Page 141 of The Promise Of Rain
“Of course.”She wiggled her ass into my groin.
It wasn’t an invitation, but a deep-seated need to get as close to me as possible.
I curled my arm around her waist and yanked her back, plastering her to my chest.
The past two weeks had been tough.If I never relived another night like the one when Jenny fell apart after the dinner at my parents, it would be too soon.
Perhaps it had been necessary.
She’d been holding onto hurt and anger for more than a decade, and it had to come out.Every day since, she’d opened to me a little bit more.
Winding a silky black strand around my finger, I marveled at the change in her.
Softer, more relaxed, eager to fall into bed with me, and she didn’t hesitate to tell me what she needed.
And right now, she needed Ansel.
I lost count how many times we ran out to St.Michael’s to visit him and my grandma.After the fiasco at my parents, she needed her family around her.
It pleased the fuck out of me that my grandma was part of that.
Thank God, the virus was long behind them.They were back on their feet, and Ansel was back to his usual self.
God knew she wasn’t close to her mom.Was that something she wanted?“What about your mom?”
“No.”She started shaking her head before the words left my mouth.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.It’s been a long time coming.”She inhaled deeply then seemed to hold her breath before releasing it all at once.“The last time I saw her, she was bitter and vile.I stood up to her, and she slapped me across the face.”
My hand stilled.“She what?”
“Yeah,” she answered.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”How was I supposed to protect her if I didn’t have all the necessary information?“You have to stop leaving me in the dark, baby.’
“I think I needed time to process.As much as she’s been a terrible mother, she wasn’t always.And she’s still my mother.”
“Can you process a little faster next time?”I asked drily.
“I shall do my utmost,” she teased.
“How attached are you to your apartment?”
“I love it,” she answered simply.
“Do you want to live there?Or here?”
Her brow furrowed.“Isn’t this a rental?”
I studied her.“It doesn’t have to be.”
“Oh, boy,” she muttered.After a moment, she continued, “This is my dream house, but the apartment is my safe space.My home.The place I healed and found my feet.”She lifted her shoulder in a shrug then looked at me over her shoulder.“It’s Ansel.”
“Does he own it?”
She nodded slowly.“He owns the whole building.”
