6. 2
“Man, who lives here?” I asked and waved my hand at the multiple flower gardens and vines hanging off the porch.
“Marcus, be for real. The only thumb I have is for football,” Bryce said, and we burst into laughter and slapped hands.
Harley glued herself to my leg as she tried to take in Bryce.
“This is my daughter, Harley,” I said, and he kneeled to her level.
“It’s nice to meet you, Harley. I’m Bryce.”
“Hello, Uncle Bryce,” she said shyly and ducked a little behind my leg.
He extended his hand, and she shook it with hesitation before releasing it. We followed Bryce inside to find more plants.
“Somebody’s a plant lady,” Harley said as we stepped into the living room, and Bryce lost it as he cackled.
Rounding the corner into the kitchen, there stood my wife. She checked all the boxes. She had to be at least a size sixteen, full-figured, about 5 '9 in height, pouty lips, with golden-brown skin and locs. We locked eyes, and the dog rose up within me. It was official. It was time to hunt. I checked her finger to find it empty, further confirming she was sent at this appointed time to be with me.
After Bryce kissed Kindness, I made a mental note to rag his ass about it later.
“Meet Mia Robinson.
She is my co-host,” he said, and she extended her hand toward me.
Offering herself to me increased my appetite to have her in my possession.
I kissed it to satisfy my immediate need to taste her skin.
A spark between us ignited, and I knew it from the slow release of her breath.
“You are fucking beautiful,” I said.
My compliment set off a whirlwind of events, including putting me on the hook for a new doll and Bryce laughing.
Mia escaped my eyes by turning her attention to my daughter.
Harley accepted her invite to help with no hesitation.
This was yet another confirmation she was meant to be mine.
Granny said children will let you know if a person’s spirit wasn’t right.
If Mia thought using Harley was a way to keep her focus off me, she was mistaken.
She increased my hunt to have her on my arm.
I need to thank my daughter for her prayers because the big man sat Mia right in my lap.
I admired my future wife as she interacted with Harley.
After the vegetables were finished, my daughter surprised me with her comment.
“My daddy likes you,” Harley said with an assured smile, leaving me stuck.
Even she felt the energy between us.
Bryce held his stomach as he laughed at Harley being my unofficial wing man.
After Mia’s phone vibrated, I went ahead and shut down whoever it was disturbing my woman.
“Break up with him,” I said.
“Yo,” Bryce said and covered his mouth.
She flipped over the phone without answering because she knew she was mine.
If she didn’t, I was going to make sure she heard it before she left.
Mia, unsure of how to handle me, pushed for us to go into media tips.
She made it fun for Harley and it solidified we were getting married.
I would turn over my checking account to this woman.
From her acrylic nails, defined brows and designer clothing, I knew she took pride in her maintenance.
Nothing about her soft life would change with me.
“Marcus, let’s wrap,” Bryce said.
I lifted myself and put Harley in the seat, following Bryce outside.
He opened the French doors to the patio, and I wasn’t surprised to see a damn garden in the back.
“Dude, what are you doing?” he questioned.
“Securing my wife,” I said.
Bryce walked off the patio and shook his head before he returned.
“She could have a boyfriend.”
I shrugged.
“He should have wife’d her because she belongs to me now,” I said.
Bryce’s mouth fell open, but before I could respond, Kindness and Harley opened the patio door.
Bryce and I watched Kindness and Harley tour her garden.
Leaning backward, I caught a glimpse of Mia standing in the kitchen alone.
I tapped Bryce’s shoulder and pulled back to open the French doors.
My grandfather told me I would know my wife when I found her.
Today, I have to say, he was right.
Everything about the way she smiles, her smell, and how she addressed my daughter said wife.
“Hey, beautiful,” I said, and Mia smiled as she washed her hands.
I approached the opposite side of the island to allow my eyes to feast on her beauty.
The thought of my hands gliding over those hips while she rode my dick raced my heart.
“Mr. Allen.”
“ Mia, when are you going to allow me to take you on a date?” I asked to help forge a conversation.
Mia’s brown eyes lingered on mine as silence sat between us.
“Why do I have a feeling you will not accept the word no?” she said.
I caressed my faded beard before I answered.
“Because you know I won’t,” I said.
She folded her arms across her full breasts.
“Why should I go on a date with you?” Mia asked.
