Chapter Twenty One

PIERRA'S POV

When we got back to our manyatta after supper I changed into a pair of pajama shorts and turned to Whitney who was getting changed too.

"Whitney would you mind if I switched with Bishop?"I asked crossing my fingers hoping she would say yes.

"Won't your parents get mad?"

"They won't find out. Their manyatta is at the far end of the compound."I replied and she shrugged.

"If you can get Bishop to agree then it's fine with me."She replied and I shrieked excitedly.

"He'll be here soon."I declared grabbing my phone and leaving the grass hut.

I walked fast and silently towards the boys manyatta and let myself in.

"Pierra what are you doing here?"Bishop asked as he was the first to see me.

Andrew looked up from whatever he was working on his laptop and smiled but also looked confused at my presence.

"I'm here to swap places with you. Whitney is already waiting."I replied.

He shook his head which I'd already anticipated for.

"Absolutely not, I'm not leaving so you two can get it on. Not on my watch."He declined.

"Not that's any of you business but Andrew and I haven't had sex yet, we're not sex crazed rabbits like you and your girlfriend. Plus the last place I would want to to have sex is here with my parents a few meters away. So back to the swapping, I wasn't actually demanding, just being polite. You're welcome to stay considering you have your one bed so does Andrew, it doesn't really bother me but you might like to know that Whitney is planning to sleep naked on top of the sheets. Claims weather is too hot."I announced and watched his whole demeanor change.

"You're lying?"He protested his resolve breaking.

"Maybe, maybe not but you know you're girlfriend better."I shrugged kicking off my sandals and jumping into bed next to Andrew who shut his laptop and pulled me to his side.

"He won't give in."Andrew whispered in my ear.

"Oh he will, in one.... two.... and... touchdown." I trailed off.

"No funny business you two. Goodnight."Bishop announced already halfway across the room.

"Lock the door on your way out."I yelled after him stifling a laugh.

"You're very manipulative."Andrew claimed once we were alone.

"Comes with the job description."I shrugged straddling him.

"You're family is great and I'm happy I won your parents over."He smiled looking proud of himself.

I had been scared of my dad meeting Andrew too but he had impressed my dad and that made me very happy.

"I told you they would love you, I'm just happy you're here with me. You make everything better."I admitted looping my hands around his neck.

"My pleasure my beautiful Ivy."

"So are you ready to have the best week ever?"I asked and he grinned.

"Absolutely, starting with this."He declared and before I could ask what he meant he leaned up and captured my lips in a soft sweet kiss.

Looks like we were going to disobey my brother after all and partake in some funny but extremely enjoyable business. Definitely shaping up to be the best trip ever.

************

After spending the night in Andrews arms I sneaked out early the next morning intending to keep up with that routine. Bishop wasn't happy when I kicked him out but the hickeys on Whitney's neck was enough evidence of his fun night so he didn't complain much.

I had one week with my family, my boyfriend and of course Whitney and I intended to make the most of it. My parents already liked Andrew and he seemed to be getting along with my brother just fine. It was going to be one awesome week ahead.

After taking a shower and getting dressed in a pair of camo shorts, a navy rank top and a pair of sandals I made my way to the restaurant to get some breakfast. My mom was the only one there first so I joined her.

"Morning mom."I greeted kissing her cheek before taking a seat next to her.

"Good morning princess, sleep well?"She asked and I nodded.

"Perfectly."I replied holding in a grin that would sell me off if my mom knew what I had been up to the previous night.

I proceeded to serve myself breakfast from the large assortment of breakfast foods on the table. There was toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, tea, fruit and juice. I was starving so I took a little of everything.

"I know you want to say it mom so just blurt it out."I prompted.

My mom let the smile she had been suppressing roam free.

"Okay fine you got me. He's so cute."She gushed and I laughed.

"That's my boyfriend you're talking about mom."I reprimanded playfully and she brushed me off.

"I know but seriously, I'm so proud of you for taking this next step in life. You are mature enough now and I'm happy to see that you're making good decisions. Andrew seems to really like you and you like him too. You guys will be very happy together if you just focus on your relationship and build each other up. Relationships are all about love, time, trust and patience. You did well princess."My mom praised and I beamed.

