Chapter 27 Renew #2
Rio grinned. “Gator.”
I blinked. “Gator? As in alligator?”
El leaned in. “You don’t have to eat it.”
“No, no. I’ll try it.”
Rio raised an eyebrow. “You sure?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
I took a bite, expecting something strange, but it wasn’t. It was tender, like a mix between chicken and fish, with a slightly gamey aftertaste. The seasoning was bold, smoky, and just the right amount of spicy.
I swallowed and let out a small laugh. “My father would’ve loved this. He used to say, ‘If God put it on this earth, I’mma put it on the grill.’”
Bourbon chuckled, tipping his beer in my direction. “He sounds like he got sense.”
I just gave him a small smile.
A little while later, Rio asked me to help her in the kitchen. Apparently, El had told her I was an amazing cook, and she wanted to see for herself.
That was bullshit.
She just wanted to get me away from the men so we could talk.
The guys had filed into the living room to watch some game, mostly because Rio had made it very clear that nobody but me was allowed in her kitchen. Still, I caught El peeking in every so often.
I’d calmed down in Rio’s presence. She had a way of making everything feel easy, like we’d known each other forever. She asked a lot of questions, but surprisingly, barely anything about El and me, which I appreciated.
We talked about EL’evation, the expo, my trip to Thailand. She seemed most interested in that.
“Phuket is so beautiful. I hope I can go back some day.”
“I’d love to travel like that,” she mused, chopping vegetables. “But Bourbon can’t walk down the street without getting winded. Take my advice, E. Do all your traveling now before he hits forty-five. These fools get lazy at that age.”
I shook my head. “Not El. Some mornings, he’s up before me, running around the neighborhood. It’s like I can’t keep up with him, sometimes.”
Rio gave a small nod. “You’re right. I forgot how seriously he takes his health after his mama.”
“His mama?” I frowned slightly.
Rio paused, then glanced at me. “Uh-huh. Lottie ain’t tell you?”
I shook my head.
She sighed. “Well. His mama died from gestational diabetes. After he was born, they couldn’t get her sugar or blood pressure under control. Took her five days later.”
I was silent.
But Rio kept chopping. “Then he got diagnosed in his twenties, and whew, that boy was spiraling. Him and that ex-wife of his were fighting every damn day. He basically moved back in so he didn’t have to deal with her.”
She shook her head. “I can’t say I blame the poor girl. He was a terror. But after they divorced, he calmed down a lot.”
I exhaled. “Wow. I didn’t know all that.”
Rio gave me a knowing smile. “I know he can be a handful at times. But he’s a good boy. He’s trying, and that’s what matters.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
She studied me for a moment, then grinned. “Now, enough about him. Tell me about that Phuket trip again. I’m living through you right now.”
We talked for a bit longer until Bourbon peeked his head into the kitchen.
“I’m gonna fire up the grill.”
I perked up. “Can I help?”
Bourbon raised a brow. “You wanna, cher?”
Rio smirked. “Sick of me already, E?”
I shook my head quickly. “No, no, not that. It’s just…it’s been a while since I’ve been on one.”
Bourbon’s expression softened. “Ain’t no problem with me. C’mon.”
“And then you add this… and this.”
I moved with ease, explaining the techniques my daddy had taught me. Bourbon watched closely, nodding in approval. I could feel El hovering nearby, his presence like a shadow on the patio.
“Good! Now just turn it down and let it slow cook for about an hour, and you should be good.”
Bourbon whistled low. “Damn, Ellie, I ain’t ever seen a girl handle meat like that.”
I grinned. “Thanks, Mr. Greene.”
“Bourbon, cher.”
“Sorry—Bourbon.”
He let out a deep, belly laugh and pulled me into a tight half-hug.
Bourbon sighed, staring at the sizzling grill. “This is what I like. That sizzle. I know this gonna hit ‘em right. We did good today, Ellie.”
I froze. My chest tightened. My lips quivered, and before I could stop myself, I was crying. Those words belonged to Daddy.
Bourbon’s head whipped toward me. “You okay?”
El was there in an instant. “What the hell did you do to her?”
Bourbon waved him off. “Calm down, she just needs a minute.” Then, softer, “You alright, cher?”
I sniffled, nodding quickly. “Yeah, you just… reminded me of my daddy.”
Bourbon’s expression shifted. “Oh.”
I wiped my face. “I’m sorry.”
“Ain’t nothin’ to be sorry for. C’mere.”
He pulled me into a real hug this time—strong, steady, like he meant it.
“I ain’t never met your father,” he murmured, “but I can tell he was a good man. ‘Cause look at how you honor him.”
That broke me. I sobbed into his chest while he just held me, patting my back like I was one of his own.
“I know what you need. Rio, get the tires!”
El groaned. “Hell no.”
I sniffled. “What tires?”
Bourbon grinned. “You got a swimsuit, right?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t.”
“Well, you got underwear on, ain’t ya?”
El bristled. “Daddy, she doesn’t wanna go in the creek.”
I perked up. “The creek?”
“Yes, the creek, girl. They got water up there in California, right? You know how to swim, don’t cha?”
“Yes.”
