Chapter 13 Asante #2
“Hell yeah. Casmi has been having cravings and stuff and Xavia is doing the most every time she asks honestly. It’s kind of overboard.” He chuckled. Knight being a father of damn near twins is crazy,” he said. “I mean, I know he’s going to be a good dad but damn.”
“King and your parents must be excited about the whole legacy shit.”
“Yeah. They’re ecstatic.” Bishop grinned and slipped his fingers through mine.
“It’s driving them crazy that Knight and the women are refusing to find out genders and shit though.
They’re not caving on baby names either.
They’re just referring to them by the women’s last name initials.
” He kissed my knuckle. “I’m pretty sure Baby R is going to be a boy and Baby A is going to be a girl though.
I think they’d do good with either to be honest. Even if it’s two boys and two girls I’m not worried about any of them being parents.
I can’t wait to be an uncle either. I’m going to be real involved with both of them and-” Bishop paused and I knew immediately my mask had slipped at hearing him talk so excitedly about children. “What?”
“How’s the wife hunt going?”
“What?” Bishop’s fingers left mine.
He sat up. I didn’t..
“You have to be married in a few months right?
“Yeah, by my birthday,” he confirmed.
“How long do you think it’ll be before babies are on the table then?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it to be honest. I mean, King is the head of the family and that nigga is childless so it’s not like I have a deadline to meet or anything.”
I nodded at that.
“Bishop, I want to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me.”
“I always am.”
“Alright.” I sat up in bed and clasped my hands together in my lap. “What does your family want from me?”
“What?”
“They’ve never been fucked up to me but we’ve never really been close either yet King is inviting me to your family events all of a sudden when I didn’t even realize he knew the two of us were messing around.
We’ve been spending more time together at you and Rook’s place instead of mine.
We’ve been in public a lot more. Knight is trying to figure me out and inviting me to help baby proof his house.
He’s digging into me. He’s good at it, but not good enough to go unnoticed.
They’re setting a play up and honestly, you know how I feel about you.
They could have just asked for what they wanted and I would have done that shit off the strength of my feelings for you. ”
“How do you feel about me?” Bishop teased.
I cut my eyes at him. “Don’t start no dumb shit, Bishop.
” I chuckled. “You know how I feel about you.” My smile slowly fell from my face when I realized Bishop wasn’t laughing or smiling.
“I love you enough to be sitting here letting you know I’m about to watch you get married and I’d still come running for you and your family if you asked me to.
We’ve been doing this quiet shit ever since we’ve met and honestly, I’m ready to do it for the rest of our lives if we’re able to, even with no dates, no titles and no overnights.
That’s how much I love you.” I sighed. “You questioning that shit for real or you fucking with me? Be honest.”
Bishop stared at me in silence for a second. “I’m fucking with you,” he confessed.
I reached over and punched him in his arm and he laughed.
“You not fucking funny, Bishop.”
“I don’t know. I thought it was funny.”
“Simple ass.” I grumbled and exhaled, my smile slowly leaving my face. “You know I noticed you didn’t answer me, right? About what King and your family want from me?”
“They know I love you.”
“Oh word?” I licked my lips.
“Yeah. I told them as much.”
“For real?” My eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
I knew he’d told me that he’d told his family that we were messing around and hoped to keep doing it after his marriage was official but I hadn’t known that he’d told anyone that he loved me.
Bishop nodded. “I wanted them to know you the way that I know you.”
“And what do they think?”
“They think you’re amazing just like I think you’re amazing.”
“I doubt them niggas used the word amazing when they described me.”
“It was implied,” he deadpanned.
I grinned. “Yeah, so, the angle isn’t trying to get me to leave you alone or what? Because you know a nigga like me can’t be bought or threatened into doing anything I don’t want to do.”
“I know.” Bishop smiled.
“If I have to fight your family for you, I will. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I know. It won’t come to that though.” Bishop opened his arms to me. “Come here.”
I shifted so that I was leaning against his chest. I focused on the sound of his heartbeat. He let his hand lightly trace my arm.
I put my hand on his sides and his finger paused.
I loved that. I loved seeing the way we grounded each other. It was reassuring. I liked knowing that the same way he centered me, I did that for him sometimes.
Bishop looked down at me and I looked up and met his gaze. He exhaled.
“Marrying into my family isn’t an honor, Asante.
It’s a full time job. Half of the relationship is making it look good to people who don’t even know us for real and the other half is balancing having a real relationship between your spouse and making sure the family business stays afloat throughout whatever gets thrown at us.
It’s a lot of bullshit, late nights and dead bodies.
It’s not all meetings and passport distribution,” Bishop said after a beat.
I lifted an eyebrow. “You think I don’t know that?”
“It makes me feel better to know that I laid it out to you though.”
“So, is that supposed to make me feel better about your upcoming wedding?” I smirked.
“Bishop, I’m not jumping for joy or buying you no fucking wedding gift but I know what it is and I’ve always known.
You’ve always been real with me. I’m not tucking tail and I’m not jealous.
Shit go work or it’s not, but I’m not folding without trying. ”
“That’s your final answer?” he asked.
I knew he was doing his best to make his voice aloof. He didn’t want the hope he was feeling to leak into his voice, but I felt it. I wanted Bishop to want this life, to want to be in it with me.
I didn’t know if I’d ever wanted anything more.
My hands went from his side to his face and I stared at him. My eyes bounced around his features, from his nose to his lips and back to his eyes.
“Did you think it would change?” I asked seriously but didn’t wait for an answer. “It won’t. I knew what was expected of you and your family before I inserted myself in this shit. Don’t doubt me, Bishop. Ever.”
“I just want to make sure you have all the information you might want about my family. I mean, because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life loving you and building a life with you, a real life where we can do whatever we want and go wherever we want.” He didn’t pause.
You deserve more than I can ever give you, Asante, but I want you to know that I’ll give you everything that I have and am every day for the rest of my life. ”
“I know.” I leaned in and kissed his mouth slowly.
“Then, let's do it. Let's do this shit till death.” Bishop said and I was sure my brain short circuited as he yanked open the bedside table and pulled out a small box.
I was sure I was immediately in shock while I looked from the ring in front of me to Bishop.
“Bishop, what the fuck are you doing?” I asked.
“Asking you to marry me.” He grinned. “I uh, I want to spend my life with you and whether you say yes or no, I’ve got you, Asante.
I’ve got you with my family and this life and all that regular stuff that regular couples go through, sickness and health and finances and work and people that don’t understand us.
It’s you and me, whether you say yes or no but I’m not going to lie, I really fucking hope you say yes.
So uh,” He cleared his throat. “Will you marry me?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah?” He repeated after me.
“Yeah!”
We hugged each other and our hands immediately went to each other’s face as we quickly began to peck each other, both of us grinning like fucking idiots.
“Bishop, what the fuck?” I gave a little chuckle against his mouth. “What the fuck?” I repeated, a huge smile on my face. “Does your family- Does King..?”
“Yeah.” Bishop nodded quickly. “They approve. They’re good. Everything is good.”
“Fuck.”
“I love you.” I spoke against his mouth..
“I love you.” He repeated. “I love you and I can’t wait to do this shit with you.”
“Till death?”
“Hell yeah.” I kissed him again and Bishop smiled against my mouth as I did it.
I couldn’t believe this shit.
I was getting fucking married to a man I’d spent the last year or so knowing I would never get a chance with. Shit.
I was getting married.