Read Online Love In the Red Zone (Connecticut Kings Book 1) by Love Belvin - Free Book Online
Authors: Love Belvin
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asking to take my son out to dinner, partially to send us off. I tried again, pushing on the accelerator. I was so used to this, I forgot to be embarrassed by that, too. She typically started on the second try, but on occasion, the third. By the fifth time when the car puttered a sound I’d never heard, it was clear she wouldn’t be starting anytime soon.
A quiet cry shot up my chest and I dumped my head on the steering wheel.
Not tonight …
I’d been pushed to the edge from life throwing everything, including the kitchen sink, all at once. Not here! Not tonight!
“Do you have triple A?” I heard a kind yielding to his chords. It was the giant.
I couldn’t look at him, wasn’t able to lift my head. My focus was tamping down the burgeoning cry that wanted to rip from my belly.
“Mommy!” Ky called from the back seat, concerned.
I shook my head at them both.
Not now …
I took deep abdominal breaths, trying to calm myself enough to just think.
“Miss, it’s late. I know you want to get the little guy home. If you don’t have triple A, do you have a service to call?”
I couldn’t even look at him, just shook my head still pressed into the steering wheel.
“Okay. I can give someone a call to come look at—”
“I can’t afford it,” I cut him off.
I had little money to stretch and not enough to go into this car. Bigger than that issue, the revelation landed a gut blow, but directly to my face. It had all caught up to me: getting involved with a guy with no interest but the “block,” making babies, and no future other than a jail cell or premature death. Me dropping out of school, living on my own before I was ready, and having a child before I could care for him independently.
The consequences all crashed on m e… In this moment.
“Well, we have to decide what’s wrong before we can know how much, right?” The softness in the strong bass of his utterance had my neck lifting and I finally beheld him in the eyes as he squatted down at my window. “I’ll make the call and see how long it’ll take. Okay?”
With parted lips and weighted shoulders, I nodded.
Five minutes later, the giant ended the call with the mechanic and turned to saunter back over to Kyree and me waiting outside the car.
“He should be here in twenty to thirty minutes. Why don’t we go grab a bite and wait for his call once he’s able to look at the car?”
My face wrinkled. “How is he going to look at the car if we’re not here?”
“Easy.” He moved toward me, and I automatically shifted to get out of his way. “I told him we’d leave the door unlocked. No one’s gonna mess with your car out here.”
Was he saying that because it was an older model? That was rude.
“We can wait for him.” I covered Kyree’s shoulders with my hands as I shifted behind him protectively.
“Mommy, I’m hungry,” Ky whined.
My eyes rolled shut. We were blocks from a McDonald’s and I couldn’t walk there with my son in the dark. This wasn’t looking good for me.
A car pulled up. The giant turned, just as surprised as I was to see a lingering car in the lot. The passenger window rolled down, and though I could see a child in the backseat, I couldn’t make out who was inside.
“Everybody alright over here?” I recognized the voice.
It was Coach Jason. Giant turned to face him.
“I hope so,” giant answered. “Kyree’s mom’s car is stalling. I just called Jeff to have him come take a look at it.”
“Oh, okay! Yeah, Jeff’s good. I forgot he had that mobile repairs business,” Jason mused out loud.
“What’re you still doing here?” the giant asked.
“I had a meeting with the vendor moms. They had a lil’ quarrel that needed a man’s cleaning. You know how they keep shit going. I gotta get home to the wife now before she has my ass.”
“Oh, a’ight.” The giant turned back to me, a gentle beam danced in his eye. “I’m trying to take Kyree for some grub instead of waiting in the
A quiet cry shot up my chest and I dumped my head on the steering wheel.
Not tonight …
I’d been pushed to the edge from life throwing everything, including the kitchen sink, all at once. Not here! Not tonight!
“Do you have triple A?” I heard a kind yielding to his chords. It was the giant.
I couldn’t look at him, wasn’t able to lift my head. My focus was tamping down the burgeoning cry that wanted to rip from my belly.
“Mommy!” Ky called from the back seat, concerned.
I shook my head at them both.
Not now …
I took deep abdominal breaths, trying to calm myself enough to just think.
“Miss, it’s late. I know you want to get the little guy home. If you don’t have triple A, do you have a service to call?”
I couldn’t even look at him, just shook my head still pressed into the steering wheel.
“Okay. I can give someone a call to come look at—”
“I can’t afford it,” I cut him off.
I had little money to stretch and not enough to go into this car. Bigger than that issue, the revelation landed a gut blow, but directly to my face. It had all caught up to me: getting involved with a guy with no interest but the “block,” making babies, and no future other than a jail cell or premature death. Me dropping out of school, living on my own before I was ready, and having a child before I could care for him independently.
The consequences all crashed on m e… In this moment.
“Well, we have to decide what’s wrong before we can know how much, right?” The softness in the strong bass of his utterance had my neck lifting and I finally beheld him in the eyes as he squatted down at my window. “I’ll make the call and see how long it’ll take. Okay?”
With parted lips and weighted shoulders, I nodded.
Five minutes later, the giant ended the call with the mechanic and turned to saunter back over to Kyree and me waiting outside the car.
“He should be here in twenty to thirty minutes. Why don’t we go grab a bite and wait for his call once he’s able to look at the car?”
My face wrinkled. “How is he going to look at the car if we’re not here?”
“Easy.” He moved toward me, and I automatically shifted to get out of his way. “I told him we’d leave the door unlocked. No one’s gonna mess with your car out here.”
Was he saying that because it was an older model? That was rude.
“We can wait for him.” I covered Kyree’s shoulders with my hands as I shifted behind him protectively.
“Mommy, I’m hungry,” Ky whined.
My eyes rolled shut. We were blocks from a McDonald’s and I couldn’t walk there with my son in the dark. This wasn’t looking good for me.
A car pulled up. The giant turned, just as surprised as I was to see a lingering car in the lot. The passenger window rolled down, and though I could see a child in the backseat, I couldn’t make out who was inside.
“Everybody alright over here?” I recognized the voice.
It was Coach Jason. Giant turned to face him.
“I hope so,” giant answered. “Kyree’s mom’s car is stalling. I just called Jeff to have him come take a look at it.”
“Oh, okay! Yeah, Jeff’s good. I forgot he had that mobile repairs business,” Jason mused out loud.
“What’re you still doing here?” the giant asked.
“I had a meeting with the vendor moms. They had a lil’ quarrel that needed a man’s cleaning. You know how they keep shit going. I gotta get home to the wife now before she has my ass.”
“Oh, a’ight.” The giant turned back to me, a gentle beam danced in his eye. “I’m trying to take Kyree for some grub instead of waiting in the
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