~~~

EXCERPT

Kofi left my side and took a spin around the room. He stopped beside a window that gave a view of the yard. Even in a white tee-shirt and knee-length shorts, he was distracting—despite the state I was in. After several minutes, he faced me. “Come here.”

I dragged myself to where he stood and looked up at him.

He took me by both hands and as he drew me in, his breath wafted across my forehead. Cherished and protected, that’s how I felt in his arms.

“What was that for?” I asked.

“Do I need a reason to hug you?”

I shook my head and tried to lighten the moment. “You’re getting to be as weird as I am.”

He kissed my forehead and then chuckled. “Nope. Since I knew you needed a hug. I supplied it.”

Stepping backward, I met his eyes. “Do you believe what I just told you?”

“Why wouldn’t I? Everything you’ve told me supports what I thought before you said a word about what happened to you.”

“And you still want to be with me?”

“I ask you again. Why wouldn’t I?” He pulled me close, squeezing me to his chest. “Come here, you crazy woman.”

While he hugged me, I mumbled in his shirt. “I just thought that maybe you’d think less of me.”

“Why would I? It wasn’t your fault.” Kofi tipped my chin up, but I wouldn’t look above his lips. “It only makes me love you more.”

My heart stopped for at least a couple of seconds. I was sure of it. Since I wasn’t convinced Kofi’s words weren’t a mistake or him trying to comfort me, I let the moment pass.

“You know the worst part?” I asked, sniffling.

“I can’t know, so I’m asking you to share that with me.”

I ran one finger over the bulging muscles in his arm. “The biggest problem my mother has with you is the color of your skin … as if we aren’t black, too.”

Kofi’s grin was filled with mischief. “I figured that out the minute she laid eyes on me.”

~~~