Page 76 of Almost Paradise

“Drake—”

I pull away and put a finger to her lips. “I’m sorry you went through your pregnancy without me. I won’t say you went through it alone because you had a lot of support, and I’m so grateful for that, but that should have come from me. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

She pulls away. She swipes a stray tear and nods. She doesn’t speak at first, then she takes a deep breath.

“Why didn’t you come find me? Your father made it impossible for me to get to you, but you could have come to me. You say you didn’t know, but what about everything we shared? How could you believe some stupid text messages? I didn’t believe them at first. Not until your father showed up in person.” She doesn’t yell, and I wish she would. I look away in shame.

“Because I was stupid. Because I let my pride get in the way. And I did try to get to you. I was ready to come back to the States, but my father showed up the day I was supposed to leave. Looking back now, he knew my plans and ruined them. I got more messages from you, and I let my pride, hurt, and anger get in the way. He also kept me there for almost a year instead of just three months.” I don’t tell her that Scarlett visited three times when I was here. Nothing happened, but now I wonder if that was my father too. He was the only member of my family who was happy about me and Scarlett. No one else was.

“Then you ask Scarlett to marry you? You told me she meant nothing. How do you go from nothing to wanting to spend your life with her?” She shoves at my chest, and the movement is so sudden, I take a step back.

“I’m married to you. I never married her.” I know she’s at war with herself. She doesn’t want to fight, but she’s angry still.

“You fucked her, though, didn’t you, asshole?” She shoves me again, but I anticipate it this time. “You’re disgusting.”

“Scarlett is gone. Getting involved with her was a mistake. She was safe. I was so hurt when we ended, and I never wanted to go through that again. If I knew the truth, I never would have been with her.” I start to close the space between us. I stop just a few inches from her. “I’m asking you for a chance.”

“A chance for what? We don’t work—”

I cut her off before she says anymore. “Give me one weekend. Carter is spending next weekend with your parents, right?” When she nods, I continue. “I’m asking you to give me that weekend. No wall. No ghosts of mistakes past standing between us. Just Drake and Nia like we used to be. Let me remind you of what we had.” I clasp her chin again and force her to look at me. “You remember how good it was, right? Please, give me just one weekend.”

“Why? Because you want to fuck me?” She tries to pull away, but I don’t let her.

“Do I want to make love to my wife? Yes, I do. I’ve missed you so much. It will be just like the weekend we had all those years ago. It was right before our birthday, remember?”

I can tell that she does. For the first time since she’s been back in my life, her smile isn’t fake. “So, you want anal again?” She rolls her eyes.

“I mean, I wouldn’t turn it down,” I tell her. “Even though you couldn’t sit down for days.”

She gasps in surprise, and I see a slight blush on her cheeks. She looks away and giggles. “Perv,” she says.

“Just one weekend, but you must promise not to put up the invisible wall. I want my girl back. The one who loves glazed donuts, wears bright colors, and laughs at the dumbest things. The one who despite her crazy sock collection has ice-cold feet. The one who thinks she sings like Mariah Carey.”

“Thinks? Do you need a reminder?” she teases.

“You sound like a dozen cats being strangled at once. My ears still bleed sometimes.” I deadpan.

She giggles like she used to, and her little nose scrunches.

“What happens after I give you one weekend?” she asks.

Maybe you’ll remember how good we were together and give me a lifetime.“You can give me a week. Or a month,” I tell her. Or forever. “Think about it, okay? If you agree, our weekend will start on Friday when we get home from work.”

I pick up her hands and bring them to my lips.

“I don’t need to think about it,” she says. I brace myself for her rejection and my disappointment. I thought she would have taken more time to think before telling me no, but I know I can persuade her. “I agree,” she says, stunning me. “Like I said, I don’t want to feel this way until Carter turns eighteen.” As if I would let her go so easily after he turns eighteen. “But Friday is good. I’ll have time to process and prepare.”

I pull her into my arms and hug her. She feels exactly the same. Despite the height difference, no woman has felt better in my arms than her. No one else could ever take her place.

“Thank you.” I pull away and bring my mouth to hers. I want to taste her sweet, full lips. She kisses me back. It’s just like the first kiss we ever shared and the hundreds after that. She molds her body into mine and opens her mouth for me. She tastes like peppermints just like she used to back then. Before I can deepen the kiss, she ends it.

“Friday,” she reminds me. She takes a giant step back, putting too much space between us. “I’m going to take a shower and go to bed.” She leaves me standing in the kitchen, fighting a war with my body and wondering how I’m going to survive until Friday.

Chapter 41

Nia

It felt like a million years away on Sunday when we agreed to this. Despite the anticipation that’s been between us all week, it still managed to fly by. Things have changed already. Our schedules are still the same. We have breakfast together before we both drop Carter off. Then I either get dropped off at work or at my old house on the days that I work remotely.

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