Bourbon clapped his hands. “Good! Rio got some swimsuits you could wear. Although you got more assets than her.”
El’s head snapped up. “Daddy!”
?
The water was cool, a shocking contrast to the sticky heat in the air. Rio’s swimsuit was a little too tight around the thighs, but it did the job. Though Keemy kept staring.
I shifted in the shallow end, letting the current lap against my waist, my gaze drifting toward the deeper side of the creek.
Genesis floated by on what I learned to be the inner tire tubing off an old truck like he didn't have a care in the world.
Bourbon was waist-deep in the water, tossing Bones up into the air like he weighed nothing, both of them laughing loud enough to echo through the trees.
When a big splash came dangerously close to the bank, Rio let out a dramatic gasp and scrambled back, one manicured hand flying to her head as she twisted away with a scrunched-up face.
"Uh-uh, not the hair!" she snapped as she sidestepped the spray.
I smiled. The moment was small but beautiful. Nostalgia hit me hard in the chest and I wrapped my arms around myself. I missed being part of something like that.
“You good?” El asked, treading lightly beside me.
“Yeah.” I nodded, running my hands through the water. “It’s nice.”
He grinned. “Bourbon used to throw all of us in when we got on his nerves. Swore it built character.”
“Did it?”
“Hell no.” He snorted before closing his eyes. “It just made me a better swimmer.”
I smiled, watching the way his muscles flexed slightly as he kept himself afloat. He looked relaxed, like all the tension from before had finally let up.
“How am I doing?” he asked suddenly.
I treaded closer, tilting my head. “What do you mean?”
“With all of this,” he said, gesturing vaguely. “Bringing you here. My family. I know they’re… a lot.”
I let my fingers skim the surface of the water. “I like them, El.”
He cracked an eye open. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “It makes me wonder if I should try reconnecting with mine.”
His expression flickered, but he didn’t say anything at first. “Do you want to?”
I hesitated. “I don’t know. But, being here… seeing you with your family, how they just love you, it makes me wonder what I’m missing.”
El was quiet for a moment, his gaze unreadable. Then, softer than before, he said, “I love that being here reminds you of what it felt like when your dad was around. But Ellie… you gotta remember what the situation is now.”
My gaze drifted back to Bourbon, who was drying off with Bones, both still laughing. “I know.”
“And you still wanna reach out?”
I gave a small shrug. “The wedding’s this weekend and I was invited. It’s not too much of a drive, so maybe I should stop by.”
I could feel the heat of El’s stare before he even spoke. “If you decide to go, I’m coming with you. We can drive up together.”
“You really don’t have to—”
“No fucking way I’m letting you face them alone.” His voice was firm. “You need someone in your corner. I’m coming.”
His words settled deep in my chest. I swallowed. “Okay.”
A quiet moment passed where I just looked out at the water.
“Rio told me what happened to your mom. That she had gestational diabetes.” I paused, swallowing. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
His gaze didn’t move for a second. Then, finally, it dropped to the water between us. “I guess I didn’t want to make you think differently about me.”
“What?” My brows knit. “Why would I?”
“Because I have it too.” His voice was low. “I have the same disease that killed her. Just a different version. I didn’t want you to look at me and wonder if I’d end up like her. Even though sometimes I wonder the same.”
“El…”
“I know it’s not the same,” he added quickly, like he needed to get it out before I could pity him.
“I’ve got access to what she didn’t. A whole damn health system she was never given because she was poor, and Black, and pregnant in the South in the eighties.
But it still messes with my head. Sometimes, I’ll be checking my levels and just wonder…
if she was scared. She died in the same hospital I was born in. Same damn bed. She had to be right?”
My chest tightened. I’d been so wrapped up in how I felt about his condition—about what it could mean for us—I hadn’t stopped to think about the weight he might be carrying every single day.
“I’m so sorry, Elliot.”
“It’s okay, Peanut.”
“Are you scared?” I asked softly.
He was quiet for a moment, then nodded. Just once.
“Sometimes. Not of dying, really. Just…” He hesitated.
“Of not finishing what I started with my career. Of leaving shit undone. Of loving people who’ll have to lose me.
” He looked at me when he said that and I held his gaze quietly.
“That part scares the hell outta me. It’s why I really don’t want kids. ”
I knew it was something deeper. “I get it, but I’m not losing you.”
He smiled. “No, you’re not.”
My heart clenched. I waded closer and wrapped my arms around him beneath the water, resting my cheek against his chest. His hand came up to cradle the back of my head.
“It’s okay to be scared,” I whispered. “I don’t think any less of you.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I just didn’t want to make you worry about me.”
“I’ll worry anyway.” I looked up at him. “Thank you for telling me.”
His chin dipped toward my shoulder, his voice muffled. “Yeah. Of course.”
Before I could say more, Bourbon’s voice bellowed from the shore. “You two lovebirds done whispering? ‘Cause we’re about to eat, and I ain’t waiting all day for y’all to dry off!”
El groaned. “Man, we weren’t even whispering.”
“You were,” Rio added, tossing me a towel. “Now hurry up before I make you eat outside with the mosquitoes.”