Page 101 of Unlucky You

“It’s been a long night. Let me get cleaned up before we get to that.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead and gently lowered her to the floor, holding up her phone, which she hadn’t given a second thought to.

“Shit, that’s your mom. I called to check on Raiden…” She adjusted her clothes. “You should talk to her.”

“You checked on my son?”

“Yes, and I hope that’s okay. Tali gave me her number and…”

I leaned in and pressed another kiss to her forehead. I wanted to kiss her properly but I damn sure didn’t want to put my mouth on her until I got myself cleaned up. “Saniya, chill. I appreciate that you care enough to do so. Give me a minute.”

She smiled softly and nodded. I lifted the phone and sure enough my mother was on the line. While Saniya headed to the sofa, I headed to my room and leaned against the dresser once inside. “Hey Ma…”

“You’re home.”

“Yeah, I’m home.”

“You’re okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s straight but it’s a long story. Can I come see you tomorrow?”

“Yes baby, but are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, Ma. I’m good. It’s different this time. You don’t have to worry.”

I hated making that promise without knowing for sure but I was trusting that things would work out. I had to believe they would.

“You can’t expect me not to worry, Grand.”

“I know, but this one time I’m asking you to trust me. Can you do that?”

She exhaled a sigh. “Yes, I can trust you. Come see us tomorrow.”

“I will. Is he okay?”

“He’s okay. He got upset and thought you weren’t coming back. I assured him that you were. Don’t make a liar out of me, Grand,” she fussed.

“I won’t. Tell him I’ll see him tomorrow.”

“I’ll tell him, and baby, she’s a good one. Don’t mess this up.”

I smiled at the warning in her tone. “I’ll do my best.”

Everyone important in my life fucked with Saniya heavy, further confirming that I was making the right decision by choosing her.

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

I ended the call, tossed Saniya’s phone on the bed, and headed back to the living room to let her know I needed a minute to wash this shit off me then we could talk. Stepping through that door to find her waiting added to my need for things with us to be more than temporary. I liked the idea of coming home to her and my son. What I liked even more was the three of us existing without the threat of bullshit disrupting our happiness. If I had to hand over every penny I owned to ensure that was the case, I was damn sure going to do it.

TWENTY-FOUR

Saniya.

Last night we talked. Grand explained how he was able to come home to me and the deal that DA Ryan offered him. Once he paid his fees, Grand would have his life back. The offer sounded too good to be true, so I was hesitant, but I had to trust that our connection wasn’t meant to be temporary.

After laying out every detail, including the fact that Aleah’s father had plans to press charges against me for punching him, Grand and I climbed in his bed, he wrapped his body around mine, and we slept.

This morning I woke to soft whispers and commands. “Turn over”, “lift up”, then I was blessed with the feel of his mouth on me.