Nevaeh snorted and propped her chin up on her hand. “You sweet, lonely only child.”
My brows furrowed at that. “What does that mean? Is it a yes? Because I really don’t know.”
Laughing, she rolled onto her back and then sat up. Once she was standing, she walked over to where I’d tossed her jeans earlier and found her phone. I sat up, appreciating her nakedness and the delicious view of her ripe ass as she bent over.
Pulling out her phone, she waved it at me. “Texts from Mia. And one from Arella.” She frowned. “Fuck, she’s still mad at me.” Then with a shrug, she walked back to the bed and crawled under the covers with me.
“Nevaeh,” I growled when she started texting. “About Mia.”
“Braxton,” she laughed, barely looking at me as she texted rapidly. “I have three sisters and a shitload of female cousins—both honorary and by blood—with whom I fight regularly. It lasts like a day most times, a week tops, and then we’re all good again.”
“I fight with Barrick and Lyla too, but I don’t toss things like ‘we’re no longer family’ at them.” I tapped her on the nose with my index finger, making her scrunch it up. In the two years I’d known her and Mia, they had never fought, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t in the past. Still, I didn’t like it when either of them was upset. “And you threw that at Mia a shit-ton, baby. I love you so fucking much, but you were killing me with that crap you tossed at her.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s not the first time I’ve thrown that out at one of my cousins, or even one of my sisters. Trust me on this. Mia and I are cool.” To prove it, she shoved the screen of her phone into my face. “See? We’re currently talking baby names.”
And they fucking were. Mia had texted Nevaeh a list of names she liked for both boys and girls, and Nevaeh had already sent back her top five picks from each. Groaning, I took the phone from her and tossed it to the end of the bed. “Come here, Kitten.”
Giggling, she shifted away from me. “No way. As it is, I’m going to be walking funny for the next few days. You fucked me so hard, I can still feel you.”
“My poor little baby,” I murmured, pinning her beneath me. “Don’t worry. I’ll kiss it all better.”
The moan that left her as I licked her swollen clit, however, sounded anything but pained. She fisted her hands in my hair, holding me to her pussy as I sucked her tenderly until she was begging me to fuck her again.
Epilogue
Nevaeh
P ulling off my cap, I carefully made my way through the masses of other excited college graduates who were celebrating with their friends and family. I already knew where all of mine were, and I was working my way to them so the others in my graduating class weren’t trampled in the stampede.
I heard my sisters yelling my name even before I’d taken a few steps, and I lifted my hand to wave at them even though I couldn’t see them yet.
Before I could reach them, however, I was swept off my feet and twirled around. I wrapped my legs around Braxton’s waist, my fingers thrusting into his hair as I kissed him. A growl left him, making me grin as I lifted my head just enough to rub my nose against his.
“Congratulations, Miss Top of Her Class” he said with a smug grin on his sinfully handsome face. “Your speech kicked ass.”
“Well, I had this hot Marine vet help me write it, so I can’t take all the credit.” I kissed him again then unwrapped my legs from around his waist, but he didn’t release me. His hands gripped my ass and held me in place.
Laughing, I shook my head at him. “My dad loves you, but he might murder you on the spot if he sees this hard-on I currently feel pulsing against my core, Brax.”
“Hold on,” he said and slowly set me on my feet.
“Nevaeh!” I heard Bliss shouting somewhere not too far away.
“Nevi!” Arella yelled my name.
But Braxton suddenly had my full attention as he cupped the back of my head in one hand and brushed his lips softly over mine in a kiss that was so gentle, it brought tears to my eyes. When he lifted his head only moments later, I had to suck in a fortifying breath.
“I love you,” he rasped. “So fucking much. And before you say anything about your dad or those damn annoying sisters of yours trying to get you to look at them, know that I already told Drake what I’m about to do and got his full support to do it.”
I lifted my brows at the last part, but before I could say anything, he was suddenly on his knees in front of me. With my left hand secure in his right, he pulled something out of his suit pants pocket and opened a tiny ring box.
