He turned to me and raised an eyebrow. “You’re helping me, right?”
I chuckled, dipping my head. “Of course I am, baby. Let me get myself together first. You wore me out.”
He smirked and winked at me. “You got it. There’s no rush at all. Get all your strength for later.”
If only he knew I’d be ready for that too. He set a glass of wine in front of my face. I retrieved it from his hand.
“Let’s toast.”
I arched an eyebrow. “To what?”
“To you quitting that damn job.”
Nash was too damn much, but I tapped my glass with his. We sipped our wine, and I set my glass on the table. “I can’t wait until I get a new job, but for now, I’m going to enjoy this break.”
“Yeah, do that. Come to the gym and bounce on my dick every day. Oops, I meant punch the punching bag every day.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “You meant what you said the first time. I can always do both.”
He laughed and went back to the counter. I finally got up to help him cook the food. As always, we drank way too much wine, which led to us singing at the top of our lungs and dancing together.
“There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for you, baby.” I had the big spoon in my hand, singing as if it were a mic. One of my arms was wrapped around Nash’s neck.
He held my wrist and sang into our spoon mic. “Nothing brings me joy like you do.”
I smiled into his brown eyes, loving the way he made me feel. The love I had for this man was out of this world.
“I love you, Nashton Sims,” I blurted.
He grew all serious as he gazed deeply into my eyes. “I love you more, beautiful.”
We sealed it with a kiss. By the time the food got done, I was too drunk off wine to eat anything. We lounged on the couch and watchedAlways Sunny in Philadelphia. I fell asleep on his chest with him holding me.
I pulledmy jacket closer to me, and Nash wrapped his arms around me from the back. I rested my head on his shoulder. I gazed at my parents’ grave for the first time with no tears in my eyes. I owed it all to the man who was holding me in his arms. Nash came into my life and moved shit around like a real man was supposed to. He picked up the pieces of my life and put them back together in his image.
It was two weeks before Christmas, and I couldn’t wait for it. I still didn’t know what to get Nash either. He kept saying I didn’t have to buy him anything, but I wanted to. I wished I knew what he was getting me since he said it would be a surprise. I hated asking questions, but I hated feeling like I was in the dark too. He hadn’t asked me what I wanted for Christmas yet,but I had no doubt he’d be getting something huge. That was what Nash was all about. He kept me on my toes. A man like him didn’t always come around often, so I was glad I hadn’t lost out on a good man like him.
“Are you good?” Nash whispered in my ear.
I nodded with a small smile, even though he couldn’t see it. “Yes, I’m great. For the first time in a long time, I’m as happy as I can be.”
He squeezed me. “Good. I’m happy to hear that. Are you ready to talk to them?” he asked.
“Yes.” I took a step forward with him, taking my hand in his. “Hey, Mom and Dad. I love you both so much. For the first time, I’m here without tears.” I laughed softly. “You’ll always hold a special place in my heart. Lately, I hadn’t been crying with grief, and I owe it to the man in my life.” I squeezed Nash’s hand. “The way I’ve been crying for both of you, I know you wouldn’t want me to. However, I can finally say I’m healed. I’m letting go of all the pain I had in my heart. I know both of you are in a better place, looking down on me, smiling. Thank you both so much for making me into the person I am today. I love y’all.”
I sighed in relief and turned to the man who owned my heart. “I’m ready to go now.”
Nash turned me to face him and cupped my cheeks in his large hands. His brown eyes twinkled as he stared at me. I didn’t want to break the gaze either. “I love you with all of me. In front of your parents, I’m letting them know that your heart is safe with me. You won’t have to worry about anything. Whatever you need, I’ve got it.”
Even though I just said I wouldn’t cry, I ended up crying anyway. It was all Nash’s fault too. “You made me cry,” I stated through my tears with a short laugh.
He kissed my tears away. “I hope they were happy tears.”
I nodded. “They were. You make me so happy, Nash.”
“Good, I’m happy to hear that. I feel the same way about you. Let’s get out of here and put some coffee in our systems.”
I smiled as he draped his arm around my shoulders. “I’m all for that.”
