Page 43 of The Marriage Agreement (Agreement)

“You really want to know?”

“Yes, at least I get to know where the cord-tangling begins.” She laughs.

“We met in the ER. I had just started working at the hospital. It was the night shift, and he brought one of his girlfriends in. She had food poisoning and couldn’t keep anything down. I was her nurse. When she finally slept and the ER quieted down a bit, Osei and I started talking. When my shift ended, her friends came to get her. Osei offered me breakfast, but I had to head to class. He asked if I would meet him at a restaurant, which is now our favorite, for lunch. I got a good vibe from him, so I decided to meet him. We started hanging out more after that. Some of his friends got handsy with me, which wasn’t pretty, a few thought I was the next girl of the month and felt I needed to date them. That’s when Osei started calling me ‘his favorite girl,’ just to keep the handsy guys and the daters at bay.”

“Good idea that he started doing that. Do they still get handsy?”

“No, but Derek still asks me out. He’s the only one who knows Osei and I are just friends. Others think I’m just happy to be in a polygamous relationship with him.” I laugh. Time to set them all straight.

“He tells me you are his twin.” She smiles.

“I like that better.” She winks. “Yes, we both like to believe we were twins in some other life, especially since we sharea birthday, born on the same day and the same year in two different countries. Based on the time calculation, I’m the older twin and he doesn’t like me reminding him of that.” She chews on her food. I take her hand and kiss it. We finish our food, and I push the tray aside. I take my seat back on the balcony and pull her onto my lap. She leans into me, resting her head on my chest. We remain quiet and enjoy the breeze.

“So, where did Nami’k come from?” She laughs.

“You know, it’s my middle name backwards, with the first letter of my last name. Anyway, Jax introduced me to this gentle lady’s club. All women, and the stripper guys sit while the ladies do whatever they want—most times seductive dances—and I watch.” Interesting. “That’s where I kissed the guy. He’d been watching me and came up to me that one time and asked for a kiss.”

“And you kissed him.”

“Yes,” she answers, her voice fading as she nods off. She’s not going clubbing with Jax again. Before I know it, she’s asleep. I carry her to bed.

Chapter 29

DELE

I wake up the next morning wrapped in Luke’s arms. I like waking up this way; I feel protected and safe. I get up, pick up the scattered clothes from the floor, put mine on, and then open the balcony door to enjoy the breeze. This is what you’d call a beautiful day in paradise, and if I had my way, I would stay here forever.Too bad you don’t have your way.

I feel arms wrap around my waist. He nuzzles my neck, and my hand reaches up to touch his face.

“Good morning,” I say.

“I would have liked to hear that in bed. I don’t like waking up to find you gone.”

“I was five steps away, and you looked peaceful. I didn’t want to disturb your sleep.”

“Next time, kiss me before you leave the bed.”

“That will wake you up, Luke.”

“Exactly my point, and I get to see you when I open my eyes, not an empty bed.”

“Okay.”

“What do you want to do today?”

“A walk on the beach sounds appealing, unless you have something planned.”

“A walk on the beach it is.” He kisses my lips before heading back inside.

We change, order breakfast, and head out for our walk. As we walk, Luke starts to ask questions about New York, and I answer every single one. If I thought Osei should have gone into law enforcement, Luke should have had a master’s degree in interrogation. He does it gently, but he asks a lot of detailed questions. I know he’s going to take care of my problems—he doesn’t have to say it out loud.

I need ice cream to replenish the sour taste from our discussion.

After my ice cream, we enjoyed the town: lunch, fun and laughter, more shopping. By evening, when we returned to our room, we packed our bags. Luke informs me we’re flying back to Chicago on a private plane.

“I’ve never been on a private plane before.” It sounds exciting, but I’m scared—it’s a smaller plane.

“It’s just us, and you’ll be fine.”

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