Page 45 of Bending The Rules

“I hope so. Because I don’t want to see Pops walking around here like he was after Mama passed again. That’s not an option.”

Jason blew out a sigh. “We might have to intervene.”

“I’m not intervening inshit,” I laughed. “No sir. I don’t want to be blamed for shit.”

“But they’re going to have to get along,” he insisted. “At least be on halfway decent terms. In case you motherfuckers forgot, I’m with Professor’s daughter.”

Shit.

Ihadforgotten, just that quick.

“And,” Jason continued. “I’m about to be evenmorewith her.” He pulled a silver velvet box from the pocket of the hoodie he was wearing, and flipped it open, then sat it down in the middle of the counter.

“Daaamn,” me and Joseph said, in unison.

Jason nodded. “Right. If Reese says yes, they’re going to be a part of this family. Professor and Pops are gonna be around each other… like it or not.”

“Did you get Devyn to help you pick this?” Joseph asked, picking up the ring to examine it closer. “Is that where she’s been sneaking off to on her lunch breaks at the hospital?”

Jason grinned. “Sorry, bruh. But yeah, she helped.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have noticed what kind of things caught herpersonalattention, would you?"

Jason’s eyes went wide at the same time mine did. “Yo,” he said. “Are you thinking about proposing to Devyn?”

As usual, Joseph shrugged it off, trying to play it cool. “Maybe. Maybe soon. Definitely soon. I’d like us to be married before the baby comes, if she’ll let me talk her into it.”

I scowled. “Well, shit. So all the men in the Wright family have a proposal happening except me? What the hell is this?”

“Don’t feel left out, Jus.” Joseph clapped me on the shoulder. “You qualify too.”

Jason nodded. “Yeah. I mean… the woman you want is engaged… which means somebody proposed to her. See? There you go!”

I shoved them both away from me. “Man,fuck y’all. She’s not even…”

Shit.

That wasn’t really my news to tell, so I simply shook my head. “At what point are y’all going to stop trying to push this “Justin and Toni” thing?”

“When you stop trying to act like there isn’t a thing,” Joseph laughed. “How is she, by the way? Is she still leaving again in a few weeks?”

“Nah,” I shook my head. “She’s here for two months.”

Jason lifted an eyebrow. “And she’s been here at least one of those months. It’s almost time for her to go. You’d better dig up one of those romance plots, bruh – figure out how to make her love you in three weeks. If those niggas can figure the shit out, so can you.”

“Man, whatever,” I said, sucking my teeth. “I’m about to get out of here, cause y’all are tripping.”

Hell, my whole world was tripping.

I said goodbye to my brothers, then tossed it around in my head as I left. Sex with Toni was the first anomaly, and then a wack-ass “let’s just be friends” agreement that was almost definitely going to blow up in our faces.

Anthony was next, with what I knew to be facts about the potential of where I wanted to take my career. Scattered Seeds was the best route for that, but with my history with Toni, that was messy.

Hell… with mypresentwith Toni, the shit was messy.

We’djustbecome friends again. Then put that in jeopardy by complicating it with sex. Now I was supposed tofurthermuck it up by trying to add a business relationship into the mix.

And then the shit with my father.

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