When You're Back
Page 21
“Reese got a job?” Aida asked, her eyes wide with something I didn’t recognize.
“You already put her to work? Damn, man, what’s your deal? Woman like that belongs in a bed all day. Happy and taken care of,” Major said, and I knew he meant it.
“Major Colt, that is enough. No talk like that at my table,” Momma said sternly.
He winked and puckered his lips like he was directing a kiss at Momma, before taking another bite. As always, my mother laughed at his antics. If that had been me, she’d have backhanded me.
“Reese wanted a job. I didn’t make her get one. And Piper Stout offered her one that I think she’ll enjoy.”
Major frowned and took a drink of his tea. “She gonna be working at the Stouts’?”
I nodded.
“You’re stupid as sh—uh, I mean . . .” He stopped from cursing as his eyes lifted to my mother, who was glaring at him in warning.
“I think she and Piper will get along fine.”
Major cocked an eyebrow. “Wasn’t Piper I was referring to. You do remember Hawkins, right?”
That was my biggest concern, but I trusted Reese. There was no question there. I just didn’t want Hawkins ever making her feel uncomfortable.
“If at any time he steps over the line, I will handle it. But I can’t keep her locked up away from the world. She needs a life.”
Major shrugged, then went back to eating. “Whatever. But dude, your woman is smoking.”
Aida let out a short laugh, like she thought that comment was amusing. Both Major and I turned to her.
“What? You don’t agree?” Major asked her. He was always up for a fight with Aida. While I was the cousin she grew up adoring, he was the cousin she grew up fighting with.
“She’s fat. Have you seen her butt? No offense, Mase. It’s just you could do better,” Aida said, looking at me with what she thought was an apologetic smile. It wasn’t.
“Aida! Reese is not fat. I can’t believe you’d say something so harsh.” Momma turned her disapproving gaze Aida’s way.
Aida shrugged. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but she is . . . she’s a little too curvy.”
Major let out a loud laugh. “I am so glad I came back here. I was missing this, and no one told me.” He continued to cackle with laughter.
“Reese’s backside happens to be the very thing that caught my interest. It’s perfect, and it’s mine. I never want to hear you say anything negative about her body or her again. Do you understand me?”
Aida’s eyes went wide, and I realized I’d never talked to her so coldly or harshly before. But she’d said the wrong thing. Being cruel wasn’t acceptable. Being cruel to Reese would completely turn me against her.
Major finally stopped laughing. “Reese has the body of a porn star, Aida. You have the body of a model. Women want your body. Men want Reese’s. It’s a simple fact. But seeing you get jealous and ugly about it is priceless.”
Aida stiffened at his comment. “I’m not jealous!”
“Don’t talk about my woman’s body being like a porn star’s, or we’ll have to take this outside my momma’s kitchen, and I’ll shut you up myself,” I warned Major.
“I’m not jealous of her!” Aida said forcefully.
“I was just making a comparison. It was the best I had,” Major said with a shrug.
“Don’t,” I warned him again before he said something I couldn’t forgive.
“Mase is my cousin! Why would I be jealous of who he dates?” Aida spat out angrily.
Major turned his attention back to Aida. “Because you’ve always been jealous of anyone who has taken his attention off you, be it me, Harlow, or, hell, a damn horse. Because ever since you turned sixteen and the hormones kicked in and you realized there’s not one drop of blood shared between you two, you’ve been obsessed with him. He can’t see it, because he doesn’t see you that way. But I can see it. You do anything you can to get his attention. Problem is, you’re missing the big picture. He sees you as his cousin and nothing more.”
What? Where had Major come up with this? Aida didn’t think of me like that.
Aida stood up and ran out of the kitchen without a word. What the hell?
“Someone needed to say it,” Major said, then leaned back and took a drink of his sweet tea.
“I’d better go check on her,” Momma said, turning off the stove. “You two can help yourself to the bacon.”
I watched as Momma went out the door to look for Aida.
“You didn’t know, did you?” Major asked.
Know what? That Aida had a thing for me? Fuck, no. “I don’t think you’re right,” I told him.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I’m right. Did your momma correct me or reprimand me? No. She went after Aida. She knows I’m right, too. We all saw it. Just not you.”
Shit. What was I supposed to do with this? I knew Aida had been different since I’d brought Reese home. When Aida wasn’t around, I didn’t think about her or worry over her like I did with Harlow. We weren’t that close.
“She always wanted to do things with just you. ‘Take me dancing, Mase.’ ‘Let’s go riding, Mase.’ ‘Some boy broke my heart, hold me, Mase.’ All that shit was ridiculous, but you did it anyway, never once realizing what she was after.”
