Page 68 of All She Ever Wanted Was a Real One
I bit back a smile. “We don’t have time for that, Oak. The party is about to start.”
“What time is it?”
I pulled out my phone to check the time, smiling at the selfie of the two of us on my lock screen. “Almost three o’clock.”
He sucked his teeth, signaling his disappointment. “Fine, if I can’t eat you, then I guess I’ll have to settle for some of this food. It’s smellin’ too damn good,” Oak announced, stepping around the island to the buffet of food keeping warm in the chafing dishes.
He lifted the chafing cover with the jerk chicken wings inside and reached for one before I quickly reached over and smacked his hand away.
“Don’t even think about it. Liv will kill you for dipping your dirty hands in the food.”
He screwed up his face to mock me before quickly snatching a chicken wing anyway. Oak sank his teeth into one side of the party wing and closed his eyes as he moaned with pleasure as if it was the best thing he’d ever tasted. “You should taste this.”
“Nope.”
“C’mon, baby. You know you want to,” he teased.
“Nope,” I repeated.
He walked back around the island, hovering over me with the piece of chicken still in his grasp. Before I could protest again, he was lifting the unbitten side toward my lips. I couldn’t lie; the aroma was hitting. So, I playfully rolled my eyes and leaned in to take a quick bite, allowing him to feed it to me. He wasn’t wrong. That shit was good as hell. Mama Gray put her foot in those wings.
Just as I was about to take another bite, Liv entered the kitchen carrying a stack of paper plates, catching us in the act. “I swear I leave you niggas alone for two seconds and you in here feeding her food like a goddamn baby bird. Gross!”
Her face screwed up in disgust, making us both laugh.
“At least you didn’t walk in on anything worse,” Oak reminded her. “Count your blessings, bighead.”
Liv rolled her eyes. “Y’all wait until I get a man and fall in love. We’re gonna be so fucking sickening.”
Oak smirked. “Love you, Sis.”
“Yeah, yeah. Love you too, negro. And Dad’s looking for you.”
“Tell him I’m comin’.”
“Tell him yourself!” she called out over her shoulder.
I’d never been more grateful for Liv and her parents’ support of Oak and me being together. I already felt like a part of the family, and no longer having to hide how I felt about Oak was the cherry on top. I knew I still had a ways to go before my heart was completely healed from all the trauma of my last relationship,but I couldn’t have been in better hands with Oakland Gray as my man.
Hours later, the party had officially ended. Guests left with to-go plates covered in aluminum foil and leftover cupcakes from the dessert table as the four of us began the breakdown, cleaning up inside and out.
Once the house had quieted down, I stepped outside to grab some fresh air. I sat on the steps of the patio with my shoes off and my feet touching the soft blades of grass beneath me.
A long yawn escaped my lips as I glanced up at the glowing string lights overhead. I knew I was going to sleep like a log the minute my head hit the pillow.
It didn’t take long for Oak to find me. He stepped outside and eased the back door closed behind him. “There you are,” he said, folding his body next to me on the step and letting his knee touch mine.
I shot him a quick smile. “I knew you’d find me eventually.”
“Always. Here.” I let the smile tugging at my lips fly free when he presented me with a red velvet cupcake. “I know it’s your favorite, so I snagged the last one before Uncle Leroy’s greedy ass took it home.”
His comment made me giggle. “Aww, thank you.”
“Want me to feed it to you?” he joked.
“And have Liv catch you feeding me like a baby twice in one day? No thanks. I doubt she’ll ever let us live that down.”
“You’re probably right about that. I can’t wait ’til her lonely ass gets a man.”
