Finally Us (Next Generation Book 5)

by J. M. Walker

  “But why? Why would someone go through all that trouble? Why would they try and hurt us?” A lump formed in my throat. “Why would they take our phones and burn down my house?”

  “I’ll get us new phones.” Vince wrapped an arm around my shoulders, leaning his forehead against the side of my head. “I don’t know any more than that, but I promise we will find out.”

  “When we’re given the go-ahead, we’ll check out the house,” Dad said, looking at Stone.

  “Fucking hell.” Stone ran a hand over his head.

  Creena started pacing. “I’ve been retired for years but I’ll come back. I’ll find this fucker who hurt you kids. I’ll…”

  Stone went up to his wife and pulled her into his arms, mumbling something low to her.

  Her shoulders slumped.

  A look passed between Vince and I. I didn’t know what Creena meant by her coming out of retirement but I was sure that I didn’t want to know.

  “Maybe one of the houses nearby has security cameras that picked up something,” Stone suggested. “I’ll mention it to the police if they haven’t tried that already.”

  While my dad and Stone continued talking about their plans to try and figure out what had happened, my energy level dwindled. I just wanted to go home and curl up in my bed but now I couldn’t do that.

  “Come home with me,” Vince suggested.

  “I don’t have anything. I have…” I swallowed hard. “I have nothing.”

  All eyes turned to me that time.

  “Take whatever you need from your room here,” Mom offered. “But I do suggest getting some rest before you go through your things.”

  I only nodded. I was too tired to argue.

  “Come.” Vince stood. “I’ll tuck you in.”

  I gave my parents both a hug, along with Vince’s mom and dad.

  “I like you for him,” Creena murmured in my ear as she squeezed me tight. “I wouldn’t want him with anyone else.” She cupped my stomach. “Thank you.”

  My eyes welled. I could only nod for fear that I would be a blubbering mess if I tried to voice my thoughts.

  “Sleep well, kiddo,” Stone said, giving me a small smile.

  I thanked him and let Vince walk me to my bedroom. “I want to go home,” I told Vince once we were in my room.

  He closed the door behind him and came toward me, wrapping me up in his strong arms. “Move in with me.”

  “What?” I wasn’t sure why I was surprised. I was having his baby and all. It only made sense that moving in together would be the next step.

  “I have room for a nursery.” Vince kissed my forehead. “And I want you in my bed. I want you in my home. I want your things in my bathroom and dresser. I want your touch. Everywhere.”

  I cupped his nape and gripped his shirt with my other hand. “I want that too.”

  “Really?” he asked, lifting his head.

  “Yes.” I stood on tiptoes and kissed him softly on the mouth. “I love you.”

  Vince slid his hands down my back to my ass, pulling me flush against him. “Say that again.”

  A breathless laugh escaped me at the deep vibrato of his voice. “I love you, baby.”

  “Fuck.” He dug his fingers into the flesh of my rear, lifting me into his arms. “I need you, but we shouldn’t. Not here.”

  “Why not?” I licked up the length of his throat. “Make us feel better.”

  He shivered, placing me gently on my bed. “No. Get some sleep and then you can come home with me later. I’ll take care of your sweet pussy then.”

  I sighed, brushing my fingers along his mouth. “Lay with me then? Until I fall asleep?”

  Vince nodded, lying down beside me and pulling me against him. “I love you, Queenie.” He kissed the side of my neck. “I love you so fucking much.”

  I woke with a start.

  “Gigi?”

  I jumped, my head whipping around. Vince was sitting up, a deep frown settling between his brows.

  I scrubbed a hand down my face, not realizing I had fallen asleep and so quickly. The remnants from the nightmare sat deep inside me. Although I couldn’t remember what the dream was about, I could still feel the fear crawling along my skin like tiny spiders.

  “You’re fine.” He kissed my shoulder. “I promise you’re fine.”

  I nodded, blowing out a slow breath. “Take me home. Please, Vince. I just need to move on.”

  “Did you want to grab stuff from here?” he asked, leaving my bed. “And then we’ll go get new phones before we head home.”

  “Okay.” I went to my closet to grab a bag and started packing a few things. I would have to buy more but this would do for now. When I was done, Vince and I left my room.

  Our parents were still sitting around the dining room table. They looked up when we approached.

  “Did you get some rest?” Mom asked me.

  “A little. I’m going to go home with Vince,” I said as he came up behind me. “Actually, I’m going to move in with him.”

  “Good.” She hugged me tight. “It’s about time.”

  I laughed lightly. “I love you.”

  She leaned back, cupping my cheek. “I love you too, sweetheart.”

  “If you find anything at the house that’s worth saving, can you set it aside for me please?” I asked Dad and Stone. “I don’t know if I can go over there right now.”

  Dad nodded. “Of course.”

  “We’ll get to the bottom of this,” Stone said, rising from the chair. “We should go too,” he told his wife.

  After another round of hugs, Vince’s parents drove us to get new cell phones before we headed to the apartment building that would now be my new home as well.

  “We got this, Queenie,” Vince murmured in my ear as I gripped my bag tight in my arms. “Here.”

