Page 38 of Body Language (Mind, Body, & Soul #2)

Niveah

Three weeks.

Three whole weeks of nothing but peace .

Not that fake “we’re good for now” peace, but the kind that sinks into your bones. The kind that feels like sunlight through your window on a Sunday morning.

Kendrix had been in my space so much, it was starting to feel like our space.

Most nights he was at my house, falling asleep on my couch with Heidi tucked under one arm and Hux yelling at him from across the room during 2K.

He swore he wasn’t homesick, but I knew better.

The man was only going home to feed his dog and make sure his house hadn’t burned down.

So I flipped it.

One night, me and the kids surprised him. Showed up at his front door like we owned the place. I thought we’d spend the night, let him sleep in his own bed, eat his food, then head home. But that one night turned into three.

The kids ate like royalty, thanks to his chef. They swam until their fingers pruned up in that heated pool of his. They roamed that big house like it was Disneyland, and the way he looked at them—like they weren’t mine, but ours—did something to me I didn’t even want to admit out loud.

I even gave Rita a whole week off to go see her family.

And the craziest part was that it didn’t feel like a chore. No stress, no weight on my back. Just me, the kids, and Kendrix holding it down without me having to ask.

It was like life decided to give me a break.

Even my mama was doing better. Heidi had seen her for the first time in almost a year, and she swore she was serious about rehab this time. I wanted to believe her. I really did.

Everything just… looked up.

And I knew exactly when it changed.

The moment I finally stepped to the side and let Kendrix in my world.

Not halfway. Not with the door cracked. All the way.

The house was quiet in the kind of way that told me everybody was either gone or settled, and for once, I didn’t mind it.

No kids running up and down the hall. No Ty calling my phone to ask if I approved the new bottle menu.

Just me, my playlist, and the glow from my vanity mirror bouncing off the satin robe wrapped around me.

Kendrix had told me it was a birthday dinner for his mama, but the way everybody had been running around, the calls I’d overheard between him and his brothers, the way Mama G’s friends had been moving, it was bigger. I just didn’t know how big.

Turns out, they had been planning an event to honor her. Not just a party with cake and balloons, but a whole night dedicated to giving her flowers while she could still smell them. Everybody she loved and everybody who loved her was going to be there.

If I’m being honest, I loved that woman like she was my own.

I’d spent hours with her, just listening.

She told me her life story. Every high, every heartbreak, and every fight she had to fight.

The way she opened up to me was rare. It made sense why those boys loved her like the sun.

Mama G wasn’t just a mom. She was the blueprint.

So when Kendrix asked me to be his date, it wasn’t even a question. I was honored.

Matter fact, if he hadn’t asked, I was still going to show up, and slap his ass for even thinking he could leave me out of something that important.

Per his request, we were both wearing purple. He said it was one of his mama’s favorite colors. That alone told me it was about to be a night.

I had just stepped into my dress—deep purple silk that hugged in all the right places—when the door opened. Kendrix leaned against the frame for a second like he was taking me in before he walked over and put his hands on my waist.

“You don’t even know what you do to me,” he whispered, pulling me in until my back hit his chest. “I love you, Niv.”

He said it like it was easy. Like it had always been there, sitting on his tongue, waiting for the right moment to fall out.

His lips found the side of my neck, and his hands smoothed over my hips, his reflection in the mirror catching the way I smirked.

“You look perfect,” he said, brushing his fingers along the strap of my dress. “Purple looks good on you. Looks good with me.”

And even though I’d never admit it out loud, the way we matched, the way it felt to be standing there with him before something so important…

It made me feel like I belonged in his world in a way I didn’t even know I wanted.

His lips stayed at my neck, slow and warm. I could feel his smirk against my skin when I tilted my head just a little, letting him in without even meaning to.

“You keep looking at me like that, we’re not gonna make it to this party,” I teased, watching our reflection in the mirror.

“Maybe I don’t want to,” he said low, his voice in that tone that always messed with my head. His hands slid lower, catching the fabric of my dress and inching it up my thighs just enough to make my heart kick up.