"Thanks mom, I'm happy you approve."I said as we toasted to a better future.

It wasn't just the two of us for long as everyone else joined us one by one a few minutes later. When Andrew came down for breakfast he looked handsome in white shorts, a brown shirt, maasai sandals and a pair of sun glasses. Without our parents presence he would have kissed me good morning but we were keeping it pg so he took the empty seat next to me and squeezed my bare thigh discreetly under the table.

"Okay gang so we are here to have fun and we already paid for all the facilities so don't hold back. You don't have to stick together, just make sure you've done everything you want to. And if you're here to sleep on the beach all day like me sipping palm wine then have at it. Just make sure to have fun."My mom announced just as we were finishing up with breakfast.

"What do you want to do first?"I asked Andrew turning to face him.

"Why don't you pick what we get to do first? It is your family trip."He replied but I knew he was just being polite.

"I've been to tens of these. This is the first time I do it with my boyfriend and I want to do what he wants. So once more, what do you want to do?"I inquired and he smiled.

"You're the best. The weather looks good and I have no way of predicting what the other days will be like so I was hoping we can visit the Central Island National Park for photos. I can include them in my portfolio."He answered.

"That wasn't so hard now was it, so it's settled we're visiting the island."I agreed and he nodded.

We listened to the rest talk about what they planned to do as we finished breakfast. Andrew and I separated for a few minutes after breakfast so we could go to our rooms and grab a few things that we would need during the day. I eyed the gift on my bed that I'd bought for Andrew and wondered what he would think of it. It had been and impulse buy after I heard him talk so much about wanting to own one. I'd been holding it for a week and decided it was a good time as any to give it to him so he could use it during the trip. After gathering up everything I would need, I put them in my backpack, tied my curly hair in a pony tail and lathered on sunblock and,since we were in the desert.

I grabbed a pair of sunglasses and after making sure I looked good on the mirror I grabbed the gift and left my room.

I found Andrew waiting for me on the pathway under a palm tree with his camera bag and Tripod strapped to his back.

He smiled when he spotted me and my nerves set in when I thought of him rejecting my gift.

"You ready?"He asked when I reached him.

"Yeah but I got you something first and I really hope you don't reject it. I just saw how much you wanted it and I bought it for you."I rambled on holding out the plain white box to him.

I had to repackage it for the travel as the box it came in was too big.

"I didn't know we were supposed to get each other gifts, are we already celebrating an anniversary?"Andrew asked and I shook my head.

"No we weren't and its not like that. This is just my first gift to you as boyfriend and girlfriend."I explained.

He opened the box and immediately shut it when he saw what was inside, eyes bulging out in shock.

"You didn't."He said in denial.

"I did."I grinned loving his reaction.

"For a first time gift as a girlfriend people usually buy a shirt, matching bracelets or shoes but never this. Are you out of your mind?"He asked still in shock.

"No I was very sane when I made the purchase. The pictures you helped me take at the gym were such a huge success the store gave me a bonus and I used it for the purchase. You seemed to really want it and I wanted to make you happy. I'm sorry I overstepped."I apologized realizing I might have overdone it.

I just loved spoiling the ones I cared about and I did care about Andrew a lot. It just never sat well with me if I had the ability to make my loved ones dreams come true and sit on it when I had the ability to make it happen.

"You didn't overstep, well maybe a little but I'm just surprised."He responded opening the box once again.

He peered inside for a good two minutes that dragged on making them look like hours before he finally reached in and pulled the drone out. I had no idea about the machine, I'd just checked what model he wanted on his phone and made the order.

Andrew took me by surprise when he gave me a short sweet kiss without caring who was around. He looked at me with an emotion I couldn't quite decipher before pulling me into his arms for a hug.

"Thank you so much Ivy, this means more to me that you'll ever know."He confessed in my ear and I relaxed.

He loved the gift and I was happy that he accepted it.

"You're welcome Andre."I whispered back.

A few minutes later he pulled away and pecked my lips.

