Page 17 of Love Me Now: Adrian & Kwamé
“So, things escalated quickly with you and Adrian,” she commented while tapping my ring. She and I sat at a table in front of Adrian and Russ where they could keep an eye on us.
“Very,” I agreed. “But it seems almost…perfect. Which I knowis notthe case.”
“Please,” Ari responded, “he’s as close to perfect as you’re going to get.”
Smiling, I said, “Facts.”
“So… Jessie’s first birthday is next week. How do you feel?” she asked.
Sighing, I couldn’t believe a year had passed already. “I feel good. It took some time to get to this place of peace, but I’m happy.”
Ari grinned. “As much as I didn’t want you to go to the farm, it did you some good. You have your light back, and I love that for you. I thought Damon would take you from me.”
He almost did, I wanted to say. “My life is built around helping people through their grief. I nearly drowned in mine,” I confessed.
Ari reached across the table and took my hands in hers. “Having you in my life has been such a blessing. As long as I’m alive, I’m never going to let you drown. I’m gon’ jump in the deep end to help you swim.”
“Same,” I replied.
We smiled and squeezed each other’s hands, then went back to eating.
“Ya know, if you ever decide to leave this place, there’s plenty of space on the farm,” I stated.
Ari gasped. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
“No threat. Just an invitation. I know how stuffy this big city can feel at times.”
Ari thought for a minute. The moment her eyes lit up, I knew that she had seen the possibilities of her leaving Atlanta.
“Although I’m pushing thirty-five, starting over isn’t a bad idea, huh?” she questioned.
I shook my head. “It’s not a bad idea at all.”
“I’m due in July. Think I can find another job, relocate, and get settled in by then?”
Glancing over Ari’s shoulder at the man sitting in front of us, my breath hitched at Adrian blowing me a kiss. I wasn’t sure how he managed to be so stern and yet so soft with me.
“If my man and Russ have anything to do with it, you’ll get settled at the farm in no time.”
Ari’s smile stretched across her face. “I say we have a deal, Best Friend.”
I couldn’t have been happier.
Days later…
“Adrian, you can’t keep spoiling Jessie. She’s going to grow up thinking she can have whatever she wants.”
“And she can,” Adrian countered. “I’d buy her a piece of the sky if I could.”
For a second, I smiled, then frowned. “That’s cute and all, but who’s going to deal with her on the days I say no?”
“Me,” he replied. “Trust me. Our daughter is gon’ be just fine, baby.”
Jessie squealed and bashfully grinned as everyone sangHappy Birthdayto her. Everyone from my dad to the Bell boys were gathered on the farm to celebrate my baby’s first birthday. She had too many gifts to count, and the fact that she wastoo young to truly appreciate most of the gifts was a little sad. Hopefully, she carried these memories into adulthood.
The more I tried to get her to be still while opening gifts, the more she fussed. Finally, I started opening her gifts and taking the pictures as best as we could. One gift I opened had me stumped.
It was a card with Jessie’s handprint on it. Confused, I opened the card.
