"Natalia,” she said, grinning. “She helped me pick it out. I knew your Jeep was in the shop and you wanted a new one. Are you mad?”
“Mad? You must be kidding,” I said, laughing, and picked her up in my arms, twirling her around. “I love it. You are crazy, you know that? Baby, this is the best present I have ever received. You are amazing. I love you so much.” She held me tight and I captured her lips in a hot kiss. “Umm,” I groaned. “You taste so sweet, baby.”
Horns were honking while I devoured her juicy lips, but I did not care. I wanted the world to know how much she meant to me. A few minutes later, we broke apart and I placed her back on the ground. “I was nervous you would think it was too much,” she admitted. “I want you to be happy, Yankee. Seeing you happy makes me happy.” I looked down into her big amber eyes and the love that I had for her overflowed. She was sweet, loving, and kind. Sometimes I got insecure over her wealth, but I knew that she had the biggest heart. It was why I loved her so much.
“You’re wonderful,” I said, caressing her face. Then I glanced at my watch and it was four thirty. “Let’s go before we’re late for dinner. Where’s this fancy restaurant?”
She gave me a sneaky look. “I canceled the reservations because we’re going to your folks’ for dinner. Natalia told me that your mom already made your favorite meal and baked a cake. So hop in your new ride and drive me over there, Yankee.”
Dallas was awesome. If I wasn’t in love with her already, then I would be. I was so happy right now. “You’re incredible,” I said, feeling choked up. “This is the best birthday ever. Let’s go. I can’t wait to drive her.”
“Here, darlin’,” she drawled, handing me the key fob. “All the paperwork is in the glove compartment. Let’s hit the road.”
I took the key fob and lifted her up in my arms, carrying her to the front passenger side. I opened the door and put her inside. She was beaming at me. I couldn’t wait for my brothers’ reaction when they saw me pulling up in this new ride. It was going to blow their minds. I hopped in the driver’s seat, put my foot on the brakes, and pressed the push button to start the truck. It roared to life, and adrenaline rushed through my veins. I inhaled the new-car scent and looked around the interior of the truck. Damn, Dallas went all out. Black leather seats, tinted windows, and a navigation system. The truck had everything.
“Baby, I still can’t believe that you got this for me. It’s unreal,” I said, glancing over at her as I gripped the steering wheel. “Wait until the guys see this. They’re going to think that I won the lottery.” Having her in my life was better than winning any lottery. Knowing that she loved me as much as I loved her was the best gift.
“Anything for you, Yankee,” she said, reaching over to kiss me softly on the lips. “Let’s go. Drive this baby.”
“Hell yeah,” I shouted as I put the truck in drive and peeled out of the parking space. The horsepower on this thing was incredible. A few minutes later, I pulled up in front of my parents’ house. My brothers were playing basketball as usual in the front. It was cold outside, but it didn’t stop them. I glanced over at a smiling Dallas after I parked the truck. “You ready to meet my parents?” She nodded, and I reached across to kiss her quickly on her luscious lips. I moved back and reached for the car door, but Dallas laid her hands on my coat sleeve to stop me.
“I hope they like me,” she drawled, looking nervous. “Natalia told me that your mom never liked your past girlfriends.”
“What?” My brows shot up. “Nat told you that? I can’t believe her.”
“It’s okay, suga,” she said, touching me. “It was when I first met her, and she was telling me about y’all.”
Damn my big-mouthed sister. Now Dallas looked all tense. “Baby, I don’t know what Nat’s talking about. I rarely brought any girls home. Maybe one or two back in high school, and she knew Kelly since then.” I squeezed her hand, trying to make her comfortable. I was so annoyed with Nat. I had to speak with her about blurting things out to Dallas.
“It’s all right, Yankee; she didn’t mean any harm. Let’s go inside now. I’ll be fine.” I felt bad she was worrying about meeting my mom. Dallas was classy, and I knew my mom would be blown away by her. It irked me that Nat would talk about me in a negative way to her.
“Okay,” I sighed. Dallas had a way of making me feel better about things. “I won’t be too hard on her. Stay right there, I’ll open the door.”
