Chapter 14
I spent the next almost forty-eight hours fucking Lex all around her apartment as if it were my last days on Earth.
I didn’t give a fuck about her neighbors.
I needed round after round to make up for all the lost time.
When I finally woke up the morning of what should’ve been her wedding day, my body was sore like I’d been in the gym for hours.
I still tasted her on my tongue and smelled her scent all over my body.
It was almost as intoxicating as her presence.
So much so that I contemplated keeping her all to myself for another twenty-four hours, but I knew we had somewhere more important to be.
“How long you been up?” I asked her.
“Not long.”
“You hungry?”
She swung her head. “Too nervous for food right now, Oak.”
I disagreed with a grunt. “Nah. You need to eat. Get dressed. We’re going out.”
Lex coughed, choking on the saliva caught in her throat. “Like a real date?”
“Yeah. Why not? You already know my feelings for you are anything but casual, Lex. And now that Liv knows, ain’t no need to hide how I feel about you, especially not in a room full of strangers.”
She couldn’t argue with that. Besides, I meant what I said. I’d wait forever for her heart, but from the way I had her screaming my name at the top of her lungs, I knew it wouldn’t take that long.
An hour later, after showering and getting dressed, we were seated in the restaurant near a large window.
The morning sun cast a glare on the laminated menu in my hand as I sat next to Lex in the booth, close enough so that our thighs were touching.
The entire restaurant smelled like a sweet blend of fresh coffee and maple syrup.
“You know what you want?” I inquired over the soft chatter around us.
“The veggie omelet looks good . . . or the avocado toast.”
“Get whatever you want, as long as you eat.”
My eyes pinged from the menu over to the couple at the bar who sat as close as we were. I watched them clink their champagne flutes together, filled to the brim with fresh mimosas. I didn’t know what they were celebrating. It didn’t really matter.
“What about you?” Lex questioned, bringing my attention back to our table.
“I think I’m gonna go with the chicken and waffles.”
She nodded. “I saw the waitress put that on the table over there. It looked good.”
For some reason, my attention faded back to the couple at the bar and how openly they showed their affection for each other—living their feelings out loud.
I cleared my throat, and before my brain had the chance to stop me, my lips parted. “I didn’t bring you here just to eat. I wanna talk about us, . . . about our future.”
She took a deep breath as one of her brows crept toward her hairline in anticipation. “I kinda figured that.”
“You did?”
“Mm-hmm. Now that Liv knows the truth, I haven’t been able to stop myself from imagining this life where we’re not afraid anymore—where we can be together. Just you and me.”
I raised a challenging eyebrow. “You’re not sayin’ that shit because I had yo’ pretty ass climbing the walls and screaming my government name for the last couple of days, are you?”
A chuckle slipped past my lips, although I was more serious than playful.
She smirked. “I’m serious, Oak. I know my heart isn’t anywhere near a hundred percent, but I don’t want to let you slip away.”
My hand found hers underneath the table and squeezed it reassuringly. “I already told you I’m not going anywhere, Lex. And as good as it feels to hear you say that shit, I want you to be ready.”
“If I’m being completely honest with myself, I’ve been ready to be yours for twelve years, Oak.”
I smiled, feeling a spark of excitement at the thought of holding and kissing her whenever and however I wanted. I was ready for her to make my house a home almost as much as I was ready for the opportunity to make her broken heart whole again.
“I’ve wanted that too. More than anything.”
She breathed a smile of relief, happy that we were on the same page. “So, what’s next?”
“You tell me. I’m following your lead.”
“Well, I think the next logical step is to tell your parents. They deserve to hear the truth from us like Liv did.”
I dipped my chin. “I’m fine with that.”
“But fuck everybody and everything else,” she replied, bracing herself for the reality of her decision and all that came with it.
“We’ll tell them, and whatever happens after that, we’ll face it together. Fuck the world, Lex. I love you, and that’s all that matters,” I stated, feeling the power of my words down in my bones.
What we had was more than an agreement; it was a promise, a declaration that we were two parts of a whole, stepping into our future, come hell or high water.
“Let’s tell them after Liv’s ceremony,” she declared suddenly as if a lightbulb had gone off in her head.
Hearing it sounded like the most natural thing in the world, but I still wanted to be sure.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. We’ve waited twelve years for this moment, Oak. Why wait any longer?”
I tossed my arm around her waist, reeling her closer to me, before pressing my lips against hers. “Then we won’t. You’ve always been mine anyway.”
Hours later, we arrived at the hospital’s auditorium for Liv’s awards ceremony.
As we took our seats, the lights dimmed, and a slideshow of patient quotes projected across the screen.
Ever since coming home and moving in with Liv, I’d seen my little sister tired and stressed, but still getting up every day to go into that hospital and make a difference.
And reading all the quotes from different people was living proof that she’d done that. Now, it was her time to shine.
When the ceremony began, Liv stood on the stage wearing her scrubs with her hands clasped in front of her, trying to pretend like she wasn’t nervous as hell, but from the way she kept shifting her weight from one foot to the other, I knew differently.
