“Good. What about you? Do you want to jump the broom again?”
“No.”
“No?”
“I have my toys.”
Amari laughed and reached for my waist.
“Ms. Starks, toys may satisfy your body for a moment, but they can’t fulfill your emotional needs. They can’t talk to you or hold you close when you need a hug. They can’t kiss your delicious cheeks or lips.”
Before I could fully process Amari’s words, he leaned over and gave me a chaste kiss on my cheek. I sucked in my breath as the warmth of his lips on my skin contrasted with the chilliness of the room.
“You’re a special man. If I had someone like you, I might not need toys.”
To my surprise, Amari kissed my cheek again and moved his hand to my stomach before squeezing it.
“And you’re a special woman. I know you were a great mother to LaRue. Don’t close your heart and mind to the possibilities of bringing more lives into this world. One rotten guy shouldn’t have the power to kill such goodness.”
When Amari didn’t move his hand, I placed mine over his and said a silent prayer for the man I’d been praying for so many nights in this room.
Thank you, God, for sending this angel my way. Give him as much goodness as he is giving me. He deserves joy too.
“Ruby?”
“Yes?”
“You deserve a soft life.”
“What does that mean?”
Amari’s hand lowered to my waist as he pulled me to him. When his breath teased my ear, I wanted to moan but remained quiet, believing that what he was going to say would have my stomach turning inside out.
“It means, Ruby Starks, that you deserve to have as many babies as you want and sit at home with them, playing and nurturing them to your heart’s delight. You should never have to worry about where your next paycheck is coming from or ifthe man who enters your sweet heat every night is going to be faithful. You should wake up every day without a care in the world. All you have to do is be yourself.”
Every word that Amari spoke washed over me like a cleansing rain.
“I’d like that, but that’s not real.”
“It could be with the right man.”
Although I knew what Amari’s answer would be, I still asked my question.
“And who might that right man be?”
“Me.”
Although I wanted to fall into the fantasy that Amari talked about, the realist in me wasn’t going to. The world I lived in didn’t include soft lives. This wasn’t a Hallmark movie. Gorgeous men disguised as savior handymen didn’t drop on doorsteps during snowstorms. Neither did protectors nor sugar daddies. Because of that, I needed to guard my heart.
I backed away from Amari and pulled the covers over my chest before turning my back toward him.
“I’m tired. Let’s rest.”
“Okay, Ruby. I’ll see you in the morning.”
In the same way I withdrew from him, I felt Amari withdraw from me with his subdued tone and slow movement to the other side of the bed.
Although I willedmy body to sleep, I couldn’t rest. Everything about the night replayed in my mind like a movie on repeat: Amari’s kindness, wisdom, humanity, and, of course, his sexiness.
