Page 113 of Treason's Temptation
Fallon: We’ve got a problem with the STEM Lab permits. You need to talk to Maddox.
Me: At brunch. I’ll handle it tomorrow.
Fallon: Today otherwise the grand opening get’s pushed.
Me: I got it.
“Blue, I need to holla at you,” I replied, standing from the table.
“Is everything okay?” Mom asked.
I nodded, but Evie was two mimosa’s in. “They’re fire, Nez. Probably going to sneak off to the bathroom.”
“Oh my God, no!” Navie replied, as I pulled her chair out.
“Remember what I told you to do for a girl,” Evie winked as Navie stood up.
“We might sneak off, but we ain’t making no baby since you wanna be smart,” I rebutted.
“We are not,” Blue reiterated, still nervous as fuck like they weren’t already in love just like I was.
She followed me through the busy restaurant, smiling at excited faces that noticed her. I paused in the quiet hallway near the bathroom, while uncertainty gnawed at her.
“I gotta go handle something. Ward will be back to get y’all.”
“Oh, you’ve lost your mind. If you’re leaving, we all are.”
“So Evie can cuss me the fuck out?”
“Instead, you want to leavemewith her?”
“You’ll be fine. Shit, they love you more than me.”
“That’s not the point, Tre. I’m already nervous as fuck and sweating everywhere with you here.”
“You gotta’ get comfortable with your in-laws at some point.”
Navie folded her arms across her chest, staring out the window.
“Keep pulling shit like this and I’ll be gone before the election,” she lied.
“I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”
“You better, Treason.”
“Damn, no Stink today?”
“No!” She complained about heading back to the table so I could break the news to her.
It was some shit that I couldn’t delegate to others because it needed my personal touch. This was one of them because I wasn’t pushing back the grand opening of the STEM lab. It would do a lot of good on the south side and also create positive press for me. Pushing it back wasn’t an option.
I kissed my ladies and made sure to cover the check. The heat of Blue’s eyes following me to the exit turned me around.I winked at her, watching me just before I pushed through the double doors. My baby was nervous as fuck, but it wasn’t because she couldn’t handle it. Normal was new for Blue, and her nervous system needed time to catch up.
Breaking News
Chapter 19
Waking up this morning had me in a funk I couldn’t shake. The media was relentless, using my past with Lorenzo and Sloane being my mother to justify their claims about our relationship. They weren’t entirely wrong, but it was draining to be the constant topic of conversation, especially when his campaign forced me on the front lines.
