Page 69 of Kandi's Crush: A BWWM Sweet Billionaire Romance

She leaned forward over the desk, and her eyes met mine.

“Chadwick, I love you. You’re family. But I love my daughter more. I’m afraid for her. Once you fall out of love, she won’t be able to recuperate. I’m frustrated that she doesn’t see that.”

“Why do you assume the worst?”

“I’ve been through the worst.” She turned away and stared at the television hanging on the wall. “Chadwick, I imagine I’ll get used to your marriage, but I’ll never be one hundred percent happy with it.”

“This isn’t about me. Or you. This is about your daughter. She’s slowly fading away, and I need her to be well. I don’t want you to look back on this moment with regret. There is nothing I can do to fix this—this is all on you. You need to make this right,” I ordered.

“She’s angry and stubborn. She’ll never talk.” Her eyes were downturned as her eyes glistened with moisture. Man. Celeste had the victim act down to a science.

On her desk was a box of Kleenex. I slid it over at her. She pulled two tissues from the box and dabbed the corners of her eyes. In all of my years of knowing her, this was the first time I’d seen her vulnerable side. I had a bit of a soft spot for my mother-in-law. I didn’t want her to cry. I changed the subject with a lame attempt at thawing the ice.

“Kandace didn’t want to take part in the graduation ceremony, but I knew that she would regret it if she didn’t. I convinced her to get a cap and gown. She’ll wear special honors regalia too.” She dabbed at the corners of her eyes, responding with a silence that made me nervous, so I kept chattering. “We’ll make it a long weekend. We rented a six-bedroom house, so there’s room for everyone—Marie, Goody and Pop-Pop. My friend James will be there with his wife, Kenya. There will be a personal chef, games, and s’mores. My parents will fly in for the ceremony. Kandace’s friends haven’t decided if they are staying with us or if they will rent a nearby townhouse.”

I winced, my words came out in a rush. In an attempt to steel my nerves, I inhaled and forced myself to slow down.

“We’ll likely charter a jet for everyone, or we might rent a party bus.”

She attempted to mask the hurt in her eyes by looking away from mine, but it was evident in her voice.

“Kandi hasn’t invited me,” she sniffled.

I sighed, trying to control my rising frustration. Her stubbornness was enough to drive anyone insane. She shouldn’t require an invitation to her daughter’s graduation. She should just go. Besides, it was a public ceremony, so there were no tickets. She knew that.

“I’m inviting you.” I took a deep breath and placed my hands at my temples. “My parents are in New York City for the holiday. So, Kandace and I are having a quiet Thanksgiving dinner for a few of our friends. Join us. This is me inviting you and the Alexanders.”

“I’m planning a small dinner with my parents. We’ve started planning the meal.” She sputtered and searched for excuses. I turned to walk away. She stood and started to follow me.

“Goodbye, Celeste.” I demanded more firmly. “See you on Thanksgiving at four o’clock.” I took one last look before I turned on my heel and marched to the Jeep.

Kandace

My husband stretched out on the chaise of the giant sectional sofa and watched the television mounted to the brick wall. In the past, we had challenged each other for that space, but that morning, we lay side-by-side. I clung to his large muscular frame like plastic wrap.

“The Macy’s Parade isn’t the same without Mariah Carey. Her Christmas album is my all-time favorite. My mother and I . . .”

The album brought back happy memories of the two of us holding hands and dancing around the living room. I fought back tears at the thought of a Christmas without her. Chadwick slowly rubbed my arm, his rough hand moving up and down.

He shrugged his arm from around my neck and stretched it to the ceiling. I groaned at the immediate loss. He opened and closed his palm to get the blood flowing back in his numb limb.

Once he regained feeling in his arm, he moved it back underneath my neck, and I moved even closer than before. The poor man couldn’t get away from me if he tried. I needed every single piece of him, from his innocent hugs and loving attention to his thick erection deep inside of me.

I rolled over and draped a leg over him. Inching closer until our pelvises touched, I rubbed my throbbing center against his muscular thigh. He groaned and leaned over to meet my lips.

Thanksgiving was a special holiday for my family. I usually spent the days leading up to it with my mother and grandmother preparing for the meal and the next day at the mall fighting Black Friday crowds. My mother didn’t invite us to Thanksgiving dinner, but to be fair, an invitation wasn’t necessary. Instead, we would spend our first Thanksgiving together with Natasha, James, and Kenya. It had been Chadwick’s idea, and our friends had eagerly agreed to join us for dinner. We’d had the meal catered by Natasha’s family restaurant. Understanding my pain, she tried her best to put together the finest in Creole cuisine for us. We would dine on fried turkey, oyster dressing, corn maque choux, collard greens, and sweet potato casserole.

For dessert, Chadwick had ordered mini cakes from a wonderful local bakery. I had a twinge of regret, since dessert was always my area of responsibility. I usually spent Thanksgiving Eve creating a glazed, marbled red velvet cake. This year, I wasn’t lifting a finger.

He groaned loudly, patting my hip twice, before pushing my leg off of his.

“I want to lose myself into you, but Natasha is on her way. We don’t want her to walk in on us fucking. And you need to shower and dress.”

“What if you joined me for a shower? Kill two birds with one stone?” I grabbed him by the shirt and leaned in closer.

“Stop pouting and go get dressed. I’ll let you fuck me when our guests leave.” He winked at me.

Forty minutes later, I emerged from the master bedroom. After weeks of slumming around the house wearing joggers and my hair bundled in a ponytail, I put forth a little more effort today. I chose a simple peacock blue smocked dress. I pulled my hair from the ponytail and applied a bit of makeup to add a little color to my sallow skin.

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