Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
S till cradling Zanaya against his chest, Zion stood next to Raven as she stared open-mouthed at the nursery. His mother was good at overstepping, but by the shock and emotional reaction from Raven, he was glad his family had done this. It felt good to be able to have a designated space for his children.
He glanced down at his adorable, sleeping daughter, and his heart swelled. He might’ve thought of having kids way off into the future, but he could honestly say he was happier than he’d been in a while. He was holding one of his precious babies, and everything felt right in his world. Everything felt better than perfect.
He lifted his gaze to Raven who still hadn’t spoken. “Do you like it?”
“Are you kidding me? This is unbelievable. Zion, this is beyond gorgeous and everything I want for our babies,” she said, emotion choking her voice as she blinked rapidly and bit down on her bottom lip. “This is extremely generous. I can’t believe your family did all this.”
He hoped she didn’t cry. Though he’d dealt with his share of tears growing up with four sisters, he hated to see women or kids cry. Happy or sad tears, he didn’t like them.
He reached over, wrapped his arm around Raven’s shoulder and placed a kiss against her temple. He loved touching her, any part of her, and that jolt of awareness each time Zion held her close was as strong as the first day they’d met. He had a feeling it would only get stronger as time went on.
“I’m hoping my family and I can help make things easier on you going forward. How you’ve managed on your own this long with two babies is amazing, and I want you to know you no longer have to. I’m here not just for the babies, but you too.”
“Thank you. You have no idea how much all this means to me. From the moment I learned of these two, I vowed to do everything I could to make sure they have a good life. Knowing you’ll be a part of it…” Her words trailed off as she visibly struggled to pull herself together, swiping at a few errant tears.
“These months have been hard and exhausting . Though my friend Teresa has been a huge help, knowing I have you and your family to lean on is more than I could’ve imagined. There aren’t enough words for me to express what all this means to me. Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I’m just glad we found each other. Now, how about we get the babies settled, and I finish dinner?”
“You cooked?” she asked, glancing at him as they moved farther into the nursery.
Zion chuckled. “Don’t sound so surprised. Like I told you before, I’m not just another pretty face. I do have skills in other areas.”
A slow smile spread across her beautiful face as her gaze bounced between his eyes and his lips. “I know.”
His pulse jumped at the way she was looking at him. He hadn’t meant for his comment to sound suggestive, but hey, if she was thinking about kissing him, he wouldn’t stop her. However, he wanted her to see the other sides of him. He wanted her to see the man who she could count on. The one who planned to be there for her and their kids. But he wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to taste her again.
That was actually something he was looking forward to, but first, he wanted her to get to know him—not just physically. For the last twenty-four hours, he’d been thinking about what a future together would look like. It was premature to think they’d fall in love and live happily ever after, but from day one, there’d been something between them.
Hopefully, by the end of the night, they’d have a plan for how to move forward. He had some ideas. He just hoped he could talk her into them.
After showing her the guest room—the room she’d be staying in tonight—Zion went to the garage. He grabbed a bag and a small suitcase that she had left in the car and brought them inside.
“Now, let me formally introduce you to one of my best friends,” Zion said when he made it back to the living room. Raven was sitting on the floor next to Onyx’s crate, talking to him. Of course, his dog was eating up the attention and whining to get out.
“He is so cute,” Raven said and stood, then dusted off the back of her jeans that hugged her butt and hips perfectly.
Even after giving birth only a few months ago, the woman’s curvaceous figure was sexy enough to stop traffic. Zion was trying not to stare, but it was hard not to. The form-fitting yellow sweater she was wearing highlighted his favorite body parts of hers—her breasts.
More than a handful, they were sitting up high, and he longed to palm and squeeze each one of them. They were luscious a year ago, but now they appeared to be even fuller. If that weren’t enough, her nipples were pushing against the material. What he wouldn’t give to tease and suck them into his mouth—to sample them again.
Dude! Stay focused , he chided himself. Now was not the time to be lusting after her.
“All right, boy. Let’s get you out of there,” he said to Onyx as he opened the crate and held on to the dog’s collar. “I want you to meet the mother of your brother and sister. This is Raven.”
