Page 39 of Protecting Tiffani

She stopped going to the online college and started to attend the same college Emilee went to. They opened a branch closer to us, and I might have pushed her, but she deserved to get the experience she missed out on because of her sperm donor. It’s not the same, because it’s not the main campus, but she loves it, which is all that matters. Speaking of that piece of shit, he was sentenced to two years for misappropriation of funds. Brad is now serving a thirty-year prison sentence, and from what I’ve heard through the grapevine, he has found out the hard way what inmates think of individuals who sell kiddie porn.

After placing the garlic bread on the table next to the salad and spaghetti, I go in search of my soon-to-be wife. Two months after everything happened, I got down on one knee and asked Tiffani to be my wife again. Thinking about that magical night makes the box in my pocket burn my skin. I didn’t use the ring I bought when I was eighteen. Instead, I bought her a new one. I feared the old one held too many bad memories for her. Honestly, I hate that it’s not the ring she will wear for the rest of our lives. I’ve noticed lately that Tiffani will look at the ring on her finger and sometimes sigh like she might be thinking the same thing I am. So I’m putting on my big boy underwear and going to offer her the ring that was always hers. Walking into the spare bedroom, she sits at her desk with her accounting book opened in front of her.

She is erasing something so hard she’ll rip the paper if she isn’t careful. “No, that’s not right. Where did I go wrong? Fuck this. Why did I ever think I was smart enough…”

I can’t stand hearing her doubt herself. “Don’t finish that sentence, Cupcake.” I kneel down beside her chair and place my hand over hers to stop her pencil. “You are smart, baby, but you’ve been reviewing this material all day. Why don’t you take a break? Mom will be here any minute.” The box digs into my leg; I can’t put this off until after dinner like I planned. I need to know now. “Plus, I need to talk to you about something.”

She turns her chair, positioning her legs on either side of me so I’m between them. My mind conjures up an image that has my jeans getting tight, but I push that away for later. “You look worried, Levi. Is everything okay?” I pick up her left hand, staring at the ring sitting there.

“Do you like your ring?” I blurt out.

Her mouth drops open, her eyes widen, and her cute eyebrows raise. “Of course I do, Levi.” She starts to pull her hand away, but I don’t let her. I see the hesitation in her eyes as she stares at the ring in question, so I press her.

“But…”

“It’s lovely, Levi, it really is, but I always pictured wearing the one you bought me senior year. The whole time we were apart, I would stare at my hand, and all I could picture was the red diamond ring sitting there. But I’m sure you don’t have…”

My hands pull out the box, open the lid, and hold it out for her to see. “You thought I would get rid of this? Just like you stared at your hand and saw this, I stared at the ring and saw it on your hand.” She pulled off the other one in a flash and replaced it with the one we both wanted her to wear. Reaching up, I use my thumb and catch the tears from her stunning blue eyes.

“I love you, Levi. Thank you for holding onto this for me.” She leans forward, wrapping her arms around my neck, and presses her soft lips against mine. I get lost in the feel of her lips moving against mine, the feeling of her hands tangling in my hair, and the sensation that runs through me when she uses her tongue to part my lips. The image I pushed to the back of my mind comes roaring back, making my dick hard. Grabbing the arms of her chair, I pull her closer to me, intending to make that image a reality when the doorbell chimes through the apartment.

A growl leaves me as she pulls back. “She can wait,” I say.

“We are not making your mom wait on the front porch so we can carry on. When she leaves, there will be plenty of time to do all the naughty things you want to do.” Tiffani laughs, pushing my chest back so she can stand up. I stay here until I’m no longer in a position to embarrass myself in front of my mom.

The supper is stunning. I have to go to the gym more often so I don’t gain weight from Tiffani’s fantastic cooking. We have dinner with Mom every Monday, and I love watching her and Tiffani. They’re best friends, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. It would be great if Parker and Emilee lived closer to us, but his shop is in Cape. Emilee and Tiffani alternate making the drive every Friday for girl time. Once everyone is done eating, I clear off the table and grab the carrot cake Tiffani baked this morning. Grabbing three small plates, I head back to the dining table, and sitting in the middle of the table is a gift bag.

“What’s this for, Mom?” I ask as Tiffani takes the cake and plates from me, sitting them down.

“It’s not from me,” Mom replies, pointing to Tiffani.

“Cupcake?”

“Oh, just sit down and open it. You have been working so hard lately that I thought you deserved a little treat. It’s nothing big, and I didn’t spend much on it.” She pushes the bag into my hand. I hate being put on the spot with presents. What if I open something and I hate it? Then I have to put on a fake smile and act like I love it. Pulling out the tissue paper, I pull each layer back. What I see at the bottom of the paper makes my heart pound. Nerves and happiness fight for control of my body. Mom gasps and squeals, pulling Tiffani into a weird hug over the table.

“You’re pregnant?” I ask, not taking my eyes off the stick in front of me.

“Are you…” Tiffani places a hand on my arm. That touch unfreezes my muscles, and I move, sweeping her up in my arms. Her legs go around my waist as I twirl her around.

“Fuck yeah! I’m perfect.” The thought of losing our first baby makes me freeze again, and I drop her gently to the floor. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, Tiffani. Did I hurt you?” I drop to my knees to cradle her flat stomach, “Did I hurt the baby?” Tears sting my eyes, but I refuse to let them leak out.

“Oh god, baby, no.” Tiffani runs her hands through my hair as I lay my forehead against her. I place a tiny kiss on her tummy.

“I love you and promise to protect you just like I protect your mommy,” I whisper. The sound of my phone ringing pulls us from this joyous moment. Picking it up off the table, I see it’s Uncle Sonny. We haven’t seen much of him or even heard from him lately. He has been busy with work. Swiping the button to answer it, the doorbell rings once more. “Hey, Uncle Sonny,” I say as I watch Tiffani open the door. Adam’s standing there with a serious look on his face. My stomach drop; something is going on, and it’s not good.

“Look, Levi, I hate to do this, and trust me, if I had any other option, I would choose it, but I don’t. I need yours and Adam’s help.” His voice wobbles like he’s fighting to keep tears in, just like I was a moment ago.

“What’s going on?” I move toward Tiffani, worried that something or someone is threatening her and our unborn child.

“I can’t tell you over the phone. All I can say is I need you now more than ever. It’s all a mess; I can’t do this alone anymore. Not after it cost me…”

“Say no more. Adam just showed up. We’re on our way.” I interrupt him. Adam is busy telling Tiffani and Mom what’s going on, I assume, based on the look of horror on their faces.

“Thank you,” Uncle Sonny says then the line goes dead.

Tiffani disappears but is back before I can ask a question. She is holding out a small duffel bag to me. “Go, baby. Help Uncle Sonny, but then come back to us.” She has a hand on her stomach. Pulling her to me, I give her a bruising kiss.

“I’ll call you when I know what’s going on.” Turning to Mom, I pull her in for a hug and whisper in her ear, “It’s your turn to protect my Cupcake and baby.”

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