When he almost giggled but cut it off because of the pain in his sides, I covered my mouth to keep from laughing. I looked back at Draco, who was standing at the edge of the bed staring at his brother.
“Heard you saved my life,” Clover said.
Draco shrugged. “I just carried you out and kept you calm so you wouldn’t bleed out. Kept pressure on your wounds and shit. No big deal.”
“Don’t downplay what you did for me, bruh. You saved my life. I owe you for that.” Clover looked away with a huff as his eyes watered. “Sorry about the stray shit and making you feel like you didn’t belong. Truth is, I did that because I was trying to be loyal to my mama, but you also intimidated me. Even with you not coming around, Pops used to talk about you a lot when it was just us. I felt like you were going to take my place like Ma said Julia was trying to take hers. I shouldn’t have carried that into adulthood, but I did, and for that, I’m truly sorry.”
I looked at Him and waited for him to respond. All he did was stare at his brother until I gently nudged him with my shoulder. He looked down at me and growled before huffing and shaking his head.
“I accept your apology,” he grumbled, and as much as I wanted to laugh, I didn’t.
“C’mere.” Clover’s head bobbed, and he sounded and looked more like Him in that moment than ever before.
Draco’s eyes found mine, as if he needed permission to get close to his brother. My smile was small as I grabbed his hand and gently tugged him forward so he could stand where I was standing. Clover extended his hand, and Draco shook it,allowing him to pull him down for a hug. Draco wouldn’t have to tell me; I knew it was the first hug they’d ever shared because both of their big asses started crying. The moment was so sweet it made me cry.
“Still ain’t fuckin’ witcho ass though,” Draco said, pulling away and wiping the tears from his eyes.
We all laughed. I decided to give them some privacy so they could talk alone. Draco didn’t stay in the room for long, but when he did come out, there was a small smile on his face, and he looked lighter.
I thought the tears and emotion were over, but Derrick thanked Draco for doing whatever he’d done in the Sprinter, because apparently, it saved Clover’s life. Derrick expressed his desire for them to all get closer, but even if they didn’t, he said he’d forever be grateful to Draco for what he’d done yesterday. They hugged and shed a few tears as well before we went back to the waiting room. I made the assumption that now that Draco had finally seen Clover, he’d be ready to go. Imagine my surprise when he said he wanted to stay a little while longer.
Halloween
I fibbed to my man for the first time today, but it was for a good reason. He said he was cool with going to a Halloween party for this birthday tonight, which was great, because the party was his birthday party. As long as I’d known him, Draco didn’t do much of anything for his birthday. He went to the club when we were younger, but the older he got, the less he hung around people that weren’t really for him.
We started a new birthday tradition, where we spent our birthdays together. We got each other gifts, a cake, and we spent the day together doing whatever we wanted. This was the first year that I threw him a party and his family came and were involved. I was a little nervous because I didn’t know what Draco’s ass would say, but he was actually happy and enjoyed himself.
I wasn’t naïve enough to think things would magically be perfect between him and his father now, but both he and Clover were at the party, and he actually smiled and laughed while talking to them, so that was a plus. My man was truly antisocial at times, so even though I’d rented the venue for six hours, he stayed for half that time. We loaded up his gifts in the Escalade before we headed home.
As I rubbed the back of his neck, he looked at me with a lazy smile. I’d rented a chauffeured car for the night because I wanted him to be able to smoke and drink as much as he wanted, and I hated to drive at night. I was too tickled because Draco hardly ever drank, so he was definitely tipsy tonight.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked with a laugh.
“You really love me and want what’s best for me, huh?”
“Always.”
“Who do you love?”
“You.”
“And who loves you?”
“You.”
“That heart my heart? Body my body?” His hand slid down my waist and hip, settling on my ass before giving it a squeeze.
“Forever and always.”
When his free hand wrapped around my neck, Draco pulled me close for a kiss.
“I love you, boo. Thanks for the party. The best part of the day is about to be spending my night with you.”
The great thing about being with a man like Him was that I could take what he said as truth. He wasn’t talking shit just to sound good, lying, or trying to manipulate me. Draco never said anything he didn’t mean, so I truly believed him when he said he enjoyed spending time with me. Even if he didn’t say it, he showed it. And after the life I’d lived, having someone want me, choose me, was the best thing in the world.
“You’re welcome, my love. I love you too. How does it feel to be thirty?”
Draco chuckled as he ran his hand down his face. “Feels fucking amazing. I’m legit, I got the woman of my dreams. Couldn’t ask for anything more.” He took my hand into his and kissed it. “All I wanted was you, boo, and I got that. I appreciate the party, but having you in this capacity was genuinely all I wanted.”
