Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 95147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
I don’t want, no, I won’t let my woman go through life that way, only living like half a damn person because of assholes of which I’d just found out my own sister was one. “Do you want to sleep here tonight, or do you want to go home?” She was already half asleep, probably from the champagne she’d drank.
“You choose.” She snuggled up beside me and went back to sleep while I stayed awake staring up at the ceiling. There were a million scenarios going through my head, but it all boils down to one thing, I choose Steph, and in doing so, as her man, it’s my responsibility to protect her from everyone, including those closest to me.
I can’t call myself her man and allow others to mistreat her, even if she doesn’t know about it herself. I’d hate myself to the core if I ever became that person. But more than that, she didn’t deserve to be treated that way, to be spoken of as if she were less than human because she wasn’t some ideal size that society threw out there for the misled flock to follow.
I’ve dealt with strangers giving her looks as if she didn’t deserve to be next to me, but I never expected, would’ve never dreamed that it would be this close to home. The thought of what my actions were going to cause is what was keeping me up all night until I finally drifted fitfully into sleep.
The rift is unavoidable; it cannot be helped. I won’t ask my family to choose, but I know that I won’t subject Stephanie to anyone’s ridicule, no matter who it is.
That was the conclusion I came to in the early morning hours before turning her on her back and sliding into her before she came fully awake. There was anger in my strokes. Not at her, but she got the brunt of it, not that she complained, she was with me stroke for stroke, thrust for thrust, and I couldn’t help but dick with her.
“I see you’re working hard for that baby.” I’m not sure why that set her off, but it did; she came without warning, just from those words alone. The funny thing is, they seemed to light a fire in me as well, the images they conjured, me planting my seed in Stephanie, Stephanie round with child, my child. “Shit!” I went off like a rocket inside her, and this time when I rolled away, I was out before my head hit the pillow.
The next morning, we left the club, and I took her back to her place because I knew I was going to have a lot to deal with today, things that I didn’t want her in the middle of just yet. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her what had been said or about the fallout I was sure was coming. I didn’t want to hurt her or do anything that would remove that look of total bliss on her face as we drove through the empty streets holding hands.
“I’ll see you this evening but call me if anything happens before then.” Anything like her asshole ex or ex-mother-in-law showing up to cause trouble. She pouted and clung onto me; so cute.
“I don’t want you to go.”
“I know, baby, I don’t want to leave you either, but I have some things to take care of, then I’ll come back to you, okay.” She nodded, and we shared one last kiss before I left.
All the way to my parents’ place, I reminded myself to remain calm. I’d turned my phone off sometime during the night, but when I turned it back on, I saw the many missed calls and messages, most of them from mom and a few from Roz, all of which I ignored.
I called mom back and asked her to invite my other siblings over to the house, not letting her say anything or ask anything before hanging up the phone again. That anger that I’d felt the night before was sneakily making its way back, but I knew that was not the way to go about this. I have to keep a cool head before I do more damage than I intended.
The decision had been easier to make than I’d have thought it would be. Coming from a close-knit family and being the one who’d made it, so to speak, financially at least, I’ve always looked out for everyone else. I never skimped on anything having to do with family, and some might say I’ve gone above and beyond for them in many ways.
But now, there was someone else I wanted to protect, someone else I wanted to put that time and energy into as well. I wouldn’t have stopped taking care of my family because of my new relationship, but today’s outcome will prove how that goes.