  I looked down, seeing a key in his open palm.

  “I have a spare key since Rory and Mason moved out.” He placed it in my hand, curling my fingers around it before bringing our hands up to his mouth. He kissed my knuckles, that soft touch sending a flutter of desire unfurling deep in my belly.

  I chewed my bottom lip, unable to respond. What could I even say? Someone burnt down my house with Vince and I inside it. The only good thing that came out of this was that it gave us a shove to confess our feelings for each other. Finally. After all this time. And now we were moving in together.

  I believed that everything happened for a reason but my house burning down, was a bit extreme.

  After his parents dropped us off, Vince and I walked hand in hand down the hall leading to his apartment.

  “I haven’t been here since the night of your birthday,” I told him.

  “That was a good night.” Vince waggled his eyebrows.

  My heart stuttered. “It really was. That was when I realized how controlling you are in bed and I liked it. I liked it a lot.”

  Vince kissed my cheek. “I know.” He unlocked the door to his apartment. “I have a surprise for you.” He pushed open the door and stepped aside, letting me enter first.

  “A surprise? You didn’t have to do that.” I went into his home and placed my bag on the floor by the door.

  “Look.” Vince shut the door behind him and clicked the lock into place. He pointed to the spot above his TV.

  I looked in the direction he was pointing, my eyes widening. I walked closer to the picture hanging from the wall. “That’s me.” It was an image of me changing out of my shoes and into my ballet slippers. On one foot I was wearing my Converse and the other foot was in a ballet slipper. The image was in black and white with a hint of pink in it. You couldn’t see my face, but the picture was stunning.

  “I took it one night when you were practicing. You put on your slippers but never danced and took them off shortly after.”

  My throat went dry. “I know. It’s been hard for me to pick up ballet again.”

  “I know that, baby. You won’t get any pressure from me, but I know you’ll pick i
t up again whenever you’re ready.” He walked past me and headed into the kitchen. “I have another surprise for you, but you’ll see it when you go up to the loft.” He came back a moment later with a bottle of water in hand. He handed it to me, giving me a small smile.

  “Thank you.” I took it from him. “I never thought this day would come.”

  “What? Moving in together?”

  I nodded, looking out at the vast room before me. “Something told me that we would end up together, but I just wasn’t expecting everything that’s happened to…well…happen.”

  “I know.” He held out his hand. “Come. Let’s get you settled.”

  I took his hand, letting him lead me up the stairs to his room.

  ***

  (Vince)

  “I like you in my space,” I told Gigi later that night while we were sitting in bed.

  “Me too.” She rolled onto her side, placing her hand on my chest. “Thank you. For everything.”

  I kissed her forehead. “You don’t have to thank me for anything, Queenie. It’s my job.”

  Gigi gave me a small smile, a flush hitting her cheeks. She sat up, pulling the photo album that was resting on the bed, onto her lap. “I can’t believe you’ve taken all of these pictures. I don’t even remember half of them.”

  “I wanted it to be a surprise for you.” I pulled her back into my arms, watching her flip through the pages.

  Each image was black and white. It was of her and I or just her. Some were sexual. Some were downright filthy. Others were sweet. It showcased our time together and I would keep adding images to it throughout the rest of our lives. I found that my favorite picture I had taken of her was when she was wearing a red bra and panty set under one of my white dress shirts. The buttons weren’t done up so you could see her swollen stomach. It was erotic in the way she looked sexy as hell but at the same time, it was sweet with the way she was cupping her stomach and looked down at our little bundle she was growing.

  “I like this one.” Gigi brushed her finger over an image of us. She was smiling. My hand was fisted in her hair and my mouth was against her ear. I had been muttering dirty words to her and took a picture as soon as I thrust into her body.

  “I like it too.”

  She looked up at me then. “You’re talented, Vince. I’m surprised you didn’t go to school for this.”

  “Nah. You’re my muse, babe, and you’re the only one I want to take pictures of.” I cupped her stomach. “Until our baby is born anyway.”

  Gigi closed the album and placed it on the end table. “Tell me a bedtime story.”

  I pulled her into my arms, her back to my front. “Once upon a time, a boy fell in love with a girl. They had some hard times, but their love conquered all. They created a new life together and lived happily ever after.”

  “And had tons of sex,” Gigi added. “The end.”

  I chuckled, pushing her onto her back. “Is that so?”

  “Yes.” She giggled, cupping my face. “Now make love to me.”

  She didn’t have to tell me twice.

  Gigi

  I was almost in my eighth month of pregnancy and huge as a whale but at the same time, loved the added weight just the same. Especially when Vince couldn’t keep his hands off of me.

  We had been living together for a while but you would think we had been living together for longer. We easily fell into a routine. We each had our quirks but nothing that was super annoying like I had heard about with some couples. Fact was, I loved living with him, and I knew that he loved even more that I was constantly around. It was like the further along in my pregnancy I became, the more we had sex.

  “I never thought that you being pregnant would turn me on.” Vince nipped the side of my breast. “But the fact that you’re carrying my child makes me want to rip you open and fuck more babies into you.”