“We could skip the date, and you can accept you belong to me,” I said, and her mouth parted.
She tried turning her head to hide her smile, but she failed.
“Marcus, you can’t tell me a few lines, and I melt into a puddle. Is this the new way young millionaires flirt nowadays?” she questioned.
I circled the island, eliminating the space between us.
Hovering over her, I examined her gloss covered lips and fought the urge to pull them inside my mouth.
“I’m not flirting. I’m putting you on notice, Mia. My intentions are to chase you until I have you in my possession.”
She peered up at me.
“And what happens then?” she questioned.
“You won’t complain,” I said.
“Mia, did you...” Kindness said and stopped.
“Oh, I can come back,” she finished.
Mia slid past me and followed Kindness to the back of the house with a basket of vegetables.
Bryce and Harley entered after.
“It’s called a Fashion Doll,” Harley told Bryce, and I smirked as he scrolled on his phone.
“Two hundred dollars for a doll?” Bryce questioned.
I shook my head because I knew he offered to buy something before researching it.
I observed Mia and Harley color on Kindness’s coffee table.
She avoided me after our kitchen interaction.
“You’re not going to know how to answer a damn question,” Bryce said as he stood next to me.
I turned to him.
“You heard Mia. I need to be myself.”
He shook his head after he chuckled.
“All right, Miss Allen, I have to be going. I hope to see you again,” Mia said as she lifted herself from the couch.
She extended her arms toward Harley, and they embraced.
“If you give my daddy your phone number, we could meet again,” Harley said, and Bryce shook his head.
Contrary to his belief, I didn’t coach Harley to say anything, but I was glad she did.
I’d never brought a woman around my child for several reasons.
One being I knew she wanted a mother, and it would break her heart if things didn’t work out.
The second being I’m private and I didn’t trust people, but Mia was different.
From the moment she laid eyes on Harley, she became her main priority.
She assisted her through dinner and kept her engaged in conversation.
I watched Mia scramble to give my daughter an answer about her telephone number.
Stepping into the living room, I gave her a temporary way out.
“Harley, let’s walk Mia to her car,” I said and extended my hands to her.
She came running, and I lifted her in the air.
Mia and Kindness hugged each other with a promise to hang out.
We waited by the door for Mia, and I opened it as she approached.
Instead of walking out the door, she stopped and tickled Harley.
I arched my brow at her, but shook her head.
Trailing behind, I glanced at her ass, but I couldn’t stare with Harley watching me.
We made it to the silver G-Wagon and stood.
“I didn’t get your number to set up a playdate,” I said, and Mia rolled her eyes upward in a playful manner.
“Really, Marcus?” she asked.
“Yes, Mia. I want to… Well, we want to see you again. Right, Harley?” I said.
“Yep,” Harley co-signed.
Everything about Mia’s giggle and relaxed body language said she wanted to see us again.
I licked my lips again as we stood silent until I opened my phone for her number.
She snickered and lowered her eyes adding her contact information.
After she finished I called it.
“Did you think I gave you a fake number?” she asked.
“You’re a moving target until I catch you,” I said, and she rolled her eyes, but it ended with a smile.
“Whatever. Goodnight, Harley. By the way, I’m giving my number to you, not your daddy,” she said to Harley.
I blocked her from opening the door and raising the handle.
We made sure Mia pulled off before I went back to my car.
I buckled Harley in and the shy goofy smile on her face made me laugh.
Thirty minutes later, we pulled into the driveway and Harley scrambled to get out of her seat belt.
She was excited, causing her little fingers and brain to work overtime.
By the time I removed my seat belt and exited the car, she was ready.
I pulled the seat up and she squeezed by me and ran up the driveway to the front door.
Opening the door, I found my grandmother in the living room fighting sleep.
Harley’s eyes widened, but she placed one finger over her lips.
I shut the door as slow as possible with the intention of letting her sleep.
“How was it?” she said groggily.
Eddy Allen could hear a snail moving and it hadn’t changed due to her old age.
Harley ran to her chair, and I knew my business was done.
“Hi, Granny. Today was fun. I got interviewed by Daddy’s lady friend and she gave me her phone number. I did better than Daddy,” my daughter continued to recount today’s events.
Granny gave me an inquisitive eye every so often during Harley’s retelling.
I rested on the couch and listened to the excitement in her voice.
