The Laurent Therapy Center #2
Pluto looked down at our joined hands before answerin’. “Nervous, but excited. I know they’ll be safe, and I know I need time away. I haven’t been anywhere with just my husband without at least one child attached to me in years.”
“That makes this trip important,” Dr. V said. “It isn’t only rest. It gives you a chance to remember who you are together when neither of you is actively parenting.”
I nodded ‘cause that was exactly what I wanted. I loved bein’ a father, and Pluto loved bein’ a mother, but our whole marriage couldn’t survive on bottles, school schedules and somebody always yellin’ from another room.
Dr. V looked toward me again. “And how are you feeling about physical intimacy during the trip?”
I shifted in the chair and looked at Pluto before I answered. There wasn’t no embarrassment in me about the question, but it still felt strange talkin’ about sex after months of treatin’ it like somethin’ dangerous.
“I feel ready,” I admitted. “Not like I gotta prove nothin’ or rush her. I just ain’t scared the same way I was before.”
“What changed?” Dr. V asked.
“I finally separated what happened from lovin’ my wife,” I replied.
“Pluto almost dyin’ wasn’t ‘cause I touched her. It was a medical emergency after childbirth, and we made changes so we don’t end up back there.
She on birth control now, and we understand the risks.
I still got fear, but I ain’t lettin’ it run my marriage. ”
Pluto squeezed my hand harder, and I brought it to my mouth before kissin’ her fingers.
Dr. V nodded. “That’s a healthier way to hold the fear. Readiness does not mean fear disappears. It means fear no longer makes every decision for you.”
“I think we both ready,” Pluto said while lookin’ at me.
I smiled and leaned toward her. “Feel like we virgins ‘bout to lose that shit to each other.”
Pluto covered her face with one hand while Dr. V laughed. “Pressure, please.”
“What?” I asked. “It do. I been thinkin’ ‘bout how I’m gon’ kiss her like I ain’t done it a thousand times.”
Pluto lowered her hand and looked at me with that soft expression I had been missin’ for months. “You’re ridiculous.”
Her cheeks warmed, and she looked away before Dr. V saved her by bringin’ the session back around.
“Remember what we discussed,” Dr. V said. “Stay connected to each other instead of focusing on a particular outcome. Let affection be affection. Let desire build without making either of you responsible for finishing a certain way.”
“I got it,” I assured her. “I ain’t takin’ my wife nowhere to put pressure on her.”
Pluto looked at me and smiled. “I know.”
That right there meant more than anything else said inside the room.
When the session ended, I stood first and held my hand out for Pluto. She placed hers inside mine, and I pulled her up before slidin’ one arm around her waist. Dr. V hugged Pluto, then gave me the same look she always gave when she was proud of some shit but ain’t wanna overdo it.
“Enjoy your trip,” she told us. “Rest, be honest and let yourselves have joy without waiting for something to go wrong.”
“I’m workin’ on that last part,” I admitted.
“I know,” she replied. “That’s why I said it.”
Me and Pluto left her office hand in hand, and our driver was already waitin’ outside by the truck. The second we stepped into the sun, I pulled Pluto against me and kissed her lips until she smiled against mine.
“You good?” I asked while rubbin’ my hand over her waist.
“I’m good,” she answered. “I’m ready to go.”
I kissed her forehead before openin’ the back door. “Then let’s get the fuck away from everybody.”
The ride to the airstrip ain’t take long, but I kept Pluto close the whole way.
She sat tucked against my side while I held her hand in my lap, kissed her temple and rubbed my thumb over her fingers.
Every time she looked toward me, I leaned down and kissed her again ‘cause I had spent too many months scared to give my wife everything I wanted to give her.
By the time we reached the private airstrip, our luggage was already there with two of my men. The jet sat waitin’ near the runway, and I could feel Pluto get more excited when she saw it.
I kissed her one more time before steppin’ out the truck, then walked around and opened her door myself. Pluto started to step down, but I placed one hand around her waist and helped her like she was too precious to touch the ground wrong.
“I can walk, Pressure,” she said while lookin’ up at me.
“I know you can,” I replied. “You ain’t gotta do shit just ‘cause you can, though.”
She smiled as I kept my arm around her and walked her toward the jet. My men handled every bag, and I ain’t let Pluto reach for nothin’ but my hand.
