Page 72 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 4

My breath caught at the sight of him, and that was all it took before he opened his arms, letting me choose if I wanted to hug him.

God, I did. I wanted my father to know me, understand me, and more than that, I wanted him to accept me for who I was.

I went into his arms, pressing my face to his chest.

“I love you more than anything in this world, Naomi. I’m sorry I lost sight of that for far too long. I understand what I’ve done, and I will change. You’ll see. He hugged me tight, resting his chin on the top of my head. “I’ll never lose sight of what’s important again.” He nuzzled my hair and then leaned back, and placed a kiss on my forehead. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

I swiped at the stubborn tears sliding along my cheeks. “Tomorrow.”

I followed them to the door and held it open as they exited.

Across the breezeway, leaning against the wall, was the most welcoming sight in the world.

“Memphis,” I breathed, my entire being filled with joy at seeing him.

He winked at me as he stepped forward, hand out toward my father. “Mr. Shaw, Mrs. Shaw, I’m glad to see you both.”

My man was the best in the entire universe. My heart pitter-pattered wildly within my chest, knowing he came here to ensure I was okay.

I watched as my father shook his hand. “I can see that you’re here for my daughter, but if you would be so kind as to spare ashame-filled man a moment of your time tomorrow, I’d like to apologize.”

“You being here and apologizing to her is enough for me. She’s what’s important.” Memphis gestured toward me with a lift of his chin.

My father smiled. “That she is. I’d still like a word with you tomorrow, if possible.”

“I’ll see to it,” Memphis nodded.

My mother was not nearly as chill. Still crying, she threw her arms around Memphis. “Please forgive me for being so rude. I was only trying to protect my daughter. I’m so sorry. I was wrong. About you, about all of it.”

Memphis patted my mother’s back. “I accept your apology. Both of you. I hope we’ll be seeing you tomorrow?” One of his eyebrows rose in question.

“They’ve been reinvited,” I stated softly.

“Good to hear. Now I’m going to make sure my fiancée is okay. Sleep well and we’ll see you tomorrow.” He let my mother go, who went right to my father’s side. My father placed an arm around her shoulders and led her to the waiting limo.

A fucking limo. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

Memphis approached, and I held the door open for him. When I shut it, he spun me around and caged me up against the door.

“How are you?” he demanded instantly.

“Better now that you’re here.” I looped my arms around his neck and pressed my body against his.

“Honestly, Nay. That had to be some heavy shit, and right before our big day…”

I nodded and sighed. “It was, but you know what? It was needed. They apologized, and I believed it. I know when they are playing a part, and they were genuinely heartbroken.”

“And that shit about you working for your dad?”

I shook my head. “Not happening. He understands I’m paving my own path. I suggested he hire Malik to be his second.”

Memphis snarled. “Please don’t speak that man’s name while wearing next to nothing, the night before our wedding.” He dipped his head and ran a line of kisses along my neck.

“How long do we have?” I pressed my body closer to his.

Memphis slid his hands down my body until he got to the robe’s tie where he undid it, letting it fall open.

“Have mercy!” He groaned at the sight of my simple nightie. Then his hands went to my thighs where he ran them up and down and around to my ass. He gripped my butt and lifted me up until I wrapped my legs around his waist. “We have as much time as it takes for me to love you properly and make sure your mind is only on us for our big day tomorrow.”

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