Back to Life Series Box Set

by Danielle Allen

  My body shook with the force of my gasp as he slipped the diamond on my finger.

  “I’m not asking you to marry me. I’m asking you to continue building your life with me. If at some point you want to get married, we will. If you just want to be my fiancé for the rest of our lives, we’ll do that. Because I’m not going anywhere. You’re it for me.”

  I looked at the beautiful princess cut diamond and then back into the eyes of the man that I loved, the only man for me.

  Before I could say anything, CJ took hold of my face and kissed me tenderly. Pressing his forehead to mine, he stared deep into my eyes. “And from this point forward, I want New Year’s Eve to remind you that you have a man who loves, respects, and worships you. I want New Year’s Eve to remind you that you’re safe. Because I want you forever and I want you to go into the New Year knowing that.”

  Silence stretched between us as I opened my mouth and closed it a couple of times trying to rein in my emotions.

  The countdown started with people yelling “ten” at the top of their lungs. I felt like the countdown wasn’t just to ring in the New Year, but also to ring in a new future, a new memory, a new association with a day I thought would always be marred with the stench of a failed marriage. CJ offered me more than here and now. I could see in his eyes, he was offering me a lifetime—if I was willing to take it.

  I didn’t think I could love him more than I did in that moment and that both scared and exhilarated me.

  CJ trapped me between the railing and his body again with anxiety swimming in his eyes. “I want you as my fiancé. I want you forever.”

  Just before the countdown ended, I placed my hand on his chest, over his heart. “Forever isn’t long enough.”

  Chapter 27

  Emily Mills

  Thursday, January 12th – 8:08pm

  Three Years After The Proposal

  In a white dress shirt, black slacks, and a black tie, the only way to describe CJ Addo was hot as fire and fine as wine.

  Damn.

  I paused at the entrance and tilted my head to the side as I eyed CJ’s profile. He was speaking to the two managers who were working that night and had no idea that I was eye-fucking him.

  “Okay, let’s have a good night,” he concluded loudly, clapping his hands together.

  The managers smiled, saying something I didn’t quite catch before they headed toward the back of the building.

  CJ turned toward his office, but before he took a step, he stopped abruptly. His eyes lit up with excitement and then darkened with want.

  My stomach flipped.

  The soft click of my heels could just barely be heard over the sound of December staff members shuffling around in preparation to open for the night. As I made my way toward him, his eyes swept over my body, heating me to my core. Adding an extra sway to the movement in my hips, I let the black leather coat slide down my arms revealing the winter white dress. Skin-tight and low-cut, the dress made CJ’s jaw drop.

  Folding the coat over my forearm, I bit my lip to keep from grinning at him as I slowed to a stop a foot away from him.

  Mission accomplished.

  Even after five years together, the look he gave me when he’d see me unexpectedly still gave me chills. It was a mixture of wonder, longing, and love.

  “Emily,” CJ uttered huskily. His eyes pinged all over my body. “Damn baby… You, wow.”

  Basking in the glow of his brazen ogling, I did a slow spin. “So you like?”

  When I was facing him again, there was no mistaking the look in his eyes. He took a step, closing the gap between us. His hands cupped my cheeks and then his fingers slid back until he tangled them in my dark, wavy tresses. Bringing his lips to mine, he answered, “I don’t like. I love.”

  Before I could respond, he pressed his lips against mine and delivered a slow, sexy kiss that made my panties wet and my nipples harden. That wasn’t just a ‘hello’ kiss.

  I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him closer. He groaned into my mouth and then gripped my hair tighter. Pulling away slightly, he dropped several lingering kisses against my lips.

  “Your staff is probably watching this unprofessional public display of affection,” I breathed, smiling up at him.

  “I stopped caring what they thought the moment I laid eyes on you.” His lips brushed mine again before he stepped back out of my embrace. Intertwining his fingers with mine, he continued, “What did I do to earn this surprise? I thought you were packing for Thomasville tonight.”

  “I packed already.” I didn’t care that the staff was around as I lifted up on my toes and kissed him again. I was feeling giddy. “And you earned a lot more than just this.”

  CJ tugged on my hand, pulling me flush against his chest when I attempted to back away. I giggled, but when his lips grazed my ear, I sucked in a sharp breath.

  “Does this dress mean you changed your mind about sex in my office during club hours?” He whispered so softly that his warm breath tickled my skin.

  I swallowed hard because after almost being caught the year before, I’d nixed office sex. Well, office sex at December was out—we still had sex at my office at both the Thomasville and Atlanta Studio E. But the way he looked at me, kissed me, and touched me made me reconsider.

  No. Focus.

  I shook off the waves of want that threatened to distract me from what I came to tell him. Even though I kept holding his hand, I took a step away from him.

  “Am I having an effect on you?” He smirked. “You look a little flushed.”

  The DJ cued up the music and smooth R&B burst out of the speakers. The song that played made me giggle to myself. It took a second before CJ realized what song was playing and he joined me in laughter. He turned toward the elevated stage area and the DJ was pointing at us. “Dedicated to Romeo and Juliet.”

