Page 32 of Finding You
“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. Zionand 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.
Chapter Fifteen
Raven brought the wine glass to her mouth as she watched Zion by the stove sautéing the shrimp. She was trying not to stare, but with every move he made, his corded muscles contracted. Though his back, as well as his chest, were fully covered, flashbacks of how he looked naked kept popping into her mind.
And his biceps… Good Lord, the man’s muscular arms seemed even bigger than they were that night they’d spent together. If that weren’t enough, the way his worn jeans hung low on his hips and hugged his huge thighs was better than watching porn. Not that she had ever watched porn, but still…
Raven sighed silently and took another sip of her wine as she watched him expertly cut up cilantro for his salsa. With her gaze following his every move around the kitchen, she was reminded of how long it had been since she’d been with a man. Actually,hewas the last man she’d been with, and what a treat that had been. So much so, that she wanted to experience him again in every way possible. Against the wall, in the shower, in the back seat of his truck, heck, she’d even be okay with them…
“You need to stop looking at me like that.”
Raven’s gaze leaped up, and her eyes met his before she cleared her throat and straightened. “Umm, like what?”
He smirked. His dark eyes were filled with heated lust as he watched her. “Like you’d rather eat me instead of this meal that I’ve been slaving over the stove preparing.”
Raven laughed. “Dramatic much? And I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Mmhm, I think you do, and for the record, I’d be totally cool with that. Feel free to have your way with me. You don’t even have to ask. Just take any part of me that you want,” he said and went back to putting the finishing touches on their meal.
Tempting. Oh, so tempting.
Raven could only stare at his back, wondering how he’d nailed her thoughts so perfectly. Sure, she’d love to be in his arms with her legs wrapped around his waist while he drove in and out of her, but she needed to stay focused. This visit wasn’t about her getting her groove back and her sexual needs met. Even if she did have needs and wanted him to fulfill every single one of them. No, this was about them making plans for co-parenting the twins.
Would he want visitation rights? Or would he want to keep them weeks at a time? This all was uncharted territory, and Raven wasn’t sure where to start with the planning.
