Page 6 of Love Me Now: Adrian & Kwamé
“So, which is it?” Adrian asked.
Sighing, I replied, “In three months, I’ll be back on the job. I’ve gotten used to the quiet life and now I don’t want to get rid of it. Especially since I’m with child times two.”
“There’s always the option to walk away for good,” he stated.
Chuckling, I replied, “And go where?”
“Are you for real? You have a home at Dr. Bell & Associates.”
A tiny light bulb dinged inside my head. “Oh.”
“Oh,” he parroted. “I know you love workin’ for the NBA, but if you ever wanna truly step away, you have somewhere to go.” I was thankful he didn’t mention the fact that I’d slept with a client. So far, he hadn’t brought it back up, and I was thankful.
Beaming, I said, “You’re right.”
“Of course, I am. Plus, when I come home from a hard day’s work during my rotations, I wanna see you and my baby waiting at the door for me.”
I grinned so hard, but I wasn’t about to get caught up in a fairytale where he was concerned. “Excuse me? While I appreciate the fact that you want me and Jessie around twenty-four-seven, I’m not ready to lay down my career.”
“And you don’t have to,” he stated. “If things get too hectic for you, just know it doesn’t have to be. We can make it as peaceful as you want to, baby.”
Sighing, I said to him, “You keep sayingwe, but we’re not a couple, Adrian.”
He grinned sexily. “Finish eating so we can get on the road.”
Shaking my head, I did just that. Contrary to what he said a minute ago, his food was smashing, and I ate every bit of it.
Hours later, the farm’s grounds came into view. Unlike this past December, I squealed with excitement at coming back here. Gion and Margarite were here now, having taken a break from travelling. Having them back on the farm was going to be good for me and Jessie. Now that I was carrying Antonias and Bianca’s twins, I would accept all the help I could get throughout this pregnancy.
So far, I’d made it successfully past the most rigorous stage. Nausea and vomiting nearly took me out those first few weeks. Every now and then, the nausea would get to me. However, I wouldn’t complain. Carrying twins came with its concerns, butI knew that going into this. And still, I would do this for my brother and Bianca without batting an eye.
Then, there was Adrian. Going through pregnancy alone was one thing. Going through it with a man who wasn’t technically my man was another. Sure, Adrian stamped himself in my life, but until he formally asked me to be his girl, I wouldn’t get my hopes up.
The house Antonias gifted me was one of my dreams. It was ranch-style with large floor-to-ceiling windows, a huge wrap-around porch, and high ceilings. Recently, privacy fences had been installed for Jessie’s safety. There were other upgrades taking place on the farm. Although Antonias and Bianca divided their time between the farm and the city, they were making this place their forever settlement. I loved that for them.
Jessie’s door opened, prompting me to snap out of it. Adrian talked to Jessie and kissed on her face like he hadn’t seen her in years when he’d seen her at the last rest area we stopped at so that I could change her. Even though he trailed us, he called me every hour to make sure we were good. His attentiveness was really sweet and endearing. He reminded me so much of Gion and how Gion took to me when I was just a kid. Gion was the only reason I was able to ever forgive my birth parents for abandoning me. He raised me, loved me, and protected me like a real father should. He and Margarite were my angels.
“You’re off in space again,” Adrian commented.
Smirking, I climbed out of my ride and eyed him. “I’m glad to be home,” I replied.
“Mm, hm. Don’t make me pull ya scalp back and find out what the hell is on ya mind. Get it together.”
Giggling, I imagined him doing just that. Adrian wasn’t a soft man by any means. He looked ruggedly handsome but mean as hell at the same time. I liked that he didn’t play. His no-nonsensecharacter wasn’t a turnoff to me. In fact, that was one part of his personality I liked the most.
“You wish you could read my mind,” I joked as I waited for him to open the front door. “I would never know a moment’s peace.”
He smirked. “Oh, yeah?”
I nodded. “You’d be doing everything you could to solve every little problem that ever tried to arise.”
“What’s wrong with that?” His face contorted into a frown.
“What if I need to work some things out on my own?” I questioned.
“Why?” he countered as he opened the front door. I walked inside and inhaled the fresh scent of the house before whirling around to address Adrian, who still wore a frown.
“I’m a big girl. I can’t run to you every time there’s a problem.”
