Page 13 of Plea
“Hey.” I spoke, confused as to where she was going.
“Hey, baby.” She greeted me with a smile—and it was a beautiful smile. A woman’s smile was my favorite feature on her. That was why I worked hard to make my woman smile and laugh as much as possible. My second favorite part of a woman? Titties… and hips… and ass. And why in the fuck was Venus popping into my head?
Since the night of her party a week ago, I hadn’t been able to get her out of my head completely. It was like every time I had a free moment of thought, it was filled with her. Or, if I started thinking about Asia. Regardless of how attracted to her I was at the party, I knew I wasn’t going to try anything with her. Me and Asia weren’t committed, but we were having a baby, which meant now wasn’t the time to be considering cutting her off for someone else.
“Are those for me?” she asked, looking at the roses.
“Uh, yeah.” I shook my head, as if that would shake the thoughts of Venus out. She had the prettiest round mouth and pouty lips and sexiest smile. And those lazy eyes. They looked like half-moons. Squeezing my eyes shut, I massaged my temples. The woman was engaged. Even if I wasn’t in my situation, she was someone else’s. “Where are you going? I thought you’d be in bed.”
“I was, but I figured I’d go to work.”
“How are you feeling?” I asked, sitting next to her and setting the candy and flowers on the bed.
“I feel okay,” was what she said, but I could read people well, and I knew that wasn’t the truth. “Have you eaten today?”
Her head shook. “No. I was feeling queasy, so I didn’t have breakfast. I was going to grab a coconut water and a smoothie on my way to work.”
Asia was the operations manager at a boutique downtown. She didn’t have to go to work, but she was a busy body and wouldn’t miss a day unless she absolutely had to. That was another reason I knew something was off with her lately, because she wasn’t as dedicated to her work as she had been in the past.
“Are you sure, sweetheart? I’m free for the rest of the day. I planned to spend it catering to you.”
Her smile was warm as she cupped my cheek. “As amazing as that sounds, I already called and told Anna I was on my way, but maybe we can spend the evening together? I’ll be home by seven.”
“Alright, Asia. Take it easy and call me if you need anything.” She gave me a quick kiss before standing and going to the closet to grab her coat. “Oh, and thank you again for rescheduling the appointment. You didn’t have to do that, but I appreciate it.”
“You don’t have to thank me for that, baby. I know you wanted to be there, and I wanted you to be there too.”
We continued to talk while she put on her coat, then we headed out. With a free day, I didn’t know what the hell to do. I decided to go see my parents and take them to the country club if they wanted to go. Hopefully that would keep my mind off Venus.
As I got into my car, I couldn’t help but want to see her. I ended up pulling up her business page on Facebook. There were pictures from the party that I swiped through, attention solely on her. To my surprise, there was one of her at the table with us. She was leaned into my side smiling widely from whateverI was saying to her. My hand was tossed over her shoulders, eyes locked on her. I ended up saving the picture to my phone because I knew I’d want to see it again.
Maybe in another time we could have explored whatever this was, but she was engaged, and I had a baby on the way. So as much as I wanted to have her, that night would have to be enough.
Chapter
Nine
Venus
My mouth twistedto the side as I stared at my wedding dress. When I first saw and tried on the vintage A-line off the shoulder dress, I thought it was perfect for my wedding. The tulle and lace fabric combined with the roses gave a classic yet modern look that fit the large church wedding I envisioned in my head. We’d changed the venue at the last minute, and now, I wasn’t so sure.
Well, I wasn’t sure if I wasn’t sure about the dress, or the wedding. My signature bun was going to be replaced with deep flowing waves, and maybe that was why the dress wasn’t working for me today.
“Hmm.”
“Everything okay?” Ma asked from outside the fitting room.
“I’m not quite sure. Something is off.”
“Come out. Let us see.”
She and Daddy were with me today. Though Trevor told them he’d take care of all the expenses, they insisted on at leastbuying my dress. I stepped out and went to the platform in the center of the room. As they looked at me, I looked in the mirrors that lined the walls, giving me a view of my front and sides.
“It looks just as great as it did the first time we were here, baby,” Mama said, running her hands down the smooth fabric.
The sound of Daddy sniffling made me chuckle. I could count on one hand the amount of times I’d ever seen him cry, and two of those times included me in this dress. Chuckling, I looked back at him.
“Daddy,pleasedon’t start. I don’t want to cry. I’m already in my feelings.”
