Page 83 of Rafe: Sins of the Father

Cole takes a sip of his coffee. “He know about this, brother?”

“About what?”

Green stands and starts thrusting his hips like he’s fucking someone. “You and his daughter doin’ thechucka chucka wow wow.” He sings the last words, and I wince.

“No, he doesn’t know. Not that it’s anyone’s business.”

“We’re your brothers. We make it our business.”

“No, you don’t,” I say, waving Cody over and pointing to the bar top.

He brings me a mug of coffee, and I sip it.

“So, is this thing with the boss’s daughter serious?” Cole asks.

“Boss’s daughter,” Green mimics. “Damn, that sounds hot. You been sneakin’ around behind her old man’s back? You been slippin’ her the salami at work?”

“Shut up, Green,” I snap.

“Sounds like she means more to you than just a good time, Rafe,” Cole says.

“She does,” I reply, staring at the bar. “How do I know I’m the one?”

“You gottabethe one. You gotta prove yourself to her,” Green replies.

“Only way you’re gonna prove yourself to her it by leading with consistency, with confidence, and with calm,” Cole says.

Crash point at me. “That last one is key, brother.”

Cole reaches under the bar and grabs four shot glasses in his fingers. Then tilts the bottle of whiskey and fills them. “It’s in how you hold her heart, not just how you touch her body, kid.”

“Though, ya better be good at that, too.” Green looks at Cole’s frustrated glare. “What? Am I lyin’?”

“You want to let me talk, or you gonna keep interrupting?”

Green puts his hands up.

Cole turns to me. “You gotta show her your love is staying; you gotta show her you’re gonna be there to carry her when life gets too much.”

“You protect her, but you don’t control her. Understand the difference?” Crash adds.

“I feel all that, but how the hell do I show her all that?” I ask.

“It’s not about what you say or flowery words, it’s the kind of love she feels when you walk into the room. The way you look at her, the way you press your chest to her back and kiss her neck. You gotta be her safe space, and when she feels that, when sheknows it down to her bones? Brother, you’ll reap it back one-hundred-fold. The love she’ll show you will be amazing.”

Green points at me. “Trust the overthinker who says they love you; they’ve thought of every reason not to and still do.”

“Is Sara an overthinker, Green?” I ask.

“Yup. And here I am, livin’ my best life because of it.”

Cole passes me a shot. “Look at Crash. He treats Shannon like a princess, but it’s not about him buying her stuff. It’s about listening to her, holding her without words when all she needs is to be held. It’s how he protects her, how he makes her feel safe in any room they walk into.”

Crash points a finger at me. “You don’t let her go to sleep crying or upset. You never make her feel like she’s hard to love. You become her peace in all this chaos.”

“She wants emotional safety, brother,” Cole adds.

“Do you love this girl, Rafe?” Green asks.

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