I tried to stay steady, but my breathing was already changing. “Kendrix…”

He met my eyes in the mirror, that hooded look that said he was already thinking about how to ruin my makeup. “I’ve been in your space, with the kids, watching you, breathing you in… for three weeks straight. You really think I can stand this close and not touch you?”

I put the lipstick down before I ended up with a streak across my face. “And you really think I can be late to your mama’s party because you don’t know how to keep your hands to yourself?”

His grin deepened, the kind that meant he was two seconds from ignoring every word I just said. His fingers traced a slow path from my knee to my hip, his other hand locking around my waist. “One kiss. That’s all I need.”

That was a lie. And we both knew it.

He turned me around, caging me in against the vanity, and kissed me like the whole night didn’t matter—just me and him. My hands ended up in his hair before I could think, pulling him closer, his tongue brushing mine in that way that made my knees weaken every time.

It would’ve been so easy to let him take it further. To let him strip that dress off and make us both late on purpose.

But the buzz of my phone from the vanity broke us apart just enough for reality to sneak back in.

“Kendrix,” I said against his lips, breathing heavier than I wanted him to know. “We have to go.”

He searched my face for a second, then stepped back with that cocky grin that told me this wasn’t over. “Fine. But you’re not getting away from me tonight.”

I smirked, fixing my lipstick and grabbing my clutch. “I never said I wanted to.”

When he held his hand out, I took it without hesitation.

The second we stepped out of the car, I knew Kendrix hadn’t been exaggerating.

The venue was damn near glowing under chandeliers that looked like they belonged in a movie.

Long tables were draped in white linen with centerpieces so big you couldn’t see the person across from you without doing that little side-to-side lean.

Everything smelled faintly like roses and money, two of my favorite scents.

It was still early, so most of the seats were empty, but the setup alone was enough to make you stop for a second just to appreciate it. The kind of event that made you double-check your lipstick in your phone camera, even though you just did it in the car.

Security stood at the front like they were guarding a bank vault.

As soon as we got to the front of the line, one of them gave me that polite-but-serious look before motioning for my bag.

I handed it over without fuss, but my eyes followed every move.

When they pulled my gun out like it was a rogue chapstick, I smirked.

“Ma’am, I’ll have to take this to the car for you,” one of Kendrix’s men said.

I tilted my head toward Kendrix. “I hate going places unstrapped. My hands work just fine, but you never know.”

He looped his arm through mine, smirking. “You’re good. It’s for safety. We’ve got a lot of my parents’ friends here tonight. People in high positions, so no weapons inside.”

I smiled sweetly. “It’s okay. I keep someone strapped to my thigh.”

He laughed because he knew I wasn’t bluffing. I never went anywhere without my knife.

We stepped past the checkpoint and into the main hall, and for a second, I forgot to walk.

It was like stepping into a dream you’d never had, but if you had, it would’ve been exactly that.

The lighting was warm and flattering, like it knew its job was to make every Black woman in the building look ten shades richer.

Gold accents caught the light just right, and the music floating through the air was soft enough not to drown conversation but smooth enough to make you sway when you walked.

We made our way to the front table where his brothers were already posted up.

Kross had his arm draped over Rivah’s chair, and Kairo was halfway through clowning Khloe about something she said.

It was the kind of loud, easy laughter that made you feel welcome before you even sat down.

Kendrix pulled my chair out for me, and the second I sat, Khloe leaned in and whispered, “Girl, you clean up nice. Purple’s dangerous on you. ”

Before I could respond, Mama G walked in.

All white from head to toe, skin glowing like she was lit from within.

Her smile was so wide it damn near touched her ears, eyes glistening as she took in the room.

You could tell she knew the night was for her, but the way she gasped and put her hand over her chest made it clear she hadn’t expected that much.

The woman worked the room like a champ. Hugging, kissing, laughing, talking her shit to old friends and strangers alike. She stopped to tell one couple they hadn’t aged a day and another that they had, but “in a cute way.”

When she made it to our table, Kendrix pulled her in for a hug. “Where’s Dad?”

She rolled her eyes but grinned. “He’s coming. Had to run to the restroom. You know how men are when they’re tryna make a good impression. He’s probably in there giving himself a pep talk in the mirror.”