“Doyou love him?” Elise asked.
“I do,” I whispered. “You know I do.”
“Maybe you should tell him that,” Justus joined us in the living room and sat down on the couch next to me. “Maybe he needs to hear it.”
There was no doubt in my mind that I’d messed this up by not telling Dex how much he meant to me, that I loved him with everything in me. “Okay, so I fucked up.”
“It’s not too late to fix it,” Elise said. “But I have a question for you?”
“Okay.”
“Do you want to decline Carl’s offer and move to Michigan?”
“I think…” I trailed off as realization dawned on me. I wanted to take over Carl’s business. When we’d met earlier in the week, I found his proposal to be fair and exciting. While I enjoyed my time in Michigan, I couldn’t deny that I missed working. I loved my job. “Why can’t I have both Dexandthe business?”
“Is that realistic?” Justus asked.
“Carl is giving me his business. Who’s to say I can’t expand to the Ann Arbor area. I don’t have to be in Atlanta. I can hire someone else, train another black woman to take over here.”
Justus smirked. “No one can say that but you.”
“You’d help me on the business end of things?”
“Anything you need,” he promised.
“You do know it’s cold as hell in Michigan,” Elise quipped. “Be very sure.”
“It is, but I never feel cold when I’m with Dex.” Once again, Julia’s words came to mind. Finally, I shared what she’d told me with Justus and Elise.
“Wow.” Elise dabbed at her eyes. “I miss her.”
Justus cleared his throat. “She was the shit. She is missed.”
“That’s why IknowI’ll be happy there,” I said. “Because I’ll be with him.”
“Damn, Char,” Elise cried. “I’m going to miss you.”
Justus grumbled a curse. “What the hell is wrong with you? You can hop your ass on the first flight out whenever you want to see her.”
I glared at my brother. “Really, Justus? Stop being an asshole.”
“Where is Harper’s weird ass when I need him to be another man in the room?” he said. “Stop crying.”
“I’m just pregnant,” my sister announced.
I gasped. “Elise! I knew it.”
Her chin trembled. “I was waiting to tell you both at dinner on Sunday.”
“Are you happy?” I asked.
“Very,” she replied. “We plan on telling Ellis tonight. He’s going to be an awesome big brother.”
I shot Justus a look. “You next?”
He waggled his eyebrows. “We’re certainly putting in the work.”
I scowled. “Ew.”
