Page 14 of Furthest From Perfect

His eyes drilled a hole into my third eye. He sniffled with a quick swipe of his eyes to wipe away evidence of his tears. “Us?”

I nodded. “What’s yours is mine. She’s going to be my daughter too.”

I saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down from my words. “Can you stay with me tonight? I need you in my arms.”

Before I even registered what I was saying, I blurted, “I need you too.” And I said it with so much certainty that my parents’ curfew never even crossed my mind. All I knew was that when the sun set this evening, I would be in Han’some’s bed because, in my heart, it already felt like it was where I belonged.

Walking up to the front door of the home Koi stayed in with her parents, I mustered up the courage to ring the doorbell. This introduction would have to happen sooner or later since we’d already secretly eloped a few days ago. Knowing that they were religious made me want to get the judgment out of the way now because I wasn’t going anywhere.

I tucked my hands into the pockets of my slacks. Today, I wore slacks and a button-up because I had a mediation with Fontana. The point was to avoid court if possible, and I had been praying this woman would have a change of heart. She was making my life miserable for no reason. I was ready to put an end to it before I ended up doing something like catching a kidnapping charge for taking my baby forcefully.

I straightened my posture when I heard disengaging locks on the other side of the door. Soon after it was pulled open, the screen door was unlocked and pushed open. An older man with tiny glasses resting on the bridge of his nose stared me up and down. His curly hair was gray and tapered well. I couldn’t even lie; Koi’s dad was fly, and he had a good aura about him.

“May I help you, young man?” he questioned with an even tone. He pushed the door open wider as if he was trying to take a good look at me. I kept steady eye contact with him and was prepared for anything.

I scratched my eyebrow, suddenly becoming less confident than I was a minute ago. I cleared my throat and said, “Um, I’m Han’some Valentine, Koi’s h⁠—”

Before I could finish getting the word out, Adora dashed past him. She grabbed my hand and yanked me down the porch steps toward my purring car.

“Bye, Daddy. We have somewhere to be. Love you! Later!” She turned and began beating me on the arm. “Go, go. Get out of here neow.”

I chuckled, reaching for the passenger door to open it for her. I closed her inside then raced to the driver’s side. She was already buckled in by the time I joined her. “What was that about?” I questioned, shifting the gear into drive.

She released the breath she was holding. When she turned to me, she wore a strained smile. “I don’t know. I panicked.” She slammed her back into the seat then sank deeper into it. I did my best to keep my laugh tucked inside. “Are you really ready to meet the Wardens?” She nibbled on her bottom lip with a concerned expression. She was really wondering whether I was sane or not.

“I will have to meet them eventually, Adora. We’re already married, and I don’t want them thinking your husband is a good-for-nothing nigga that doesn’t even acknowledge them or their rules. I need them to know that I can take care of you.”

She hid her rosy cheeks in her hands because she loved to hide from me. I allowed it since I was driving. Reaching for her hand, I intertwined our fingers then rested them on my thigh. “Thank you for coming with me today. I don’t know how it’s going to go, but I will do my best to keep my cool and not let Fontana get me out of character.”

“Don’t worry. I’m here for you.” She squeezed my hand to prove it, sending jolts of serenity into my psyche. She gently laid her other hand on top of our joined ones. “Everything will be fine.”

As I eased up to a red light, I turned to look at her. “If you really believe that, give me a kiss,” I challenged her.

When I saw her chest heaving up and down and her hand curl around the fabric of her skirt, I was certain she wouldn’t take the bait. Surprisingly, though, she leaned over, hooked my shirt, and yanked me forward. I inhaled her rose perfume, and it filled me with hope seconds before her lips crashed into mine. All the nerves I had evaporated in an instant.

The only reason we separated was because the light changed, and the cars behind us became impatient. Even then, I wasn’t in a rush to pull off, and I delivered two more kisses to her juicy and sweet lips. “Girl, I want to eat your face. Get back on your side of the car.” She giggled but did as she was told. A smile stretched across my face as I took my foot off the brake.

Cars zipped by us, and I couldn’t care less. I had to inject every ounce of this peace into my veins because Fontana was certain to raise my blood pressure when we got into the same room. Having Koi here was much like having an anchor. I wouldn’t get too crazy, because she was present, and some sides of me, she just didn’t need to see, or else she might call this all off.

“Do you want to get some breakfast?” I had noticed she hadn’t been eating the last few days. She shook her head, and I frowned. “Why not? Every time I offer you food, you turn it down, and it’s starting to scare me.” I was well aware of her love for food, even if she did forget to eat at times.

Her shoulders rose as she laughed. “It’s nothing like that. I’m fasting, love.”

Hearing that piqued my interest, so I had to ask a follow-up question. “Oh, word? What for?”

She pressed her lips together in a gentle smile. With a squeeze to my hand, she said, “I’ll let you know when the fruit produces itself.”

Since we were pulling up to the lawyer’s office, I decided to drop the topic for now. I released a shaky breath after whipping into an available parking spot near the door. I hopped out and rushed around the back of the car to open the door for Koi. Our hands were fused back together as we made our way toward my lawyer, Mariana, who was waiting out front for us.

“Good morning,” I greeted her when we were closer.

She turned with a friendly smile and extended her hand for me to shake. I accepted the offer with a simple nod. “Good morning, Mr. Valentine. Are you ready? The goal for today is to avoid court and create a schedule with mom that you both feel comfortable with for visitation rights. How does that sound?”

I glanced down at Koi, and she nodded. After rubbing my jaw, I also nodded. “That’s cool. This is my wife, Koi Valentine,” I said, introducing them. Koi’s eyes ballooned, and I think it was because it was her first time hearing her new name.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Valentine. Let’s head inside.”

I placed a hand on Koi’s lower back to usher her inside behind Mariana. The office we were meeting in was only two doors down. My internal temperature rose when I saw Fontana sitting there with her lawyer at the end of the table. The mediator was also already in place with notes scattered in front of him. My feet felt like cement as we walked down the length of the table to sit across from them.