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They’re all eating. My gaze shifts back to Coleman. I can’t take my eyes off him. I have a secret that I haven’t told him yet, but I’m dying to spill it, to shout it to the world. But the day before his brother’s wedding is not the time. I’ll wait until later tonight when we’re alone. Just the two of us.
I’m pregnant.
The first of the dozen babies he’s requested is on the way.
“This food’s good. Are you going to eat all your chicken?” Andrew asks, taking my focus away from my husband and turning it toward my brother. He gives me a grin, and in that moment, I see the little boy he truly is beneath the teenage boy exterior.
“Have at it,” I say with a smile, pushing my entire plate toward him.
He gladly pulls it directly in front of him, placing it on top of his already empty plate before he begins shoveling the food into his mouth. He’s eating so fast that I’m not sure he even tastes it. I reach for my water and bring it to my lips as I watch him.
The music begins, and a hush falls over the crowd. Lifting my head, I watch Wells and Parker’s first dance. I don’t even hear the song. I am completely and utterly focused on them, on their love and beauty as they move across the dance floor. Then I see a shadow fall over me.
Turning my head, I look up to see Coleman standing above me, his arm outstretched and his palm open and waiting. “Dance with me,” he murmurs, but it’s not a question. It’s a demand.
I place my fingers in his. He wraps his around them, gripping me firmly as I stand. Andrew is still eating, and he has his phone, so he’s not overly worried about anything that happens in the world around him. He won’t mind if I walk away, leaving him at the table to dance with Coleman.
My husband wraps his arms around me as we sway to the music. Resting my cheek against his chest, I let out a sigh. I can’t believe this is my life. It feels like a real-life Cinderella story. And to me, it is. Not that I was some poor stepdaughter forced to work her fingers to the bone, but because I was mistreated.
My parents eventually did end up poor, but they were rich poor, and they used me for that. But they didn’t realize they didn’t sell me to some rich monster but to my prince instead. And a prince he has been during our short marriage.
Turning my head slightly, I look back at Andrew. He’s playing on his phone, but as I take him in, I realize the cycle is done. It’s ended. He will never be used as a bargaining chip the way I was.
All my siblings have had their fair share of shit. Shelby and Bryson may have been assholes, but they were created assholes. It doesn’t excuse them, but I can understand them. Coleman wraps his fingers around the side of my neck, firmly holding me.
“What’s happening, hummingbird?” he asks softly.
Shifting my attention back toward him, I smile up at this man. This beautiful man is mine, and soon, we’ll have a baby of our own. A little piece of the best of us. Molded into this perfect little version of us. The both of us. Perfect and precious, and a gift.
“Nothing,” I whisper. “I’m just happy. It doesn’t seem real.”
“What’sit?” he asks.
My lips curve up into a smile, and I lift my hand, sliding my fingers through his beard at his jaw, scratching his face as I stare into his beautiful, sparkling eyes. “This life. You, me, and then you taking in Andrew. He starts school next week, and he’s happy. It’s all like a complete dream come true.”
Coleman laughs softly, but I can tell it’s not at me. It’s that he’s uncomfortable with the compliments. But it’s all true. He’s my Prince Charming. He’s my perfect, and soon I’ll be able to tell him about this baby, about our future.
“Andrew’s a good kid. I’m glad to give him a decent life. A stable one.”
Stability.
That’s not something any of us ever had, and even though it’s only been a few weeks, I can tell this was exactly where we were always meant to be. I, with my Prince Charming, his family surrounding us, and Andrew, brought into the fold to be loved and nurtured.
However, that is not to say that this family doesn’t have their faults. They certainly do, and unfortunately, they’re deadly. But as I sway back and forth in Coleman’s arms, I’m not sure I truly care. Doesn’t every person, every family, have faults? These just happen to be murderous ones.
When the song finishes, Coleman shifts closer, his lips brushing mine before he clears his throat and straightens. He releases me and takes a step backward, reaching out and curling his fingers around mine.
“My main duties are over. It’s just a party now.”
And what a party it is. There is dancing, drinking, cake, and more dancing. It’s not wild or inappropriate, and I’ve even seen Andrew being pulled onto the dance floor by Allison a time or two. She’s wild and uninhibited, nothing like I would be if I had been held captive the way she was, details of which I have no idea, and Parker says she doesn’t know either.
It hurts my heart to think of what she went through and that she’s keeping it all inside of herself, but none of us can help her until she’s ready. So for now, she dances. Sitting down, I laugh at the way Andrew attempts to keep up with her but fails miserably. He very much has my rhythm, which is nil.
“I’m worried about her,” Parker murmurs from the seat next to me.
Turning my head, I give her a small smile. “Me too,” I confess. “But she’ll be okay.”
I say the words, hoping they’ll come true. Parker’s lips twitch into a smile that matches my own, then she leans forward and reaches out. Her fingers touch my wrist as her gaze searches mine for a silent moment, then she nods her head once as if she’s made some kind of decision with herself.