“She is pretty, Granny and . . . and . . . ”
“I’m glad you liked Mia. Go wash up. I got cabbage and cornbread ready to go,” she said.
We both watched Harley speed walk down the hallway.
My Granny’s eyes landed on me.
“Who is this Mia?” she questioned.
I caressed the short hair of my growing beard.
“Hopefully, she will be my wife,” I said.
A slow smile creeped across Eddy’s face.
“Well, I need to get a look at her,” she said.
“I’m working on it. She is trying to play hard to get,” I said.
Granny peered over at me.
“You don’t have no game. Now, your grandfather? He was smooth. I used to joke about us meeting at the juke on Friday and being married by Monday,” she said.
I chuckled because the man I knew didn’t say much.
After dinner, my daughter couldn’t hang on much longer.
She drifted off to sleep with her favorite butterfly book.
I removed it and pulled up her comforter to cover her shoulders.
Walking down the hallway, I peeked into Granny’s room.
The light from the news hit her face, alerting me she was asleep.
My two favorite girls were early birds.
Harley was accustomed to being in bed by 7:30, and Eddy went right behind her.
However, they were up by 6:30 for no apparent reason at all.
Propping my feet up on the ottoman, I pulled out my phone to text wifey.
Me
Your beauty is unmatched.
I stared at the phone for several minutes until those gray dots appeared.
Wifey
I could’ve sworn I gave my number to Harley.
I shook my head as I laughed.
Me
She is okay with me texting you.
Wifey
I doubt you asked.
Me
When are we going to see you again?
The gray dots appeared and disappeared twice before she sent a message over.
Wifey
Harley?
Any time, but I’ll watch her daddy on TV.
Before I could respond, Bryce sent over a message.
Bryce
Can you pick something up for me tomorrow?
Me
It better not be anything illegal.
Bryce
I’ll send you the address.
It’s a necklace for Kindness.
I smirked at his comment.
Bryce was a goner.
When a man buys jewelry, he’s marking his territory.
I’m happy my guy found someone to make him happy because he deserved it.
But Vick still needed his ass beat in my opinion.
I toggled back over to Mia, but I hit the call button instead and it rang a few times.
“Harley, what are you doing up this late?” Mia said with a giggle.
She knew it wasn’t my daughter.
“Harley gave me the okay to give her new best friend a call. We’re trying to set up a play date,” I said.
Mia sucked her teeth at my response.
“I’m not busy this weekend. You are welcome to drop Harley off. I will give you a time to pick her up.”
“Nawl, Daddy is included on the play date as well,” I countered.
“Sorry, I only have room for one new best friend,” she said.
After she paused, I heard the sound of USPN playing in the background.
“Good, because I’m not trying to be your best friend. I had my mind set on being your other half,” I said.
Mia gave me a shaky giggle.
I could tell at Kindness’s house she didn’t know what to do with my bluntness.
The one misconception people attached to me was timidness.
I don’t speak much and I ignore bullshit.
Grandpa Allen always said a man with a plan, responsibilities, and something to lose didn’t waste time on unnecessary things.
“Marcus, I-I.”
“Want to spend time with me and my daughter this week? How about Wednesday? My grandmother knows all about you,” I interrupted.
“Oh, my God. What did Harley tell her?”
“All good stuff. Now my granny wants to meet you.”
“Marcus, what did Harley say?” Mia pressed.
“I’ll tell you Wednesday when we go bowling,” I said.
A pause stood between us, leaving the sound of a sensual exhale between us.
“Mr. Allen, you don’t want this smoke at the bowling alley,” she said, and I sat forward, not expecting her response.
“Mia Robinson, be ready to crown me king,” I said.
“Ah, Harley and I will be wiping the floor with you.”
The fact she pulled my daughter back into the equation highlighted the person she was, a nurturer.
I could rest assured Harley would be just as important to her as she was to me.
“Remember your words when you’re carrying your L,” I said.
Mia and I both gave into a soft laughter as we exchanged words.
I knew from the sound of her soft giggle we were meant to be.
As a favor to Bryce, I picked up his gift from the jeweler.
I compared the necklace to the picture he sent me.
Pulling up to his woman’s house, I didn’t forget Bryce neglected to confirm he was in a relationship.
I parked, and I sprinted up to the front door.
“Where’s Harley?” Bryce asked, and I smiled, handing him the jewelry bag.
