Page 29 of I Changed for You
I smiled brightly. “Thanks, Melijah. I’m going to take your advice and not worry about it.”
“That’ll be a good thing.”
After we were finished with our lunch, and I got Camila a sub, Melijah walked me back to my car. Now I was down for an entirely new reason. I didn’t want to leave his side. Why did we have to return to work at all? I’d rather be with him, doing whatever for the day.
“I’m taking the rest of the day off,” he blurted.
My neck snapped in his direction as I narrowed my eyes. “What? Why?”
He stared down at me and chuckled. “Because I have nothing else to do at work. I got all my car detailing out of the way for the day, so I’m going home to sleep the day away.”
At least one of us would be getting some sleep.
I pouted. “You’re lucky.”
Melijah laughed and draped his arm around my shoulders. I leaned more into him, wishing I could get into his skin. What was it about this man that had me feeling secure? He made me feel things that were foreign to me.
When we arrived at my truck, I almost told him to take me with him. I retrieved my keys from my purse and stared at him. He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine quickly. I wanted more than that, so I frowned, causing him to smirk.
“Do you want more?” he asked, leaning closer to me. He pressed his hands against my truck and stared down at me.
I nodded, knowing I wanted lots more. Melijah lowered his head, and I leaned up to brush my lips against his. He took my lips in a full-blown kiss that had me moaning in his mouth. My knees weakened, but he held me up by my waist with his arms, holding me close to him. He thrust his tongue into my mouth and pressed his middle into my stomach. I felt his hardness, causing me to gasp and pull away from him. Desire like no other shot through me, causing me to shudder.
He kissed the corners of my mouth, causing me to hiss. “I hope you got what you wanted. If you want more, just take it.”
If we weren’t out in the open in broad daylight, I’d take him up on his offer.
“I need to get back to work.” I pressed a hand to his chest, trying to move him back some, but he didn’t budge. “I have to go.”
“Yeah, you said that. Go ahead and go. Text me when you’ve made it back to work.”
I gave a short nod as I turned my car on with my key fob. Melijah opened the door for me, and I got in. Before he closed the door, he gave me a quick kiss before leaving me to return to his car. That was when I backed out of the parking spot and drove away. Damn, I missed him already.
A knock cameat my door in the middle of my lying on my couch with my shirt up. My baby bump was forming perfectly, so I rubbed my stomach every chance I got. It gave me joy to know I carried life inside of me.
I had a feeling I knew who was at my door. Nobody visited me, and my friends had a key to my place. I knew it wasn’t Melijah since he was spending time with his family today. A feeling of dread settled in the middle of my chest as I pushed myself up and off the couch and to the door. I peered through the peephole and saw my family. I wanted to stomp my feet and wail on the floor like a toddler at the sight of them. That was childish of me to think, but my family was a downer in every way. They could turn a baby’s mood sour.
With a sigh, I opened the door with a tight smile on my face. The faces that greeted me didn’t crack a smile. I had to stop myself from throwing my hands in the air. Why would they show up at my house if they were going to have attitudes?
“What brought you guys by?” I asked when I closed the door behind them. They crowded into my living room and took a seat on the couch.
“You didn’t tell your mother and me about the client you lost,” my father accused.
I clenched my teeth, trying not to get annoyed. Of all the things they could’ve dropped by for, it was to ask that. Did they come as a family to ask me that? I didn’t want to get smart. Hell, I didn’t even want to answer the statement.
I folded my arms across my chest. “I didn’t feel like I needed to tell you. It happened at my law firm.”
Why did they think I had to tell them everything that went on at my job? I didn’t like sharing things about myself with them. They never saw the good I did, since lately they only came to me to complain, and I was tired of that.
“Elianna, even if you don’t tell us, we always find out. It’s like you’re keeping things from us,” my mother stated with her hands folded in her lap.
I dropped my head to my chest. “It’s not an award or anything like that. I lost something — that’s a failure.” I frowned, knowing that if Melijah heard me say that, he’d get on me about it. “I’m not in the mood to argue with any of you. If you’re here for that, you can leave.” One thing I wouldn’t do was stress and make myself sick.
I couldn’t remember a time when my parents were happy for me. It had been years since they had had smiles on their faces when they saw me. My life was undergoing a dramatic change for the better, and I wanted to keep it that way. For my child, I wanted to be a better person.
“Everyone isn’t used to failure. That’s why you talk it over to see how things can change,” Erika voiced.
She had a point. “Okay, that’s true, but that’s why I have my friends to lean on. It’s our business, so we lean on each other. We help one another, and we are in charge of our law firm. Why should I tell you all of what happens at my law firm? If I want you to know, then I’ll tell you, but if I don’t, I shouldn’t have to.”
