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She grabbed her teardrop earrings and put them on, then added the matching necklace around her neck.
She shivered when her brother put his hands on her shoulders. “Be safe, ‘Vieve. He has a troubled past and some people don’t change.”
He was also talking about Melanie. She went clean once. A few years ago. It lasted a few months before she fell down the same hole she always did. That had caused another fight between them. Only because Genevieve had tried to tell her—show her—how much she was hurting herself. Melanie never wanted to hear that—hear the truth.
She turned around. “Some people do. He’s been clean almost two years now. He owns a successful business. He’s a great father. He’s sweet and caring. We all have pasts we’re not proud of.”
Hell, she was not proud of taking Amelie in the beginning, acting like she knew what was best for her.
“I’m not saying don’t follow your heart. I’m saying be careful. That’s it.”
She kissed Brock on the cheek. “Convince Oliver the same thing, please. I know he’s not happy with my decision.”
Brock laughed and grabbed his phone from the stand. “Yeah, good luck with that. I got the third-degree the other day about not locking my door. He’s too uptight and needs to chill.”
“Well, that is dumb, Brock.”
“Whatever. I can take care of myself.”
She pushed him out of her room. “You should go. I still have to do my hair and Corey will be here soon.”
“Not that I want to say it, but use condoms. M’kay?” The silly smile that spread across his lips made her laugh, but it also wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have with him.
“Out. Bye. Love you.”
He waved a hand and left.
Of course, she’d use condoms. She wasn’t an idiot.
Yet, Corey had gotten Melanie pregnant. Had they not used condoms? Did it break? She’d have to ask. Or not. That would be weird.
She’d make sure they had safe sex.
* * *
Corey bouncedAmelie on his knee while they waited for the ceremony to start. Genevieve sat next to him in a green dress that looked way too good on her. Despite her protests not to come up to her apartment to get her—she argued he shouldn’t bother taking Amelie out of her car seat only to put her back in—he nearly dropped to his knees from the beauty before him. He couldn’t kiss her as he wanted because Amelie was in his arms, but he planned to do a lot of kissing tonight once they got home.
“Can I hold her?” Jezebelle whispered, sitting next to him. His brother was a groomsman and looking sharp in his black tux as he and Dane stood up at the altar. Jaxson was the best man, standing alongside them.
Dane’s brother, Champ, sat in the first pew next to his parents. His father didn’t look happy, but his mother was beaming with happiness. Corey didn’t know the whole story, but he knew Dane didn’t have a tight relationship with his brother—definitely not one with his father—and that’s why Jaxson stood as his best man.
“Sure.” He passed off Amelie, who smiled gleefully at her Aunt Jezebelle. He imagined he wouldn’t have his daughter half the night with his friends and family wanting time with her, which he didn’t mind. Breaks now and again were crucial he’d come to realize.
He loved his daughter, but having his sole focus on her all the time could burn a person out. There were nights that he ached to dull the pain, the stress of the day with one hit. But then he’d look at his daughter sleeping peacefully in her crib and knew he had to stay clean for her. Going down that path would bring nothing but destruction. He knew Genevieve, the other beautiful woman in his life, would not stand for that behavior. She’d leave him if he made one wrong move toward drugs.
Losing her was not an option.
He’d come to depend on her. To be there. In support. In companionship. In friendship. He couldn’t believe he’d fallen in love for the first time in his life and he hadn’t even slept with her yet. But at least he knew his feelings were real and not masked by lust. He wanted her in his life with or without sex. Although he did want the sex. He definitely wouldn’t say no to it.
Without Amelie in his arms, he could do what he’d been aching to do since they sat down in the pew. He slid his hand into Genevieve’s, linking fingers. A side glance at her had him leaning closer.
“You okay?”
A half-smile graced her face as she bobbed her head once. “Fine.”
He pressed a kiss to her neck, wanting to linger but knowing he couldn’t. “Say it again like I’ll actually believe it.”
Her fingers tightened, crushing his. “Dane looks like he wants to kick me out of here. I shouldn’t be here.”
