“Absolutely.”
“So are we official?”
“We are.”
She walks across the room and we kiss, long and passionately. We’ve spent night after night sleeping together in our clothes, cuddly and chaste, but finally her walls come down and her hands are all over me. My body is on fire as she touches me under my clothes, and it’s all I can do to get her to the bedroom before we completely lose ourselves.
MICAH
Last night with Rhodes was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had with a man. Not only did he know exactly what he was doing, but I finally felt comfortable enough to let him see me. All of me. No leaving the bra on, no covering my stomach, no turning the lights off so he doesn’t see my cellulite.
I’ve never been with someone who made me feel this beautiful. This wanted. This secure.
Garrett certainly never came close, nor did any of the ones before him. I didn’t know men like Rhodes existed. He’s mature, he’s confident, and he makes me feel like an absolute goddess.
We make plans for me to go back to Magnolia Row and stay with Sistine while he looks for a place for us to live, but the day before he’s supposed to drive me back, I get a call from an unknown number.
I answer, and an older woman is on the other end.
“Micah Bonaventure?” she asks when I answer.
“Who is this?” I ask.
“Allette Aspley,” she says with no further explanation, which is not needed anyway since I know exactly who she is. She and her husband are the two most prominent lawyers in Magnolia Row. They’ve had an office downtown for ages.
“Yes! Mrs. Aspley. How can I help you?”
“Honey, I should ask you the same thing. I’ve been waiting for you to call me.”
“Why?”
“About your grandmama’s will, of course. I heard a rumor your mama is living in her house, but the property belongs to you, honey.”
“What? My mom showed me a will that left everything to her.”
“She did? What was the date on it?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Okay, honey. Let me check on this. I’ll call you back.”
We hang up. Rhodes is in the shower, so I sit on the bed and wait for him to get out. When he walks out in nothing but a towel, it’s all I can do to not get distracted and rip it off.
“What?” he asks with a sly grin, catching me staring.
I blush and shake my head. “I got a call from a lawyer in Magnolia Row. She seems to think Nana left everything to me.”
He raises his eyebrows in surprise. “Well, this is good news.”
“I told her about the will my mom showed us, but she said?—"
And just like that, the phone rings again from the same number.
“Micah, it’s Allette again. I called the courthouse, and your grandmama only ever had one will with probate. I wrote it and I can guarantee your mama ain’t getting a dime or a blade of grass from the estate. I dare her to try to produce something else or challenge it. Barbara was very clear on how she wanted her estate handled. There’s no way she left your mama a single red penny.”
I feel an enormous weight lift from my body. “Thank you, Mrs. Aspley. I’ll be in touch.”
After I get off the phone, Rhodes and I talk and decide the best plan of action is to call the police. We’ll let them handle getting my mom off the property as soon as possible, so she’s not there when we return home. I honestly never want to see her ever again. She’s never been a constructive part of my life, and she’s made the entire process of grieving Nana exponentially worse by trying to take away everything I have left.