  The staff that was setting up and milling around started clapping and catcalling. I looked around and saw that the number of people in December had tripled from five to at least fifteen and most of them were staring at us.

  With a laugh, I waved and bowed.

  CJ shook his head and pulled me to his office.

  Closing the door behind us, the room became silent except for his low chuckle.

  “You’re going to be the butt of a lot of jokes tonight,” I pointed out as I perched myself on the edge of his desk. “You should’ve kept your hands to yourself.”

  “Is that right?” He stalked over to me with purpose. “I will push everything off of this desk and put my hands all over you.”

  The flutter in my belly couldn’t be ignored so I glanced around the room. I pretended to be unaffected by his words. I was on a mission and I couldn’t let him distract me. I stood, holding my arms out, as he got closer.

  “No, no.” I shook my head. “I need to talk to you.”

  CJ stopped short and for a brief moment, his forehead creased in confusion. “You can all the way down here to talk?” He asked slowly. “You didn’t say anything before I left home. And you know I need to check on some things before we open the doors.”

  I nodded. “I know. But it’s important and it’ll only take a minute.” I gestured to the chair in front of me. “Would you mind taking a seat?”

  He looked at me suspiciously. “Can I at least sit behind my desk?”

  I shook my head. “No, I need you right here, please.” I pointed to the one in front me again. “Please,” I requested sweetly.

  He sat without another word.

  Looking up at me from his seated position, CJ’s dark eyes swarmed with intrigue.

  “Six years ago today, around this exact time, I was sad and looking for a good time—not like that!” I swatted in his direction after he lifted his eyebrows in response to my sentence. When our giggles subsided, I began again.

  “I wanted to just forget about all of the hurt I was going through and just enjoy myself. I wanted to put the bullshit behind me if only for one night. So I came to December...”
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br />   CJ watched me intently, but said nothing.

  “I didn’t expect to meet you. I didn’t expect to feel something for you. I didn’t expect to fall for you. Cedi, you were completely unexpected. This”—I gestured between the two of us—“was completely unexpected. And I know that if I hadn’t gone through all of that bullshit with Anthony, I wouldn’t have met you five years ago. In you, I’ve found my soulmate. You are the light of my life and the best thing that’s happened to me.”

  “I love you,” CJ whispered, scooting to the edge of his chair. He reached out and cupped the back of my knees.

  I saw the love in the look that he gave me, in the way that he touched me, in the way that he treated me and my heart skipped a beat. “I love you, too,” I said earnestly, determined to get through what I had to say without crying. “I love everything about you. Even the things that annoy me about you, I love about you. I love our life together. I love the life we’ve built together. And when I look down at the ring you gave me three years ago, it reminds me of how blessed I am.”

  CJ squeezed the back of my knees and moved his hand up to the back of my thigh before moving back down to my knees. He never broke eye contact.

  My heart was rattling in my chest as I continued, “You didn’t ask me to marry you. You asked me to accept that you intended to marry me when I was ready. We were making moves in our lives that indicated that we were committing to a life together, but you didn’t ask me to marry you to make it official. You didn’t just give me a ring and ask for a blind commitment to a life together. You created a life with me and then gave me a ring to solidify your commitment to our life. You didn’t ask me to do something that I wasn’t ready for, but instead, you showed me through action that we’ve been married”—I put my hand over my heart—“here for a long time.” I reached both of my hands out to him and he grabbed them. “You put this ring on my finger and we’ve lived our lives as a married couple ever since. And that worked for me because there’s nothing like a divorce to sour you on the idea of marriage.” I paused, holding back tears. “But there’s nothing like real love, true love, to restore your faith in marriage.”

  CJ stood and my head moved, never losing eye contact.

  I took a deep, trembling breath. “Cedi, you proposed and told me to let you know when I’m ready.” I paused. “Well, I’m ready. So Cash James Addo… Will you marry—?”

  Grabbing my face, CJ crashed his lips into mine, taking my breath away and smothering my words.

  I closed my eyes and melted into the kiss. His mouth covered mine possessively, owning my heart and soul to the point that tears burned behind my closed eyelids. The sweet kiss became salty and I realized tears had escaped.

  Pulling out of the kiss, CJ used his thumbs to wipe the tears from my cheeks. I felt him gazing at me so I opened my eyes. There was so much love spilling from the look he gave me that another round of tears fell.

  “I’m not letting you ask me,” he whispered softly, planting a sweet kiss to my lips. He dropped down to one knee, taking my left hand in his. “I’ve waited a long time to be able to do this.”

  I nodded, using my right hand to wipe my face clean.

  “Emily Marie Mills, you have made me a happier man, a bigger man, a better man since I met you. And for that, I will love and honor you for the rest of my life. Let me change your last name for the last time. Will you marry me?”

  “Yes,” I breathed as he kissed the ring he gave me years prior.

  He stood up and wrapped his arms around me. With his face buried in my hair, he murmured, “You’re going to be my wife.”

  The awestruck tone of his voice gave me butterflies. I moved my head so that our foreheads were touching. “I was your wife the moment you put this ring on my finger, Cedi.”

  “Well it’s going to be legal now.” He nipped at my bottom lip, sucking gently. “I’ll officially be your husband and you, my wife.”

