Page 40 of I Changed for You
“It’s all good. As long as I’m with you, that’s what matters most.”
He touched his chest dramatically. “Damn, you know just what to say to make me soft. I don’t know if I like that or not,” he joked with a smile.
I grinned, wiping my mouth. “Good. You should like it.”
He reached out and tapped my thigh. “Oh, I do. Only for you though.”
He looked over and winked at me. I ducked my head and continued to eat my food. On the drive to the store, Melijah asked about my day at work. I filled him in on what transpired in the meetings. He only nodded here and there.
“Did you have fun with the boys?”
He scoffed. “Hell no. I don’t like their asses.”
I laughed. “Yeah, right. From what I heard, y’all are the best of friends.”
He nodded, turning into the parking lot of the store. “Oh yeah. We are. We’ve been friends since we were youngins. They’re like the brothers I never had or wanted.”
I burst out laughing until tears filled my eyes. “But you were saying for the longest you wanted brothers. You’ve got two... a package deal.”
He turned the car off. “Nah. I don’t want them anymore.”
We shared a laugh before Melijah got out of the car. When he opened the door for me, we made our way into the store and got everything we needed. I picked up extra items, but he didn’t bat an eye when I added them to the rest of the items.
After leaving the store, we headed to his apartment. It had been my favorite place in the world since the first time he brought me there. Truthfully, wherever Melijah was, that was my favorite place. He made me feel so protected, loved, and cared for.
“Let me get situated, and I’ll be ready to give you all my time,” he voiced.
I smiled. “I need to do the same. Give me one of your shirts, please.”
I followed him into his bedroom and removed my work clothes. I stood in front of him with only my bra and panties on. The look in his eyes was full of desire. When it was like that, it was difficult for us to control our attraction toward each other. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He took steps toward me until he was in my space. He grasped my face in his large hands and lowered his head to kiss my lips. I needed to feel his lips against mine, so I was happy that he kissed me. When he pulled his lips from mine, I groaned in frustration.
He chuckled. “It’ll be more of that later.”
He stepped back and went to get the shirt I needed.
After both of us were comfortable, we headed into the living room. While Melijah headed to pop the popcorn, I found something for us to watch on TV. I wondered what was taking him so long since the microwave had been stopped. I turned my head to look back at him with my eyebrow raised.
“What’s the matter?” I asked but received no answer.
I rose from the couch and walked to Melijah. He seemed to be deep in thought as he stood in front of the microwave with his head bowed. I put my hand on his back and leaned against the counter.
“Melijah? Talk to me. What’s bothering you?”
He tilted his head to the side and studied me. His eyes were focused and held mine captive. My heart throbbed in my chest as I stared at him, unable to look away.
“Do you know how you make me feel?” he asked.
I shook my head because I didn’t know. “How do I make you feel?”
He took my hand in his, and we made our way to his kitchen table. When we took a seat in front of each other, he didn’t stop holding my hands. He squeezed it in his.
“When we’re together, the only thing that comes to my mind is I want to be with this woman. I’m happy she’s in my life. The only thing that runs through my mind is love. I want to love, care for, and protect you against anyone and everyone. If that includes your family, so be it. I want you in my life, Elianna Marshall. I won’t give up on you.”
Those were the words I had wanted Melijah to say for the longest.
“I’m glad you feel that way because I do too. Whenever I’m with you, I feel so secure and protected. How you care for me makes me love you. I’ve wanted to blurt out my feelings for you so many times. I don’t know why I held them in. Now I want to give you my love freely.” I swallowed the lump that grew in my throat.
Melijah squeezed my hands in his. “Now that we know how each other feels, we can focus on being a family with our son. No matter how he was made, we’re focusing on how we can build as a couple and family.”
