t necessary.”
“Would you like me to leave?”
He released a cocky laugh. “No, my brother wants you here and I want whatever makes my brother happy. He was really unhappy for a long fucking time. Some of which was because of me.”
“What did you do?”
“I was born.” Something flashed in his eyes but it was gone before I could try to make sense of it.
“That’s not something you could help, is it?”
“No, it’s not, but it doesn’t lessen how much it affected his life. This isn’t about me. This is about you.”
“What about me?”
“Cress is an optimist. I prefer to be more of a realist when it comes to the people I love. If you’re not here for the right reasons, leave. I will hurt anyone that hurts him. I don’t care who it is. My brother has a conscience with shit like this, I don’t. Not when it comes to the people I care about.”
His eyes fastened with mine and this time there wasn’t a threat living there. It was a promise. Just as quickly as it surfaced he buried it beneath a cool demeanor. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you want.”
