Page 27 of Too Sweet
With that in mind, I shoot my shot and broach the topic I’ve been itching to talk about all afternoon.
After placing a soft kiss on her bare shoulder, I say, “About the necklace…”
Jojo turns around and faces me, her expression still cool and even.
“I’m sorry for the way I reacted, K. But it still feels like too much.”
That’s what I was afraid of. But I’m not giving up that easily.
“Too much how?”
She averts her gaze, a clear sign that she’s uncomfortable. I don’t want to make her upset, and I don’t want her to shut down on me again, but I need to understand, and I hope like hell that there’s enough love and trust between us to encourage her to hear me out and try to understand where I’m coming from, too.
I cup her cheek in one hand, tilting her face back toward me. “Talk to me, Mama,” I coax.
With a slow swallow, she nods. Her voice is uncharacteristically soft when she speaks. “The necklace was beautiful. But it looked really expensive.”
It kills me to know she doesn’t think she’s worthy of this type of gift. But the necklace was never supposed to be about her birthday. Hell, I didn’t even plan to give it to her for Valentine’s Day—the timing just worked out like that.
“It was expensive,” I confirm. I won’t lie to her. “But it’s also more than just a necklace.”
Her eyes flit up and meet my gaze in the mirror.
“Can I show it to you again?”
She presses her lips together, and I wait her out. If she says no, I’ll respect that boundary. But I hope like hell she’ll hear me out.
“Okay,” she finally agrees.
I bend down and pull the jewelry box out of my discarded pants. When I right myself, I hold out the box and open it slowly, bringing my lips to her ear to explain.
“The green gemstones are emeralds. They used to be my Ma’s.”
Her sharp intake of breath confirms I’ve got her attention now.
“She left them to me and told me I’d know what to do with them when I met the right person.” I place another wet, lingering kiss on top of my girl’s shoulder.
“The diamonds between the emeralds? I bought those myself.”
She shivers. “So those are real diamonds?”
I keep my mouth on her skin but lift my gaze to find her worried expression in the mirror. “They are,” I murmur, trailing more kisses along her neck.
“Ever since I started getting NIL deals, every dollar I’ve earned went back to my Pops for the girls. That was my choice. I want them to go to the best schools and to never have to worry about anything. But then last weekend happened.”
Joey’s eyebrows shoot up in question.
“Knowing how well things went at the Combine made it all feel real for me. Having you by my side, knowing this dream is actually about to come true? I wanted to celebrate. For the first time in my life, I wanted to use my hard-earned money on something I wanted: a gift for the person I love most.”
“Kendrick.”
My name is soft and breathy coming out of her pretty little mouth.
“I want to spend the rest of my life spoiling you, Jojo. Worshipping you. Letting the whole damn world know that you are it for me.”
She leans back against my chest, then lifts one hand to her throat.
“Will you put it on me?”