“Erika is damn fine! Too bad she prefers body height over cock height. You think Emily would be down for the rodeo ride?” Alton asked, wiggling his brows.
I shook my head and went back to the screen where I observed myself trying to make it into my truck, attempting, along with Barry, to shield Erika who clearly didn’t want to be hidden from the cameras. Not only was a pageant smile painted on her olive face, but she made eye contact with several cameras. I scoffed while shaking my head at the screen
“No, Da-Da!” Jordan snatched a block from my hand that I must have taken from the wrong pile—his pile—while looking at the television.
“You need siblings or schoolmates, JR. That’ll teach you how to share.”
My phone sounded again.
Speaking of the—
“Whadup?”
“Hey, babes. What are you up to?”
“Hanging with the fellas. Playing with Jordan.”
“Oh?” Erika swayed. “Who else is there?”
“Nobody. Just Al.” In my peripheral, I catch Alton flipping me the bird.
“Oh.”
“Is there a problem?”
“No…not really. I just thought you liked alone time when Jordan comes to visit.”
“Jordan doesn’t come to visit. We spend time together. And I do prefer alone time with him.”
“But Alton’s there. When I asked if I could tag along, you shot me down.”
She had a point. She did ask for the millionth time to spend time with Jordan, and for the millionth-and-one more time, I said hell no.
“Alton’s his godfather, E. He wants to spend time with him, too. I’m good with that.”
“But not with me?” she pushed this time. “Is it still because of the picture of your tattoo?”
“And do you want to bring that epic mistake up now?”
“N-no.” she sighed. I didn’t think she would. By the time I got through chewing her ass out about posting a picture of me damn near naked on social media, she had to cancel a shoot because her eyes were swollen from crying, begging me not to end this shit. She’d overstepped one of the two parameters I set for this relationship: No cameras in our affairs and no access to my family. “I’m just trying to make a point that I want to be a part of his life, too, baby.”
“Da-Da…Da-Da!” Jordan jumped to his feet in front of me.
“Yeah?”
“Doo-doo, Da-Da. Doo-doo,” he grabbed his little ass.
“Oh, shit! Here we go!” Alton leaped to his feet.
“Shit,” I breathed out.
“What’s wrong?” Erika asked, alarmed.
“Nothing. Gotta go,” I shot out briskly as I jumped to stand.
“But wait, Stent. I need to talk to you about—” was all I heard before I disconnected the call.
My little soldier was ready to take his first shit, something every man makes an event out of. Jordan was in the lead, running to the bathroom. Alton was on his heels and I was right behind him. When Jordan pushed out his first pebble that smelled worse than my own it seemed, Alton and I danced in the bathroom like damn kids, excited at this milestone we witnessed with Jordan. I was damn proud.
Then something hit me. I pulled out my phone and tapped until I heard the phone ring.
“Hello?”
Her goddamn voice caused vibration in my chest and a damn tingle in my groin. For a few seconds, I was jarred.
“Hello?”
“Hey. Zoey…” I sounded like a complete dullard. Why the hell was my heart skipping beats?
“Is that JR I hear in the background?” I couldn’t miss the amusement in her tone.
I turned to see Jordan bopping his head arrhythmicly while on the stool to Alton’s beat-boxing.
“Ye-yeah. Uhhh…” Get your shit together, Stent! “I called to tell you he went potty.”