Page 90 of Almost Paradise

“I don’t accept your apology. I want you to leave my daughter and grandson alone. Let them go,” he orders.

“Nathanial! You will stop this right now,” his wife admonishes. “This is not what we talked about,” she whispers. “She’s happy with him, and Carter loves him. Let them be.”

“I will not let my wife and son go, Mr. Nash. I love them more than anything, and if you can’t accept that, that’s your problem, not mine.” I’ve said all I’m going to say to him for today, so I turn to his wife. “Mrs. Nash, thank you for your hospitality. I hope in time, you and I can become friends. I really would like to get to know you, and I hope you’ll give me a chance. I apologize for any stress I’ve caused your family, but please know that had I known Nia was pregnant with my baby, I would have been by her side. We would have been a family years ago.”

She inches closer to me. She’s about Nia’s height with eyes just as intense. She stares at me, and right now, she reminds me so much of her son.

“I hope we can too,” she says with a smile.

“You can’t be serious, Shirley?” Nathanial grumbles.

“And my husband looks forward to it as well.” She glares at him. He opens his mouth to argue, but the look she gives him must change his mind. He promptly shuts it. “Because we love our daughter and grandson. We want the best for them.”

“And how do we know the rest of his family isn’t like his father? We can’t exactly trust his judgment if he’s telling the truth,” he says. He doesn’t bother to look at me when he says that. “And that’s a very big if.”

“I promise you, Mr. Nash, my family is eager to get to know my wife and son. I would die before hurting them.”

He glares but doesn’t speak and then looks away from me.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Nash. I hope to see you again soon.” I pick up my coat and walk to the door.

Mr. Nash doesn’t say another word, but Mrs. Nash follows me. She puts a hand on my arm after I get the front door open. “My husband is very protective of our kids and grandkids. He’s especially protective of Nia. He’s going to need some time, but if you can show that you love them, he’ll come around.” She squeezes my arm for support.

“And what about you?” I ask. Her husband will probably always hate me, but maybe I can have a relationship with her and Ray.

“As long as Nia and Carter are happy, safe, and loved, you and I will get along fine.” She looks behind her, and I look over her shoulder. Her husband is standing there with his arms crossed, looking just as stern as when I first got here. “When she was here the other night, I saw a side of her I hadn’t seen in a long time. She’s always been happy, but the last few years dimmed some of her shine, but she has it back again.” She takes a step closer to me. “I don’t approve of what you did, but if Nia can forgive you, I guess I can too. In time.”

Chapter 50

Nia

I kiss the top of Carter’s head and leave him in the kitchen with Delores to finish his breakfast. She makes him whatever he wants, and he loves the attention she pays him.

The bedroom is empty when I get inside. I left Drake sleeping soundly this morning. He worked late last night, coming home at almost eleven o’clock. He slid into bed next to me and spooned me, promptly falling asleep. He was still out cold when I got up to get Carter ready. I hear whistling in the bathroom, and I let myself in. We’ve turned a new corner. There’s no wall between us. There are no doors, no secrets, and no toxic family either. I doubt that I’ll ever be close to his, but I’ll be civil until they give me a reason not to be.

He’s standing in front of the sink with a towel wrapped around his waist. He puts down his electric razor when he sees me and grins. I get on my tippy toes and kiss his cheek before hopping onto the sink to sit. He eyes me, and I give him my most innocent smile. He doesn’t buy it.

“Good morning,” I practically sing.

I glide my hand across his taut torso. He splashes aftershave on his cheeks.

“I was coming downstairs to join you for breakfast,” he says.

“I thought you might be hungry.” His eyes land on my mouth, and he licks his lips. “I thought I’d bring breakfast to you.”

I put my legs on the counter. My short nightgown rides up my thighs. I spread my legs apart, revealing my bare pussy. His nostrils flare and he arches an eyebrow. “All you can eat buffet,” I whisper.

“You are a tempting little thing, aren’t you?” he asks. He stands between my legs, tilts my face up, and takes me in a savage kiss. I pull the towel off him, and his dick springs free. He lifts the flimsy nightgown over my head and tosses it aside. “I’m sorry I was so late last night,” he says before he takes a nipple in his mouth. “I’m trying to figure out a way not to work so much.”

I put a finger to his lips. “I’m not here to talk about work. I’m here to get some dick from my husband so I can go on with the rest of my day.” The words are barely out of my mouth before I feel his hand between my legs.

“So wet already,” he says against my mouth. He takes me in a deep kiss before he tosses the contents on the counter to the floor. He lies me down, throws one of my legs over his shoulders, and finally puts his mouth to my pussy.

“Yeah, just like that, Paradise. Just like you used to.” He works my pussy with his mouth and tongue while his big hands caress my breasts. I run my fingers through his hair and moan his name. “Fuck me now, baby. I want to feel you inside of me.”

His mouth stops, and he scoops me up bridal style into the bedroom. He drops me on the bed and climbs on top of me.

“I don’t know how I existed these last few years without you,” he whispers as he sinks into me.

---