Page 45 of Standing In The Sun

Pimp slapped hands with him, laughing hard like it was the funniest shit he heard all day.

Rolling her eyes, she leaned into him deeper, ready to catch her breath.

Lunar nodded once. “Come on.”

She followed him through the house, taking in the sheer size of it. Every hallway stretched endlessly. The ceilings were high and the walls were lined with sleek modern art. One turn led to another, and then another, until finally, they reached his room.

It was enormous. The ceilings stretched even higher there. His walls were a rich, dark gray, and the big bed in the center looked like it could swallow a person whole. But it wasn’t the size of the room that made her stop, it was the closet that took her breath away.

“I wanted to get you a whole new wardrobe but you don’t seem like the type to like shit like that so,” he shrugged, spreading his hands wide for her to get a look at his next good deed.

Her eyes opened wide in shock at what was before her - rows of shelves, hanging racks, and stacks of boxes labeled in black marker.Ahviwas written across them and she read it in her mind in his voice—the voice she loved to hear speak her name. He said it like it held some weight in his world.

Ahvi’s heart thumped hard against her ribs as she stepped forward, her fingers skimming over the top of one of the boxes. Her voice whispered softly as she looked up at him confused, “What - why…?” She was totally blown away. No one had ever done anything this thoughtful for her.

Lunar rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at her, then away. “Your sister told me about the eviction, so I went and got your things before they put it on the side of the road.” He exhaled, shifting his weight. “I knew you’d want it.”

He said it like it was no big deal. Maybe to him, it wasn’t. But for her, it was more than a big deal. Whatever was bigger than a big deal – next level – that’s what it was.

She blinked, throat suddenly tight. Tears brimmed her eyes.

“You gotallof my stuff? I – I thought I lost everything,” her voice cracked, and she fell to her knees as if the wind had been knocked out of her.

Lunar nodded. “Yea.”

A slow, shaky breath escaped her, but it did nothing to ease the tension building in her chest. It was one thing to look after her son, to pick her up from jail, to give her a place to stay, and even to throw her a damn party. But going out of his way to rescue her precious belongings when no one else gave a damn, meant more than she knew how to say. She didn’t know if she’d ever be able to express how grateful she was for him…for his entire family and all they’d done for her and her son.

Her eyes found his, neither of them moving, caught up in something so soul stirring that it held them captive.

The air between them changed. It shifted into something unspoken and heavy. Lunar wasn’t looking away this time. He was watching her, his gaze steady and unreadable. something twinkling behind his eyes that made her stomach tighten.

Ahvi swallowed, not knowing that little movement did something to him too.

He stepped back.

She stepped forward.

His eyes lifted, challenging her.

Then, without another word, Ahvi grabbed a change of clothes from one of the boxes and walked toward the bathroom.

He exhaled the breath he’d been holding with a knowing smirk lifting his lips. He knew he wanted her. Lunar wanted Ahvi from the moment she stepped out her Nissan when they met, her beauty shining brighter than the sun. Actually, Lunar knew he wanted her from their first phone call when talking to her was so easy. He really knew he needed her when her son invaded his heart as if his blood ran through the kids’ veins. He just had to show Ahvi why she needed him too.

She didn’t look back at him. She was too afraid she’d jump into his arms or get on her knees to thank him properly. But then she remembered Butta telling her about little Ms. Apple coming out the house one morning like she’d slept over.

Ahvi had to snap out of this fantasy, she had a lot of shit she needed to get done and didn’t need to be distracted by another man. Especially not when she had yet to find the last man that clouded her mind and threw her off her game. Nah, Ahvi needed to keep her head on a swivel. Her freedom and motherhood depended on it.

eleven

The steamfrom the shower seemed to follow Ahvi as she stepped back into Lunar’s room. She’d pulled her curls into a messy puff, hoping it stayed curly until she could get some hair products. From what she saw when she walked into the house, everyone was dressed in casual clothes, so she didn’t plan to do too much either.

She wore a soft, black tank and matching shorts—something she found folded neatly in one of the boxes he had labeled, Ahvi – Bedroom.

That alone made her chest throb. Who labeled shit like that unless they gave a damn? Then she remembered Big Lunar from the intimate videos she had no business watching. That man was gentle, yet rough around the edges. But something in his smile and those deep ass dimples told her that she would absolutely choose him over a bear in the woods.

Downstairs, she could hear the music floating up through the vents, bass knocking low, voices blending into laughter, and somebody calling for another round. It sounded like they were lit with or without her.

Grabbing a bottle of baby lotion, she lifted her shirt to moisturize her stomach.

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