Page 61 of Mr. Blackwood

His tone was so casual and matter-of-fact. My face grew warm with shame. Jabari climbed out of the pool and reached back in for my hand.

“He saw us?”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you say anything, Jabari?” I asked as he sauntered away.

“And ruin the good sex we were having? I’ll pass.”

25 – JABARI

TWO MONTHS LATER

After the trip to Turks and Caicos, I not only opened Camilla’s office suite in the former office building for her again to work in whenever she didn’t want to work out of the other building, but I also moved her into my home. She still had her house, and she was working on turning it into a wellness center for the community, but I wanted her in my bed all the time as well as in every room in my house.

I seldom wanted to be there if she wasn’t. It wasn’t even something that we discussed, but a gradual transition. We would have dinner out at a restaurant, and I would just take her back to my house. I would arrange a date night, and we would plan to spend the weekend together, and it was always at my place.

I had been to her home a few times to spend the night, but we seemed more comfortable at my place. As the construction started on her house, she just quit staying overnight there. She would go by there with me to see the progress on the place, but she always returned home with me. One day, I sent a crew over to pack all her things and bring them back to my place.

She had been shocked that evening when she drove to my place only to find her things already there. I was worried that she would think I was being too presumptuous and controlling, but she had jumped into my arms and thanked me.

Camilla had shared that she had been thinking about discussing it with me and packing and moving her items, but she had always been too tired.

After we returned from our visit to Turks and Caicos, we had her sister and best friend over for dinner so that we could officially meet one another. A couple of weeks after that, we had gone to dinner at her parents’ home so that I could meet her mother.

Thankfully, everyone seemed to be on board with the direction our relationship was moving. I had checked on my father a few times, and while he wasn’t going backward, his progress was taking longer than either of us expected, but he wasn’t giving up.

Regent, Jett, and Kanaan had been over to meet her as well. They eased up once they realized that she wasn’t a threat any longer.

“I like that idea, baby,” I proclaimed after Camilla had finished speaking.

“You do? I was hoping so. I got the inspiration while we were in Turks and Caicos with all the photos that I took.”

We were having dinner on the rooftop of my office building. Camilla had finished up an hour before I had, and she had taken a car over to my building since I had driven her to work this morning. When she arrived, I was in a meeting. She had gone to the rooftop to have cocktails, and I joined her when I was finished.

We were discussing her magazine, and she had shared with me that she wanted to start another magazine under the current one, where the focus would be expats and their adjustment to living in other countries, specifically any country outside of America.

I had invested in her by giving her 25 percent ownership in one of my smaller realty companies. That, paired with her transitioning her home into a wellness center, would generate her own passive income. Camilla was clear about wanting to maintain her working status when I first mentioned investing in her.

We had talked about children more while we were on vacation, and she had shared that if she were to get pregnant, she would want to take time off a month before giving birth and not returning until our child was three.

I was clear that if we had a child, they would never attend boarding school or live with anyone other than us. That was when she shared that she wanted to expand her income so that she could afford to take that much time off when she had kids.

Having her own businesses would allow her to do that. She could generate passive income with her house becoming a wellness center, as well as what she earned from the realty company. I supported her dreams and her financial independence, but it didn’t mean that I wouldn’t take care of my woman.

Two other women had meant the world to me at a time in my life. They always expected me to take care of them, and I had. Now that I had a woman who insisted that she take care of herself, I wanted to spoil her even more.

The server on duty tonight came by and refreshed our drinks.

“Mr. Blackwood, would you and Ms. Valentine like anything else from the kitchen?”

“No, thank you. This is all. You have all done an excellent job tonight, and you’ll all receive bonuses for your service. Y’all can leave for the night.”

“Thank you, sir.”

I nodded and turned my attention back to Camilla.

“I’m already looking forward to our next vacation. Is that wild?” she asked, propping her chin in her palm as she stared at me.