Page 29 of Tap In

I flicked my middle finger up at him, causing everyone to chuckle.Should I have this conversation in front of Lark and Chance?When I peeked at Lark, she gave me a reassuring smile. “Being stubborn about being ready for something but not knowing how to go about it now.”

I didn’t need to look at Joston to know that his brow hitched. “If you’re ready for something, then just do what the fuck you got to do. Time waits for no man.”

“Exactly what I told her. Stop being scared, and go for what you want, best friend. You almost missed out once. Don’t let it happen again,” Lark urged.

I knew they were both right. I rolled my eyes. “Um, can we move on to the next topic? I hear y’all.”

I was over the conversation. I knew what I had to do. For me, it was just the timing of doing it.

* * *

It’d been a little over a week since the conversation was broached about my stubbornness. The conversation had been sitting heavy on my chest. Since then, everything that Joston did was a turn on. A few days ago, he, Chance, my brothers, dad, and cousins were over to assemble all the things that needed to be assembled. I almost had an orgasm watching Joston put the crib together. My mom, female cousins, sisters-in-law, and Lark helped wash baby clothes, organize all the stuff I got from the baby shower, and other things like that. A nesting shower was what it was called.

At Lark’s and my baby shower, my uncle Trell and auntie Tae surprised Lark and me with a custom Tae Smith design for a nursery. Taelyn said that during bouts of her mother’s clarity, she worked hard to finish the designs while she was in her ‘Tae mind’ as we all called it. Lately, she’d had more episodes of Tae mind than she had before. No one was sure if that was a good or bad thing. Lark and I were a complete mess when it was presented to us. Tae’s design firm immediately went to work on the designs.

Today, we were at Chance and Lark’s house for their nesting shower. My task was stocking the kitchenette in the nursery. My nursery also had a kitchenette. “Lark, are these good?” I asked after I held up a beef stick.

“Yeah, I love them. They’re expensive as hell but good. Try one,” she offered.

She didn’t have to tell me twice. I was starving. I pulled out a juice from the refrigerator.

My mom snatched the bottle out of my hand. “Little girl, get a bottle of water out of there. Joston told me that you aren’t getting your daily water intake.” She gave me thatdo what the hell I saidlook.

“Joston is such a damn snitch,” I mumbled. He didn’t have to tell on me to my mom. I was getting like thirty fluid ounces a day. That was more than enough in my book.

Galiana laughed. “Girl, your brother does the same thing when he can’t get his way. He runs to Mama Chelle or my daddy like I’m not grown as hell.” We all laughed. “Mama Chelle, tell your son if he wants that daughter, he better close his mouth.” If you thought Galiana was crazy, then you hadn’t met her daddy Fabuloso. You couldn’t convince me that the devil didn’t come to him for creative ideas about destruction.

Mama Chelle tittered. “You can’t be mad when they call in reinforcements when y’all aren’t doing right by my grandbabies.” She used both of her hands to point at Galiana and me. “I hope they keep telling on y’all asses. Now drink that damn water.”

I opened the bottle of water begrudgingly and took a few sips. Water was nasty as hell. I felt like I drank enough to ensure my pH balance was good.

“I know you better drink more water than that.” Joston’s voice sounded from the doorway. He walked over to me, took the bottle out of my hand, unscrewed the top that I had placed back on, then handed the bottle back to me. “Drink some more, Justina.”

The giggles from my mama and them had me looking at them with a scowl. I tilted my head to the side. “Give me a kiss, and I’ll drink some water.”

“Oh shit now,” Lark mumbled. “This is about to get interesting. Go ahead and give her a kiss, Joston.”

We stared at each other intensely for a moment before he stepped into my personal space. He lowered himself so that we could be face to face. “Justina, like I told you before, the only person that will get any part of me going forward is my woman. As far as I know, I’m single.” His voice was low so only I could hear him. “Tell me, Justina, am I single?”

It felt like we were in a one-way glass box where we could be seen, but we couldn’t see the audience. This conversation was between us and only us, regardless of the other women in the room.This is it, Jacobia. You have the power right now to change the trajectory of the relationship between you and Joston.I took a deep breath. The time is now. “No, Jerimiah, you are not single.”

His cheeks rose to bring his smile to the forefront. This man was fine. His mustache connected to his full beard. It was soft and fluffy. His eyebrows were even perfectly arched for a man. “If I’m not single, then who is my woman? What’s her name?”

It was my cheeks’ turn to rise for the welcoming of my smile. With confidence, I answered. “Her name is Jacobia Justina Christianson.”

“That’s what the fuck I’m talking about.” He slammed his lips onto mine. His arms wrapped around me, and his hands gripped my ass.

“Alright now! I done stood here while y’all had that grown ass conversation in front of me. I’m not gonna stand here while y’all play grab ass.” My mama came over and smacked Joston’s hands off my ass. Everyone erupted in laughter.

Joston raised his hands in surrender. “My bad, Mama. I’m just happy that your daughter finally stopped playing with me.” He smacked my ass. “Now drink that water, Justina. I gave you your kiss.”

With a huff, I responded, “My word is my word.” I took a sip of my water that was still in my hand.I should save this bottle as relationship memorabilia. This bottle helped me and Joston become one.

A SHORT TIME LATER…

“Yes, baby, just like that,”Jacobia moaned.

I was stroking her middle from the back. One of my hands was on her hip and the other massaging her back. It seemed like overnight, her stomach grew, and she started to have back pains. I preferred to fuck her on her side, but my woman loved back shots, knowing her back would hurt afterward.

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