Naleighna Kai's Literary Cafe Magazine NK Literary Cafe 2018 Mother's Day Issue | Page 48

Naleighna Kai
national bestselling author
Excerpt from Loving Me for Me
Reign stumbled backward. “What?! You expect me to
uproot from everything I have in Chicago and move to—”
“California. With me,” he chimed in.
Reign lifted her chin and glared at him. “Now I know
you’ve lost touch with reality,” she countered. “No way am I
giving up a stable job, a house that’s nearly paid for, and my
family.”
“What family, Reign?” he demanded. “Your only family is
Jay, and he’s a grown man.”
“And how will it look for me to marry a man who’s the
same age as my son?”
“What does that have to do with anything?” he shot back,
trying to keep his anger in check. “This is about the children,
Reign. Our children. The children you kept from me for five
whole years. They don’t care how old we are. We are their
parents.”
She looked away, closing her eyes as though summoning
some type of strength before opening them again.
“Parents who will make decisions together,” he continued,
noticing her gaze had shifted from his eyes to his lips. “Eat
together, grow together, and give them a stable home. We’ll
be a family. More family than they’ll have in Chicago.”
“A family that does not accept me—or them.”
“They will,” he said, taking her in his arms again, relishing
the feel of her next to him.
“Your people are not that evolved and you know it.”
“This isn’t about them. It’s about us.”
Reign shook her head, tried to push him away. Devesh
stood his ground. Finally, her shoulders relaxed and all of the
fight seemed to ease out of her body. She allowed him to lead
her to the bed, and when she sat down beside him, he pulled
her closer.