She nodded as I jumped out of my new truck. Yeah, my new truck. As I walked around to open the door, I heard my knucklehead brothers calling out my name.
“Franco, whose ride is this?” they said, walking over to admire the shiny new vehicle. “Man, this baby is hot,” Patrick said, touching the shiny grille. I walked around and opened the door for Dallas. She held on to my hands and hopped down.
“Hello, Dallas,” Gino and Sean said, kissing her on the cheeks.
“Hey, boys,” she said, giving them hugs. “It’s good seeing y’all. You like the truck?”
“Hells yeah,” they said, walking over to touch it. “This ride is awesome.”
“Hi, Dallas,” Patrick said, giving her a quick hug. “Is this your truck?”
She shook her head and peeked over at me. I smiled at my brothers as they gawked at me. It felt good to deliver this news to them. “It’s my ride.” I smiled and glanced over at Dallas.
“Get out,” they cried out, mouths hanging open.
“You are shitting me,” Patrick said. “Stop playing around, Franco. You can’t afford a truck like this.” I chuckled as they admired the truck.
“It’s true, boys,” Dallas chimed in, and they glanced over at her in shock. “It’s a birthday gift from me.”
I bent over in laughter as their mouths dropped open again from the news. “No way,” Patrick said, walking over next to us, looking stunned. “You got to be kidding me. I always wanted a ride like this. Can you adopt me, Dallas?” My girl burst out laughing at Patrick’s remark.
“Sure, suga,” she drawled, her beautiful big eyes dancing with amusement.
“Let’s go inside and leave these clowns out here,” I said, taking her hand and leading her towards the house. Glittering lights were strung all around the property. My mom liked to have the best-decorated house in the neighborhood. As I reached for the front door, it swung open, and Nat screamed when she saw us.
“Dallas, you’re here,” she said, running over to hug her. “I’m so glad that you came.” She glanced over at me with a cunning smile. “Happy Birthday, big brother. I see that you got your wonderful present. Thanks to your sister.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Nat,” I said, and reached over to mess with her hair on purpose; I knew she hated it. It was payback for opening her big mouth and getting my girl all worked up.
“Get away, Franco,” she protested, moving out of my reach. “You are such an ass. I swear. Dallas, you see what I have to put up with?”
“Suga, I go through the same thing with my crazy brothers.” Dallas chuckled and poked me in the side. “Be nice.”
“Hey,” I complained, reaching over to tickle her. “Baby, don’t tell me you’re siding with her?” She tried to move away as I tickled her some more.
“Yankee,” she shouted, trying to get away from me. “Stop it.” I was in a playful mood and laughed as she ran away from me to hide behind Nat. I moved my sister out of the way and grabbed Dallas around the waist.
“I got you now, baby,” I said, laughing as I held her close. “You can’t get away from me.” I was about to kiss her when I heard my mom’s voice in the background.
“What’s all this commotion out here?” she said, stepping outside the door. She turned to look at me and then noticed that I wasn’t alone. She glanced over at Dallas in shock. “Oh my God. Dallas? It’s so good to finally meet you.”
“Howdy, Mrs. Donnelly,” she said, shyly extending her hand. “It’s nice meeting you too. Aunt Dez talks about you all the time, and so does Franco.”
&
nbsp; I was happy when my mom reached over to hug her instead of shaking her hand. My girl looked over at me with smiling eyes. “You make my son happy,” my mom said, stepping back. “Come on inside to meet my husband, John. The boys talk about you all the time. They told me how beautiful you are. You have the nicest accent too. I love it.” My mom went on chatting to Dallas and took her by the arm, leading her into the house. Nat smiled over at me and gave me the thumbs up.
I felt good inside because my mom had welcomed Dallas with open arms. Nat was right when she said Mom usually gave all our girlfriends or whoever we saw hell. However, the way she embraced Dallas was a good sign. It was the best birthday ever. I was having Sunday dinner with the love of my life with my family. Someone pinch me. A year ago, my life was unremarkable. I was just another single guy hanging out with my boys and dating random chicks. Now I had new dreams and hopes because of Dallas.
