Me too. Her voice played on repeat every second of my ride back to Rosewood, and for hours later, I could hear nothing else but those sweet two words. Me too. I was an idiot for not saying it back to her right on the spot and for not saying it at all when I was about to. She heard it, though. She felt it, and she said it back.
I wanted to call her right away. Fuck, I wanted to go back, crawl into her bed and say it to her loud and clear while I was buried deep between her thighs. But I needed to give the girl some distance or she’d get tired of me real fast.
My phone rang, and I wished it’d been her. It was my VP, though. “Molar, bro.”
“You gotta come back, y’all. I can’t hold your sister off anymore. She won’t shut up about taking a plane by herself to come down to you. She’s screaming at me at the hospital, driving me nuts.”
I chuckled. “Put her on the phone.”
“Can’t. Chemo started already.”
“Okay. I’ll call her tonight and tell her I’m coming back this week. How is she?”
“Kicking butt. Missing your old ass, though. When you say this week what day exactly is that, Prez?”
“Look, I wanna come home right away, but I’m trying to hash things with Rex.”
“You think you can get that done in a week, y’all?”
I sighed. “Well, I’m giving it one last shot. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t…”
“I didn’t wanna say something now, but you gotta know Armando Lanza landed in town an hour ago.”
“The fuck? Why didn’t you tell me right away?”
“Because I’m taking care of it until you return. Did he request a meet?”
“No. Is it just Armando?”
“For now, I reckon.”
“Okay. I’ll shift gears and come as fast as I can. I’ll send Fort over right away. Keep me posted.” Fuck. I hung up and called Fort.
“Prez, I’m dropping Jo from the school. We’re down at her place.”
“Put her on the phone.”
“Laius.”
I picked something in her tone that set me on edge. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“Nothing. I was just sorting a few things at the school. You know saying goodbye to my friends and getting my reference letters.”
Hadn’t she done that already? She was planning on leaving the city weeks ago. “Baby—”
“I finished the letter, by the way. I gave it to Fort, and he’ll give it to you.”
“What fucking letter?”
“For Rex. I thought if you gave it to him soon enough, and hopefully, he’d respond in your favor, we can start our road trip to H-town.”
I should be over the moon now that she was agreeing to come home with me, but something was off. My instincts never lied to me. “That’s great news, baby girl. Thank you so much for doing this. I’ll send the letter right away, but I won’t wait for Rex to respond.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Shit is happening back home, and we need to get going. How soon can you pack?”
“Um…give me a couple of days.”
“How about I come help, and we leave tonight?”
She paused. “If you come over, we won’t get any packing done.” Her laugh was void of humor.
“What’s wrong, baby? Are you having second thoughts?”
“No. Don’t be ridiculous. I was only teasing when I said I was going to think about it. I want nothing but to go with you, Laius. Listen, how about I just pack my essentials while you go talk to your son and we can send for the rest of my things later?”
Okay, maybe I was worried for nothing. She wasn’t having second thoughts, and I was being an idiot. I just never felt like this about anyone, never wanted any woman as much as I wanted Jo. To want something that much meant to be scared shitless to lose it, and I’d forsaken fear a long time ago to become the man I was. My love for her was changing me, and it scared me even more. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll pick you up around midnight.”
“Laius, I…” Her voice wavered.
“Hold that thought until I see you. I want to be looking in your eyes when you say it. I want you to be looking in mine when I say it. And I want to say it first. But for now…me too, baby.”
Her breath rustled, and she sounded like she was holding her tears. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Baby, is there something else you want to tell me?” I couldn’t help that fucking feeling that something was wrong.
“Just that Fort is looking at me funny like I were some sort of alien.”
“Ain’t no alien but a witch like Prez says. You put a magic spell on my bro,” Fort said.
I snorted. “All right, get your ass over here and give me that letter. Jo, do your thing, and I’ll see you in a few hours.”
I texted Molar, telling him the plan had changed. Fort wouldn’t be the only one coming home tonight.
