Here Comes Trouble (Nothing Special #3)(73)
“Great. The scariest one.” Genesis sat back on the couch.
“Yeah Dad. I’m in here.” Curtis laughed. He knew Ruxs could be a little blunt and heavy-tempered, but he was sure his dads trusted him.
A few seconds later Ruxs came through the door, quickly taking in the scene in front of him. His dad wasn’t stupid – he was a detective – so surely he could put the pieces together. Curtis tried to give his dad a look that said “please for the love of god, don’t embarrass me.”
Ruxs looked over at Genesis. “How’s it going, G-Man?”
Curtis mouth dropped open. Oh hell.
“Pretty good, Ruxs. Long time no see.”
“Yeah it has been a while. It’s a big surprise to see you here with my boy,” Ruxs said eyeing him carefully.
“Dad,” Curtis hissed. Boy? Really?
Ruxs ignored him, maintaining his glaring eye contact with Genesis. “Your team’s off to a damn good start this season. That Florida game was close. Y’all got a tough schedule this year.”
Genesis sat forward but didn’t stand. “I’m up for the challenge.”
“I bet you are.”
“Dad.” Curtis scowled again.
“You just here for the weekend, Genesis? I would think the coach would have y’all on a pretty tight curfew.”
“I got a weekend pass,” Genesis answered with an easy smile.
“So you’ll be leaving soon, right?”
“Dad. Genesis was at the funeral. Did you know that?”
Ruxs tilted his head in question. “Really. No I didn’t realize. All I saw were a bunch of grown. Ass. Men. I must didn’t distinguish.”
Curtis’ eyes bugged out of his head. When he looked at Genesis, he didn’t seem fazed. But he on the other hand was humiliated.
“I will be leaving tonight. I just came down to show my support. But I’ll be back next week for Thanksgiving break and I’d like to take Curtis on a date, if it’s alright with —”
“Hell no,” Ruxs said, not letting Genesis finish.
Green walked in before Curtis could say a word. “There you are, Curtis. I was wondering where you’d disappeared…” Green stopped, noticing Ruxs and Genesis’ stare off. “Oh.”
Curtis turned to Genesis. “You want to go out with me? I’d like that.”
“You can like it all you want,” Ruxs butted in.
Curtis gave his dad his most angry look. “I’m not some sixteen year old debutant. What the heck has gotten into you?”
“Curtis your grandma is leaving, she wants to say goodbye to you. Why don’t you go on downstairs,” Green said, stepping aside. “We’re gonna talk to Genesis.” Curtis was reluctant to leave, but he did. This was beyond embarrassing. He was almost eighteen. Almost grown. About to graduate and go off to college. He wasn’t even a virgin. Why were they acting like this? Curtis had been on dates. He’d had a steady boyfriend his whole sophomore and junior year, now here they were behaving like they were protecting his untainted virtue.
Curtis said goodbye to Genesis, while his dads, God and Day, and half the men they worked with watched boldly. Genesis kept his eyes on him the entire time. He held Curtis’ hand in his as he leaned down to speak to him. “I’ll be back to take you to dinner next weekend. When you go home don’t be upset with your dads. I can understand their concern. You’ve just lost your mom. You’re about to graduate and choose a school. I’m twenty-two and you’re seventeen. I’m in the spotlight. I do a lot of traveling. They just don’t want you to have any major distractions right now. I get that.”
“I’ve been an adult since I was twelve. I know how to stay focused. They know that,” Curtis said, looking up into Genesis’ sincere eyes.
“I know that too. That’s why I like you. That’s why I want to get to know you better. You’re the first person I’ve talked to in a while that wasn’t worried about only saying things they thought would impress me.” Genesis turned Curtis’ hand in his and placed his palm against his lips and kissed it tenderly. Genesis never stopped watching only him, despite the grunts and whispers in the background.
“You don’t have a boyfriend, or a girlfriend?” Curtis said softly.
“Actually, yeah. I have both and a few women that I pimp out for money,” Genesis said loudly, making everyone, including Curtis laugh.
Curtis rolled his eyes at him.
“No beautiful, I’m not seeing anyone. I’ve been real focused myself. But I’m not foolish enough to let you get by. Even if I have to go through two over-protective dads,” Genesis answered. “So. I’ve got to get back on the road, but I’ll see you next weekend. Friday night eight o’clock sharp. And trust me, I won’t be late.” Genesis bent and kissed Curtis on his cheek.
Curtis blushed terribly in front of everyone. This was so ridiculous, they had absolutely no privacy.
Genesis gave him another wink before he released his hand and turned to walk up the stairs. His dads walked over to him and Ruxs handed him his suit jacket. He snatched it out his dad’s hand and turned to walk out the front door.
“Have fun dads.” Curtis could hear Day’s laugh after his comment, along with the other men, as he walked angrily up the driveway to their car. His dads had made a circus act out of a very nice moment he’d shared with a really great guy.