Page 4 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 3

He reached out and tugged me down to the bed. I stretched my legs out alongside him and cuddled into his chest. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner,” I whispered, my stomach in knots at thethought I could have helped prevent this. “I’m sorry I didn’t go into the apartment with you. I was too set on shoving everything in Brenden’s face, I never thought you’d be attacked like that…”

Gio wrapped me in his embrace and kissed the crown of my head while whispering sweet nothings against my hair.

“I’m so sorry,” I cried against his chest.

“Shhh, shh, none of this is your fault, Jules, nor is it mine. It’s Bianca’s.”

I sniffed against his chest and held him tighter. “What are you going to do?”

He took a full minute and a long, tortured breath before saying, “I’m going to make her pay.”

Episode 60

Southern Charm

MEMPHIS

Naomi stared at my family home as though it was the entrance to a magical forest. When we pulled up, I glanced over and saw her mouth fall slightly open, the air leave her lungs in a small puff, and her eyes widen dramatically.

“What?” I asked, trying not to feel shame about the humble 1900’s home. My family had put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into renovating the hundred-year-old house to what it is today. Butter yellow with pristine white trim. Two stories, a porch with a wooden railing, ceiling fans to offer a cool-down during the hotter months, and concrete steps that led up to the front door.

Right at that moment, my granny was silently rocking in her chair, otherwise known as her neighborhood throne, where she watched the comings and goings of the street. I knew without even having to look she’d be sipping on a glass of ice-cold lemonade. She had a quilted blanket over her lap and was surrounded by lush plants my mother tended as if they were her very own children.

“This is your home? Where you grew up?” Naomi gawked while pointing a finger at the house.

I nodded and chuckled. “Yeah.”

“Complete with a cute-as-a-button little ol’ lady on her porch, rocking away and knitting?”

A couple of neighbors strode down the path in front of us, their golden retriever on a leash. They waved at Granny, and she waved back, called out something I couldn’t hear, but knew had to be funny because the neighbors laughed and paused to chat a bit.

“Unbelievable,” Naomi whispered. “It’s like I’ve entered a scene from a movie. White picket fence and all.”

I grinned. “We may have a full house and live on a budget, but we take care of what we have. Dad always said, ‘If you get the privilege of owning your own home, son, make sure you have pride of place.’ And he showed that to us in everything he and my mother did throughout the years. Wait until you see the backyard.”

“Well, if it’s anything like the front, I might just pass out from all this quaint beauty and southern charm.”

“Says the woman whose family has a mansion in the Hamptons as their quote, unquote ‘vacation home’”

She shook her head. “Point made, but still, I half expect a woman with an apron on and a tray of fresh baked pies to come walking out the front door.”

I chuckled. “I wouldn’t put it past my mother. She definitely likes to bake.”

“Sweet baby Jesus, I’m in trouble.” She frowned. “They’re gonna hate me.”

“What would make you think that?” I turned and took her hand, watching the diamond ring I bought her sparkle in the sunlight.

“Look at me.” She gestured to her fashionable jumpsuit. It was a royal-blue silk that she’d tied a rope-like belt around. Her shoes were dainty stiletto sandals with a strip of leather running across the toes and around the ankle. Her long hair had been parted down the middle, flat ironed, and pulled back into a sleek ponytail. On her ears were some large gold hoops with adiamond dangling on a gold chain down the center of the circle. To me, she looked sexy as fuck, elegant, and expensive.

“You look incredible. Fashion forward, hittin’ those trends like my sister Sydney. As a matter of fact, you and Syd will get along famously.”

“Oh good.” She let out a breath of air she must have been holding. “Is she here now?”

“Nah, she’s back in New York.”

“Dammit! Way to lead me on. I thought I might have a friend here. Ugh, they’re going to take one look at me and think I’m a rich bitch. I should’ve worn jeans and a t-shirt.”

“Baby, your jeans are top of the line. Your t-shirts cost more than my Air Jordans. None of that shit matters to my family. Just wait and see.” I lifted her hand and kissed the inside of her sweet-smelling wrist. “They’re gonna love you. Trust me on this.”

---