Total pages in book: 15
Estimated words: 13683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 68(@200wpm)___ 55(@250wpm)___ 46(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 13683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 68(@200wpm)___ 55(@250wpm)___ 46(@300wpm)
“Yeah, I was. I graduated last year, but yeah. I gather from the disdainful way you asked that you were a New Orleans Otter.”
“I was, we all were, even Kent.”
“Ooh, starting off as rivals? How fun,” she says, giggling.
I watch as Belle, Portia, Marla, and Alisha make their way into the kitchen, leaving me with Tasha and Marsha staring at me like I’ve grown two heads.
“What are you doing, mon frère?’ Tasha asks.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re an old man. She’s so young. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that I’m in love with her and if our age difference doesn’t bother us, it shouldn’t bother you.”
“When did you even meet her? You love her? How is that possible?”
“Falling in love doesn’t take much time at all if you’re with the right person and you don’t fight it. I know it takes some people a long ass time to realize it, but they are just denying what their souls know instantly.”
“When did you get so deep?” Marsha asks.
“I don’t know,” I reply, chuckling.
“How can you even believe in love? After what happened to Mom and Dad?” Tashsa asks, and it dawns on me that this line of thinking is why she’s never had a boyfriend. She doesn’t want to get hurt.”
“Love didn’t kill them, Tash. A drunk driver did. If we could ask them, I’m sure they’d tell you that love is worth any amount of time you have together. I knew them a lot longer than you did. I saw them. They loved each other and us so much they bubbled over with it. They are my example of what love should be like. Yeah, we struggled, but they always managed to keep a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food in out bellies. I followed their example in raising you girls. I did the best I could.”
“No one is saying that you didn’t. Kent. This just seems so sudden,” Tasha says. The silence in the room is interrupted by the sound of pans hitting the counter and water running in the kitchen. There is also a large amount of giggling going on in there, which makes me smile.
“I’m sure it seems that way to you, but to me, it’s been a lifetime of waiting for her. Why would I waste seven years on what took me seven seconds of a text message to know?”
“What if she’s nuts?” Marsha asks.
“Then she’s nuts, but she’s mine either way,” I reply, shrugging.
“Yeah, okay, that sounds nice.”
“Marsha, trust me. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.”
“Does she know?”
“Know what?”
“That you love her?”
‘Oh, hell no. I don’t want to scare her away.
The three of us have a good laugh at that and then head into the kitchen with the rest of the family.
She didn’t contradict me when I said she was my fiancee, but can I get her to actually stay?
Chapter Ten
Belle
After making love all night, I’m walking a little funny, but it was so worth it. He dropped me off at the office. I’m going to be driving to his place after grabbing some clean clothes from my house on my lunch break. The work on the Causeway is starting tomorrow night, and he has to get everything ready for that; otherwise, he’d be picking me up himself.
We still haven’t talked about the elephant in the room. He told his sisters that I was his fiancee. Truth be told, I loved it. I knew within seconds of texting him that he was going to be special to me. Meeting him told me everything I needed to know about him.
The office is blessedly quiet today, and I am glad for that. I barrel through invoices and payments before lunch. At lunch, I go home and find my mother watching daytime tv.
“Hey, Mama,” I say cheerily.
“Don’t “hey Mama” me, Belle Celeste Fisher. Where were you last night? Your measly going to a friend's text didn’t tell me anything.”
“Oh, sorry about that.”
“Come here,” she demands, and I move to stand in front of her. “You look different. Oh, my God, you met him, didn’t you?” I love how well she knows me. She’s literally my best friend. I know that I can tell her absolutely anything, and she won’t judge me, at least not out loud. She’s still my mom; there’s always a little judgment.
“Uh-huh,” I say, nodding. I want to tell her every amazing detail of last night, but some things are meant just for me to relish for the rest of my life. And I will be relishing it. I squirm because just the thought of him inside me again is enough to get me going. My already ruined panties are soaked again.
“Sit,” she says, patting the couch next to her. “Tell me everything, well, not everything.”
“He’s amazing. I work with him, kinda. He’s a welder and so big. Like strong, you know. Handsome, God, he’s hot. He’s amazing. He’s raised five sisters, Mama. Five. He’s going to be such a good dad.”