  I smiled to myself at the memory of his dirty words. His need to claim me even though there was no reason for him to be worried. It wasn’t like I was going anywhere.

  My house hadn’t been salvageable. The burnt debris was torn down and the land was cleaned up. Another family bought the property and began building their own house. It was surreal how one bad thing led to Vince and I finally confessing our love for each other.

  The police weren’t any closer to finding out who had set my house on fire, but they did determine that it had been arson. We already knew that, but it still didn’t make me feel any better to have that little fact confirmed.

  I couldn’t work as much as I used to. I would teach as often as I could but found that I couldn’t stand on my feet for long once my ankles started swelling, but I tried not to complain. I eventually hired another teacher to take my place while I was off on maternity leave and so I wouldn’t have to shut the business down during that time.

  I was able to teach the girls from Rouge their routine and even though I couldn’t dance with them like they had wanted, they pulled it off and left Candace in tears at the thoughtful gift. It was amazing to see my routine up on stage like that and I promised the girls that once the baby was born and the doctor gave me the go-ahead, I would do a routine with them. I just wouldn’t tell Vince until it actually happened.

  One evening after I had cleaned up the apartment, I was cooking dinner for Vince and I. The baby was craving pasta, so I made us one of my dad’s famous dishes that he used to cook for us as kids.

  Vince had spent the past few weeks with the guys fixing up the center, so we hadn’t been able to spend much time alone. A bad storm had rolled in that knocked down a tree and blew off a few shingles. No one had been hurt thankfully. But tonight, he would be home, and we had the whole evening together.

  My phone suddenly rang, startling me. Vince’s handsome face flashed across the screen. “Hi,” I answered.

  “Hey, Queenie. How’s my girl?”

  “Good. I’m cooking for you.”

  “Naked?”

  I laughed, looking down at myself. “No. But I am wearing just a tank top and little shorts.”

  “Good enough for me.” He chuckled.

  “Supper’s almost done.”

  “I’m on my way home. I was going to stop by the bakery and pick up dessert.”

  “Oh wonderful.” I gave him a list of pastries that I wanted.

  “Okay, I’ll stop there, grab what you want, and then be on my way home.”

  “Thank you.” We said our goodbyes and disconnected the call. About ten minutes later, the door to the apartment opened. “You got here fast,” I called out, dishing the pasta. It was perfect timing actually. He must have hit every green light. “Did you grab the donuts Meadow had set aside for me?” I placed the plates on the table when the hairs on the back of my neck tingled.

  I glanced up, a gasp escaping me. I backed up a step. “Tenise.”

  She was holding a pistol, aiming it directly at me.

  “What are you doing here?” I continued until I hit the bookshelf behind me. “How did you get in?”

  Her eyes were wild as they moved back and forth over my face. They dropped to my stomach, something flashing behind them. “How far along are you?”

  I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to answer but at the same time, I didn’t want to do anything that would cause her to pull the trigger. “Almost eight months.”

  She nodded, looking around her. “You live here now.”

  “I do,” I said, even though it hadn’t been a question.

  She nodded again. “Rory broke up with me.”

  “I-I heard that but that was months ago.” What did she want?

  Her dark eyes landed on me. “Did you fuck him too? You probably fucked all of them.”

  “Excuse me?” I was taken aback by her question. “I didn’t sleep with Rory or Mason if that’s who you mean.”

  “No. I asked if you fucked him. Not if you slept with him.” Tenise moved to the dining room table and sat.

  “What do you want, Tenise? We haven’t seen or even heard f
rom you in months. What’s going on? Why now? Why not before?” I tried controlling the fear trembling in my voice, but truth was, I was terrified. Especially for my baby.

  The way Tenise kept glancing at my stomach made me realize that she was jealous. She longed for something she couldn’t have and a part of me felt sorry for her because of that.

  “I want Vince.” She looked at me then. “You willing to give him to me?”

  “What?” My eyes widened. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I am serious. You asked me why it took so long for me to come around. For me to do this.” She waved a hand between us. “Truth is, I knew you were pregnant. That last time I saw you at Rory’s place. You tried hiding your bump but you didn’t do a good job of it.” She sat forward, her brows narrowing in the center. “I want Vince to suffer. He took Rory from me. So I’m going to take you and your baby from him.”

  “Vince had nothing to do with Rory breaking up with you.”

  “No?” She laughed. “Doesn’t matter. What does matter is now that your baby is big enough, you could give birth now and probably be fine. But that’s not going to happen. Vince is going to suffer. He’s spent these months getting used to the idea of having a baby coming. So have you. I wonder what would happen if I popped his little dream.”

  I swallowed hard.

  She sat back, placing the pistol on the table beside the plate of food in front of her. “You should sit and eat. Gotta feed that baby of yours. Is it Vince’s? I heard you were a slut and fucked around with half the guys in the city. You probably fucked Rory and Mason too. Maybe all three of them at the same time, like some sick gangbang.”

  I wasn’t sure why she kept bringing up Rory and Mason. I had only met them a handful of times since making things official with Vince. But we never actually hung out. In time I knew we would because they were Vince’s best friends, but they had been busy with work. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “No?” She laughed. “You’re a slut.”