“Look at you, already trying to spoil my daughter. She’s with her grandma, getting ready for the pool. It’s hot as hell today,” I said.
He removed the box from the bag and opened it and immediately smiled at the meteorite necklace.
“Yo ass whipped, buying weird-ass jewelry,” I said, and we both laughed.
Stepping on the porch out of the sun, Bryce said.
“Don’t worry about me. What’s up with Mia? Dude, you were coming at her hard as hell yesterday,” he reminded me of the assertiveness I put on display at the BBQ.
I used my quiet nature to my advantage.
People were too trusting with me, forgetting I’m in the room and telling me their business, or they assume I’m not an Alpha male.
Yesterday, I saw what I wanted, and I went after it.
“She gon’ be my wife,” I said.
Bryce paced toward the end of the porch and laughed, holding his stomach.
By the time he approached me again, his eyes were watering.
“Does she know?” he asked.
“She will after our date tomorrow night. I told her she might as well move in and make my house our home.”
“Marcus, man, you gon’ scare her away talking crazy? It’s been all of twenty-four hours,” Bryce said, after rubbing a few sweat droplets from his forehead.
I raised my hands in surrender before he laughed again.
“Mia will be carrying my baby and my last name by training camp next year,” I said.
“Who are you?” Bryce asked as I laid out my plan for Mia.
I used my signature shrug, which got me out of most things, including questions I didn’t want to answer.
“What’s the scoop on Mia, anyway?” I asked.
Shaking his head, Bryce patted my shoulder.
“I just met her myself. Kindness mentioned something about her family owning a communications company.”
Family wealth meant I needed to step my financial game up.
“I need some info. Mia got the guard up.”
“No, sir. Kindness will see right through any attempts at getting info. I think you might have a shot, though,” Bryce said, shaking his head, refusing to get involved.
Kindness did give the I’ll call you out on your bullshit vibe.
“Of course, I do. Who doesn’t love Marcus Allen?” I smirked.
“Man, get off my porch.”
We slapped hands for the last time.
Harley and I pulled into Mia’s driveway.
She tried to keep her address a secret, suggesting we meet at the bowling alley.
I shut her stunt down by continuing to ask for her address.
With Mia being self-made and independent, I needed to show her my value from the gate.
“Ms. Mia has a nice house,” Harley said, as she unbuckled herself and waited for me to let her out.
We held hands as we walked up the pathway.
Mia lived in a traditional style brick house.
If I had to guess from the size, it was maybe three bedrooms.
The light brown brick, cream gutters, and a wood beam outlining the porch opening gave it a soft touch.
Sooner or later, her oversized tree in the front would need to be cut down or trimmed.
One bad storm could lay it in her living room.
I allowed Harley to ring the doorbell.
Mia opened the door and gave me a quick smile before diverting her attention to my daughter.
The way she used Harley to deny giving in to her attraction to me was amusing.
“I’m glad you guys found my house,” she said.
“I’m good with directions and delivery,” I said, and she gave a small chuckle.
The off-the-shoulder, black, long-sleeve shirt highlighted the best parts of her.
I imagined myself leaving a trail of kisses on her exposed skin.
As we followed her inside, I took in how her ass and hips filled out her high-waisted denim jeans.
Mia’s house, aligned with my expectations.
An open floor plan with white sofas, rustic coffee table, art work, and a large area rug.
The color scheme flowed into the kitchen, but the natural light from the bi-fold doors gave it a homey atmosphere.
“Look, Daddy, she has a pool,” Harley tugged on my hand and pointed to the back.
Mia kneeled to her level.
“You can come over anytime and go swimming.”
“What about tomorrow?” Harley asked Mia.
“If it’s okay with Dad.”
Harley peered up at me with wide, pleading eyes.
We just left the pool yesterday, but I’m not objecting to spending time with Mia.
“All right we’ll see how Mia feels after we beat her,” I said.
Mia placed her hands in the creases of her waist.
The position highlighted the fullness of her hips.
“Harley is on my team. Girls vs. Daddy,” she said.
The sound of her calling me daddy sent my heart racing around a track twice.
I blew air out my nose to calm my hormones.
Harley stepped closer to Mia and smiled at me.
“Wait. I’m your dad and you’re turning on me,” I questioned Harley, and she shrugged.
“She knows a winner,” Mia boasted.
“And I picked one,” I said, and Mia’s eyes danced away from mine.