Page 74 of Truce Of The Matter

“I’m sitting by you,” Justice tells Aryel as they line up.

“Ok and so is Kiana. I’ll be in the middle,” she says and I smile, happy that these two are really getting along.

The girls line up and I serve them like an employee at a theatre. They carefully carry their trays to the theatre seats then grab their drinks from the fridge. After I pile my tray with my usuals, I join them and start the first movie. Midway through the movie, I glance back and spot him leaning on the door frame, checking on the girls. When our eyes meet, he eases into the room.

“They have enough food?” he whispers.

“Too much actually and they are loving it. What did you end up ordering?”

“Smokey’s.” He leans over and kisses my lips. “Don’t forget me at halftime,” he says before stepping down to Aryel.

She turns around when she feels his presence behind her. “Daddy, get some nachos,” she says.

“I already ate, baby, but they look good.”

“They are good. I got one pepper but I don’t like it. You gon’ watch the movie?”

“No, I’m going back downstairs to my game.”

She turns back to her movie and he steps back to me. Before leaving the room, he grabs some of my popcorn and milk duds from my tray. As the movie progresses, the girls transition to their beds as they finish eating. By the start of the second movie, they are comfortable in their teepees and the seats are all cleaned up.

In the battle of the movies versus the girls, the second movie wins and not one of them makes it to the end. After turning the volume down, I check on each one, adjusting covers and moving goodies from beds. Then I head downstairs to find him. He’s still on the sectional and a few minutes are left in the final half of the game.

“Who’s winning?” I ask as soon as I’m on his lap and he turns the television off. “Why’d you do that?”

“There’s something more important that I need to do.” His arms wrap around me and he rests his head in his favorite spot, the side of my neck. “They sleep?” he asks.

“Knocked out. They had a little dance competition between the movies and I think that did it.”

“You’re amazing.”

“Yeah, I know,” I tease. “But why am I so amazing at this moment?”

His head lifts then his hand caresses the side of my face. It moves to the back of my head then he gently pulls my face closer to his. “You,” he sighs while shaking his head. “I’ve had this idea of you since that day in school. And yeah, I grew up and lived a whole ass life but that day and you stuck in mind. You were the pretty girl who fueled my boxing career but this you is so much better. You’re not a childhood memory or that dream girl anymore. You’re here: perfectly fitting in my life, loving me, and showing up for my baby girl like you do. If I didn’t already love you, I would have fallen hard as hell today,” he says with so much compassion.

God, I love this man.

“You know who’s really amazing?” I counter. “The man who helped me through the hardest time of my life. The same man who allows me to cry whenever I need to. The man who has so much love for his daughter that he will move mountains for her. My amazingness isn’t nearly as amazing as yours. All of you is a dream come true, even those eleven freckles on your face.”

“Eleven? No one even notices those.”

After repositioning myself to straddle him, I place my hands on the sides of his face, caressing his soft beard. Then, I move my hand and point out each tiny little freckle on his cheek. He’s right; they are so little, almost nonexistent, but I see them. I see all of him.

“I recount them every time I’m laying across your chest. It’s eleven,” I say and he smiles.

“I’ve never even counted them shits. I can’t lie; I love how obsessed you are with a nigga,” he says smugly and I just laugh at his ass. Then, he lifts up and lays me on his sectional. With his hands pressed on the cushions, he leans in over me. “You really do love me.”

“Yeah and probably more than you know,” I admit.

He lifts my arms and drapes them around his neck. “Wrap your legs around me,” he demands and I don’t hesitate to comply.

While holding my back, he raises off the sectional and stands. His lips collide with mine. With so much passion and hunger, he kisses every ounce of breath from my body as he carries me to the first downstairs guest room. When we reach the bed, he drops me on it then tries to push me back but I shake my head then motion him closer with my finger.

When he steps forward, I grab the strings of his sweats. After toying with them, I ease my hands into his sweats then push them down. His beautiful dick is threatening to burst out of his boxers and my mouth waters at the sight, causing me to swallow hard.

“Damn,” I utter with absolute admiration.

To tease him, I run my hand over his boxers and gently caress his dick. His head drops and a low, soul-stirring groan falls from his lips.

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