“Laken, please look at me.” His voice is pleading.
I take a deep breath and turn around to look up at him. I’m surprised to see he’s smiling.
“I love you too.”
Tears fill my eyes. “You do?”
“Yes, baby. I’ve wanted to tell you, but I wasn’t sure if you were ready to hear it.” He pulls me into his arms and kisses me. “I love you,” Chance whispers against my lips.
“I love you too.”
“I wove you too,” Ava says from behind me. I pull away from Chance and pick my girl up, hugging her tight.
“I love you, my little love bug.” She kisses me on the lips; if I didn’t catch her virus before, I definitely have it now.
Ava reaches for Chance, and he obliges by picking her up and hugging her. He sets her down, and we finish making dinner.
The rest of the night we play Candyland and watch Tangled and Moana. The whole time Chance truly acts like he’s enjoying himself. I was afraid that maybe he’d get tired of this because he used to party a lot with his brothers and other friends.
I feel like I’m taking him away from all the fun he should be having, but he says he loves the stuff we do together. Maybe I should put some distance between us … you know, to protect my heart and Ava’s. No, that’s a terrible idea.
I’m just going to enjoy this for as long as it lasts, and hopefully Ava and I don’t end up broken hearted.
Chapter Twenty
Laken
Nicole helps me zip up my dress, and then I turn around. “How do I look?” I hold my arms out. I decided on a black BCBG MAX AZRIA Pleated Cocktail Dress. It’s sleeveless, pleated with a deep V in the back, and a fitted bodice. The A-line skirt hits me a little longer than mid-thigh.
It’s sexy but not too sexy. On my feet are black stiletto strappy sandals. I wanted to go get my nails and hair done, but this isn’t prom. Chance would probably think I’m nuts if he showed up and I had a big ole up-do.
Nicole worked her magic on my face and hair. She gave me smoky eyes, pink dewy cheeks, and used a light red gloss on my lips. She curled my hair and put it into a loose chignon at the nape of my neck.
I’m wearing the necklace Chance got me for Christmas, and the diamond stud earrings my parents gave me when I graduated high school.
“You look fucking hot. Chance is going to flip when he sees you in that dress.” I hear something coming from the other room. “What was that?”
She shakes her head. “I didn’t hear anything. Here, I’ll spray; you walk through it.” Nicole holds my bottle of Estee Lauder Pleasures and gives two sprays, and I walk through spinning around. “Perfect,” she says with a huge smile on her face.
I grab the clutch that Nicole lent me and stick the red gloss in it. I stuff my license and some cash into it then look at my phone. “He should be here soon,” I tell her.
Nicole opens my door, and I step into the living room and freeze. Chance is standing in front of me in a black tux, looking like a model. In his hand is the biggest bouquet of pink roses I’ve ever seen.
Behind him are his mom and dad, my parents, and my daughter who runs toward me. “Mommy, you look like a pwincess. Chas is yowr pwince.” She crosses her little arms in front of her, hugging them to her chest.
She then hugs me around my thighs. I want to pick her up, but this dress is difficult to move and bend in. With her hand in mine, I walk up to Chance. “You look so beautiful.”
“You look pretty handsome yourself.” I take the flowers from him. “Thank you so much.” I bury my nose in them and take a deep breath. “Smell these, love bug.” I hold them down for Ava, and she sticks her nose in them.
I look at both sets of parents. “Not that I’m not happy to see all of you, but what are you guys doing here?”
“You told me that you didn’t get to go to your prom. I know this isn’t really the same thing, but I wanted to give you the experience. My parents are going to the party too, but I thought they could all come, and we could do some pictures.”
I don’t know why but my eyes immediately fill with tears. “I-I don’t know what to say.” I pull Chance down for a kiss. “I love you,” I whisper against his lips.
Chance smiles before kissing me again. “Good because I love you too.”
We go outside for pictures, and I have so much fun posing for them. Ava even joins us for a couple of pictures. When we finish, I give my parents a hug and kiss.
“Baby, you look so beautiful,” Mom says as she smiles at me. “Have a wonderful time tonight.”
My dad kisses my cheek and then shakes Chance’s hand. “You kids be good.” He winks at me.
Ava is in Chance Sr.’s arms talking to him and Aubrey when I walk over.
“I wuv red ones and puwple ones. Mommy says orange is gwoss, but I like dose too.” She smiles at me.
“What stories are you telling them, love bug?”
Aubrey smiles at Ava and then turns to me. “She was just telling us about her favorite popsicles. You look really beautiful, sweetheart.” I blush as she smiles genuinely at me.
“Thank you.” Chance Sr. sets Ava down, and she runs over to my parents. “So do you; I love your dress.”
Aubrey is wearing an emerald green wrap dress with silver spiky heels. Chance’s dad is dressed the same as him, tuxes with no ties. My man comes up and wraps his arm around my waist. “Are you ready?”
I nod. He helps get me loaded into the backseat of
