A Kiss of Color: A BWWM Interracial Pregnancy Romance (Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

to pluck her from the clutches of what would be an incredibly cruel fate.
    She would have wasted all she’d worked so hard for.
    And so Helena had been strong – stronger than she’d been in her entire life. Her testimony, and Xavier’s, had seen Janette Freeman, as well as her boyfriend and accomplice, Big Tony, imprisoned for the next fifteen years without the possibility of parole.
    It had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done. She, who had only ever wanted her mother’s approval and acceptance, had helped put the middle-aged woman away. What’s worse, she hadn’t even responded to Janette’s flagrant tears. With Xavier’s arm around her, Helena had merely walked out of the courtroom – and away from the mother who would never truly claim her.
    Even four years later, it was a bitter pill to swallow. She’d had so few precious years with her father before he’d passed that Helena had never really known what it was like to have parents the way that most people did. And, of course, she didn’t have the opportunity with Xavier’s mother and father either. The couple had made it quite clear that they didn’t approve of her, and never would. Their views, however, had everything to do with where she had come from and nothing to do with where she was going.
    She would be successful. This, the young woman promised herself every night, before she went to bed. She loved her work and she loved what she did. She even loved the children that came into the clinic every day. They and their parents trusted her with their lives, and that trust made her heart swell.
    “Babe?” She jolted from her reverie to see Xavier speaking to her from over the kitchen island. She herself was standing in the middle of the recessed living room and looked up at him in surprise. “Well?” He extended his arms in question. “What do you think?”
    For the first time, Helena took a really good look at the house. It was absolutely gorgeous – right on the edge of town with wide open spaces, and large kitchen, and three bedrooms. The views of downtown from the terrace were breathtaking, and the structure was filled with light. However, the one point three million dollar price tag gave her pause.
    It wasn’t as if they couldn’t afford it. No, the income Xavier received from the growing XTech was more than enough to keep them comfortable for the rest of their lives. It was just that…coming from where she had, sometimes the young woman still found it difficult to believe where she stood currently.
    On the cusp of obtaining all she’d ever dreamed of, with a man that loved her more than life itself. Sometimes it all just seemed like a dream. One she would be terrified to wake from. Helena didn’t know if she could take opening her eyes to her decrepit bedroom in Maynard, with her mother screaming at her to make breakfast.
    She forced a smile as she moved towards the kitchen, stepping up onto the gorgeous marble floor. “It’s amazing, Xavier. Really, it is…but the price? Isn’t it a little steep?”
    The man fixed her with a reassuring smile – one that never failed to get her hot and bothered. “It’s not cheap, that’s true. But think of the space! Think of the location!” Think of our family . Her lover didn’t say it, but Helena could hear the desire in his voice. She knew how important family was to Xavier, never having had proper family structure. She, herself, had learned over the course of her life to be wary of her family and overtures they made towards her – but Xavier had no such qualms.
    He wanted a wife. He wanted children – and this place, Helena knew, would be the perfect family home.
    The dark-skinned woman wanted to give Xavier everything he desired, truly, she did. He wasn’t the problem. It was her own personal hang-ups that got in the way. She and he were both so busy in their day to day lives that she just didn’t see how feasible it would be for them to get married just now. And children?