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I fought a smile. I was quickly realizing that when Gino wanted something, he got it.

“Fine. I’ll text it to you.”

“Good girl. I’ll see you in a bit. Let me know if it’s anything specific you need.”

Before I could process how the words good girl made my core tingle, the phone hung up.

From out of nowhere, it seemed I got a small bit of energy because I hopped up and looked at myself in the full-length mirror in the corner of my room. My long, black, silky hair sat at the top of my head in a messy bun. It wasn’t the sexiest style, but I wasn’t going for sexy. I looked cute with my matching pajama set, the shorts stopping a few inches above my knees. I didn’t look inappropriate, so I decided to go with it. There was no need for me to exude more energy and change and try to look good for a man that wasn’t mine.

Slowly, I made my way to the living room. The black sectional was cluttered with blankets and books. The perk of living alone was that I could be as messy as I wanted to be, but I wanted to straighten up in case Gino came in. Knowing him, he would, and he would probably act like the place was his too.

I snorted at that thought as I straightened up. When I finished, I sat on the couch with a bottle of water, exhaustion taking over me once again. With my head leaned onto the back of the couch, I dozed off. I didn’t know how long I was asleep before the doorbell startled me awake. I hopped up and walked toward the door. When I opened it, Gino was on the other side with a paper bag in one hand and his arm wrapped around a large teddy bear in the other.

“What . . . is all this?” I asked as I stepped aside to let him in.

As I expected, he walked into my house like he owned it. Since my home was on one level and fairly small, he easily found the living room. I trailed behind him and watched as he discarded the items on the coffee table and couch before he turned to me and looked me over. “What are you doin’ out of bed?”

My lips turned down. “The doorbell rang . . .”

He grunted as if that was another issue he needed to fix. “Come. Sit.”

I followed his instructions and sat down on the couch as I watched in amusement as he slowly took out the items from the bag. While he did that, I asked, “What’s the bear for?”

He stopped and grinned as he picked up the bear that was almost bigger than me and handed it to me. I hugged it to me and giggled.

“You needed it.”

“For what exactly?” I stifled another laugh.

He shrugged. “Ain’t that what girls like when they don’t feel well?”

I shrugged with a grin plastered on my face. The gesture was so sweet, and I could definitely see myself cuddling up to this gigantic stuffed animal every night.

“It’s cute. Thank you.” My smile fell slightly. “Are you sure all this is okay? I don’t know if you’ve noticed. Aniya isn’t really a fan of mine.”

The face Gino made was indistinguishable. Disgust? Irritation? Loathing? I couldn’t place it, but I definitely didn’t expect him to look like that at the mention of his wife.

He stopped taking items out of the large bag and sat down next to me on the sectional. “I know this shit gotta feel weird since she’s ya boss and all, but I ain’t gonna be married to her ass much longer, just keepin’ it a buck wit’ you, and before you get to worryin’ about yo’ job, I own the company. Not Aniya. Yo’ job is always safe.”

My jaw dropped. I didn’t know what I expected him to say, but that wasn’t it. Paris’s words from earlier rolled through my head. That woman’s discernment was on point, that was for sure.

Just to make things crystal clear, I had to ask one more question. I crossed my arms over my chest. “And I’m supposed to be your rebound?”

His head reared back as if I had slapped him. “You could never be a rebound. This ain’t that.”

“Then what is it? You’ve always been kind to me, but today has been . . . extra. Nice, but extra. It feels like we’re crossing some imaginary line.”

He chuckled as he swiped his thumb across his nose. “You don’t know me very well yet, Yaya, but it’s cool. You will. Kind ain’t a word people use to describe me. How I am wit’ you is different from anyone, including Aniya. You might have felt a shift today because I decided to stop tiptoeing around my feelings for you, but I’ve always fucked wit’ you in a different way. This ain’t a rebound situation. It’s fate, and it’s a long time comin’, but it ain’t a rebound. You don’t even realize you been my favorite girl for a minute. And I don’t mean that like I got a whole string of women. That ain’t even the case at all. I just mean you really my favorite person without even trying.”

My head spun. Feelings? Fate? Favorite girl? He spoke such big words that held weight and settled right into my heart. I shook my head. “I genuinely don’t know what to say.”

He shrugged and grabbed a to-go box from the coffee table that he’d taken out of the bag. “Here. Eat this. It’s been six hours and forty-three minutes since you last ate. Not a good look, Yaya.”

“How do you know I haven’t eaten in six hours?”

“And forty-three minutes,” he corrected.

“Right. How do you know?”