Page 118 of Kissed By the Trillest Thug 2

“What?” he asked.

“You keep kissing me.”

“I know,” he chuckled.

“You ain’t tired of me already?”

He leaned over just enough to look down at me.

“Maliah, I waited a long time for you. You think I’m gonna get tired tonight?”

Heat rushed to my cheeks. I playfully smacked his chest and let out a small laugh.

“Don’t laugh. I’m serious.”

He caught my hand before I could pull it away and brought it to his lips and then gently kissed. I snuggled a little closer, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my ear. As I lay there in Tahari’s arms, everything felt exactly the way it was supposed to. My heart was completely at peace. My eyelids grew heavy, and I knew that at any moment I would be fast asleep.

Chapter 23

Bleek

Saturday mornings around my house usually started the same way. A cup of coffee in a quiet kitchen. I would take a few minutes to myself before everybody else got up. As of late, these Saturdays weren’t the same, though. MJ was at his place, Mali was at Tahari’s, and Maylee was at a damn slumber party. I sat at the island scrolling through the news on my phone when I heard the front door unlock. A second later, Maliah walked inside with her backpack hanging off one shoulder and an overnight bag in her hand.

“Morning, Daddy.”

“Morning, baby girl.”

She leaned over and kissed my cheek before setting both bags beside one of the barstools.

“You want some breakfast?” I asked.

“Nah, we ate before I left.”

I nodded and took another sip of my coffee while she grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. As she twisted the cap off, I found myself watching her. Something was different. I just couldn’t put my finger on what. It wasn’t her clothes. It wasn’t her hair. It wasn’t even the smile on her face. It was the way she carried herself. It was like she had stepped into another seasonof her life overnight. It was funny how life worked like that. One day your child was asking you to check under the bed for monsters. The next, they are walking through your front door after spending the night with somebody they loved.

“Daddy?”

Her voice pulled me back.

“Hm?”

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I was just thinking.”

“Uh-oh,” she said as she laughed.

“What? I just blinked, and somehow you grew up on me.”

Her smile softened.

“I’ll always be your baby,” she said reassuringly.

“I know. And don’t you forget it either.”

She rolled her eyes playfully.

“I won’t.”