NERVES WRACK my chest when Jerrison slows the car in front of my dad's humble bungalow. A rusty chain-link fence surrounds a messy garden and a weathered wooden porch.
The moment my eyes land on the front door, I remember the last fight I had with my father.
"You're moving too fast, Harriet. That boy is a pup. He's not ready for something as serious as marriage."
"And you were? Is that why you couldn't make things work with mom?" "This has nothing to do with your mother."
"I love him, dad. Why can't you be happy for me?"
"Love and lust are two different things. One of them runs out." "Jerrison loves me."
"The way he keeps sniffing around you proves he's got the lust part down, but I'm not sure you can call that love." He shakes his head. "It takes a lot more than attraction to make a marriage last, Harriet."
I squeeze my eyes shut and dig my fingernails into the seatbelt. A warm hand closes over mine.
Jerrison.
