Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 98524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 493(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 493(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
I tipped her chin back up with my forefinger. “Tell me.”
She stared into my eyes a moment, then sighed. “Sometimes I think I won’t be able to live up to what you had with Eloise.”
That shocked me to hear. “Octavia . . .”
She pursed her lips.
“I do not expect you to live up to anyone or anything. It does not matter what I had with her. What matters is what I have with you right now and in the future.” I gripped her chin between my fingers and leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips. “That is all I care about right now. Us. I am hopeful for what is ahead—excited, even. I am ready to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Her mouth quivered as she held on to the hand I had on her cheek. “Please don’t tell me this only to change your mind about me later.”
“Would you stop?” I pleaded with a small laugh. “I love you, Octavia Klein. I love you, and I want only you. If I have to repeat those words to you every single day in order for you to believe me, I will.”
A breath of relief left her while she nodded.
The song transitioned as she raised both her arms to hang them over my shoulders. Our mouths met at the same time. Her lips were so supple and sweet.
“Okay,” she said between kisses. “Do it. Tell me you love me every day so I can repeat the same words to you.”
Fifty-Three
Octavia
Four Months Later
I never thought a day would come when a six-foot-five giant would be walking around my childhood home.
It was Christmas Eve, and Javier was currently reaching into one of the cabinets in my mother’s kitchen to retrieve a glass bowl for her.
“Look at that. He makes it look so easy.” She marveled over how effortlessly he could reach into a cabinet and grab things. Perks of being tall.
He handed the bowl to her with a smile.
“You have a good one, Tavia.”
“Mama, really?” I laughed as Javier snorted.
“Do you think this needs more seasoning?” Davina asked, in front of the stove.
Mama walked her way and grabbed a spoon, dipped it inside, and gave the soup a taste. “Nope. That’s perfect.”
“Just like you, baby!” Deke called out from the living room.
I looked over my shoulder to see him still sitting on the floor with Aleesa. She had been allowed to open one gift for Christmas, and it had been a nail polish set . . . from me. Javier wasn’t pleased about it, but Aleesa loved it. And I had a feeling the only reason he didn’t like my gift to her was because he knew she’d beg to paint his nails. As a matter of fact, she was in the process of painting Deke’s nails a lovely shade of blue.
“Okay, Deke. All done.” Aleesa grinned, shoving the nail brush back into the bottle. I was still trying to accept that she was speaking more clearly by the day. My sweet girl was getting so big.
Deke raised a hand into the air to study his new manicure. “Dang, Aleesa. You’re gonna have all my friends jealous of this bomb-ass set.”
“Deke!” Javier and I called at the same time. We looked at each other, and I grinned. He wrapped an arm around me, giving his head a deliberate shake.
“You know we do not like using bad words around her,” Javier said, and you’d think he was scolding a child.
“What are you going to do when ours comes?” Davina asked, meeting Deke in the living room. He stood as she approached, a warm smile sweeping across his face as he placed a hand on her belly.
I still couldn’t believe my sister was pregnant. I mean, damn. They must’ve had one hell of a honeymoon. She was only four months along, so she wasn’t showing much yet, but she was glowing. That couldn’t be said in the very beginning, though. She had been vomiting left and right and had to reschedule so many meetings for work.
How did I know this? Because she’d call me to gripe about how she hated rescheduling things. Said it made her appear unprofessional. Like, hello. You have a whole baby growing inside you. Anyone who didn’t understand that didn’t deserve her time, in my opinion.
Twenty or so minutes later, I was helping Mama pour soup into bowls while Christmas jingles played from Abe’s speaker. He left his bedroom just in time to snag a seat right beside his favorite player, Bishop.
“King Abe.” Deke smiled at him. “Where you been hiding?”
“My room,” Abe answered. “I was watching some of your highlights earlier. The game yesterday was a close one.”
“Oh, yeah. It was. But we won, that’s all that matters.”
“It’s good you have Christmas off and get to be with Davina. I can’t believe she’s pregnant now.”