Free Pretty Packages by Mi'Chelle Dodson

exactly when and where she’d heard it.
     
    * * * *
     
    Giada suppressed a moan as she remembered the first time she’d heard the story of Kentucky ’s birth. She also had to catch herself from being mesmerized by the sight of his perfect teeth and the wonderful sound of his deep chuckle. She must have been a fool to ever think he was ugly. Anyone with an uncritical eye could see that he was the other U-word—unique.
    “Good thing your parents weren’t born in Georgia . Imagine going through school with a name like that,” Fabian said. “You’d have to fight every day.”
    Everybody laughed again.
    Giada fell a little bit more in love with Kentucky ’s smile.
    “Yes, Georgia would have been a hard name to live down,” Kentucky replied after the laughter had died down some. “But I was so big as a child that no one dared poke fun at any name I had. By seventh grade, I was five-ten and looked like a full-grown man.”
    “Have you stopped growing yet?” Fabian asked with a playful smirk.
    “Yes, as far as I know.” Kentucky nodded. “Papa grew to be nearly seven feet tall. I’m still just six-four.”
    “Wow,” Bartley said, taking a break from scowling at Giada to actively participate in the conversation. “I wonder how big your kids are going to be.”
    Kentucky shrugged. “Who knows? But I do hope my wife fares better than my birth mother did. Giving birth to a ten-pound baby took such a toll on her body that she died soon thereafter. As a result, my father refused to impregnate his second wife, my current mother, for fear that the same thing would happen to her.”
    “W . . . Wife?” Giada suddenly blurted out. “You’re married, Kenny?” She released his nickname by mistake as anxiety surged through her veins.
    Fabian frowned at her emotional outburst.
    Kentucky gave her a look of disapproval. “No, not yet. I was speaking of my future wife.”
    Giada instantly relaxed again. “Whew! I thought I had missed out on the best red velvet cake in the South. Your mother said she was going to fix a five-tier one for your wedding day since that was your favorite dessert,” she said, smoothly playing down her unexpected outburst.
    “Don’t worry, Giada,” Kentucky replied calmly. “You’ll be one of the first people to get an invitation to my wedding. How could I not invite the woman that put her life on the line to help the police catch the thieves that robbed my family home?”
    Fabian’s brows rose. “Giada helped you in a crisis? I thought it was the other way around.”
    “Actually it was both,” Giada replied, doing her best to quell any suspicions her boyfriend had about the true nature of her past relationship with Kentucky . “The Joneses put me up for a night when I lost my car and house keys. I, in turn, called the police for them when their home was being robbed while they were away.”
    “Yes, Giada’s testimony led to the discovery of a rising crime ring in the area,” Kentucky added, causing Fabian to relax further. “My old neighborhood is now safe again because of her act of bravery.”
    Fabian smiled adoringly at Giada. “Beautiful, bodacious, and brave. I believe I’ve hit the jackpot with you, baby.” He leaned over and planted a possessive kiss on her lips, clearly staking claim and sending a silent message to his new bodyguard— Giada is mine!
    Giada felt her face grow hot even as she returned that warm smack. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the left side of Kentucky ’s mouth twitch. His nostrils flared wider. Yet he regained his composure so fast that Giada thought she imagined those sure signs of jealousy.
    “No, Fabian, it is me that hit the jackpot with you,” Giada said, tenderly stroking her lover’s face just to see if she could cause Kentucky to twitch again.
    Nope. Kentucky had his guard up this time. He had it up real high.
    In the seat beside Giada, Bartley looked as if he wanted to throw up yesterday’s breakfast, lunch, and