Page 45 of Book Bae

“I know you are.”

I released her, sat back in my chair, and I watched her continue eating. She was strong, and in some ways, she was obstinate, and while I wouldn’t break her spirit, I would break down those walls she erected.

I dropped Myraj off at her place and returned home. When I saw Arabella sitting in her car in my driveway when I pulled up, I was pissed. She knew I hated when people popped up unannounced at my house, and she was becoming more and more comfortable doing that. A part of me suspected she was trying to catch Myraj over here, but I wasn’t about to let her start any drama in my life. I had to put personal boundaries in place and push Arabella back on the other side of those lines.

“What are you doing here?” I asked when she jumped out of her car and joined me on the porch.

“I needed time to cool off, and I thought you might need time to come to your senses.”

“I already have all my senses, and there’s nothing more to discuss.”

“So, marriage is out the window?”

“Bell, you were the only one hopped up on the idea of remarrying. I told you that I wasn’t.”

“You said you would think about it.”

“And I did, and I told you after I thought about it that it’s not gonna work for me.”

“Because of this woman?”

“Bell, you said the main reason you wanted to remarry was to help me launch this newest book. That’s not a reason to marry. Marrying someone is about love and a lifetime commitment, a vow between a man, God, and his woman, not a campaign strategy to dupe your readers and earn more money off their belief in you.”

“Have you told your family about her?”

“They know.”

“You’re really serious about this woman, huh?”

“Right now, my focus is on my child. I’m not thinking about anything more than that. I’ll give my best to my books, but even my career will never come before my kids. You know this about me. Why are you acting like it’s a shock?”

“Because I know you, Micaiah. You’re a romantic at heart, and you’re probably already romanticizing things with this woman.”

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. I told you that you and I are gonna stop this back-and-forth. My personal life is just that. I have a lot going on in my life, Bell. So, if there’s nothing else, let me head inside.”

“Wow, so it’s like that, huh? Well, I’ll respect your wishes because I don’t want to lose you as a client. We make a great team, Micaiah, and I just want what’s best for you.”

I pulled her into my arms and held her close for a few seconds. Resting my chin on her head, I admitted, “We do make a great team, and I know you want what’s best for me. As long as we focus on teamwork, we won’t go wrong.” I released my hold on her.

Arabella took a couple of steps back and looked up into my eyes. “I hope she makes you happy, Micaiah, and I hope you finally found what you’ve been looking for.”

“Like I said, my focus is on my kids right now. She’s a good girl, I won’t lie, and I’d be proud to call her mine. The problem is I’ve had my heart broken too many times, and I’m not sure that I’m what she needs.”

“Any woman who’s looking to settle down and start a family would be lucky to call you hers. That’s who you are, and it’s what you deserve. I think that’s what makes you such an excellent romance writer. You understand what’s important to women, and you know exactly how to serve it up to them, literally and figuratively.”

I laughed. “Yeah, I guess so.” I scratched the back of my head.

“Seriously. I’m sorry that we didn’t work out. You know I’ve been screwed up since my ex, and I’ll never be good for any man. I would’ve only corrupted you if we’d stayed together. I’m glad that you figured it out first and walked away before we imploded.”

“You’re a good girl, Bell, much better than you give yourself credit for. Just take your heart off ice for some deserving man.”

She scoffed. “Boy, please. Do you think there’s any man deserving of what I bring?”

I chuckled and dragged my hand over my head. “Probably not, Bell, probably not.”

“Good night, Micaiah.” She pressed up on her toes and kissed my cheek before she turned and walked back to her car.

“Good night, Bell,” I called after her.