Page 85 of If You Love Me

“Let me stop you right there. Ain’t shit on you fat but this ass.”

I gave her ass a hard slap, causing her to squeal. “Tyrion!”

“Stop playing with me, Evenie. You did it for me when you were a size ten and you still do it for me at a size fourteen. You are beautiful in every way, every shape, and every capacity.”

“I never said I wasn’t beautiful, sir.”

“I know, but you need to be reminded of that sometimes. I got you.”

She blushed. Cupping her chin, I tilted her head up for a kiss. The innocence of it was quickly gone when she slipped her tongue into my mouth. I picked her up and placed her on the counter. Standing between her legs, I devoured those luscious lips. My desire for her was feral at this point. The moment she allowed herself to take it there with me, my baby might just get that brother or sister she asked for.

“Hey, Mom—” we heard behind us.

I looked back to see Summer Rose with her hands over her eyes and grinning.

“I didn’t see nothing!”

I laughed as I backed away and helped Evenie down from the counter. “There is nothing to see, princess.”

Evenie giggled as she walked over and pulled her hands away from her face. Evenie lifted her into her arms and hugged her tightly.

“Hi, my pretty girl. I missed you today.”

“I missed you too.”

“You finished your homework?”

“Most of it. I just have my math to do. Did you have a good day at work?”

“I had an amazing day. I got my first client. You wanna see what I’m working on?”

Summer Rose nodded. Evenie carried her into the living room. While they went through her portfolio, I finished up dinner and plated everything before calling them to the table.After a quick prayer, we dug in as we enjoyed each other’s conversation.

Once dinner was done, Summer retreated to her room to finish her homework. Evenie stepped outside while I started cleaning the kitchen. When she came back in, she had a duffel bag in her hands.

“You’re staying the night?” I asked.

“Is that a problem?”

“No, of course not. It’s just… I usually have to ask you to stay. It’s reassuring to know you want to be here on your own.”

She gave me a faint smile as she started for the hall. “I’m gonna go shower. I need to wash my hair.”

“I’ll detangle it for you.”

She stopped mid-stride and looked at me. “You sure about that?”

“Who do you think detangles Summer Rose’s hair most of the time? I mean, our moms or Nina did her hair from time to time, but most of the time, that was all me. I ain’t new to this; I’m true to this, baby. Go on. I got you.”

She simply nodded as she headed down the hall. After I finished cleaning the kitchen and taking out the trash, I checked in on Summer. She’d finished her homework and was currently getting ready to take a shower. I left her be and headed to my room to take a shower myself. As I was walking past the guest bathroom, I realized that it was empty. Then I heard the soft music coming from my bedroom.

Opening the door, I went inside to find that Evenie was in my shower. I was surprised because she’d yet to step foot in here since she’d been home. Her duffel bag was on the bed, and she’d put a couple of her personal products on the dresser like they belonged there. I grinned to myself as I gathered my things for when she was done. The shower turned off, and not long after,Ev stepped out with a towel wrapped around her body and one around her head.

“You got new bedroom furniture,” she commented, looking around.

“I did. I got new mattresses too. I um… in hopes of you coming home, I wanted us to have a fresh start. I put our old bedroom furniture in storage before Iona and I ever… you know. It didn’t feel right bringing another woman into a bed I shared with you. Unfortunately, the storage unit flooded a few years ago, and everything had water damage. I replaced the second new set because I couldn’t have you in a bed I shared with someone else either.”

She nodded. I wasn’t sure how that made her feel, but she seemed okay. There was no way in hell I would subject her to lying in the same bed I’d been with Iona in on countless occasions, the most recent being weeks ago.

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