Page 101 of Collateral Heart

“He’s great, Momma, and the girls love him. He’s the daddy they’ve always deserved. I wish you could see them with him. You would have loved him,” she says.

She’s leaving a message for her mom.

She hasn’t turned the service off on the phone. According to her, she isn’t ready to let go, not now, and I understand. Everybody grieves differently. No one can dictate it and there’s no prescribed timeframe. This is what she needs. She doesn’t doit all the time but has her moments where she just wants to talk to her mom.

“I’m on bed rest. These stupid doctors are making me stay in bed until your grandprinces arrive. God, I wish you were here. Xai is really good about taking care of me but he’s driving me crazy too,” she says, then laughs. “I love him though, so much. He just doesn’t rub my back like you did when I was carrying Romi. I swear that’s why she loves back rubs when she’s sleeping. They miss you so much and so do I. I do every day and that’ll never stop.”

The toilet flushes and when I hear the water running in the sink, I continue toward the bathroom. “Talking to your momma?” I ask from the door.

“Yeah. I had to tell her about these dumb doctors. Just so you know, she would be on my side, unlike you,” she scoffs.

“I doubt that, love. From what you’ve told me about her, she didn’t play about you either and she would want you to do what the doctors said,” I tell her and she rolls her eyes. “Doing that only makes you look cute. Now, come over here and get back in bed,” I say as I wrap my arms around her big ass belly and walk backward toward the bed.

“It’s bad enough I look like a whale. Now I have to be stuck in bed for six weeks and get even bigger,” she huffs when she sits.

“It’s modified for three weeks, full for three,” I correct.

“Same difference. Either way, I get bigger. I can’t even see my feet.”

“But I can and they’re cute. You look beautiful. I can’t keep my hands off your fine ass,” I admit before kissing her passionately.

Big belly and all, Adora looks so pretty. Her skin is smooth as cocoa butter and she really has a glow. I’ve heard people say that shit but I didn’t know it was real until her. My baby is sexy and the fact that she’s carrying my sons only makes her sexier.

“You are such a liar,” she hisses.

“I’m telling the truth. You look good, love.” I kiss her lips again then say, “I’m warming dinner. After we eat, we can come back in here and you can let me make you feel better.”

“Xai, my stomach!” she huffs.

“I’m not talking about your stomach. I’m definitely going to kiss it but it’s not the final stop. I’m going for gold and not stopping until you wet my whole face up.”

She laughs, then lightly pushes my chest. “You better enjoy it, because after they get here, we’re never having sex again. This is the last time I’ll be pregnant.”

“Never? You sure about that? Like never, ever, ever.”

“Yep. Never, sir. Sex leads to pregnancy, so we’re cutting out the middle.”

“Never touching yo’ fine ass again? Yeah, no. That’s not happening. I gotta change yo’ mind ’bout that,” I say, then get upright.

“There’s nothing that can change my mind,” she says sternly.

At her words, I smile then reach into my pocket. I’ve been looking for the right moment to do this and it’s now. Real shit, I should have done this a while ago. I’ve known from our first night together that she’s it for me. Some shit a man just knows and this is one of those. There’s no me without her and it’s time to make this official.

After getting down on one knee, I hold up the ring I’ve been carrying around for weeks and say, “Maybe this can change it.”

“Yes!” she exclaims before I can ask.

The End