Chapter Eighteen
Dallas, a few days later
It had been a crazy week since my family came to town. Daddy bought tickets for the Broadway show Motown, we went ice-skating at Rockefeller Center, and drove upstate to get a tree for the penthouse. The girls and I went Christmas shopping on Fifth Avenue to do some last- minute purchases. It was Christmas morning, and everyone would be coming to dinner at the penthouse with the exception of Aunt Dez. She would be working on Christmas Day, and I was disappointed when Janique informed me. So much for trying to get the entire family together in one place.
On a brighter note, we were going to Aspen for New Year’s Eve. I wasn’t sure if Franco would be able to come with us. He had such a crazy schedule and hadn’t met my folks yet since he had been doing doubles. We hadn’t been alone since his birthday, and I ached to be with him. God, I miss him something crazy. He would finally meet them today when he came over for Christmas dinner. I knew deep down he was putting off meeting them. I understood, but I wanted him to meet my parents and Mama Mabel. Not Mama so much, but it couldn’t be avoided.
I was a nervous wreck when I met his folks on his birthday. The worrying was for nothing, as his mama was sweet. She was such a tiny little thing. Heck, I didn’t know how she gave birth to all those giants on her tiny frame, but after meeting their daddy, I would be smitten too. He was handsome and charming like his sons.
Later that afternoon, I was in the foyer, waiting for Franco. I was adjusting the straps to my red Christian Dior satin minidress when the elevator door opened up. My breath caught in my throat as I took in how stunning Franco looked. He wore a long, black dress coat with black slacks and a blue fitted shirt. I rushed over to greet him and he wrapped his arms around me.
“Merry Christmas baby, you’re so beautiful,” he said, gazing at me. His green eyes darkened with desire as he took in my appearance. “I love that dress. It looks sexy on you.” My cheeks turned crimson from his compliments. He always made me feel special. “Let me look at you,” he said, taking my hand and twirling me around in a circle.
“You don’t look so bad yourself, darlin’,” I said, moving back into his strong arms. “I missed you so much, and Merry Christmas.”
“I missed you too, baby,” he said, kissing my forehead, my nose, and then capturing my lips in a heated kiss that had my insides tingling.
Franco
God, it feels good kissing Dallas. My cock hardened when I saw her in that skimpy red dress and fuck-me heels. She was the hottest freaking woman. I knew her family was waiting inside, but I could not help kissing her. I missed her so damn much and had not seen her since my birthday. I had been working hard because I wanted to be off for the holidays. She had been busy running around with her family too. Right now, I was in heaven devouring her juicy lips, and was interrupted when someone called out her name. We broke the kiss, and I glanced up to see one of the twins. They looked the same, so I could not tell which one was smirking at us.
“Now I know what’s taking you so long to get inside,” he said, eyes twinkling. “You two better get on in here before Daddy comes out with his shotgun.”
“Be quiet, Holden,” she said, pouting. “I’m a grown woman now and we ain’t in Texas.”
“What’s this about a shotgun?” I asked, lifting my brows. I looked at Dallas and Holden, who walked over to join us.
“Daddy used to bring out his shotgun to run off all her little boyfriends,” Holden jumped in before Dallas could respond.
“Shut up!” Dallas smacked him on the shoulder. “Don’t listen to him, Franco.”
“You know it’s true,” he continued messing with her. I was afraid to meet her dad now that I heard this new information. “Hell, he ran off that cheating scumbag Hank with his shotgun when he tried breaking into Dallas’s condo back in Texas.”
My brows creased together when I heard what the asshole did to her. My girl did not mention it. I glanced over at her and her face turned beet red when Holden dropped this little bombshell. I wonder what else the motherfucker did that she hadn’t told me about.
“Stop running your mouth, Holden.” Dallas interrupted him and pulled me away. “Let’s go inside, suga. Don't pay him any mind. He just wanna stir up trouble.” Her amber eyes looked stormy when she glanced over at him. “Holden, you’re getting on my last nerve. Go back inside now.”
