Read Online Two Steps Back by Britni Danielle - Free Book Online

going to, okay? That would be an invitation for them to hate you and you want to make a good impression.”
    “Then I better get a suit,” he chortled. “I’m going to take a shower, then you can take me to find one, yeah?”
    “I thought you weren’t leaving this room for two days.”
    “Change of plans, babes.” He kissed her. “But don’t worry. That was only the beginning.” Johnny winked then disappeared into the bathroom.
    Only the beginning, she thought. Of what?
    Jaylah hoped for good things, hoped her parents would love Johnny as much as she did, but she knew her mot her would be tough to win over.
    She prayed this was the beginning of their happy, drama-free life, but she knew they had a few more obstacles to clear before they could be one little blissful family. In her heart, she believed they could handle her parents, the baby, her job, and Johnny’s divorce. But her mind, that thing that just wouldn’t shut off, had its doubts.
    Jaylah didn’ t know which one was right, but in that moment she knew she would follow her heart, wherever it lead.

 
    Ten
     
    “So, where do you want to go?” she asked once they were back in the car.
    “W here can I get a good suit?”
    “Depends. Do you want to drop a few hundred dollars at J.C. Penny, or a few thousand at Armani?”
    Johnny scrunched up his face, “J.C. Penny? What’s that?”
    Jaylah chuckled, remembering how she used to love looking through Penny’s overstuffed catalog as a child, picking out dresses and matching shiny shoes. She imagined Johnny thumbing through cheap suits, wondering if his tailor, yes, his tailor , could at least make the one he selected look like he’d gotten it from a mid-priced store.
    “Never mind,” she said, “ I know you’re more of a—how do you say?—smartly dressed bloke?”
    Johnny nodded and Jaylah threw the car in gear, heading toward Rodeo Drive. He watched as she switched lanes, honking and mumbling curse words under her breath as traffic inched along Sepulveda Boulevard. She caught a glimpse of him shaking his head after she yelled at a driver who had cut her off.
    “What?” she asked, changing lanes and glaring at yet another incompetent motorist.
    He cracked an easy smile. “I’ve just never seen this side of you. You’re almost as bad as the cabbies back home.”
    “Whatever,” she said, sticking out her tongue. “I forgot how much I hate driving. I’m so used to taking the Tube now.”
    “Perhaps, you should get used to it again, yeah? As you get further along, I think I would feel more comfortable if you drove instead of took the train. Those things get stuck all the time. I would hate for you to be trapped underground and go into labor or something.”
    She cut her eyes at him. “You’d rather me go into labor while driving?”
    “Of course not. I’d rather be there, but babies are unpredictable, innit?”
    “I’m sure I’ll be fine Johnny,” she kissed her teeth. “ You worry too much.”
    He reached across the seat and placed his hand on her stomach. “I have every right.”
    Fifteen minutes passed before either of them spoke again. Johnny gazed at Los Angeles whizzing by his window, while an annoying voice began gnawing at the corner of Jaylah’s brain.
    Don’t take the T ube? What kind of crazy suggestion is that? the voice asked. Be careful girl, it’s only the beginning. He’s trying to control you.
    Jaylah quieted the voice and reminded herself that men—good men like her father—doted on their women.
    She’d seen it first hand. Though she was an only child, Jaylah’s mother had been pregnant before. As a mater of fact, Jaylah had had a little brother—Julian--when she was seven, but the baby died a month after he was born. The doctor said he’d passed away from SIDS.
    “Just like that,” he had said, snapping his fingers to demonstrate how her little brother’s life could be snuffed out so suddenly.
    Jaylah’s mother was devastated. She took to her bed,