Page 49 of The Prettiest Outlaw

“Yes,” my mother agreed. “And the designated financier.”

Julianna cracked up.

“Y’all are both talking like that would be a punishment or something. I don’t mind driving y’all or paying for y’all to have a good time.”

Julianna glanced at me briefly before whipping out her phone and pulling up her calendar. I sat back watching them in contentment as they discussed dates, and availability.

“Aye, Ma, Julianna brought something for you.”

Julianna jumped up from the table. “I sure did. Nico made me leave them in the living room with my coat. Let me grab them.”

While Julianna was out of the room, my mother turned to me. “Nico, I know you don’t want to hear this, but you better not let that girl get away. She’s smart, and of course, she’s as beautiful as they come.”

“She is.” I nodded my agreement.

“But she has this…light about her. Her spirit is so bright, and her sense of humor…I know you say she’s been dealing with grief, but underneath all of that, I can tell that she’s a happy person. Life with her would be good, son. She’s the type that could be your partner and your best friend. I really like her.”

“I really like her, too,” I admitted despite myself.

Not that I wouldn’t admit my feelings for Julianna. I had just admitted them to Langston. But you couldn’t tell Bianca stuff like that because she had the tendency to run with it. She would never stop talking about it. But with Julianna, I didn’t mind her talking. I didn’t mind the fact that she was trying to push us together.

Bianca clapped her hands like a toddler and cheered in her chair.

“Stop that,” I chastised jokingly.

“Nope. She makes you happy. I can tell. Your spirit is lighter.”

I couldn’t tell her that my balls were definitely lighter because Julianna’s ass was insatiable. She liked dick, and I liked giving it to her. I didn’t think I’d ever been as sexually compatible with anybody as I was with Julianna.

“Julianna and I are definitely a mood.”

Julianna reentered the room carrying the cupcake carrier that seemed to go everywhere with her.

“Umm, Nico told me that you have a sweet tooth, but you’ve been dealing with some complications with your diabetes lately. So, I started practicing with ‘diabetic friendly’ cupcake recipes.”

I heard my mother audibly gasp, but my attention was on Julianna. She pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear, and the gesture was endearing. She was still nervous about connecting with my mom when the connection was already made. I figured it stemmed from the way the women treated her after the rumors went around about her as a teenager. She expected older women not to like her. What she didn’t know was that my mother had experienced similar treatment from older women. They were kindred spirits.

“Oh, baby.” My mother gushed. “That was so sweet and so thoughtful of you.”

“Your son wouldn’t let me make you a dozen?—”

I cut her off. “Hell no. Because you,” I pointed at my mother, “would eat the whole dozen.”

“Nobody asked you.” She waved me off.

“So, I made you four. I?—"

Bianca was out of her seat and hugging Julianna before she could even get the rest of the sentence out.

I nodded while watching the two women who meant the most to me connecting. Julianna needed all of the acceptance that my mother was giving her, and my mother needed to feel like one of her sons was on the right track.

“So, you and Nico, huh?”Jia questioned, the sneakiest of smirks fighting to take over her lips.

Before I could even respond, Jianna added her two cents.

“And I had to hear it from Jia.” She mugged me. “I never hear things about you from Jia. Jia hears things about you from me.” Jianna tapped her chest with her finger.

“You and your pregnancy hormones.” I tried cracking a joke.

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