Page 64 of Unlucky You

“Yeah, you can.” I brushed a hand over his head. “Go get your bike.”

I felt eyes on me and when I looked past him to the porch I caught sight of my mother’s smile right before she turned away and entered the house.

While Raiden carefully walked his bike down the driveway, I removed the helmet and jacket from my back seat. When he realized what I had, he was smiling like a lunatic again. “Can I put it on?”

“Yeah, come on.”

I got him out of his windbreaker and helped him into the jacket then the helmet, pointing out all the patches on his sleeves and his name. He grinned, wrinkling his nose when he looked up.

“Did you make this?”

“Nah, a friend of mine did.”

“Can I tell them thank you? You should always say thank you for gifts.”

I considered his words then removed my phone from my pocket, deciding I had to make a firm decision about where Saniya fit into my life. Now was as good of a time as any. There was no compromise when it came to my son, so if she wasn’t cool with being in his life I was going to have to rethink whatever the hell this was we were doing.

SIXTEEN

Saniya.

You working?

No, with my sister, what’s up?

I’m with Raiden. He wants to thank you for his jacket.

Awww, he likes it?

Like is an understatement. Is it cool if I call so he can tell you?

I blinked at the text a few times before a smile split onto my face. The more time we spent together, the more comfortable Grand had become discussing his son. He would offer small details or stories about him and their time together but I hadn’tmet him yet. To know he was allowing me to talk to him felt like a big deal.

Yes, that’s cool.

As soon as I hit send. My anxiety kicked into overdrive. What was I supposed to say? What if he asked who I was? Would Grand expect me to answer or would he? And shit…

When my screen illuminated with a call, and instead of his name my face showed on the screen notifying me it was FaceTime, I almost dropped the device. My fingers swiped over the sleek glass and I was blessed with the visual of deep brown eyes and a square jaw covered in dark hair I experienced each time his head was between my thighs. This man was too damn sexy for his own good. I couldn’t control my grin which had me peeking at my sister who was in the kitchen on the phone speaking animatedly with her hands to our father.

“You just gonna sit there grinning at me?”

“You didn’t say anything.”

“‘You’re pretty ass was sitting there lusting after me. I was letting you have your moment.”

My smile expanded but I rolled my eyes, blushing more. “Whatever.”

“I know I said I was gonna call but before I put him on, I wanted to be sure you’re cool with meeting him like this.”

“I don’t mind meeting your son.”

Grand searched my face to be sure but then glanced to the side and smiled. “Hold on, let me get him. He’s burning up the damn cul de sac.”

Once again I was smiling like an idiot. “Can I see?”

“Yeah, hang on.” He flipped the camera briefly, allowing me the visual of jean clad legs in motion on the pedals while a helmeted head leaned over the handlebars. When Raiden whizzed past, I saw the massive skull patch I’d ironed on the center of the jean jacket Grand had purchased for him. He calledRaiden over, flipped the camera back toward his handsome face, and kneeled next to his son, bringing both of them into the screen after he helped him out of the helmet.

The kid was unreasonably handsome with a head full of curls cut low on the sides and eyes that felt familiar because they were replicas in shape and hue of his father’s. His entire face belonged to Grand.

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