“You already put her to work? Damn, man, what’s your deal? Woman like that belongs in a bed all day. Happy and taken care of,” Major said, and I knew he meant it.
“Major Colt, that is enough. No talk like that at my table,” Momma said sternly.
He winked and puckered his lips like he was directing a kiss at Momma, before taking another bite. As always, my mother laughed at his antics. If that had been me, she’d have backhanded me.
“Reese wanted a job. I didn’t make her get one. And Piper Stout offered her one that I think she’ll enjoy.”
Major frowned and took a drink of his tea. “She gonna be working at the Stouts’?”
I nodded.
“You’re stupid as sh—uh, I mean . . .” He stopped from cursing as his eyes lifted to my mother, who was glaring at him in warning.
“I think she and Piper will get along fine.”
Major cocked an eyebrow. “Wasn’t Piper I was referring to. You do remember Hawkins, right?”
That was my biggest concern, but I trusted Reese. There was no question there. I just didn’t want Hawkins ever making her feel uncomfortable.
“If at any time he steps over the line, I will handle it. But I can’t keep her locked up away from the world. She needs a life.”
Major shrugged, then went back to eating. “Whatever. But dude, your woman is smoking.”
Aida let out a short laugh, like she thought that comment was amusing. Both Major and I turned to her.
“What? You don’t agree?” Major asked her. He was always up for a fight with Aida. While I was the cousin she grew up adoring, he was the cousin she grew up fighting with.
“She’s fat. Have you seen her butt? No offense, Mase. It’s just you could do better,” Aida said, looking at me with what she thought was an apologetic smile. It wasn’t.
“Aida! Reese is not fat. I can’t believe you’d say something so harsh.” Momma turned her disapproving gaze Aida’s way.
Aida shrugged. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but she is . . . she’s a little too curvy.”
Major let out a loud laugh. “I am so glad I came back here. I was missing this, and no one told me.” He continued to cackle with laughter.
“Reese’s backside happens to be the very thing that caught my interest. It’s perfect, and it’s mine. I never want to hear you say anything negative about her body or her again. Do you understand me?”
Aida’s eyes went wide, and I realized I’d never talked to her so coldly or harshly before. But she’d said the wrong thing. Being cruel wasn’t acceptable. Being cruel to Reese would completely turn me against her.
Major finally stopped laughing. “Reese has the body of a porn star, Aida. You have the body of a model. Women want your body. Men want Reese’s. It’s a simple fact. But seeing you get jealous and ugly about it is priceless.”
Aida stiffened at his comment. “I’m not jealous!”
“Don’t talk about my woman’s body being like a porn star’s, or we’ll have to take this outside my momma’s kitchen, and I’ll shut you up myself,” I warned Major.
“I’m not jealous of her!” Aida said forcefully.
“I was just making a comparison. It was the best I had,” Major said with a shrug.
“Don’t,” I warned him again before he said something I couldn’t forgive.
“Mase is my cousin! Why would I be jealous of who he dates?” Aida spat out angrily.
Major turned his attention back to Aida. “Because you’ve always been jealous of anyone who has taken his attention off you, be it me, Harlow, or, hell, a damn horse. Because ever since you turned sixteen and the hormones kicked in and you realized there’s not one drop of blood shared between you two, you’ve been obsessed with him. He can’t see it, because he doesn’t see you that way. But I can see it. You do anything you can to get his attention. Problem is, you’re missing the big picture. He sees you as his cousin and nothing more.”
What? Where had Major come up with this? Aida didn’t think of me like that.
Aida stood up and ran out of the kitchen without a word. What the hell?
“Someone needed to say it,” Major said, then leaned back and took a drink of his sweet tea.
“I’d better go check on her,” Momma said, turning off the stove. “You two can help yourself to the bacon.”
I watched as Momma went out the door to look for Aida.
“You didn’t know, did you?” Major asked.
Know what? That Aida had a thing for me? Fuck, no. “I don’t think you’re right,” I told him.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I’m right. Did your momma correct me or reprimand me? No. She went after Aida. She knows I’m right, too. We all saw it. Just not you.”
Shit. What was I supposed to do with this? I knew Aida had been different since I’d brought Reese home. When Aida wasn’t around, I didn’t think about her or worry over her like I did with Harlow. We weren’t that close.
“She always wanted to do things with just you. ‘Take me dancing, Mase.’ ‘Let’s go riding, Mase.’ ‘Some boy broke my heart, hold me, Mase.’ All that shit was ridiculous, but you did it anyway, never once realizing what she was after.”
