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A burst of nerves explodes in my chest when Shawdae’s rather powerful voice rings out across the banquet hall. I pivot on my heel, searching out the woman that belongs to the voice.
“Shawdae Renee,” I drawl when I finally lay eyes on her striking form, kitted out in a red fitted one-sleeved dress and heels that give her height to rival mine. Her smile is radiant as she quickly scans me from head to toe, eyes lingering on the rings I wear that brand me as loudly as a tattoo across my forehead would.
I haven’t seen her since her sister's baby shower. No. Scratch that. She was at the Roaring Twenties party. Which means the last two times I saw her, I was so twisted sideways that my eyes were probably bleeding.
She knows it too. Which is probably why she throws herself into my arms with so much enthusiasm I stumble back a step, and with a whoop so loud my eyes squish up and my shoulders lift to protect my ears.
“Damn, you look good!” she all but shouts. Shawdae runs her hands down the front of my jacket, then grabs the lapels, giving me a gentle shake. “He looks good,” she says, looking over my shoulder.
“Don’t I know it,” rumbles Justin’s amused voice from behind me.
From the corner of my eye, I see Mrs. Jones and the Williams point to another group of people in a corner, and Justin waves his family off. A sharp-looking man in a double-breasted suit saddles up right behind Shawdae and places his hand on the small of her back in an incredibly passive-aggressive declaration of ownership.
“Introduce me?” he prompts. His tone indicates he’s making a request, but his choice of words makes it an order.
Shawdae smirks at me, her amusement bare for the room to see. That’s a delicate line to walk with her. She needs a man who knows his own mind but not someone stupid enough to think he knows hers.
“Remington, this is Orion,” she opens her palm and gestures to the man beside her. “He’s my—”
“Boyfriend,” the man cuts in smoothly, offering me his hand. Shawdae rolls her eyes and somehow manages to look pleased and annoyed at the same time.
“Down, boy,” she pops him gently with the back of her hand. “Ain't no need to stake your claim. Rumor has it Remi here is off the market.” Shawdae smiles the smile of the cat that ate all the cream and then was rewarded for their act of deviousness by a second helping. “You look beautiful, Jules,” the taller woman says and opens her arms to welcome Julia into her embrace. Shawdae whispers something that I can’t hear, but Julia nods and takes Shawdae’s hands, placing them on the hard roundness of Julia’s protruding belly.
“We’re due in August,” Julia tells her. “A girl.”
“I didn’t realize you all were in the market for a baby,” Shawdae says conspiratorially. “Did you get bit by the baby bug at Ebony’s baby shower?”
“We weren’t planning it at all,” Julia laughs, positively glowing. “You can thank Rem and a round of antibiotics.”
Shawdae’s eyes alight on me, and I don’t even bother to fight down my pride. Blood rushes to my cheeks, and my fingers seem to burn where each ring sits snugly against my skin, my palms callused under the lip of the metal bands.
“Yes,” I say with a sigh and angle my body to face Shawdae’s boyfriend. I reach out for Julia’s hand and pull her to my side. My stomach clenches, and my heart flutters when she tips her chin up and offers me the gentlest of kisses. “I am off the market,” I confirm, still staring at Jules.
It takes Shawdae clearing her throat for me to jerk and give them back my attention. Justin snorts, and I attempt to hide my embarrassment by running my palm down the front of my tie. Luckily, Shawdae knows me well enough that rather than being irritated by my lack of attention, she’s only smirking harder.
“Good to meet you,” I offer the boyfriend my hand. “I'm Remi. Allow me to introduce you to my fiancés. This is Julia,” I say, arranging Jules to stand before me. “And this is Justin,” I announce as J comes to preen at my side.
It’s the first time I’ve introduced them like that. Justin tells people all the time. I think it’s his new kink. Telling acquaintances and strangers alike that I’m his fiancé. Obviously, it's a kink that runs in his side of the family. But—my hands are sweating, and my heart is thumping out of my chest, and this is a feeling I could get used to.
Orion’s eyes widen, and his gaze flicks between the three of us.
“Fiancés?” he repeats. “As in plural?”
Justin places his hand on the small of my back and situates himself tight to my side. With a hand on her hip, he urges Julia backward, so her ass is snug against my front. I wrap my arm around her waist, placing my fingers on the side of her belly. As if someone would try to take her from us.
“Ye—
“Are we going to have an issue, Ori?” Shawdae snaps at her boyfriend, popping her neck and stepping into his personal space. “Cause I wasjuststarting to like you.”
If anything, his eyes get even wider, and a look of genuine fear crosses his face. Immediately my opinion of the man rises. Justin’s, too if his low chuckle of amusement is anything to go by. Shawdae is a formidable woman. Any man that tries to date her should have a heavy dose of awe and respect when dealing with her personality.
“No,” he hurries to assure, barely glancing in our direction before lifting his hands and shaking them to ward her off. “Not at all. No problems here. I was just clarifying before I said something insensitive, offensive, or both. I think it's great, really.”
Julia’s shoulders rise and dance in a silent showing of laughter.
“Hi,” Orion says, moving his entire body so that he’s open and facing the three of us. He reaches out and offers his hand, which Justin takes with a laugh and a smile. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Justin tells him. “This one will keep you on your toes,” he says, tilting his head to a smirking Shawdae.
