Page 163 of Steel

She grinned, and I leaned in to peck her lips. KJ put a stop to that by grasping my lips between his little fingers.

“No! My mama!” he declared, scrambling into Neha’s arms.

I shook my head. Since he started calling her mama, it became an even bigger fuck you to me whenever I tried to show her some love in his presence. I’d been slapped, had my ears and nose pulled, and my lips twisted more times than I could count. Right now, he was looking at me with a mean mug while he pressed his face against Neha’s. She was eating this shit up.

“Baby, it’s enough of mama to share,” she said, kissing his cheeks. “Daddy can love on me too.”

She leaned in to kiss me, but again, I was met with a mush to the face. I playfully mushed my son back and stole the kiss I wanted.

“You don’t run me, lil’ boy. I can kiss my woman if I want to.”

He shook his head and proceeded to give Neha a kiss on the lips. All I could do was laugh. Their relationship was beautiful, and I was forever grateful that she stepped in to mother him. She was exactly what he needed, and I knew Donna was happy with my choice. I dreamed of her for the first time in months the other night. She didn’t say anything, just smiled at me and gave me a nod of approval.

That was all I needed.

I had the life and the little family I always wanted.

Now it was time to make it permanent.

Neha

Santo Domingo had been wonderful to us.

We’d spent the entire week in nothing but peaceful bliss with our kids, and I was dreading having to leave in a few days. It was so beautiful here. The resort we were staying at was right on thebeach and had breathtaking views. I loved the compound, but I could get used to waking up like this.

Tonight, we were headed to dinner in the city. I’d been in nothing but swimsuits and maxi dresses all week long, so I was excited to get a little dressed up to go in. When I emerged from the bedroom and saw both Kerrion and the kids dressed in all-white, I was confused. They were about to fuck up that all white attire sure as shit at this dinner.

“Baby, why would you put the kids in white?” I asked. “And when did they get this? I didn’t pack this.”

KJ was wearing the cutest white linen two-piece that matched his father, and Nayelli wore a white whimsical looking dress that stopped at her ankles with a white floral headband in her curls.

“Don’t worry about all that,” he said, pecking my lips. “You look beautiful.” He gently rubbed my stomach. “My baby has you glowing.”

I blushed. “Thank you.”

“You ready?”

“Yes. We are starving. I think the baby is craving empanadas!” I did a little shimmy as I rubbed my stomach.

“Don’t put that on my son.”

“He likes what I like. Sue me.”

Kerrion shook his head. “Come on here, woman.”

Hand in hand, we left the villa and headed up front to where our car was waiting. Our personal concierge had been a godsend this entire trip. She recommended so many different places and things for us to do and even arranged a few. She made the arrangements for dinner tonight, so there was nothing for us to do but get dressed and head out. The entire ride, I admired the scenery. The place was beautiful in the daytime, but at night, it came alive.

As we drove through the streets, I took in the sights of the nightlife. Music could be heard flooding the air. People were out laughing and having a good ol’ time. One of these days, we would have to come back here without the kids to see what this place was really about.

We pulled up in front of a cute little restaurant, and the car came to a stop. The driver vacated his seat and opened the doors to let us out. My brows furrowed as we stepped out.

“Are you sure the place is open?” I asked Kerrion. “I mean, the blinds are closed, and the lights look like they are off.”

He smiled. “They’re open. Trust me. Come on.”

He grabbed my hand and led us to the door. The moment he knocked, the door opened slightly. I could see that the place was dimly lit, so I assumed it was for romantic elements.

“You trust me?” Kerrion asked, handing KJ over to his sister.