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Her parents laughed as Saint smiled and caressed her hand with his thumb under the table.
“Saint seems like a nice young man,” Monique said. “He shared with us the good, bad, and the ugly, and how he’d never do anything to intentionally hurt you.”
“In fact,” her father said. “He shared that he was more concerned about you hurting him than him doing something to hurt you, and after hearing about his ex-wife, I respect that. My only concern is how fear makes us create problems where they aren’t, but that doesn’t seem like it will be an issue for the two of you.”
“You both met during seasons of transition,” Monique said. “Leaving one relationship that no longer served you and moving into something that did. I have a good feeling about this, and I welcome you into our family and home, Saint.”
“I appreciate that, Mrs. Jacobs,” Saint replied.
“I want to tell him to treat you the way you deserve,” Trent said. “But I said the same to Keith, and when he didn’t, you stayed. So I feel like I need to tell you not to stay with Saint if things change for the worse and you’re no longer getting what you need out of this relationship. Can you do that, Harmony?”
Her eyes watered as she nodded and released a shaky breath. “Yes, Daddy. I can do that.”
“I know it might be difficult for you to trust your daughter with someone else, especially this quickly,” Saint added. “I also know I can tell you one thing and do another, but I give you my word; I’m not going to take your daughter from you and not give her the love and respect she deserves. With time, you’ll see that she’s safe with me.”
Pleased with Saint’s answer, Trent stood to shake his hand, and Monique followed and gave him a hug. As they left the dining room, Harmony released a sigh of relief. The hardest part, the initial introduction, was over. Now, she could relax and enjoy her time with her lover and her family.
* * *
Christmas Day
It was difficult getting a man who could get himself whatever he wanted something for Christmas. It didn’t take much to please Saint because he was so content with her presence. She ended up getting him a new grill with his name spelled out in diamonds and a few pairs of Nikes. He was so happy with the grill he’d been walking around smiling all day.
Saint’s Christmas gift to Harmony made her fall to her knees when she opened the card. It was the bank account information for an account he’d opened for her with enough money for her to not have to worry about working for the upcoming year, so she’d be able to focus on her writing. As the owner of the library, she received a grant automatically that covered her bills, but the extra hours she received working on the clock always came in handy. Thanks to Saint, she’d be able to leave the day-to-day matters to her manager on duty.
After church with her parents and their hour of volunteer work, they went to Saint and Cartier’s grandparents’ house for an early dinner. Later, they were going to meet the crew for a small party, but for the moment, Harmony wanted Saint all to herself.
They were dressed in their matching pajamas sipping spiked apple cider, watching their favorite Christmas movies. There wasn't a better way to spend Christmas as far as Harmony was concerned. Well, having excited kiddos running around as they tried out new toys would’ve been great.
“You wanna know something crazy?” Saint asked, keeping his eyes focused onElf.
That was her request. His next choice wasThePolar Express, and it was one of Harmony’s favorites too.
“What?”
“This is the first Christmas I haven’t been on the road in years.”
“Really?” Harmony asked, looking up at him as they lay on the couch in his theater room. “You don’t want to do something more exciting than laying here watching movies?”
Saint chuckled. “Baby, I spent years traveling five and six days out of the week. Trust me when I say I’m most content at home with you. I do love taking you out and showing you off, but I also love having you here to myself.”
“I’m just glad you’re learning to love different things. I know how important your music is to you, but I’m happy you’ve been able to find new hobbies and interests.”
Harmony didn’t want to admit it, but she feared because of the drastic change in Saint’s life that he would go through a depressed phase and push her away just as Keith had done. Instead, he’d been researching and trying new things, including her along the way. So far, he’d gotten an exercise routine in place that included a morning run. Between their weekly date nights and her homecooked meals, Saint had put on a few pounds that weightlifting had evened out nicely.
He would joke and say his hobbies were reading, partying, and pussy, but Saint had the pleasure of getting back into sports and car restoration now too. Saint had purchased an old Mustang that he planned to spend the next few months restoring before entering it in a car show and eventually selling it.
While Harmony loved shopping and spa trips, she also enjoyed a good party herself. Saint was surprised to learn she was a beast at card games and dice, and he couldn’t wait to take her to the hood to show her beauty and skills off. The two had been meshing exceptionally well, and Harmony was finding it easier and easier to let her guards down when it came to him. Whether they had a title or not, Saint was hers, and Harmony didn’t plan on letting him go any time soon.
* * *
New Year’sDay
“Why is the sun out this damn early?” Harmony grumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed. Her mouth was dry, hair was all over her head, and she was dressed in the same thing she had on last night.
When Saint made plans for them to go to Las Vegas to bring in the new year, Harmony didn’t realize what that would entail. They’d arrived on the thirtieth, and as soon as club owners and party promoters found out he was in town, they started blowing up his and his assistant’s emails for him to host parties.
The party they went to last night turned into a mini concert when they asked Saint to perform. At first, she thought he was going to decline. A few rounds of cheers and applause from the crowd finessed Saint into doing what he did best, and Harmony watched as he performed three songs in awe. After the impromptu show, they both got a little too crossfaded as they hopped in and out of parties until four in the morning. As soon as they made it back to their hotel suite, they both crashed. Saint hadn’t even made it to the bed, opting to sleep on the couch in the living room area instead.
