1. Treasure #2
I swallowed hard, knowing I would never have children of my own.
Thankfully, I would have nephews, and hopefully nieces one day, to love on.
I already had two nephews and another on the way.
Maui sat next to me and handed a sleeping Majestic to me.
He was dark chocolate like his big-headed father.
I slid my finger over his head, loving his beautiful curls.
He squirmed a bit, then released a soft moan.
I smiled at him, but my smile fell from my face when the doorbell rang.
It had only been about fifteen minutes since I’d texted Kingsley.
It took thirty minutes to get here from Nome, unless he was already on his way.
I could feel myself starting to silently panic until my mama sat next to me.
“He’s a good man, Treasure. Let him love you, baby.”
I nodded as I held Majestic even closer and watched Epic go to the door.
When he came back with Kingsley, my lips parted.
He looked so good in his khaki pants and button-down Polo shirt.
His diamond earrings, necklace, and watch were sparkling under the recess lighting.
His dark, slanted eyes immediately met mine, and he smiled.
My mama stood and walked away as he slowly made his way to me.
He sat next to me, being sure to leave distance between us. “Hey, Treasure.”
“Hey.”
“I’m glad you asked me to come over.”
I gave him a tight smile. “You got here fast.”
“I was in Devers, picking up some paperwork for my dad. He’ll get it when I get back home. I didn’t want to waste a minute getting to you. Can I hold your hand?”
I nodded and extended my hand to him. I closed my eyes for a moment, then pulled my hand away so I could scoot closer to him. Lifting my head, I looked into his eyes. “I’m glad you’re here.”
He grabbed my hand again and brought it to his lips and kissed it. Mythic came over to me and took Majestic, then slapped Kingsley’s hand. Once Mythic walked off, he immediately turned his attention back to me.
“So how does it feel to be a year older? Thirty at that!”
I chuckled and shrugged. “I don’t feel any different.”
He smiled at me, allowing me to see his love for me through his gaze. Finding my voice again, I said, “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“Seeming indecisive . . . hot and cold . . . untrusting of you. King, I hate that whatever I’m going through mentally seems to be directed at you. I’m so sorry.”
Tears fell down my cheeks easily.
“Treasure, can I please hug you?”
That only made me cry more. I fell into him and allowed him to embrace me.
Him having to always ask to touch me . .
. It did something to me. This man was walking on eggshells around me, and he didn’t care, as long as he could be near me.
This had been going on since he came into my life.
I cried so hard. He held me tightly in his arms, rubbing my back.
“Treasure, it’s okay, baby. I promise, it’s okay.”
I lifted my head, and he gently swiped my tears away. When I looked around, I noticed everyone’s eyes were on me. They didn’t seem to be worried. It was like everyone trusted Kingsley to take care of me. Why didn’t I?
I slightly pulled away from him and wiped my face, then wiped my hands on my pants. Kingsley stared at me until I asked, “You wanna go to the back patio?”
“Yeah, sure. Whatever you want.”
I closed my eyes briefly, then nodded and stood.
He quickly stood right after me and followed me outside.
Before I could sit, he grabbed the swing to make sure it didn’t move.
I smiled at him as he sat next to me. I grabbed his hand and held it between mine in silence, fighting my heart.
It wanted to tell him how much I loved him, but my mind was saying to be afraid of what could happen if I did.
Finally, after taking a deep breath, I lifted my eyes to his, and said, “I miss you. I want you with me. My mama made me see how much you care for me, despite me constantly trying to push you away. She said that you wanted to be here to help me through what I’m dealing with.”
“She’s absolutely right.”
I nodded and gave him a tight smile. “If you can handle my ups and downs, then I want you to be with me, Kingsley . . . finally.”
“Let me gain clarity, baby. You want me in your space as a friend, right?”
I shook my head. “No. I want you here as mine. I want to be yours. It will just—”
“I don’t care about anything else. This was a big step for you. I’m so happy that you took the risk, baby. Come here.”
I leaned into his open arms, relishing just how good it felt.
“Treasure, I swear, this is the happiest day of my life. I know I’m young, but I promise I will be everything you need me to be.”
I lifted my head and stared at him. “All I want for you to be is you.”
Bringing my hand to his face, I gently pulled him to me when I slid my hand to the back of his neck and pecked his lips.
I hadn’t felt lips on mine in a long time.
He’d kissed me before, and I nearly had a panic attack.
I didn’t know why. Those fuckers didn’t kiss me.
That action shouldn’t have provoked that sort of response from me.
When I pulled away, Kingsley’s eyes remained closed, and he tucked his bottom lip into his mouth. He opened his eyes and smiled at me. “Damn. I’ve been dreaming about this moment for so long.”
“Kingsley, it’s been over two years. I think you’ve more than proven just how down for me you really are. I want to get back to where we were headed before they fucked my head up, thinking PJ was dead. I told Cousin Philly he was on my damn hit list for that.”
When I smirked, Kingsley chuckled.
“Damn. Can I hug you again?”
I closed my eyes and prayed I would never regret what I was about to say. “You don’t need permission to hug me.”
He smiled and pulled me to him, hugging me. This felt much better than I ever thought it would, and I could only pray that it continued to feel this way. My mama was right. I needed him. I just hoped that he needed me enough to endure whatever came with that.