I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t tear my eyes away from his even to look at what was in the box. There were hope and fear in his dark eyes, and even though I saw his lips moving, I couldn’t hear a single word he said because my brain was screaming, “He’s really fucking doing it. He’s really fucking doing it,” on repeat over and over again.
Then he was just staring at me, the fear completely smothering the hope in those eyes I loved so much. Tears filled them, and I suddenly realized I hadn’t answered him yet.
“Yes!” I squealed and threw my arms around his neck. The momentum sent us both crashing to the ground, him beneath me, and the ring box in his hand fell beside us. “Yes, Brax. I’ll marry you. Of course I will.”
A tear was already spilling over his lashes, and I quickly kissed it away, then every inch of his face. “I love you. I love you so much. Please, can we get married tomorrow?”
His happy laugh vibrated into my chest. “Fuck,” he groaned. “You scared the living hell out of me just now. I thought you weren’t going to say yes.”
“Dude.” I heard Daddy’s voice from somewhere nearby and looked up to find him and Mom walking toward us, hand in hand. “I knew she would get you on your knees, but I wasn’t expecting you to be on your back quite this soon.”
I jumped up off the man I loved and threw myself into Daddy’s arms. In the last five months, he’d only gotten healthier. And every time Braxton and I went to California to visit with them, I saw the changes. Daddy was leaner now, but a good lean, and there was a new glow to his skin. It gave me hope that he was going to be with us for a long, long time to come.
But I missed my family, something Braxton knew and accepted. Which was why he’d been the one to suggest we find a place to rent close to my parents while I went to grad school there.
“Hold up, Kitten.” Braxton pulled me away from my dad. Taking my left hand back in his, he slid the ring onto my finger, and I finally looked down at it.
Mom gasped appreciatively as we both admired the huge pear-shaped diamond, surrounded by a dozen smaller ones. The sunlight overhead hit the ring, making it sparkle prettily, and I flexed my fingers, loving the effect.
Looking up at Brax, I swallowed the tears that were trying to block my throat. “I really do want to marry you tomorrow.”
“Wait!” Mom shouted. “You are not getting married tomorrow. I’ve been thinking of this ever since your last visit when Brax asked your dad if he could marry you.”
“Angel,” Daddy said with mock sternness. “The girl wants a quick wedding.”
“But…all those pretty wedding dresses I’ve been looking at.” She pouted at him then turned it on me. “Nevi, come on. I swear I won’t go crazy with this thing. Something small. Give me two months. Three, tops. We’ll make this wedding so beautiful, and your dad can walk you down the aisle. And—”
Braxton wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed my neck. “Let her have her way, Kitten. She can plan the whole thing while you and I go house hunting.”
“House hunting?” Daddy repeated, his eyes sparkling with more than a little hope of his own. “Where exactly will you be looking at houses?”
“Santa Monica?” I murmured with a sly grin.
“Fuck yeah!” Daddy bellowed and swung me up into his arms. “Emmie!” He yelled, and like magic, my aunt materialized out of the crowd behind us. “Em, find my girl a house. Cost means nothing.”
“Wait, wait!” I tried to argue. “Daddy, you don’t have to buy me a house. I want to be closer to you and Mom, but that’s too much.”
“Braxton,” Dad said, his tone serious. “I changed my mind. You can only marry her if she lets me buy her a house.”
His face paled, but he quickly nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ll take care of it, sir.”
“What?” I gaped from one man to the other. “No! We are not letting him buy us a house. Mom, tell him.”
But Mom lifted her hands in mock surrender. “Sorry, sweetheart, no can do. Daddy’s already made up his mind.” Then she squealed and threw her arms around me, jumping up and down like she was a teenager. “A wedding, house hunting, and getting my baby closer! This is better than Christmas.”
Seeing how happy she and Daddy were, I finally gave up arguing and let them have their way.
Braxton kissed my shoulder as we watched my parents talk through everything animatedly with Aunt Emmie, who was furiously typing all the details into her phone. “Think they would notice if we disappeared for a few hours?”