Chapter 17

A few dayshad passed since my wife's epic turn-up with her bestie and my sister. It was also the same amount of time since she drunkenly told me she loved me. When the words left her mouth, my breath hitched in my throat. I thought my ears were playing tricks on me.

"What did you say?" I asked, looking down at her.

She was fast asleep. Gently, I shook her.

"Baby… Kay, baby, what did you say?"

All I got from her were snores. I lay there for at least an hour, staring up at the ceiling, wondering if I'd heard her correctly. I thought we'd talk about it in the morning, but she never said anything. Maybe she didn't remember saying it, or maybe she didn't mean to say it.

Today, she was going back to work. The person filling in for her had a family emergency, so she was needed at the office. While she was getting ready, I'd gotten up and made her breakfast, maneuvering around the boxes in her space. The seller had accepted the offer we put in on the house, so we were both in the process of packing up so we could move in.

Her bedroom door opened, and she stepped out dressed in pink scrubs that hugged her curves. She smiled as she walked over and puckered her lips for a kiss.

"Good morning, baby," she said sweetly.

"Good morning, love. You hungry?"

"I'm starving."

"Do you have time to sit and eat?"

"Of course."

"Well, take a seat, and I'll fix your plate. Coffee is on the table."

"Thank you, baby."

She kissed my cheek before going to take a seat at the table. I moved to plate us both a serving of grits, eggs, bacon, and toast before heading to the table myself. After a quick prayer, we dug in.

"How do you feel about going back to work today?" I asked.

She groaned. "I'm not ready, but duty calls. What are you doing today?"

"I'll probably do some packing and call Brenda to see what she has planned for me. Since you're going back to work, I might as well get back at it, too."

"How long does it typically take you to write a book?"

"Well, it depends on who I'm writing for. For the two to six-year-olds, I can pop out at least five little stories a week. Seven to eleven, about one a week. Twelve to seventeen, about two weeks. Writing isn't the hard part. It's the illustrations that take up a lot of time, especially if I'm working on my own project and somebody else's, too."

"The little drawings are so cute, though! The kids that come to the dentist love your books. I even sprung to get the audio versions of a few of them."

I smiled. "I'm flattered to know that you've been a big supporter before you even met me."

"I have. Now I get to brag and say you're my husband."

I chuckled. "You didn't have a problem letting anybody know I was your husband the other night when I carried you out of that lounge."

"Oh my God! Really? Was I that drunk?"

"You were pretty tore up. People were watching me carry you out, and you yelled at them. It's okay! He's my husband! You held up your wedding ring and all."

She laughed loudly. "Did I say or do anything else embarrassing?"

I swallowed hard as I glanced down at my plate. Should I tell her what she said? How would she react to that? What if she said she didn't mean it? I looked back up to find her staring at me, waiting for an answer.

"Baby?" she said with a nervous chuckle. "Did I do something?"

Fuck it. I would tell her. If my feelings were hurt, then so be it. I knew she cared for me even if she didn't love me yet. I wiped my mouth and clasped my hands in front of me.

"It's not so much what you did rather what you said ."

"What did I say?"

"You um… you told me you love me."

Her eyes widened.

"I—"

"You don't have to say anything. You were drunk, and I wasn't sure if you meant it or if you even knew you said it. When you didn't mention it the next morning or say it again, I left it alone."

I looked away again, afraid of what I would see if I looked into her eyes. There was a split second of silence between us before I heard the sound of her chair scraping the floor as she pushed it back. The next thing I felt was her weight on my lap and her hands on my face.

She lifted my head, forcing me to look into her eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to hear it that way, but I meant it. I love you, Jacob." She pecked my lips. "I love you."

I felt the tears stinging my eyes. They said a man ain't supposed to cry but fuck that. My wife… a stranger mere weeks ago… just admitted she loved me, and she meant that shit.

"I love you too, Kachelle."

She whimpered. "You mean it?"

"With my soul."

Our lips crashed together, our lips and tongues intertwining in a passionate embrace. I stood with her from the table and carried her back into the bedroom. Clothes went flying, and in no time, we were both naked. When I slid into her, it was like sliding into home. The sounds of heavy breathing and low moans filled the room as I filled her repeatedly.

Hands gripped. Fingers groped, and nails clawed as I stroked her center with all the passion I could muster. Our eyes never left each others, and the intensity behind the stares was so fucking erotic that I almost couldn't take it.

This wasn't just sex.

I wasn't fucking her.

I was making love to her… my woman… my wife.

"Jay… Jacob!"

Her whimpers only fueled me. My strokes went deeper while my pace remained steady. Hooking the bends of her knees into the crooks of my arms, I pushed her knees forward and leaned into her. Her arms came around my neck, and she held onto me for dear life.

She cried out as I buried my face in the crook of her neck and gently bit her. My hands threaded through her curly tresses, gripping handfuls of it.

"Oh God! Don't stop… don't… don't stop!"

Stopping wasn't on my agenda. I needed her to give me everything she had.

"Say it again," I commanded.

"I love you… God, I love you!"

"I love you, too. So. Fucking. Much."

I emphasized each word with a hard, deep stroke that stole her breath away.

"I'm gonna cum! Fuck, I'm gonna cum!"

Her cries of pleasure multiplied. Her nails dug into my back to the point where I knew I would have scratches. I didn't give a damn. The shit hurt so fucking good. I felt her walls tighten around my hardness. Her pussy was juicing up, preparing to shower me in her essence.

"Here it comes," I said, feeling the throbbing of her walls around me.

