Page 16 of Furthest From Perfect

My girl turned to look at us with the biggest smile on her face. She set down the spoon she was stirring the mix with to bend down and open her arms for Skye. She took off running toward her, and to see those two embrace like long-lost best friends made my heart swell with warmth.

“Hey, pretty girl. I missed you,” Koi cooed before bopping her on the tip of her nose. “You’re getting so tall.”

Nyari hugged her legs when she stood back up.

“Damn, I don’t get no love?” I asked with a frown.

Koi waved me over, and I closed the distance between us like a dog on a leash. She pecked my lips twice then grinned. I was quickly adapting to this new way of living, and I had to say it kept a nigga walking around with a little extra pep in his step. “Hey, Mr. Valentine. I’m making chicken and shrimp alfredo for the cutie. It’s almost ready.”

I nodded while my hands made their way to her booty. I squeezed one of her cheeks and growled in her ear. She pushed me away, giggling like a hyena. “Cut it out. We are not alone.”

“Aight, I’m going to settle her in.” Glancing down at my baby, I said, “Come on, Skye. Let me show you what I got for you.”

She eagerly took my hand as I led her to her bedroom. I watched her explode with glee when she saw all the gifts I had waiting on her bed. I probably wouldn’t even allow her to sleep in her room tonight, because I needed snuggles. Maybe when she came back after the weekend, I would allow her to test out the nightlight I’d bought her.

I sat on the floor in her room, playing with the glittery slime she was focused on, when Koi came to get us for dinner. I took Skye into the bathroom to wash her hands, then we went to the dining room, where Koi had already set the table.

I made sure my baby had her booster seat and pushed her closer to the table. Koi sat across from her with me on the other end. We joined hands for prayer then dug in. Koi knew pasta was Skye’s favorite food. I loved that she could genuinely open her heart for my baby girl. She really didn’t owe me anything, but she constantly gave me all she had.

“I love seeing you happy,” Koi told me with a sparkle in her eyes. “Daddy mode is definitely more attractive than performer mode.”

I used my free hand to reach for hers. I gently squeezed it, making her blush. “I love seeing you happy too. Working for Galaxy has been a dream come true?”

She nodded excitedly and unconsciously leaned closer to me. “Yes, it really is. I loved working for and styling you, but this is my first time getting to style a woman. I have so many ideas stockpiled that it’s a relief to finally be able to bring them to life.”

I lifted her hand to my lips and placed a kiss on the back of it. “I’m proud of you.”

She offered me a closed-mouth smile. “I am proud of you too. You said you were going to do a one-eighty, and so far, you’ve stood on that. I can admit, I had my doubts about you, but you’re not that bad to be married to.”

I gasped, feigning offense to her words. “Hate that you love it here, huh?” I teased her. She shook her head, allowing her eyes to fall to the pasta left on her plate. She played with the noodles aimlessly. “What’s on your mind?”

She stopped twisting noodles around her fork to look at me. “I’m glad that I love it here, actually. I thought this was something just to get us what we wanted, but the more time I’m around you, the more I start to believe in . . .” Her voice trailed off as if she were afraid to admit the truth.

“Do you think I spent all those years flirting with you just for the hell of it?” The look she gave me insinuated that was basically what she thought. “I liked that you were never afraid to be yourself around me. I liked that you had boundaries, and even though you hated your parents’ strict rules, you still respected them and yourself enough to stick by them. I liked that you knew I was imperfect, yet still chose to walk this path with me.” I lifted our hands in the air. “When we took our vows, I told you that it’s to the grave with me. I will give you every part of me to make you happy for the rest of your life.”

She swiped away the tear that broke free before I got the chance to. “Han’some . . .” She shook her head and let out a shaky breath. “Please, don’t play with me. I don’t have a lot of dating experience, so a heartbreak might take me out of here. If I open my heart to you, you have to take care of it and me.”

I glanced over at Skye, who was busy drinking every drop of lemonade in her glass. “From this day onward, you and my baby are my family. The same way I don’t play about her is the same way I won’t play about you. Trust me. I will take care of you in every way you need and deserve.”

Every step that brought me closer to my parents’ home decreased my lung capacity. By the time we made it to the front door, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Taking notice of my nervousness, Han’some bent down to place a kiss on my cheek. Off the contact alone, I was able to exhale and even smile a little.

“It’s going to be fine, baby. Just relax,” he assured me.

When the house was ready for us to move in, I finally found the courage to tell them about my elopement to Han’some, and they did not handle the news well. My mother almost had a heart attack when she saw me packing my things into boxes and my father nearly went hoarse from yelling at me. I had never made them so upset that they didn’t talk to me for almost a month.

I only agreed to bring Han’some over for them to meet today because they had finally calmed down enough for me to make the proper introductions. I hated not talking to them, but it was the consequence of my actions after all, and I knew with space that they would finally come around to the idea of me being a married woman.

After a nod and straightening my spine, he rang the doorbell, and we waited. I heard someone yell from the other side of the door, “Who is it?”

I rolled my eyes, becoming instantly annoyed. “Marni, stop playing, and open the door!”

I could hear her laughing seconds before she snatched it open with a wide smile. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the newlyweds,” she teased with a playful voice.

I turned my attention to Han’some, who sported a friendly grin. “This is my cousin Marni.”

She extended a hand to him. “Gotta say I didn’t believe her when she said she’s been secretly working for you until that post you made with all the pictures.”

Han’some glanced down at me, and I saw joy swirling in his brown irises. “Oh yeah, she’s the reason I have hella women on my body to this day,” he joked, earning him a scowl.