Page 554 of Savage Bosses

“Son,” my father said in warning. “Your mother was just being nice to her. If you don’t want to deal with that woman, make sure she knows never to approach us again. You do your part. We’ll do ours.”

Once I relaxed, I took a deep inhale. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

She lifted her hand to wave away my words. “No need to apologize. I never should have let that woman in here. That’s on me. I just remember how much you lo—” she paused at the look on my face. “Well, I know you’re a different man now. It’s a mother’s right to worry about her children. I just want you to be happy, King. You and your brother deserve to find someone who can be with you through thick and thin. Who loves you unconditionally. Someone who understands the sacrifices you make every day and doesn’t hold them against you. They lift you up and make you better.” She glanced over at my father with a smile. They shared a look I’d seen on their faces since I was a young boy. Did I want the type of relationship they had? Yes, I did. And if I were honest with myself, I knew the woman who I wanted to share that kind of look with.

“Alright, Mom. Dad. I’m about to head out.” My parents stood up with me. I shook my dad’s hand and wrapped my mom in a hug. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Hold on, King. Let me walk you to the door.” Grabbing my arm, my mom looked up at me with eyes the same true-blue color as mine. “Tell me how you’re really doing. Your brother still giving you a tough time over there?”

I shook my head as I reached for the door handle. “No. He just wants what’s best for our company. Me and J are always good.” And we were. My brother was my best friend, even if we argued all the time. He gave me shit because he was the only one who could. And I would still protect him from anything or anyone who came after him. It had been that way since we were small boys. My baby brother was the one person off-limits to anyone but me.

Mom nodded. “Good. Now, don’t think I didn’t notice that you chose to ignore my question about Nyla. Listen to me. I like her. Every word I said back in that room was to get you to think. I’ve seen what she does for you. How much you rely on her. And I also see the way you look at her when you don’t think anyone’s watching.” She smiled a little and let go of my hand. “Now, I know you’re a grown man and everything, but if you want a bit of advice from an old woman. Don’t let her get away. What happened with Marysa… was unfortunate. But all I can say is that I’m happy you found out the type of woman she was before you married her. You’ve been so angry since everything went down, except when you talk about Nyla. Yes, it’s usually related to work, but your face…” she said, patting my shoulder. “Just think about what I said. I like her. She doesn’t take your shit, and I bet you she’ll give me grandbabies.”

I rolled my eyes, amazed at my mother’s one-track mind. Her smile widened as I leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the forehead. We exchanged goodbyes before I headed out to my car.

As I drove away from my parents’ house, I pondered my mom’s words. Were my feelings visible to the people around me? Or was it because my mother simply knew my tells?

I still had to think about how this was all going to play out. Knowing Nyla, she would fight her feelings, especially since she was still pissed at me after what happened at her house. God knows I wanted to take her inside and tattoo my name all over her ass with my dick. But if I’d done that, what would have happened after?

This was a big step for me. Other than my ex-fiancée, I’ve never told another woman I loved her. Then again, did I love Nyla?

I was surely in lust, because I was going to make damn sure I claimed that pussy tomorrow night. But could I see myself living without her? If she moved on and married someone else, could I deal with it?

That answer was a glowing red ‘no’ hovering over my head. When I’d broken up her dinner date, that was proof enough that I would never be okay with another man taking my place when it came to Nyla.

She was it for me.

Now I needed to show that to her.

Everything was set for tomorrow night, but I needed to make sure Nyla understood there was no going back for us. She belonged to me. And after tomorrow, she’d understand just how serious I was about that.

Chapter Seven

Nyla

I

took one last look in the mirror and smiled at the reflection staring back at me. My red, floor-length dress hugged my curves perfectly. Silver-toned heels cradled my feet. My jewelry was tasteful: diamond stud earrings, a diamond pendant necklace, and a diamond tennis bracelet. A smile came over my lips before I could stop it. King bought every piece of jewelry on my body. Each had been a Christmas gift. He never gave them to me himself with any fanfare. The beautifully wrapped gift boxes would simply be waiting on my desk when I arrived at work on my last day before the holiday.

Once I was ready, I stepped out of my home to head to the charity event—and promptly froze at the sight before me. When King had called earlier and asked what time he should pick me up, I told him I would be driving myself. My response seemed to bother him since he was silent on the phone for a few seconds before he said,“This is unacceptable, Nyla. See you tonight.”

Of course, my clueless ass thought he meant he would see me at the event. Sure, he may have been upset that we didn’t follow our normal routine of him picking me up and dropping me off, but he would be fine. Right?

I may have been a bit overconfident that the man I’d dubbed The Dictator would listen to anything I wanted, because resting against a blacked-out luxury car was none other than King Solomon himself.

“Hey, Nyla. Going somewhere?”

“Why are you here?” Even if I tried to be upset, I was too damn tired of fighting with him. What do you do when your entire existence for the past five years has been wrapped up in one man? I know what I did… I loved him so much it hurt. By showing up here, he gave me the most fleeting view into what our lives together could be like. With one look, he could chase the clouds away and be the sunshine in my day. Or, with a curt word, he would send me down a spiral of hurt, anger, and frustration.

I walked toward him and opened my car door. Just because he chose not to listen didn’t mean I wasn’t still going to drive myself. “I told you I didn’t need you to come pick me up.”

“You did. But I also told you that was unacceptable. You ride with me. We’re not changing that simply because you’re pissed at me.”

My gaze remained focused on my car. It wasn’t nearly as fancy as King’s, but it would do me just fine. “I’m not pissed at you, King. I just think it’s better for me to do my own thing. We don’t always have to be together.”

“Come on. Don’t be like that. This event is not only to support Cade and his business, but this is also for us. We’ve built this business together. This is our moment to shine.”

Hearing enough, I turned to him. “You’ve treated me like crap all week. Ignored me. Refused to talk or even acknowledge me. Do you realize how that felt? Then you show up here and expect me to act like everything’s fine? You really are an asshole.”

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