Page 40 of You Deserve Good Things

“Are you happy, baby?” he asked, his voice low, pounding loud like thunder vibrating in my bones.

I turned to him, studied him like he was the North Star, and I had just found my way home. I traced his jaw, slow, tender, grateful.

“I have been nothing but happy since the moment I saw you again,” I whispered.

His grip tightened, eyes softening with something deep, something rooted in realness.

“Then you gon’ be happy forever, my love,” he murmured, kissing my fingers, then my wrist, then my lips—each one slower than the last, like he was trying to memorize me with his mouth.

My breath caught.

I pulled back slightly, smirking. “You really about to be my husband, huh?”

He gave me that slow, deadly-ass grin, the one that always made my knees buckle like a folding chair at a cookout.

“Damn right, baby.”

I bit my lip, heat rushing low in my belly. “I really like the sound of that.”

His hand slid down my spine, pullin’ me right into his lap, his voice dropping to a whisper so sinful it shoulda come with a parental advisory sticker.

“Then you gon’ really love the way itfeels, Mrs. James.”

I shivered. This man was something else. I knew I wasn’t just his fiancée. I was his forever, and that was everything I ever needed.

The kitchen was bathedin the soft glow of afternoon sunlight, casting golden hues across the countertops. Shaniya stood by the stove, her hands busy with a pot of simmering stew, while I leaned against the island with a glass of iced tea in my hand. I was so happy for my best friend. She truly deserved this, and I was so glad that she was finally able to let this man love her like she deserved.

Shaniya was the most selfless person I’d ever met. She gave her all, she always put everyone else’s needs first, and she literally carried the entire world on her fuckin’ shoulders. She had been through hell and back, and she came back like she never was down for the count. She deserved someone like Jacoryto love her unconditionally, be her safe space, give her peace, and take the weight off her. I couldn’t be happier for her.

“You know,” I began, swirling the ice in my glass, “I never thought I’d see the day you’d be playing house like this.”

Shaniya laughed, the sound as warm as the sun filtering through the window. “Neither did I. But here we are.”

The aroma of herbs and spices filled the air, wrapping around us like a comforting blanket.

“I’m so happy for you, sis,” I said, sincerity lacing my words. “You deserve this kind of love.”

She turned to face me, her eyes soft. “And so do you, Dani. Please don’t let your past define your future.”

My eyes clouded over as memories of my ex, Forrest, surfaced—his words, his fists, the way he broke me down piece by piece.

“It’s hard, Shaniya,” I admitted. “After everything Forrest put me through . . . the words, the beatings . . . it’s hard to believe someone could love me without hurting me.”

She stepped closer, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You are not your past. You are not the pain he inflicted. You are worthy of love, of healing, of happiness.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to spill over.

“Chase . . . he’s different,” I whispered. “But I’m scared. What if I let him in and he hurts me too?”

“Chase is a good man,” Shaniya said firmly. “He sees you, Dani. The real you. And he wants to love you, to heal with you. He would never put his hands on you or hurt you, sweetie.”

At that moment, Chase walked into the kitchen, his eyes locking onto my tear-streaked face.

“And when I catch up with that bitch-ass nigga that did,” he growled, “he’s gonna be sleeping with the fucking fishes. I’ll be damned if I let any nigga have peace and he disrupted yours. Any nigga that has ever brought harm to your sexy ass, baby, has gotto die. They don’t deserve to breathe the same air as you. I’m going to bring you all the love and peace in the world, Queen. You just have to let me.”

My eyes widened, a mix of shock and relief washing over me.

He softened his tone, stepping closer. “I don’t think you’re beautiful. I think you’re beyond it. You’ve had a lot of crooks try to steal your heart. Never really had luck, couldn’t never figure out. But I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere.”

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