Page 121 of Finessed By A Hood White Boy

“Go to sleep.” I kissed her cheek again.

I closed the door behind me and went back into the living room. I could tell Ava was trying to fight sleep because her eyes looked heavy.

“Let’s get you changed and in bed.” I smiled at her.

“Okay.”

Carefully, I picked her up and carried her to the bedroom that we’d be using downstairs. Our actual bedroom was on the second floor, but with her condition, I figured it was better for her to sleep downstairs. I sat her down on the edge of the bed where Big Momma neatly placed her nightgown. It took a total of six minutes to get her undressed and dressed. I slid her further onto the bed and made sure she was comfortable. Then, I made sure her pillows were fluffed the way she liked. Her medicine and a bottle of water were on the nightstand. I made sure she took that as well.

After stripping out of my clothes, I slid into bed with her.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice low.

“For what?” I asked.

“For taking good care of me. I wish I could⁠—”

“Aye, shhh. It’ll come back, but until then, we’re going to continue to live in the moment. And you don’t have to thank me, Amore. You’re supposed to take care of the people you love.”

Although I tell her every day that I love her, she had yet to say it back. I understood why, so I wasn’t tripping. However, I wouldn’t allow that to put a hold on what I wanted. I stroked the side of her face, moving the hair that covered her eye.

“You’re amazing.” She smiled, her eyes drifting.

She was getting ready to fall asleep. “So are you.” I kissed her lips.

CHAPTER 35

Ava Gray

SIX MONTH LATER…

It’s been six months since I woke up in a hospital bed, and opened my eyes to a world I didn’t recognize. Everyday I had someone in my face trying to remind me of something from my past that I had no recollection of. I was annoyed. I had been sitting in front of a mirror staring at my reflection. The woman I saw, wasn’t the same woman everybody kept showing me pictures of. The woman everyone kept trying to remind me of, smiled differently. She looked more confident. I felt nothing like her as I touched the scar near my hairline.

“Are you ready?”

I jumped at the sound of Ethan’s voice as he walked into the room. I looked over my shoulder and gave him a warm smile. Ethan came toward me wearing a wifebeater and gray sweat pants. Every time I lay eyes on this man, I wanted to pull my hair out and scream. He was so fine. and it killed me internally that I didn’t truly know who the hell he was. I take that back, I had been learning and I was so appreciative of how open he was. He’d been so gentle and loving toward me. He takes me to all my appointments. He was always there when I needed assistance.

On my rough days, he would give me space when I needed it. The first few weeks after I left the hospital, it was strange living with him. I’m not going to lie, although I agreed, I found myself slightly uncomfortable. I didn’t like him touching me without asking, and I damn sure refused to sleep in the same bed together. Based on all the pictures and videos he had shown me, I knew without a doubt that I was genuinely happy with him. Those little pieces of proof showed that we loved each other. Shit, memories weren’t transferable, though. I couldn’t borrow his, I had to start over and make my own. Over time, I’d loosened up and I learned to trust him.

“Yes, I’m ready.” I responded.

“You’ve been sitting and staring at the mirror for a minute.” He smiled.

I loved his smile, especially when he wore his gold slugs.

“You look beautiful.” He whispered in my ear before placing a kiss on my cheek.

“Thank you.” I felt myself blush.

Everytime his lips touched my skin, my toes tingled, and my heart fluttered. Carefully, he scooped me up into his arms to carry me to the in house gym we had down the hall. My therapist, Melissa, was already in the room waiting to get our session started.

“Good morning.” She smiled, as Ethan gently placed me on a bench.

“Morning.”

“How are you feeling?” She asked, as she wheeled over a walker to place in front of me.

I hated that thing.