Page 87 of Someone Like You

“Why do you sound so uncertain?”

I eased out of his arms, propped myself up on my elbow, and stared down at him.

“I’m having a hard time believing how freely we are allowed to go out in public now.”

He lifted slightly and kissed my lips, staring at me from half-closed lids.

“I promised you that I would always love and protect you, and I meant that. I always got you, girl. I’ve got your back, and I always will.”

“Thanks, baby.” I smiled, pushing him down once more and straddling him. His was the love of a lifetime, one I had not experienced before. I was willing to go all in for him because he gave unselfishly to me. He made me feel like I was the most important thing in the world to him, something I didn’t even have with Elijah.

I could not get enough of Casimir, his hands, his love, his taste, his scent, or any parts of him. Anytime I came near him, my pheromones were off the chart, and it had been that way since the first time we met.

“Let’s get up and head out to the Farmer’s Market so we can feed these folks,” he instructed and slapped me on the ass.

“Okay,” I groaned.

“Race you to the shower!” he shouted and jumped out of bed.

“Mmkay.” I muttered and closed my eyes again.

Casimir

“If anyone has any issues with the salmon and tuna steaks, it’s Elle’s fault. She refused to go to the Farmer’s Market with me this morning,” I called out.

Everyone laughed, and it only grew louder when Giselle rebutted, “No fair! He kept me up all night and forced me to watch the Jason Bourne series.”

“That’s one of my favorite movie series,” David Champagne, Giselle’s father, called out. “This man is all right by me,” he stated with a wink as he held up his mimosa.

We were gathered in the amenities area on the tenth floor. We rented it out this morning for brunch with our family and friends. Her parents, my parents, her sister and brother-in-law, Alex; her friends, Eriss and Ayden, and Raegan and Gavin were here. My friends, Jude, Rome and the brothers, Nathaniel and Travis Cunningham, and their respective girlfriends were also in attendance.

Today was the first time we brought our family and friends together to meet each other respectively. It was a special day for all of us as our families rejoiced in seeing both Giselle and me happy. Our mothers sat aside chit-chatting, probably planning for grandchildren that they both hoped were in the near future.If the way I’d released inside of Giselle this morning, again when I returned from the Farmer’s Market, and the way I planned to after everyone left this afternoon were any indicator, we would have a family soon.

I turned my attention away from the overall group and back to the men. Our fathers were discussing the best grilling techniques while Giselle’s friends’ husbands and my friends were all gathered with me.

“Man, I’m just glad that she finally moved on with her life. Giselle’s always been a good girl with a happy spirit, but she was in a dark place for a while,” Ayden, Eriss’s husband, stated.

“Yeah, and she’s like a little sister to us. No matter what we or our women did, it wasn’t enough to pull her out of that space. We couldn’t convince her to stop blaming herself for what he did,” Gavin explained.

“Yeah, and it was a touchy subject,” Ayden added.

“Man, that’s a heavy load for anyone to carry,” Travis remarked as his brother, Nathaniel, bobbed his head.

“I’m just glad our boy is no longer with the Ice Princess.” Nathaniel chimed in and made the others laugh.

“Giselle’s a good look on you. And she’s smart and strong. Just what your ass needs to be put in check,” Jude interjected.

“Shut up.” I chuckled and mushed the side of his head.

“Hey, I’m just calling it like it is. To Giselle and Casimir,” he stated, holding his mimosa up for a toast.

The rest of the men held their glasses up and chimed in with “Giselle and Casimir.” Jude’s toast was the signal to the three hired servers for today’s brunch. They immediately removed the serving trays and cleared the dishes out of the way. One of the servers walked to the table where the music was set up and changed the song that had previously been playing.

The servers stepped back as I stood and walked to the seating group where Giselle, her sister, and the other ladies were gathered.

They stopped mid-chatter and stared at me as I smiled down at her. Two of the three servers behind me started harmonizing as the third one sang Jagged Edge’s “Let’s Get Married.”

Giselle’s eyes widened as her girls giggled, clapped, and gasped. Our mothers, who weren’t sitting too far apart, held each other’s hands as they beamed. My girl was shocked as she threw her hands over her mouth.

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