No sooner had the words left my mouth did she cum with a full body quaking orgasm. Her breath hitched, and her cries seemingly got stuck in her throat. With a final stroke, I shot my seed deep inside of her. For a moment, my body stiffened on top of hers. I lay there panting as heavy as she was.

She pulled my head to hers and kissed me slow, yet passionately. Soft moans poured from our lips into each other. No words needed to be said. I knew in this moment, she was truly made for me. She was the woman I'd waited for. The woman God himself hand-crafted with me in mind.

After a late start,Kachelle finally left the apartment to head to work, and I headed back to my place. When I walked in, I was in such a good mood that I managed to pack up my entire living room within two hours. I wasn't sure if it was the I love you or the love-making session, but I was throwing shit in those boxes at lightning speed.

I decided to take break and give Brenda a call around eleven. When I told her I was ready to get back to work, I knew she would have something for me to do right away. She already had two illustrations lined up and a book event for next month.

She was about to pack on more, but I had to remind her that I was a newly married man and wouldn't be tied down with work or away from home for too long. The moment I got off the phone with her, it rang. I just knew it was her calling back to try and talk me into something else. However, I was surprised when I looked at the caller ID to see it was my mother.

I hadn't seen or spoken to her or my father since I touched back down. Neither of us had reached out, and honestly, that shit was hurting me. With a heavy sigh, I answered the call.

"Hey, Ma."

"Hey, Jacob. Are you busy?"

"Not really. What's up?"

"Open the door."

I frowned as I got up from my desk and headed to the downstairs area of my loft. When I opened the door, my mother was standing there with a small platter of what I knew were her famous double fudge, chocolate chip cookies. She smiled softly as she extended them to me.

"Peace offering?"

I shook my head. "You can't buy me with my favorite cookies… but it's a start. Come in."

I stepped aside and allowed her entry. She looked around at the boxes in the living room. I knew she didn't know that I was moving because Jessa hadn't said anything.

"Are you going somewhere?" she asked, turning to face me.

"I'm moving."

Her eyes widened. "You're moving away?"

"No. Kachelle and I bought a home. We couldn't bounce between here and her place forever."

She looked relieved. "That's nice. I take it things are going well if you've made that big a commitment."

"Things are going very well. What are you doing here, Mama?"

She nervously rubbed her hands together. She seemed very timid as she walked over to my couch and took a seat. She patted the space beside her, and I reluctantly moved to sit. Taking the plate from me, she place it on the table and grabbed my hands.

"I hate the way things are between us right now, Jacob."

"Honestly, Ma, things are the way you and Dad made it. I understand that I sprung this marriage on you guys, but that was months ago. There was plenty of time to get used to the fact that this was happening."

"For you, Jacob. You'll understand when you have children of your own."

"When I have children of my own, my support won't be limited to how I think they should live their lives as grown adults. I get you two want the best for me as far as a partner. I respect that. But you have to respect that Kachelle is the best thing that ever happened to me romantically. I love her, Ma."

"You… you love her?"

"Yes. And she loves me, too."

"She does? She's not just saying it?"

I kissed my teeth. "See, that's what I'm talking about."

She raised her hands in mock surrender. "I apologize. I didn't mean any harm." She sighed heavily. "You're really happy?"

"Yes, mother. I'm happy. She makes me happy."

She was quiet for a moment. "She must be pretty special."

"She's everything I prayed for. Maybe we didn't meet in a traditional sense, but every day, I see that God led us to Arranged Hearts to bring us together. She is the woman I was meant to spend the rest of my life with. Come hell or high water, I'm gonna stand ten toes down behind her, even if that means standing against you and Dad on this."

"I don't want to stand in the way anymore. It hurts me not speaking to you over this. I just want you healthy and happy. If she makes you happy… I can accept that."

"What about Dad? Why isn't he here with you?"

"I was already out when I decided to stop by. He didn't know I was coming." She squeezed my hands again. "I'm sorry, Jacob. You're my son, and I love you. I may not always agree with yours or Jessa's choices, but I won't trying to force my beliefs on you again. I'm willing to get to know your wife if she's open to it."

"She's always been open to it. We've been dealing with the same thing. All we want is to be a happy family. We've been in our own little bubble for weeks now because we didn't need that negativity influencing what we are trying to build. If you got to know her, you'd love her as much as I do."

She smiled softly. "She's a beautiful girl. I um… If I'm being honest, I saw the way you looked at her at your wedding. I've never seen you look at any woman like that. It was like your souls were reconnecting after spending a lifetime apart."

That was exactly what it felt like. The moment I touched my wife, for the first time, I felt that spark. It was the reason I was so intentional with her. It was the thing that fueled our natural chemistry.

"It's written all over your face," my mother said, breaking me from my thoughts.

She cupped my cheeks and kissed my forehead.

"I know you're a hell of a husband."

"I'm trying my best, Ma. I had a great example of what a husband should be."

She nodded. "You did. Your father has his faults, but he's a good man and so are you. Kachelle is a lucky girl. Can you bring her by for dinner on Sunday?"

"I'll talk to her. If she's comfortable, we'll be there. Just promise you'll give her a fair chance."

"I promise. After all, your sister seems to love her, and you know that heathen doesn't like too many people."

I chuckled. "She doesn't. They have a beautiful bond growing, though. Shocked the hell outta me."

"I hope for the same… I mean that."

I could since that she was being sincere. She ended up staying for a while longer, even helping me to pack a few things. She asked a ton of questions about Kachelle and Arranged Hearts and their process. It felt good to know that she was willing to try. If my father and Kay's parents could get on board, this blended family might just shape into something beautiful.