“He definitely put a tracker in it,” I joked.
“I’m glad you’re starting to see reason.”
Oh, he’s dead serious.
We arrived at Grant’s sleek, black weekend Mercedes, and I wasn’t surprised when he pinned me against the passenger door with his large frame.
“WhenDad cuts you off, which is highly likely because he’s tired of your bullshit—”
“Asshole.”
“Perspective, sweetheart. When Dad cuts you off, there’s always a place for you at Baker Personal Injury & Law. We could use a receptionist.”
I smiled wryly. “How cliché,” I whispered.
“I like to think of it as a self-fulfilling prophecy,” he replied before crashing his lips against mine. The kiss went from soft teasing to hinting that we might need to slip into the backseat and ride one out.
“Oh, my God!”
We jerked away from each other as if gasoline was poured on our heads and a match was thrown on us.
“Oh… shit,” I whispered.
All these years of hiding and sneaking around, only to be caught by Uncle Ant and Ms. Simone.
Chapter Fourteen
Grant
Kiyah and I sat across from our second set of parents in a booth in the back of a cozy coffee shop. The calming Lofi that oozed from the Bluetooth speaker did nothing to ease the anger rolling off Uncle Ant.
I swear the man sprouted ten gray hairs since we’ve been held hostage.
Ms. Simone appeared to be taking our secret relationship in better stride. She called on Jesus a few times under her breath, but she didn’t look like she was about to pop a blood vessel like her loving husband.
I glanced at Kiyah. To anyone else, she seemed cool as a cucumber, but the rapid blinking of her eyes told a different story. I grabbed her hand underneath the table and gave it a firm, supportive squeeze. She squeezed it back, and I felt for the first time in a long time that she was leaning on me for support.
That’s all I’ve ever wanted—to love and be there for her in every way possible. To protect her from the things I knew could break her.
“What the fuck is going on?” Uncle Ant snapped.
“Anthony! We’re in public.” Ms. Simone admonished. She leaned across the table and whispered, “What the fuck is going on?”
I glanced at Kiyah once more and received a consenting nod. I pulled her hand up and kissed the back of it.
“Oh, my God,” Uncle Ant groaned, scrubbing his face with his hands. “How long has this been going on?”
“Kiyah and I have been involved for 13 years.”
“Thirteen goddamn years!” he bellowed, slamming his fist on the table. Activity in the coffee shop came to an abrupt standstill. The barista’s brow raised dubiously, a baby three tables over cried, and a nervous older woman looked as if she was about to dial 9-1-1 on her easily accessible phone that catered to seniors.
“Anthony… your blood pressure,” Ms. Simone warned lowly. “Relax and let me take care of this.”
“Jonathan’s not going to like this. Jonathan’s not going to like this at all. The jury’s still out on Kierra.”
“Relax, Anthony.”
He finally exhaled, and some of the crimson leaked from his face, returning him to a more palatable pink. Ms. Simone smiled at us warmly, but she wasn’t fooling me. It was the same smile she used before she pulled out the slipper for Nori, Daisy, and Ronan. Kieran was exempt because he was a well-behaved child. The other ones? Not so much. “Okay, let’s take it from the top. I want to preface this by saying that your Uncle Ant and I love you two very much, and there’s nothing you can do to make us stop loving you. This… finding out the two of you are romantically involved is a little upsetting, especially given how long this has been going on.”