"Want to take this baby out for a spin?"He asked setting it up.

"Thought you'd never ask."I replied and he grinned at me.

Those smiles were on our faces all week as we did all the activities offered by the resort. There was camel riding which I was extremely scared of at first since those animals are really tall but once I got comfortable enough, I loved every minute of it. I didn't quite enjoy the fishing, to me it was dull and boring but Andrew seemed to love it so I endured it for him. He had also been really proud when he reeled in a huge fish and I was happy to have caught his face on camera.

We tried camping in between the sand dunes one night and it was perfect. We stayed up all night sharing stories with Bishop and Whitney just the four of us as my brothers couldn't stay up that stay late and my parents plain out refused to sleep outside. The mosquitoes were a nuisance but they were easily ignored with all the fun we were having.

Mine and Andrews relationship wasn't the only one getting stronger because the more time I spent with Whitney the more I realized that she wasn't so bad. Bishop and Andrew also bonded in a way and could both stay in a room together for long periods of time and hold meaningful conversations.

One of the best amazing experiences I had was boat riding and I just couldn't get it out of my head just how beautiful our country was. The fact that Lake Turkana existed right in the middle of a dessert was a wonder to me.

Our last day there we spent it lounging around the pool just so we could unwind and bond. My younger brothers were playing in the pool as Andrew tried to take pictures of them. It was futile as they were too unruly but it was nice to see him try. My mom was dozing off under a cabana after having too much palm wine. Bishop and Whitney had sneaked off to God knows where, hopefully they wouldn't get caught so we could end the trip on a fun note. It was just my dad and I talking whatever about whatever came to our minds.

I was a daddy's girl through and through. It was mostly because he had saved me all those years back but also because he had always wanted a daughter but only sired sons so I got a lot of love. He still loved my brothers but I was his little princess.

"I'm still waiting on that code of conduct form you know."My dad blurted out randomly and I laughed.

"No you're not, otherwise you'd have already made sure you had it by now."I replied chuckling.

"You're right I'm just jealous."He admitted with a sigh and I sat up straighter shocked at my dad's confession.

"Why are you jealous?"I asked.

"Because soon enough I'll be your third love. I already accepted that I'd always come second to your maternal father, God rest his soul but now when I watch you look at Andrew I feel myself getting replaced."He explained and I sat up completely so I could face him.

"I'm not in love with Andrew."I denied quickly.

"Not yet but soon you will be and you won't even see it coming."My dad chuckled sadly his eyes trained on the three figures in the pool.

"This is not normal father-daughter talk."I pointed out.

"We've never been a normal father and daughter. Why start now?"My dad asked and I had to admit that he was right.

"No we haven't and that's why I can assure you that you'll always be my dad who I will love forever. Andrew and I may not last, I mean I hope with all my heart that we do but even if we don't that okay but I'll never be okay with losing you, dad."I assured him and he smiled.

"That makes me very happy to hear darling. Don't tell Andrew this but you two already have my blessing but if he ever breaks your heart, when I'm done with him, it'll be like he never existed."My dad threatened and I laughed.

"Like father like son, I don't know why Bishop denies it when he is your exact replica, just crooked in a few areas. But thanks dad and I hope it never comes to that."

"Me too princess, not for his sake but for yours because you're falling for him and that means you're giving him the power to break you."My dad advised and I didn't say anything after that.

He had given me a lot to think about with that last statement.

I looked at Andrew just as he turned to look at me. He waved at me with a charming smile and I waved back. In that moment I realized that as much as Andrew had the power to break me, I had the same power over him and that made it all okay. I'd never hurt him intentionally and he'd never hurt me either. Love was about blind trust in someone and we had that but for all the good reasons.

Andrew and I would be perfectly okay. Besides we already had my parents approval and that to me meant everything. I didn't remember much about my first family because of all the trauma that I suffered towards the end but I liked to believe that they would have liked Andrew too if they had met him.

He was easy to love and my dad was right, I was falling for him. My crush was turning into deep concrete feelings and I embraced them because I saw the same thing happening to Andrew each time he looked at me.

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