Page 46 of Mine To Honor (Southern Wedding)

I close the door behind me before I do something I am not sure of, or before I say something I can’t take back, likelet me taste youorcome and sit on my face. I close my eyes before I look down at my dick, who wants me to do both of those. “Sorry, buddy,” I tell him once I pull off my shorts, “it’s just you and me.” I don’t know why but I swear I hear him groan and then weep. “Yeah, I know, buddy.” I turn on the water. “Trust me, I know.”

I think about taking care of myself in the shower, but to be honest, I’m dead on my feet. I’m even surprised my dick can get up at this point. I turn off the water, wrapping a towel around my waist before walking out and seeing that Eva isn’t in bed. Making my way to the walk-in closet, I grab another pair of shorts and a white T-shirt before I head downstairs.

Eva is in the kitchen cleaning. “Is she still sleeping?” I watch her put things in the dishwasher and see that she’s not in her black booty shorts. Now she’s wearing gray pants that look like they are soft as fuck, with a matching shirt that goes into a V in the front, showing off a touch of her chest. It falls off one of her shoulders and I see a peach strap I know I would snap right off.

“Yeah,” she replies breathlessly, looking up at me. “Why don’t you go and take a nap?” She laughs. “It might be another wild and crazy night.”

“These days wild and crazy nights mean something totally different. I’m going to go catch up on some work,” I tell her. “Then I think I’m going to take her for a walk when she wakes up. Get some fresh air.”

Her eyebrows pinch together. “Get some fresh air,” she repeats to me as she turns on the water at the sink and wets the rag in her hand, before wiping down the counter beside her. “Who are you?”

I can’t help but laugh at her, because she is totally right, who am I? I remember not seeing the light once for ten days. I would go to work in the dark and leave in the dark, but things are different now. When they became different, I can’t say, well, I can, I just don’t want to admit it. “If you’re lucky, we might even invite you.”

“If I’m lucky,” she mocks my words. “I could be so lucky.”

I smirk at her as I walk back upstairs and grab my laptop. I swear, I must be working maybe a full five minutes when I hear a soft cry. I look over at the monitor on the side table and see Cici is sitting up. “Shh,” I hear Eva say, “Levi is working, and if he hears you, he’s going to come running.” I can’t help the smile that forms on my face. I put my laptop to the side of the bed, getting up and going toward them.

I come face-to-face with them when she walks out of the room. “Well, there she is,” I say, earning me a smile from Cici, her one cheek still red from lying on it. “Did you have a good nap?” She lifts her hand and slaps it down right away. “I’m going to go to work and then we can go for a walk.” She just squeals at me. “If Eva plays her cards right, she might come.”

“Go away,” Eva retorts, walking past me. “I might just take her for a walk now.”

“No, you won’t,” I reply and she ignores me, walking down the steps. “Don’t you dare.”

“I guess we’ll find out,” she tosses back, looking over at me.

“Baby, if you want to play some games—” I start to say, and the minute I say baby, her cheeks instantly light up. “We can play some games.”

“Don’t call me that.” She glares at me. “I’ve been around long enough to know you call your women that when you don’t remember their names.” She tries to pretend it doesn’t bother her, but I can feel it does. “I’m not playing games with you. This isn’t a game.”

I take a step toward the top of the stairs, staring down at both of them. “I don’t think you’ve been paying attention.” I try not to lose my shit. “I call the women whose names I don’t remember sweetheart.” I can see that she remembers. “I’ve never called anyone baby.” I don’t wait for her to answer. “I’ll be down soon.” I turn to walk away from her before walking back to her, taking Cici out of her arms, and kissing the shit out of her for pissing me off.

I walk back into the bedroom and close the door, and I don’t know why because it’s not like I’m working. No, not me, I’m in the middle of her bedroom pacing back and forth, trying to tell myself this isn’t happening. Trying to tell myself she’s my best friend and me acting on whatever this is isn’t the smart thing to do. Trying to tell myself if I do this, I risk losing her and Cici. Trying to tell myself if I don’t do this, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. I look at the bed and then I look at the closed door. Instead of storming downstairs and probably ruining the best thing I have, I walk back to the bed. Sitting in it and grabbing my laptop, I’m not even working. I’m just staring at the screen, biding my time.

When it’s almost four I close my laptop, putting it on my bedside table before I walk toward the bedroom door. “And then the itsy-bitsy spider went up the spout again,” Eva sings to her and then I watch Cici clap her hands and then flap them excitedly. Eva’s eyes look up to mine. “Oh, no,” she says, “the big bad wolf is here.” She smirks at me before turning back to Cici.

“Wow, one fight and I’m a wolf,” I retort and Cici’s eyes shoot my way and her smile goes even bigger. She forgets she’s happy and then pouts and whines.

“If that isn’t a faker, I don’t know what is,” Eva notes, picking her up. “You were fine two seconds ago.”

“Come here.” I grab her out of Eva’s arms and bury my face in her neck. “I missed you.”

“Oh, please, it’s been two hours,” she chides, shaking her head. “Are you going for a walk?”

I nod my head. “We just have to figure out if we are taking a stroller or she’s going to go strapped to my chest.”

“Why don’t we use the stroller?” she suggests and I raise my eyebrows at her. “What?”

“What?” I cock my hip. “You’re supposed to say, ‘I’m sorry, Levi, for snapping at you.’” She folds her arms. “I forgive you.” I look down at Cici. “That’s how you say you’re sorry.”

“Fine, go on the walk without me,” she pouts, not looking at me.

“And that, Cici, is what you call her being wrong and not admitting it.” I look at Cici, who is babbling to me. “She’s saying you are right, Levi.”

“Is she now?” Eva smiles.

“Let’s go for a walk.” I smile back at her. It takes us five minutes to grab stuff to go for a walk. We forgot the diaper bag at first, and then have a debate if we should bring it. We have a discussion if we should bring water or milk and water. There is another debate on should she sit facing out or should she sit facing us. In the end, we go with water and facing out. She kept pointing at things as we pushed her down the street, pointing out things to her. For the most part, she likes it, but she gets cranky when we are ten minutes from home, so I carry her the rest of the way. As soon as we get back in the house, Eva goes into the kitchen to prepare her food while I order us a pizza.

I crack open a bottle of beer. “What’s she eating today?”

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