Okay, maybe a little bit.
But aside from that, I was also captivated by how genuine he was, and how he could always make me feel so comfortable in his presence without even trying.
“Hey, handsome,” I said before widening my smile a little more and wrapping my arms around his neck.
“What’s up, beautiful?”
The deep rumble in his voice vibrated against my chest as he squeezed me tightly and tucked his face into my neck. I felt so safe while surrounded in the thickness of his arms. It was the kind of safety that I wish I could’ve had with the man I once called my husband, but that was a feeling that seemed as though it never existed.
Feeling Don sprinkle my neck with kisses, I giggled while easing out of his grasp. “Cut it out. You know I’m crazy ticklish right there.”
“I know,” he said, returning his face to my neck.
“Don…stop!”
“Alright, alright.” He took a step back while gently tugging on a few of my braids. “Your hair looks nice? Did you just get these done?”
“No.” I laughed. “It’s time for me to take these babies down. I’ve had them in one week too long, and I’m tired of feeling them rubbing against my ass.”
“Well, if your ass wasn’t in the way, maybe they wouldn’t keep rubbing against it.”
Giving him a playful nudge, I said, “Shut up! My booty isn’t that big.”
He leaned over to get a quick glimpse. “Are we looking at the same thing?”
“Whatever. Anyway, they’re coming down sooner rather than later. That’s all that matters.”
“Mmhmm, well, they look nice, and so do you.”
Seeing as I was dressed in the most relaxing clothes I could find and my caramel skin was only slightly moisturized, I simply shrugged. “Thanks.”
“Why you say it like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like, I’m lying or something.”
“I mean, I didn’t do anything special. I just rolled out of bed, so you just might be lying.”
Shaking his head, he chuckled. “I would never lie to you. Rolling out of bed is all you need to do anyway. I mean, I would definitely suggest that you brush your teeth, but other than that, you’re fine as hell without doing a thing.”
“Aw, that was sweet…even with your little brush your teeth comment.”
“I’m just saying…you’re fine and all, but not morning breath fine.”
“Wow,really?I thought we were closer than that. You’re supposed to love me through anything.”
“Oh, trust me, I do.”
We both paused, our eyes locking in on each other while secretly saying things in our head that I was sure neither of us was prepared to say out loud.
Breaking our silence, Don cleared his throat and stood up straight. “So, what’s up? You sounded pretty upset when you called.”
“Did I?”
“Yeah.” He reached for my hand and led me further into the living room.
I glanced around, admiring how everything remained so nice and clean even though he’d been gone for so long. But I shouldn’t have been surprised. Don’s mother always made sure he was well taken care of.
