Page 16 of Calculated Kisses with a Scorpio
“Aight, Pops. Let me get off this phone and call her. I was waiting to see if she’d come to me, but with the added pressure, I can’t prolong this.”
“Everything will work out, Son. I have a good feeling about this.”
“I’m glad one of us does.”
I hung up to the sound of my father’s laughter.
Picking up my cell phone, I rolled it in my hands, talking myself up to make the phone call. Behind Finley, I turned into an inexperienced teenager. No woman had ever made me nervous before. Done stalling, I called Finley and was about to hang up when the call connected.
The sound of groaning and a frustrated grunt met my ears.
“Finley?”
“Kairo?” I could hear rustling and cursing. “Are you in my bedroom? Oh God! Was I snoring? Wait, did I say anything in my sleep?”
“Finley, I called you. I’m on your cell phone. You don’t remember answering?”
“No, I don’t, but I also don’t remember falling asleep.”
I tried my hardest to keep my laughter at bay, but the huge sigh of relief from Finley was the final straw.
There was more movement and muffled curse words. While she got herself together, I used the silence to build the courage to ask if she’d made up her mind. I prayed that once she made a decision, I could lose this nervousness, because not much got to me, yet Finley was able to knock me off my square without doing much. When I tuned into the conversation, I could hear her talking to her plants. Had she fallen asleep outside?
My brows dipped as I thought about it.
“Finley? Did you fall asleep outside? I thought you just mentioned your bedroom?”
“Unfortunately, I was so out of it I woke up thinking I was inside. Ugh, I know I’ll have to do a cleanse because this sun is brutal. I’m so disoriented, I can’t remember why I called you.”
I laughed and shook my head.
“I called you. I need to talk about what we discussed earlier. Pressuring you is the last thing I want to do, but I was invited to the back-to-school fundraiser, and so was my spouse. If you’re not with the commitment, I understand completely, and I don’tmind finding someone else. I just have to move faster because an appearance is needed sooner rather than later.”
Silence followed my words, and I hated the suspense.
However, I respected Finley enough to give her time. I just needed an answer before our call disconnected. The thought of missing out on building a future with Finley wasn’t a good one, but I’d respect her decision.
I opened my mouth to ask if she heard me when she spoke.
“I talked to my parents . . .” she dragged. “My daddy says it’s up to me, and my mom said this is some stuff that only happens in movies. She wants me to agree, and she called all my reasons to say noexcuses. I want to help you, but I feel like I’ll bring your property value you down.” She sighed.
I laughed, and a genuine smile appeared on my face.
“I think the opposite. I think you’ll make it better. Nobody is perfect, so I’d never expect you to be. I like you because you are your authentic self. In the two times I’ve been in your presence, I never once felt like you were putting on a show. That’s what I need.”
“Well, we need to meet to discuss what all this means. We don’t have to be technical right now but at some point before our marriage. Also, I want to sign a prenup. This is a big step, and you need to protect your name and family’s business.”
I was still stuck on her agreeing, but the word prenup brought me back to the present.
Damn, she was thinking smarter than me. A prenup had never crossed my mind, but we would need one. I didn’t see Finley trying to wipe me out, but I had to think about the future generation of Moores. It really was whatever she wanted, and that had been reckless thinking.
I nodded, although she couldn’t see me.
“I’ll make that happen. Create a list of requirements, non-negotiables, and financial goals. The prenup we’ll have will bepretty standard. The biggest thing is should we ever split, the only thing unavailable to you would be Diamonds & Moore.”
“Yeah, that’s fair. I wouldn’t know what to do with it anyway. Also, I don’t want anything, Kairo. I just ask that you don’t break my heart. It’s extremely obvious that we like each other, so this has the potential to be a lot more between us.”
“I take marriage very seriously, no matter the beginning. Hurting you will never happen. We’ll agree to disagree, argue, and other things, but breaking your heart is damn near impossible.”