Once we boarded, I let her choose her seat before takin’ the one across from her. I wanted to see her face while we flew. Her hair fell down around her shoulders, her skin had a glow I ain’t seen in a while and the outfit she wore hugged her body in a way that made it hard not to stare.
I reached across the space between us and took her hand. “You look beautiful, baby.”
Pluto smiled and looked down for a second. “You already told me that three times today.”
“I’mma tell you three hundred more before this trip over,” I promised. “Get used to it.”
The flight attendant approached with a tray and asked what we wanted before takeoff.
I chose a bottle of Louis XIII, fresh pineapple juice and sparklin’ water ‘cause Pluto ain’t need nothin’ too strong before we got in the air.
When the glasses and ice came, I mixed both drinks myself and handed hers across to her.
Pluto took a sip and nodded. “This good.”
“Everything I give you good,” I told her while liftin’ my own glass.
She rolled her eyes, but that blush came back across her face.
I reached for her hand again after settin’ my glass down. “I need you to know somethin’.”
“What?” Pluto asked while lookin’ into my eyes.
“I feel blessed as fuck to still have you,” I told her. “I ain’t sayin’ that to make this trip sad or bring up the hospital. I just need you to know I understand what I got. You my wife, the mother of my babies and the best part of every life I done lived.”
Her eyes started gettin’ glossy, and I leaned forward before she could look away. I kissed her knuckles, then held her hand.
“I love you, Pressure,” Pluto said soft.
“I love you more than all this shit,” I replied. “More than the island, the money and every business with my name attached to it. None of it mean shit if I ain’t got you beside me.”
Pluto smiled through the emotion on her face, and I reached across the space to wipe under one of her eyes.
“And don’t be callin’ them kids every thirty minutes,” I added. “They good.”
Pluto laughed and shook her head. “I wasn’t going to call every thirty minutes.”
“You was gon’ call before this jet got off the ground.”
“I was going to check on Isley.”
“Isley with my mama, my daddy and enough nannies to start a daycare,” I reminded her. “My baby probably forgot we exist already.”
“But it’s all good,” I said. “These two weeks belong to me and you. We usin’ every minute.”
Pluto looked at me for a long moment before noddin’. “Okay.”
I leaned across the space between us and cupped the side of her face. Then I kissed my wife slow, takin’ my time while the engines grew louder around us. When I pulled back, her eyes stayed closed for another second before she smiled.
The jet started movin’ toward the runway, and I sat back while keepin’ her hand inside mine. For the first time in months, I wasn’t lookin’ at Pluto and thinkin’ about everything that almost went wrong.
I was lookin’ at my wife and thinkin’ about everything we still had left to live.
We was leavin’ Trill-Land to rest, pray, explore and find our way back to every part of each other we had been missin’.
This time, I wasn’t lettin’ Pluto to carry none of it by herself.
I had her, and for the next two weeks, my wife wasn’t gon’ lift one finger unless it was to reach for me.
SOLéYA, NAMBARA.
Me and my wife had been in Soléya for three days, and I spent every minute makin’ sure Pluto ain’t have to think about nothin’ except breathin’, restin’ and enjoyin’ herself.
The villa I rented sat high enough in the hills for us to see the water from almost every room.
The whole place was built out of pale stone and dark wood with wide doors that opened toward the ocean.
There was a private pool behind the bedroom, a mineral bath built into the side of the terrace and enough space around us that we could go hours without seein’ another person unless I called for somebody.
I had people available whenever we needed food, transportation or anything else, but I made sure nobody stayed around long enough to interrupt us.
I ain’t bring Pluto all the way across the world to have strangers movin’ through our space every five minutes.
I wanted my wife to wake up, open her eyes and know the only person she had to deal with was me.
The first mornin’, Pluto slept until almost noon.
Usually, that woman couldn’t stay in bed without wonderin’ who needed breakfast, whether Isley had ate or what the boys had got into while she was sleep.
The second her eyes opened, she reached toward the nightstand for her phone.
I caught her wrist before she could grab it and pulled her against my chest.
“The kids good, baby,” I told her while kissin’ the side of her face. “Yo’ job today is to lay here and let me love on you.”
Pluto looked over her shoulder at me. “I was only checking the time.”
“You got me for that,” I replied, tightenin’ my arm around her waist. “It’s whatever time I say it is.”