  “I can’t wait.” Moving my mouth over his, I kissed him, drinking him in. “Seriously, I’d marry you tomorrow.”

  “You don’t want a big over-the-top wedding?” CJ asked, tangling his fingers into my hair.

  Getting lost in the darkness of his eyes, I answered him honestly. “I just want you. I’ve had the perfect wedding. I’ve had the perfect dress. But now, with you, I have the perfect man with whom I’ve created a perfect life.” I lifted my shoulders slightly. “That’s what a perfect marriage is made of—two imperfect people who love each other perfectly. Whatever you want to do for our wedding is fine with me. As long as I get you, I’m happy. You make me so happy.”

  “I love you.”

  Our lips and then our tongues met and we were so caught up in our moment that when there was a rapt knock against his office door, we both jumped, startled.

  Taking a deep breath and adjusting himself, CJ yelled, “Come in.”

  Roberto stuck his head in the doorway and grinned at us. “I hate to break up the lovefest, but we’re about to open the doors and one of the new bartenders, Morgan, just called and said she was going to be late.”

  CJ kissed my forehead and pulled me into his side. “Until she gets here, I’ll work the door and you work the bar.”

  He nodded. “Got it, boss.”

  Before Roberto retreated, CJ called his name to get his attention. Holding me closer and tighter, he proudly announced, “She said ‘yes,’ man. We’re getting married.”

  “That’s awesome! You’re going to save a ton on health insurance.”

  My head whipped to CJ as his quickly turned toward me. “What?” we exclaimed in unison before bursting out laughing.

  When we looked at Roberto, he looked confused. “You will save a lot once you’re married. Better than paying two individual policies.”

  I couldn’t stop laughing to get my thoughts straight.

  Through CJ’s chuckles, he managed to ask, “Why would that be your first comment as opposed to congratulations or good luck or…anything really?” The deep hearty laugh that almost doubled CJ over shook his body. “I don’t get it!”

  I laughed harder the harder CJ laughed.

  Roberto gave us a weird look. “At this point, you two finally getting married is a formality. You have a house together, a business together…all you need now is the insurance.”

  The minute the word insurance left his mouth, we cracked up all over again. Roberto rolled his eyes and left, leaving the door open.

  CJ wiped the tears of laughter from the corner of his eyes. “I need to go to the front.”

  I was still giggling as I nodded.

  Dropping a chaste kiss against my lips, he grinned at me. “Are you going to stay for a little while so we can celebrate?”

  “Of course.” I squeezed him harder before letting him go. “We can’t let this night end without properly celebrating.”

  “Office sex,” he mouthed to me.

  I nodded pumping my arms and hips as I humped the air. “Office sex.”

  CJ laughed at my movements and glanced toward the open door before moving toward it. “Move the tax paperwork off of the desk so when I bend you over it later, we won’t be preoccupied with W-2s.”

  I gave him my sexiest look. “If I’m preoccupied with anything, it’s going to be how deep these insurance discounts will be.”

  We fell into a fit of laughter again as he exited his office.

  Chapter 28

  CJ Addo

  Friday, January 12 – 7:49pm

  One Year Later

  In a ceremony my mother described as Georgian royalty and Emily’s mother described as flawless elegance, I married the only woman for me. Emily and I were completely hands-off when it came to our ceremony and reception as our mothers excitedly took care of everything. The wedding was completely for them. The marriage, that was for us.

  I stood on the balcony overlooking Atlanta and I inhaled the crisp, cold air. Everything I’d ever wanted in life had been given to me. I could almost feel Aja watching over me, guardian a
ngel style, making sure I was okay.

  Closing my eyes, I said a silent prayer.

  “You okay out here?” Manny asked as he stepped out onto the balcony with me. “Not having second thoughts, are you? Because it’s already done. No takebacks.”

  I smirked at him before turning back to the view of the city. “No, never that.” I paused before telling him the truth. “I was just thanking God for Emily.”

  Manny slapped me on the back twice. “You’re a good man. And you’re good for my sister.” He handed me a cigar. “Congratulations.”

  Even though I didn’t smoke, it felt like the right occasion to have one.

  “CJ Addo!” Ty’s voice cut through the murmur of the others on the balcony and I got a little uncomfortable.

  In the years Emily and I had been together, I was never alone with Manny and Ty. Although they’d always been cool with me and I liked them both individually, I didn’t know what type of shit was going to pop off when the girls weren’t around. I didn’t want to break up a fight on my wedding day.

  Manny and I turned toward him and he slowed his pace. His eyes moved from me to Manny and back to me and then he shrugged.

  “What’s up, Manny?” Ty reached his hand out in Manny’s direction.

  “What’s up, Ty?” Manny returned, reaching his hand out to meet Ty’s hand.

  The awkward silence stretched between them as the shook hands. After everything that happened between them, I wouldn’t be surprised if a full-on brawl took place, but I wouldn’t be happy about it. Their hands fell apart and they just looked at one another.

  I looked between them oddly curious because what I knew of both men would indicate that they were both happy with how things turned out. If a fight broke out, it would be over ego and not the woman they both dated years ago.