Page 45 of Allure

She nodded toward the kitchen so I followed her. She walked over to the stove, then grabbed the mitts to grab the hot pans. The smells coming from the oven had my stomach growling loud. She lifted a brow in my direction with a smile, then waved me over.

I followed her direction and stood in front of the pans.

“So, Lore, when are you going to tell my son that he is going to be more than an uncle?” she asked.

My mouth dropped at her declaration. I didn’t know what she was talking about. She looked up from the pan of chicken and smiled.

“You didn’t know yet, huh?” she asked.

I thought back to the last time I had my period, noticing it was long before my wedding and our honeymoon. I hadn’t paid it any attention with everything going on. We had to do that damn press conference, then adjusting to living together, and then the new jobs for both of us. I didn’t have enough time to think of anything else.

“You think so?” I asked her.

“I know so. When I was pregnant with Niko, I tended to be thirsty all the time, and honey, you have the most beautiful, glowing skin. All the signs lead straight to it. When you take the test and you share the news with him, let me know if I was right. I’m sure I am. But I can tell how happy you make my baby boy, just by this short amount of time of being in your presence. Thank you for being serious about the process. I know it had to be you who convinced him to call. These Lockwood men are hardheaded. They get it from their father and he has it double time,” she mentioned.

I smiled and nodded as I rubbed circles over my stomach. I made a mental note to grab a test as soon as possible or at least schedule a doctor’s appointment.

“He wanted to fix this, he just needed a push. Just as much as everyone over here did. I hope we can continue to build a solid relationship, especially if I really do have a baby in here. I want my child to be surrounded by nothing but love. It’s more than enough hate outside the walls of our homes to invite it inside,” I told her.

She smiled and nodded. “We will, honey. Grab the salad bowl for me.”

She pointed to the bowl behind me and I followed her into the dining room. As the night progressed, I saw my husband break free of the weight that had been dragging him down since the situation with his family started. I smiled, thinking about the fact that just maybe, we had created life together. This year was truly filled with so many blessings I couldn’t thank God enough for.

The day had finally arrived. Lore and I were moving into our dream home, the one we had fallen in love with the moment we laid eyes on it. As I carried the last of the boxes inside, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight before me. The entire place was covered in a sea of cardboard, each one filled with memories and treasures from our individual lives, waiting to be woven into the tapestry of our shared future.

“You know, I could have easily paid someone to do all this for us,” I remarked, setting the box down and wiping the sweat from my brow. “It would have saved us a lot of time and effort, baby.”

Lore emerged from behind a stack of boxes, her hair tied back in a messy bun or at least as much as she could get into it, with a determined glint in her eye. “I know, Niko, but I don’t feel comfortable with strangers touching our personal things. Besides, this way, we get to decide what stays and what goes together.”

I smiled, admiring her thoughtfulness and the way she always managed to find meaning in the simplest of tasks. “Damn, you sure know how to make hard work sound like a good time.”

Lore walked over and nudged my shoulder with a laugh.

“I’m pointing out the facts, baby. That don’t mean I’m not gon’ help though.”

Lore looked over her shoulder with a lift of her brow. “Oh, I know that.”

I reached out and tapped her ass. “You better gon’ ’head.”

Lore bit her lip and poked her hip out. “Don’t threaten me with a good time. We got stuff to do.”

I burst into laughter with a shake of my head, then leaned down to pick up a few of the boxes in front of me to place them in front of the couch. I wanted to be comfortable while I looked through these damn boxes.

I was going to learn my lesson one day for allowing that beautiful wife of mine to convince me to do shit like this. We spent the next few hours unpacking, sorting through the remnants of our past lives, and deciding which pieces would become part of our shared present. Laughter filled the room as we stumbled upon old photographs and mementos, each one sparking a story or a cherished memory.

As we worked, the soft strains of music played in the background, a soundtrack to our labor of love. Suddenly, a familiar tune caught my attention, and I couldn’t help but smile. It was “Can We Talk” by Tevin Campbell, a classic that never failed to tug at my heartstrings.

I set the box I was holding down and made my way over to Lore, extending my hand in a silent invitation.

“I know you busy and all, looking through boxes and shit, but my name is Niko and I was wondering if you would like to dance?” I asked, pretending like this was our first time meeting.

She looked up, her eyes sparkling with humor as she placed her hand in mine.

“I think I can do that. Niko, you said, right?” she asked, playing along.

I nodded with a smirk as she allowed me to pull her close, our bodies molding together as we began to sway to the music, the chaos of the move fading away into the background.

I tried to slowly lower my hands down to grip her ass before she quickly lifted them.

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