“My bad,” Holden said, looking apologetic as he held out his fist to bump mine. “I did not mean to spill the beans. Thought you knew about it.”
“It’s all good, bro,” I said, trying to calm the situation. “Baby, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it. It’s in the past. Let’s go inside to celebrate.” She glanced over at me with a little smile, but I could tell she was peeved.
“Sorry, sis,” Holden said, trying to hug her, but she pushed him away. “Come on now, Dallas, don’t be getting all worked up. I didn't mean any harm. I was just messing with you.”
She ignored him and pulled me towards the living area. “We’ll talk later, Holden. Yankee, are you ready to meet the rest of the family?” She gazed over at me, smiling. “I hope Holden didn’t scare you with his nonsense.”
“I heard that, Dallas,” Holden said, pulling a strand of her hair and then running inside. I shook my head and smiled at their antics. Her brothers messed around with her like we did with Nat.
I kissed her and wrapped my arms around her waist as we walked towards the living area. Shit, I still have her Christmas present in my pocket. Holden interrupted us before I could give it to her.
I halted and dug into my coat pocket for the box. She looked at me, her brows creased. “Here’s your present, gorgeous,” I said, looking into her big eyes. “Merry Christmas.”
“Oh, Yankee!” she exclaimed, looking surprised, and then took the box. When she tore the wrapping off it, I was a little anxious and watched her open the box. I hoped she liked it. It was something I knew she did not have. Hell, she had everything else. It was hard getting a gift for a rich woman. She gasped when she saw what was inside, and tears sprang into her eyes.
“Franco, it’s beautiful,” she whispered, taking out the platinum heart-shaped locket. I bought it at Tiffany’s with her name engraved in small diamonds. I had to dip into my savings to get this gift, but she was worth every penny. She opened the locket, revealing a photo of us back in Vermont on the ski slope. “Oh gosh. Darlin’, I love it.” She jumped into my arms. I held her close as happiness spread through me. I wanted her to have a reminder of our trip. “This is the best present. I love you.”
“I love you too, baby,” I whispered, stepping back to look into her eyes. “I’m glad you like it. Woman, it’s hard getting a gift for you.” She chuckled in that sexy voice of hers and my cock stirred. I needed to control myself around her. I felt like a freaking teenager again.
“Can you put it on for me?” She handed it to me. “I want to wear it now.”
“Sure, baby,” I said as she lifted her hair. I placed the locket around her neck, securing it. “It looks great on you.”
“Really?” she said, touching it and wa
lking over to the mirror. “Suga, it’s exquisite. You’re so wonderful.” I loved putting a smile on her gorgeous face. “Let’s go eat dinner now before someone else comes out to get us,” she said, taking my hand and leading me into the living area.
Chapter Nineteen
Franco
My jaw dropped when I entered the room. There was an eight-foot sparkling Christmas tree in the corner, and the decorations throughout the room glittered. The room looked like it belonged in a magazine; it was hard to believe they did it so quick. “Wow, baby, it looks amazing in here. Who decorated this place?”
“We decorated the tree. The rest was done by the company that remodeled the penthouse,” she said, smiling over at me. “I’m glad you like it. Come meet my folks.”
I followed her into another area where a group of well-dressed people gathered. My insecurities crept upon me again, but I felt better when I spotted Janique and Tyree. Good, familiar faces. Janique rushed over towards us when she saw me. She wore a tight green minidress with high heels and a short auburn wig. Janique was famous for her wigs. The girl wore a new one almost every day. I could not keep track.
“Franco, you made it,” she squealed. “Merry Christmas, and you look great.”
“Thanks, Janique,” I said, giving her a peck on the cheek. “You look cute.” She blushed. “Is your mom here too?”
“No, she’s working overtime again,” she said, looking pensive.
“Wow, I thought she would be here with your family on Christmas,” I said, frowning. I noticed that she and Dallas exchanged a look between them. I could sense that something was off, and before she could answer, Tyree came over with Holt Jr., and I saw the difference between the twins now. When I saw Holden earlier, he wore a different outfit. Holt Jr. had on his signature black cowboy hat and boots.
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