Page 127 of Zimyra

“No. You, too, of course. Are you good with that?”

“No. You were supposed to be mine for three days. Just us. No distractions.”

“Well, this is day three. I don’t think dinner is that big of a deal. Besides, it’ll give you a chance to tell them what you’ve done.”

I grin. “WhatI’vedone?”

She places a hand on her chest and laughs. “Yes. What you’ve done.”

“What have I done, Zimyra?”

“You snuck off and married me, seduced me—made me fall in love with you.”

“What did I tell you about talking like that?”

“I’m just telling the truth.”

I get up and walk to the fridge, opening it.

“What are you looking for?” she asks.

“I was checking to see if you had some pickles…oh—found them.” I bring the jar to the table in case she wants some, then say, “Dinner with your family will be nice. I was just giving you a hard time.”

“Perfect.”

“What time did they want to meet?”

“Six-thirty.”

“Good. That’ll give me plenty of time to stretch you out again.”

Her cheeks redden. She thinks I’m joking, when I ain’t. She’ll find out soon enough.

CHAPTER 43

Thanks to Axel, we arrived at the restaurant late. I was minding my business, putting on some makeup in the bathroom when he came inside, pulled up my dress and, in his words,found his way home. And I was with it like I always am. The man is addictive. It’s a good thing he’s mine.

After the workout he’s given my body over the course of the last three days, I’m good and hungry. I think I could finish a steak and shrimp dinner with a potato on the side and still have room for dessert.

Saluda’s is a fancy restaurant, so I opted for a simple black dress. I had on a longer one, but Axel messed that one up, so I found a shorter one in my closet. Axel put on some black slacks and a black button-down. We weren’t trying to match. It just happened that way.

“Hey, everybody!” I say, filled with joy to see my family all together. The last time we were together, I was down in the dumps. Now, my mood is elevated to an all-time high. I have the man standing next to me to thank for that.

“Hey, Ma,” I say, walking over to her. It’s the two seats between her and Zavier that look to be reserved for us. After squeezing my mom around her neck, I sit next to her. Axel is between me and Zavier.

“Y’all finally made it,” Zander says.

“Hush, Zander,” I tell him. “Yeah, we made it.”

“We already ordered appetizers for the table,” Zavier says.

“Cool,” Axel says. “It’s good to see everybody again.”

“Same, man,” Zavier tells him. “It’s always a good time when we can sit down as a family and break bread together.”

I lean over to look at Nykendy, noticing that Kaden is missing. I ask, “Hey, where’s my lil’ man?”

“He’s with my mom,” she answers. “It’s just us grown folk tonight.”

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