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“Ice,” she greets groggily into the phone.
“Be ready at six tonight.”
“Umm … I haven’t exactly had coffee yet, honey, so can you tell me exactly what I need to be ready for?”
“Our first date.”
“Umm … okay.” She pauses. “Is this for real?”
“Yeah, sweetheart, I’m bein’ real. I was talkin’ to Brooke about us—”
“Brooke knows,” she gasps. “Is she mad at me? I should’ve talked to her first.”
“She is fine with you. She likes you, Morgan. This is about us. I’ve treated you wrong, and now I need to make that right, both for you and for her. Apparently, she took your ‘I’m the example’ talk to heart, and I’m not being a very good standard for her to hold the pimple faced pricks surrounding her up to. Tonight, I rectify that. We’re goin’ out, sweetheart.”
She laughs into the phone as Brooke grabs it out of my hand.
“Forget him. Come over with Madyson. I’ll send Dad away. We’ll have girl time together, getting you ready for your hot date, and Madyson can stay here with me while y’all are out. This way, you both know she’s safe, she will feel safe, and you two can go out with no worries.”
While my teen daughter squeals into the phone, before taking off down the hall, still talking to my woman about what outfits to bring over and how she’s going to do her hair, I can’t help snorting. It appears I didn’t have to worry about Brooke and Morgan getting along.
As I think on it, Brooke’s words stand out to me.
She fills this space with stuff that I didn’t even know we were missing until she was here.
She is right. I smile more. I relax more. Overall, since Morgan Ann Powell came into my life, I find myself happier. For the first time since Erin died, I feel like there is more to my life than being a dad, a soldier, or a Regulator.
The innocent woman that exudes kindness, in a cute way that is uniquely hers, has come into my life and turned it all upside down. I don’t want to be without her. On first appearances, I never would have thought she could handle my lifestyle. Things aren’t always what they seem, though, are they?
Her sister was missing and she faced it head on, refusing to give up even when she didn’t have a clue what she was doing. She challenged me at every turn, never bowing down or taking my shit, even when I was a complete asshole, which was often. She was made for me in a way I don’t know if Erin ever was, because I was too young to notice.
Morgan isn’t afraid of taking on Brooke and her teenage tantrums. She has handled her with love, patience, and understanding. Rather than turn her back on her sister, she embraced her and took on her problems as her own. Even more so, the woman is already trying to figure out how to rescue her other sister from the clutches of her crazy-ass parents. The woman was born to be a maternal figure. She just has not realized it yet.
Morgan is exactly what I need without even recognizing it, just like Brooke said. My chest tightens as I let that sink in. Maybe the powers that be decided I needed a second chance at life to have someone, besides my daughter, who makes it worth living.
Morgan
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
Butterflies tango in my belly as my nerves build up. On one hand, I can say this is happening fast. On the other hand, I have known Ice for months now, and he has been a rock solid source of strength for me. It feels like a whirlwind romance in the sense of our relationship, but the reality is, he was my friend first. It is a friendship that started off a little rocky yet has grown into something beautiful.
I have come to realize, during our short time together, that he is it for me.
His actions have proven he will always be there to catch me when I fall. I know it with every fiber of my being. He doesn’t play games. I never wonder or worry if I am enough for him when he is surrounded by gorgeous women at the club. He makes sure to show me, in a variety of creative ways, precisely how much he wants me and only me.
With Ice, what I see is what I get, no apologies. He brings out the sassy side of me. I want to challenge him because he has shown me I am strong-willed enough to do it. I don’t want to simply take whatever shit he dishes out. And, when I do throw my attitude around to let him know he has crossed a line, he gets this look on his face that lets me know he is proud to call me his. He balances me in a way I never imagined a lover would. Now that I have that from him, I can’t imagine living a life without it.
