“Hurry, Mommy!”
Troy’s eyes rake over me with heated appreciation.
“Morning good neighbor.”
He gives me a breathtaking smile, his own eyes red-rimmed from lack of sleep. “Morning.”
I rip my eyes away and still Dante’s bounce on my stomach. “Why don’t you let Troy take you to see what Santa brought?”
“You sure?” Troy asks.
“Of course, I’ll be right out.”
“Come on!” Dante springs from my bed and grabs Troy’s hand ushering him out of my room.
After wrangling with my sexed-up hair and making myself somewhat presentable, I join my men in the living room as Dante gushes over his new desk.
“I didn’t know I wanted this!”
“Santa knew,” I say, giving Troy the compliment. Pride shines in his father’s eyes as he shows Dante the ins and outs of his new desk and the lighting equipment.
“I love it!”
“Did you like your bike?”
“Yep. Troy’s going to teach me how to ride it.”
Troy. Not Mommy. I curl my lip at him, and he chuckles.
Dante rips through his presents while Troy and I sit back, sipping coffee, sharing heated looks. It’s when Dante reads the tag on a large package that he grabs Troy’s attention.
“This says from Troy, and it’s big,” Dante says, moving to sit in his lap. Troy wraps around him as if they’ve been doing it for years, which warms my heart. I look on, just as curious about the contents. Dante’s eyes bulge when Troy helps to open the taped box.
“IT’S ALL MY MERCH! Mommy, LOOK!” Dante lifts up the contents consisting of T-shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, posters, and more, all brandishing The Legit Life Logo which Dante had designed himself. He’s beside himself with excitement as he sorts through it. It’s hundreds of dollars of merchandise that I haven’t been able to afford, and I’m blown away by Troy’s gesture. “You got me all of it! TROY! This is awesome!”
“I thought we could design your set, and you could wear it when you make your videos.”
Dante turns in Troy’s lap and throws himself at him, hugging him tightly. “Thank you soooo much!”
“Welcome, bud,”
“You’re my best friend,” Dante says easily, which stuns us both. Eyes locked after his confession, Dante moves from his lap and digs into the rest of his presents. Troy clears his throat, but I don’t miss the emotion shining in his eyes.
Troy
Troy: You look beautiful this morning, Ms. A. Did you do something new to your hair?
Clarissa’s phone buzzes on the table, her smile growing while she reads my message. Our eyes meet over Dante’s head as he finishes his cereal.
Clarissa: It’s called afterglow. Something new was done to me. I had a very wicked man sneak into my bedroom last night to have his way with me.
Troy: That so?
Clarissa: Oh, it’s so. He must have borrowed my house key from his son. If he keeps it up, he might earn his own key. He’s got a very persuasive tongue.
“Troy,” Dante grips my face with his hands. “Are you listening?”
“Sorry, bud. What were you saying?”