The American Goddess

Chapter 16

"If you're thinking about settling down, I can get you set up with my realtor." Kyrie picked up his fork and studied the red content before dropping it on his plate. He didn't have the appetite to eat the dinner Queen had set aside for him, especially not when she and the kids were already in bed. "Did you and Winona decide to move in together?"

Immanuel looked down at his untouched beer bottle and shook his head. "She has no idea I'm getting a house. I want to surprise her."

"Don't make the same mistake I made," Kyrie warned him. "After Queen left me, I bought this place for us. I had every intention to win her back, but I didn't even consider the possibility that she might not want me."

"Now you're married and raise three kids together," Immanuel added. "Looks like it worked out well for you."

"And I'm not saying it won't work out for you, but if you get a house, don't expect Winona to move in with you right away." Kyrie got up from the island table to dump his food in the trash and placed his dishes in the sink. It had gone cold while he was sitting with his brother. "We can't expect these young women to know what they want when they're still trying to figure that out. Sometimes I forget that Queen's only the same age as Vanna and Winona. I treat them like little sisters who still need me to look after them, but I never think about Queen's age because she's my wife. I feel guilty for stealing her prime years. Your early twenties shouldn't be dedicated to being a wife and mother."

"I'm sure she has no regrets," Immanuel said assuringly.

"She had her doubts about marrying me," Kyrie confessed to him. "The night of the investor's ball, she told the girls she was having second thoughts. She felt so guilty, so she wanted to tell me too. I gave her an opportunity to back out. I told her I'd wait as long as she wanted, but she'd already decided she wasn't going anywhere. Sure, she has no regrets, but I wish I could have given her a few more years."

"So, I should give Winona a few more years before asking her to make any long term decisions?"

Kyrie shrugged. "Maybe she needs a year or maybe a few. Just make sure you're not making the decisions for her."

"Kyrie, sweetie, are you coming to bed?" Queen asked upon entering the kitchen. She was wearing a pair of pink satin shorts and a matching tank top, and the knot in her hair was an indication that she had been lying in bed for awhile already.

Kyrie took the woman into his arms and cradled her head against his chest. Her eyes were partially closed due to exhaustion, but the moment she heard her husband's heartbeat, she felt compelled to sleep exactly where she was. "I'll come up soon. Did you miss me?"

"Yes," she admitted, pouting. "Don't ever stay late at the office again. I hate when you do."

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"Go ahead," Immanuel said to his brother. "You should be with her. I'll see myself out."

"You can stay if you want," Kyrie offered. He didn't wait for his brother to decide. He would let Immanuel take the time to do that alone while he carried his wife back to the bedroom.

Nestled in his arms, Queen closed her eyes and buried her head in his neck. "I love you," she whispered to him.

With a grin on his face, he repeated the words back to her and ascended the stairs, leaving Immanuel alone in the kitchen. He poured his beer into the sink and took his phone out. There were several texts from Savanna with links to videos she found funny, a few unopened emails regarding work and an unread text from Winona with an attachment received seven minutes ago.

'Missing you tonight,' the text read.

He opened the text conversation and grinned when a photo of her appeared on his screen. She was lying in bed, wearing an oversized t-shirt and licking her lips. He was going to respond when another attachment appeared in their conversation.