“You can let him go. I love dogs,” she said, and Zion did.
Like a proud papa, Zion was glad Onyx didn’t jump on her. Instead, he sniffed her all over, his tail wagging.
Zion had been training the dog for years and had even enrolled him in an obedience class shortly after getting him as a puppy. Onyx was well-behaved, and the true test would be how he handled being around the babies.
“Oh, my God. He does tricks?” Raven laughed when Onyx lifted his paw to shake her hand. Then the dog rolled over a couple of times, totally showing off before settling on his back for a belly rub. “I think I’m in love,” Raven said when they finally finished greeting each other. When Onyx sat up, she hugged him. “He’s a sweetheart. How do you think he’ll do around the twins?”
“I’m going to slowly introduce him to them, and I think he’s going to be fine. I already know he’ll be protective of them. He loves kids, but he hasn’t been around infants yet. Actually, we’ll start preparing him now. Let me go and get the kids’ blankets so he can sniff them. I want to familiarize him with them ahead of time.”
For the next few minutes, he did just that. He even took Onyx to their nursery to see the babies and let him sniff around. Zion and his sisters had grown up with pets, and that’s what he also wanted for his kids. He couldn’t wait until Andrew and Zanaya started crawling, walking and talking. It was going to be a blast watching them grow up. And to think he would’ve missed out on everything had Raven not shown up in Chicago.
After hanging out with Onyx, Zion and Raven went to the kitchen where she showed him how to make a bottle. She gave him a crash course in the kids’ eating and sleeping schedule, as well as shared some of their daily routines.
Instead of finishing dinner because Raven expected the babies’ naps to be short, Zion created a small charcuterie board with carrots, grape tomatoes, cheese and crackers. The plan for dinner was for him to set up a taco bar since she had once said tacos were her favorite. But because they planned to feed the kids together, he thought a snack was in order.
Onyx was lying on the floor at the opening between the kitchen and living room before he leaped to his feet. He let out a quick bark, then started for the hallway that led to the bedrooms, but Zion stopped him.
“I guess someone is awake,” he said just before hearing one of the babies starting to cry.
“That sounds like Andrew, and no doubt his sister will be awake shortly. I’ll heat up the bottles if you want to check on him,” Raven said.
“I can do that,” Zion said, and he and Onyx headed to the nursery. “Stay,” he told the dog and pointed to a spot just outside the door. He’d introduce them after the babies were fed.
A short while later, he and Raven sat in the rocking chairs, each holding a baby. Zion gazed down at Andrew as his son stared up at him while scarfing down the contents of the bottle.
“How was your pregnancy?” Zion asked, surprising himself and Raven if her raised eyebrows were any indication. “I’m curious, and I hate how I wasn’t there for you.”
“I appreciate that, and some days when I think back on it, I’m shocked I survived mentally and physically. The first few months were awful. I was sick morning, noon, and some nights, and it didn’t help that my virtual assistant business was still new. I had a few clients, but during that time, I was working hard to build my clientele. Between not being able to keep much food down and being tired all the time, it was tough to get anything done. I was also still in shock about the pregnancy and how my body was changing.
“I didn’t start feeling physically better until toward the end of my first trimester.”
Zion listened as she told him how she worked long days and had even considered a second job to make sure she was prepared financially for the twins. As she discussed the highs and lows of her pregnancy and her preparations for when the babies would be born, Zion felt even worse for not being there for her. If only he had gotten her full name because he definitely would’ve reached out to her. Pregnant or not, he would’ve wanted to be with her. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since their time together.
“The twins were born a few weeks early, like the doctor predicted. By the end, I couldn’t wait to give birth because I was as big as a house and couldn’t get comfortable enough for a good night’s sleep. And here they are. This past year has been the scariest, yet also the most rewarding time in my life.”
Zion wasn’t sure what to say. He was even more in awe of her and her ability to raise their babies on their own for the last few months. That said a lot about her strength and fortitude as a woman and a mother.
“I think you deserve a break, and that will start with me feeding you. While I finish cooking, I want to hear more about your future plans.”
Little did she know, he planned to insert himself into every aspect of her life. Starting with having her and the babies move in with him.