Page 68 of Real's Love

I shook my head before biting into the food. Damn, my mama could bake! I swallowed before smiling at her.

"Ma, that's good as fuck. What you?—"

I stopped as she popped my forehead.

"All that damn cussing!" she scolded, rubbing the spot she’d just smacked. "But that's based on Mexican chocolate. A little spicy, a little sweet. And going on the menu for fall, I guess. Now, let's talk about your girl," she said, putting her elbows on the table so she could rest her chin on her fists.

"She ain't my girl."

I wanted to correct that immediately. My only interest in her now was finding out the reason for the lies.

"Mmm. But you brought her to see us, and I heard you were ready to fight one brother for smiling at her and the other for speaking on her."

I swear them niggas were snitches. My mama had a way of pulling stuff out of you, though. She smirked, then took a sip of tea, her eyes never leaving me. I mugged her, earning me another forehead slap.

"Why you so calm? Shorty probably a spy," I reminded her.

She sucked her teeth. "That girl ain't no spy. I could tell."

I eyeballed her as I ate another piece of the muffin.

"You psychic now?"

"Don't be a smart-ass, Montréal. Let me ask you a question. Does she make you feel new and different things, like you haven't felt with anyone else? Does she settle your spirit? Do you want all her time and that still might not be enough? Do you think about a future with her?"

She shot questions at me like a modified AR. And they were questions I was going to ignore because the answers shook me.

"You said 'a' question, not an interrogation," I teased.

She grabbed my hand and squeezed. "The fact that you won't answer says enough. No, I'm not psychic, to answer your question. But I am a believer. You cared about that girl, more than I've ever seen you show. I prayed for that for you, for all my children. God wouldn't let her be a spy. I'm claiming that. I believe that. I prayed on it," she said confidently.

I knew she meant it. Rachel Hamilton had survived hell, and she always said she wouldn't have made it through without God. Her faith was unshakable. I wasn't there yet. Lifting my mug, I met her eyes again.

"You better pray on her safety. If she's on bullshit, she gon' need all the prayers she can get."

That night, I got the same report from our tech people that I'd been getting. They didn't know shit. I looked at the time on my phone. 10:36 PM. Too late to call probably, but I had to try again. I opened my contacts and selected a name. The phone rang twice before an irritated voice greeted me.

"Real, man, it's after hours. I know you miss ya girl, but I can't let you harass mine. Baby girl almost asleep."

I sighed. "Liam, the only people she really fucked with were Taleah and Kelsey. I just need?—”

"Baby, let me talk to him."

Taleah's muffled voice in the background made me stop.

"Leah, if you don't want?—”

"It's okay," she said.

A second later, her soft voice crossed the line. We exchanged greetings before she got to the part that I was interested in.

"Real, before she left, she admitted some of what was going on between y'all. Please know that she really cares about you, but she's dealing with a lot. I know you're probably confused and wondering what happened, but I honestly think you should leave this alone for now. I'm sorry, but if Everly wanted you to find her, you'd be able to find her."

I started to object, but then something in my brain clicked. "Appreciate that. I won't bother you with this again," I said, ready to get off the phone.

Sleepy and more open than she meant to be, Taleah had said all I needed to hear. I dialed Warren, the head of our techies.

"Real, we working hard, but?—”

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