I shifted the bouquet of long-stemmed yellow roses in my lap as I listened to the nurse at the mic talking about how Liv always went above and beyond—staying late after the end of her shift, holding patients’ hands before surgery or in their final moments, and always leading with a graceful smile—all things that made her the right candidate to receive the award.
Lex sat next to me, looking ready to scream her head off for her best friend.
Mama kept switching between snapping photos and squeezing Pop’s arm while he pretended to read over the program to distract himself from tearing up over the apple of his eye.
They knew exactly who’d they’d raised, but in that moment, everyone else in the room did too.
I stared at Liv as she tried her best to hold back tears.
But when they finally called her name, the levee broke.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as the auditorium erupted in applause and cheers that ricocheted off the walls, mainly from our section.
She accepted the hand-carved sculpture, certificate, honoree pin, and award banner with a smile that I was sure wouldn’t leave her face for days.
“That’s my best friend!” Lex screamed, causing Liv to breathe out a nasally chuckle into the mic before she spoke.
As the applause and noise died down, she pulled out a few index cards from her front pocket and began her speech.
“Wow. Even though I wrote a speech, standing here in front of all of you, I can’t help but be speechless.
To my fellow nurses, hospital staff, my friends, and family, I want to say thank you.
I couldn’t do my job without you, and I wouldn’t be who I am without your guidance and support.
As a nurse, caring for people is my superpower.
And it’s something I don’t take lightly.
I’m honored to be seen and recognized today for doing something I love. Thank you.”
Once the ceremony concluded, the four of us practically tackled her when she walked off the stage, with Lex leading the way to be the first to get a hug. I handed her the bouquet of flowers, and we all took a dozen photos together before grabbing a few refreshments.
“These cinnamon treats are cool, but I’m starving,” Liv announced. “Can we please go eat some real food?”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
“Okay. Let me go get changed out of these scrubs, and I’ll be ready.”
“We’ll be in the car, baby girl,” Pops announced with a proud smile.
Once they were out of earshot, Liv nudged my arm. “Have you two told Mama and Daddy the news yet?” she probed as we headed toward the exit.
“It’s happening soon,” I assured her. “Real soon.”
Half an hour later, the five of us were seated around the table at Liv’s favorite Italian restaurant downtown, with Lex sitting between Liv and me.
My parents were oblivious, just swept up in the moment of celebrating their baby girl and eating the free breadsticks.
My sister hadn’t stopped cheesing since her awards ceremony, and I couldn’t blame her.
I was proud of her, but I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t something more pressing on my mind.
After we ordered our meals, we all went around the table, taking turns telling Liv how proud of her we were before Pops raised his glass to toast her. Feeling like it was the perfect time to make the announcement, I reached underneath the table and gave Lex’s hand a soft squeeze as a subtle signal.
My heart pounded with the kind of nervous energy that came before taking the leap into the unknown. “I . . . well, we have something to tell y’all,” I began, clearing the cobwebs from my throat.
Liv cheesed harder than the Cheshire cat as she put her wineglass to her lips, and Lex let out a nervous chuckle.
“Who is we?” Mama inquired.
Lex and I exchanged a glance, and then, almost in unison, we blurted out, “Us.”
Everyone’s expressions were open, yet curious. Mama’s eyes widened. “We’re listening.”
“Lex and I are together now,” I declared.
“Together as in . . . a couple?” Pops asked for clarification.
I dipped my chin. “Yeah.”
The table fell silent for a few fleeting seconds that felt more like hours. Then, my parents shrugged, their expressions shifting to knowing smiles. Mama’s smile beamed bright enough to illuminate the entire dimly lit restaurant. “You’re serious?”
“Yeah, Mama. We’re serious.”
She rested her hand over her heart. “It’s about time life knocked some sense into you two.”
Lex tilted her head to the side. “What do you mean, Mama Gray?”
“We always knew this would happen. We’ve just been waiting for you two to realize it.”
Pops bobbed his head in agreement as a lighthearted chuckle slipped past his lips.
“Do you know how many years I’ve had to listen to this woman talk about how good it would be to have you as an official part of this family, Alexis?
This announcement is a dream come true. You’re already like a daughter to us. ”
The tension dissolved into thin air, leaving nothing but lighter hearts and laughter in its wake. Lex and I looked at each other, our relief spilling over into shared laughter and relieved smiles.
“Guess we were late to the party,” I said.
“I know I was,” my sister joked, and Lex playfully nudged her with her shoulder.
“Doesn’t matter now,” Mama added, her voice warm. “What matters is that you two are happy.”
“Thanks,” I said, my voice thick with emotion.
Lex nodded, silently echoing my gratitude. “We are.”
I pulled her close to me, publicly displaying my feelings for her for the first time. There was no better feeling. It was different, no longer about comfort or reassurance. It was about new beginnings with the woman I’d move mountains for.