“To wet the hair and get the buildup out,” she answered. “My mother will get the rest when she washes it tomorrow.”
“Cool.” He extended his hand for it. “Send it back here.”
Rylee did as requested, smiling to herself as she worked, finding it hard to stay composed at how excited she felt in that moment.
It was more than Xander helping her with her hair. It was that there was nothing he ever felt he couldn’t do, especially if Rylee needed it.
She still wasn’t over him delivering their son.
She’d known Xander the man, but to see how he handled himself in a crisis?
It just did something so good to her.
Rylee was more in love with him than she ever had been.
He whistled as he pinched and removed the undone braiding hair from Rylee’s strand of natural hair. “Baby, your hair is mad long, huh?”
“Because I don’t do anything with it,” she said with a giggle. “I’d slap those braids back on if my mother would let me.”
He chuckled, his voice traveling around the room.
“Shh,” she shushed, her eyes moving to the bassinet. “You’re gonna wake the baby.”
Xander kissed the back of her neck, and his lips on her sent a chill down her back.
He pressed another kiss to her shoulder and left his lips there.
They sat there for a moment, in silence, Xander’s arms wrapping around her waist briefly.
“This isexactlywhat I imagined when I closed on this house.”
Rylee said nothing, just continued listening.
“Maybe not here taking my woman’s braids out…”
She released a soft laugh.
“But here, together,” he clarified. “Comfortable, enjoying each other’s company. Kids comfortable in their rooms, babyboy asleep inhiscrib inhisroom… but we’re still working on that portion of the vision.”
Rylee smiled, turning to look at him over her shoulder.
He leaned in close and kissed her, letting his lips linger there as he wrapped his arm even tighter around her waist.
“Damn I’m lucky,” he said on her lips before kissing her again. “I’d hate my guts if I wasn’t me.”
Rylee snorted a laugh and turned in her seat to face him, moving to his lap and straddling him.
“The only thing missing now,” he added. “Is a wedding band under that diamond rock on your left finger.”
Rylee smiled, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck.
He licked his lips, sliding her closer. “But I’m sure we can do something about that.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Rylee said with a nod, moving in closer to peck him once, then twice, parting his lips with hers.
And for the first time, in her life, Rylee wasn’t chasing away doubts and worries.
She was simply enjoying peace.
