Rock Chick Reborn

He did not get me a tissue.

He pushed up to his feet. “Give us an explanation, Shirleen.”

Oh boy.

I pushed up to my feet and Roam came up with me.

“You do not give the orders in this house,” I said to Sniff.

“You didn’t know we’d come back,” Roam accused me.

“What are you doing back?” I rapped out, though I had to admit I was curious.

“You asked us seven thousand times if we’d be gone on Friday and how long we’d be out, and you were in your room every night gabbin’ on the phone, and you had a full Rock Chick Powwow in your friggin’ bedroom, so it was hard to miss you were planning a little somethin’ somethin’,” Roam explained.

“And anyway, you didn’t even try to hide those roses,” Sniff put in.

Hell.

“Not real good with the covert, are you, baby?” Moses teased.

I shot him big eyes.

He shot me a big smile.

“We’ll talk to you in a minute,” Roam bit off.

“Roam!” I snapped.

He shot me a scowl.

I turned to Sniff. “So you knew I had something planned with a gentleman friend and you came home and pounded on my bedroom door?”

“We gotta look out for you,” Roam answered for Sniff.

“Yeah, that’s like, our job,” Sniff added.

Okay.

Now I couldn’t be pissed at them.

Shit.

“And we looked out for you and found out you got yourself tangled up with some player,” Roam finished.

“He’s not a player, Roam,” I said quietly.

“Yeah, he’s not, why’s he all cool with you makin’ sure we’re gone before he’ll come get you for a date? Hunh? Why won’t he walk up and knock on the door like a man and meet your sons like . . .” Roam leaned into me, “a man?”

All good questions.

“Moses has daughters and we were going to give it some time and when,” I slid my eyes to Moses before I looked back at Roam, “we were confident in what was building between us, we were going to bring all of you into it.”

Roam shut his mouth.

Apparently that was a good answer.

Thank the Lord.

“You got daughters?” Sniff asked Moses.

Shit.

Roam reached behind me and smacked Sniff up the backside of his head.

“Dude,” he warned low.

“What?” Sniff asked. “That’s cool. Shirleen’s got two boys. This works with this guy, she might get some girls. That’s pretty awesome.”

Lord God, I loved that kid.

“How about we try this again,” Moses decided to officially enter the conversation. He walked forward with his hand up. “I’m Moses Richardson and I really, really like your momma.”

He aimed his hand at Roam first.

Roam looked at it a beat before he took it and shook it.

When they let go, he offered it to Sniff.

Sniff took it and shook it and they let go.

Moses then took my hand and led me one step toward him.

Both boys closed in at my back.

Yep.

Loved those kids.

“Now, sweetheart, I’m gonna go and let you be with your boys tonight,” he said, giving my hand a squeeze.

“Moses—” I started.

“You don’t have to do that,” Sniff said quickly.

“Yeah, we . . . maybe, uh . . . didn’t play this right,” Roam put in.

“And Shirleen’s got a pretty dress on,” Sniff continued.

“So, yeah, maybe we should just head back out and . . .” Roam let that trail.

Moses kept hold of my hand but looked between the boys.

“I think tonight was a big night for all of you.” He looked down at me. “Rain check? Tomorrow night?”

“No really, you guys should go out,” Sniff said, again quickly.

But it was a different kind of quickly.

I turned suspicious eyes to Sniff. “What’s going on?”

He shook his head. “Nothin’. We just . . . Roam and me just wanted to talk to you tomorrow night.”

“About what?” I asked.

“Tomorrow night,” Roam put in firmly. “Go out with, uh . . . Mr. Richardson here and we’ll get into it then.”

My heart squeezed.

But my eyes hit the ceiling.

“Oh Lord,” I looked between them, “which of you got who pregnant?”

“Shirleen!” Sniff bit off.

“Neither, Shirleen, Jesus,” Roam huffed out.

“Then what do you need to talk to me about tomorrow night?” I asked.

“Baby, think maybe now is the time I should—” Moses started, giving my hand another squeeze.

“I’m goin’ to work for Lee after I graduate,” Roam cut him off to declare.

Okay.

All right.

When they were interns, this was fine. They worked computer stuff and watched monitors in the (relative) safety of the office. I could handle the idea of them becoming members of the team when it was all future. All fantasy.

But then it wasn’t real. It wasn’t Roam having his own bulletproof vest in the locker room.

I felt the vapors coming on.

“And I’m going into the Army,” Sniff announced.

Say . . .

What?

The Army?

The United States Army that fought wars?

It was official.

I had the vapors.

For certain.

Future Was Bright

Shirleen

“BABE.”

That was Moses.

“Nope,” I snapped, listening to my phone ring in my ear as I paced my living room.

“Shirleen.”

That was Sniff.

“Unh-unh,” I bit out, still listening.

“C’mon, Shirleen.”

That was Roam.

I didn’t have to reply to him.

Lee picked up.

“Hey, Shirleen. Everything good?”

“So you had some conversations with my boys about their futures, hunh?”

“Oh shit,” Lee muttered.

“Hell yeah, oh shit. You think to talk to me about that?” I asked heatedly.

When he spoke again, he sounded mildly confused. “They’re already recruits. I thought you were on board with that.”

My voice was pitched so high, it was a wonder all my crystal didn’t shatter when I demanded, “You told Sniff to go into the Army!”

“Shirleen—”

“The enemy shoots at you when you’re in the Army, Lee,” I educated him.

“I know, Shirleen, I was in the Army, remember?” Lee returned.

I ignored that.

“Or they blow you up with land mines and shit.”

“Have you talked with Sniff about this?” Lee asked.

“Yeah, he said, ‘I’m going into the Army.’ Then, after I fought off an attack of the vapors, he shared, ‘Lee and the guys think it’s a good idea.’ So that was when I got my phone and called to lay you out.”

“He wants something that’s his,” Lee said low.

And that low caught my attention.

Lee kept at me.

“He’s been in Roam’s shadow for years. He needs out from that. He needs to find out who he is without his brother always at his side. The right groundwork has been laid for him to be the man he wants to be, but he’s gotta walk that path alone now so in the end, who he becomes . . . it’s his.”

Goddamn, I hated it when these men made sense.

“And Roam?” I clipped out. “He’s eighteen, Lee, and you’re gonna take him on?”