Page 51 of B.D.E
I leaned in grabbed her neck and kissed her deeply.
“So, I did get my perfect love ending like Summer onCaptured By A Bama Plug—” She blurted, pulling away with a big ass grin on her face.
“Ain’t shit about this love perfect, Specs so don’t start comparing us to ya’ little romance books. I’m a real nigga and shit gone get real messy sometimes but just ride that shit out with me. That’s all I ask.”
She looked up at me with those big doe shaped eyes like I’d just said she won the jackpot or something and that shit made my heart damn near jump out my chest. I meant it when I said I loved Specs. Shit, I think I loved her the minute I broke into her café and smelled her sweet scent and felt her aura before even laying eyes on her. It was just something pulling me to her and I didn’t want to fight that shit no more. Maybe this fucked up world I lived in did have something good for me in the end. Specs having my seed would just be the icing to the cake and I knew, even though I didn’t know shit about being a father, I would do everything in my power to not be like the nut sack I came from or the nigga that raised me.
CHAPTER 27
Ivy
“There she is,”my mother’s voice came from behind me.
I turned and saw her, dressed in the soft blue dress she used to wear to church, curls pinned back, smiling at me. Beside her stood my father, arms folded, looking at me like I was still his baby girl. The ache in my chest loosened.
“Mama? Daddy?” My voice cracked.
She stepped forward and cupped my face, her hands just as warm as I remembered. "I always knew you had your father’s fire, baby. But your heart is just like mine."
“We’re proud of you, Ivy,” Daddy said. “You fought hard. For yourself. For love. For your future.”
I blinked, trying to understand. “You know about?—"
Mama nodded before I could finish. “We see what matters. We see you, and we see him. He’s not perfect, but he is everything you need.”
Daddy gave me a small grin. “Just keep your aim steady. You get that from me.”
My hand went to my stomach, and Mama placed hers over it. “You’re doing just fine.”
I wanted to stay. I wanted to bottle the air, the warmth, their voices.
“It’s not time yet,” Daddy said.
“Are y’all really here?” I asked, my throat tightening.
Mama brushed her hand on my cheek like I was still her little girl, and right now, I felt like I was.
“We never left puddin’,” Mama whispered. We’ll always been here Ivy Monroe… now go home.”
My eyes fluttered open, and it was still dark, but I knew exactly where I was. Twisted in Ghost’s arms, his chest pressed against my back, one hand palmed against my belly and I left it there, grounding myself in the real.I exhaled, letting the ache in my chest fade. I knew from that dream that my parents were proud of me and that’s all the confirmation I needed to start this new journey into motherhood with the love of my life by side. I shifted slightly, just enough for Ghost to grumble and pull me in tighter. His nose was buried against the curve of my neck.
“Go back to sleep, Specs” he muttered, voice thick with sleep and that deep gravelly tone that made my chest clench. “I’m not going nowhere... I told you that.”
I let my eyes close again, his words settling into my bones. The baby, the cafe, the chaos still waiting in the morning, it could all come later. Right now, all that mattered was this: I wasn’t alone… not anymore.
I had him. I had us.
Epilogue
IVY
Four monthsold and already ruling my life like a tiny, spoiled dictator. Roman Elijah Carter had my eyes, Ghost’s jawline, and a scowl that reminded me of both of us when we didn’t get our way. The birthing experience tore my body apart, but it was all worth it once I saw his handsome face. Ghost was a mad man, threatening the doctor and the nurses during my delivery but once he heard that first cry, his whole world stopped.
Baby Roman was asleep in the back office of the newest Carter & Co. Café, tucked into the mini nursery we built behind the kitchen. It was our fourth location, and we had a fifth in the works, this one in Tampa. A dream I once buried in fear and silence had now blossomed into a future I built with my own hands. With Ghost’s protection. With our love.
The soft hum of conversation filled the air, the clink of mugs, the hiss of espresso machines, and the sweet scent of cinnamon rolls swirled around me as I wiped down a counter. Tori and Marcus sat at our usual booth near the window, their bodies leaned in, laughing at some inside joke that clearly had my girl blushing. Tori had changed. Still bold, still loud, but there wassomething softer in her now. Marcus brought that out of her. Or maybe it was their matching tattoos and the way she kept twisting the diamond ring on her finger like she still couldn’t believe it was real.
“You good, Mama?” Tori called over her shoulder.
