21. Keyshawn
“Hey, Mr. Williams.” Kayla greeted me as I entered the front doors of BerJam, Security.
“Hey, Kayla. I brought y’all some breakfast. The men will bring in the boxes of breakfast tacos, coffee, and donuts. Is Bernie in her office?”
She nodded. “Yes. I think she’s on a video call, but you should be able to go in.”
“Perfect. Thanks.”
I headed up the elevator to the floor Bernie’s office was located. I had a bag in my hand. There was a purpose for my visit, but I wanted to soften the reveal with her favorite chocolates and a framed picture of us to add to the decor of her office.
As the elevator doors opened, my heart began to pick up the pace. With each step I took, my symptoms grew more extreme. My throat began to dry, my skin coated in a layer of sweat, and my stomach churned.
When I entered her office, she was still in a deep conversation on the video call. She looked over at me with twinkling brown eyes before returning her attention to the people on her computer screen.
“I think BerJam, Security does have the bandwidth to expand beyond the United States. We can start in the sister country Canada and go beyond the oceans. With your help in foreign laws, we can get our product international,” she explained.
I took a seat in the leather chair in the corner and watched her in her element. When I first met Bern, she had a faux sense of confidence. She hated talking to people, but over the years, she found her voice and passion. I loved to watch her in her element.
I zoned out of the conversation and sent a few messages to my crew. I wanted to get all of my promo for the fight scheduled. I wanted to do a couple club appearances as well. I’d probably get a section at Kamp before the weather took a turn.
“Hey, my love.”
My attention shifted from my phone to my lady. She’d finished her call and had begun the journey over to me. I stood up and met her halfway. I leaned down and pecked her lips.
“Hey.”
“I didn’t know you were stopping by today.” She grinned as she rubbed her hands through my facial hair.
“I got some things for you,” I announced.
“Ooh! What did you get me?” she questioned as she looked over at the bag I left near the chair.
“I’d like to preface with saying your parents really got me thinking,” I began.
She took a step back. “You went and got a pregnancy test and put it in a fucking gift bag?”
“Listen before you get all gangsta on me, bae. We should know sooner than later. I want to make sure we move with the right information and not put you and our unborn child at any risks with prolonging the inevitable discovery. If you are pregnant, we can get the care started. If not, we can keep trying until you are.”
The seed her parents planted at dinner had me giddy. I’d noticed the glow in her skin, the wider her hips had gotten, and her sensitivity to my touch and certain smells. The evidence was there. It was time to confirm what we all suspected to be true.
Bernice crossed her arms. “So what did you bring to counteract the pregnancy test.”
“I got you some chocolate and a teddy bear too.”
She laughed. “Crazy. I thought you were bringing me lunch and maybe a quickie, but you want to ruin my day instead.”
“No, not at all. Regardless, we’re in this shit forever. I’m going to marry you soon. Whether we have to fit a baby bump into your wedding dress or get a babysitter for our honeymoon, we got this.”
“You know both of those options involved me being pregnant, right?” she asked with a shake of her head.
“I ain’t think you’d notice,” I admitted.
“Let me go pee on this damn stick,” she grumbled.
“Put some excitement in your voice. We’re financially stable to care for this child. We’re in love with each other, so we’re bound to give even more love to the child we make together. A baby with you would never and could never be a bad thing.”
“You’re right.”
She moved over to the bag and pulled out the box of two pregnancy tests. She kissed me again before she moved into the bathroom of her office. While she handled her business, I closed and locked her office door and closed the blinds to the windows for people to see into the room. Regardless of the outcome, I wanted this to be our special moment without the possibility of curious eyes looking in on us.
When she emerged, she poked out her bottom lip.
“Can you set a timer for five minutes?” she asked in a timid voice.
I nodded and set a timer. We moved to the two-seater leather couch in the corner of her office by the bookshelf. I sat down and pulled her into my lap. She grabbed her chocolate and rest her head on my shoulder as she ate her treat.
“Don’t worry about the results. Start thinking about the colors you want in our wedding.”
“Before a wedding is a proposal, Keyshawn. Do you plan on putting a ring on this finger soon?”
“I got that in the works now. Just give me some time. You know I got to make it perfect.”
She nodded. “Okay, baby.”
Our silence was filled with tension and nervousness. We were both anticipating the results of the test. Luckily, the timer went off quickly. We both stood up and walked over to the bathroom door. Bernice slid her hands down the material of her slacks as she chewed on her lip.
“Okay. You grab them and read them and tell me what they say,” she suggested.
“I got you.”
I went into the bathroom and grabbed both tests. I read the screens with the digital response.
“Well? What do the tests say?”
I stepped out of the bathroom and smiled.
A few months later
“Keyshawn!” Bernice gasped. Her eyes were wide as her hands lifted up to cover her mouth in surprise.
“I wanted this weekend to be special. You deserve to live a life of luxury.”
We stepped into the resort suite. It was the Friday after Thanksgiving, and we were out of the country. I decided to take Bernice to Turks and Caicos. I paid for a suite in South Caicos. My travel agent told me this part of the island was more discreet and private than the other ones. I wanted to feel like Bernie and I were the only two people on the island. I wanted her to feel like the queen I’d always seen her to be.
We got a deluxe beachfront villa. There was a pool in the backyard and a direct line to the ocean. The water was clearer than any beach I’d gone to. Galveston had nothing on these bodies of water.
“This place is so nice. The view is breathtaking. The weather is warm too.” Bernice continued to tour the villa while I set the suitcases in the second bedroom. We’d only be here for the weekend, but we’d both packed enough to sustain any weather, outing, or activity.
“I’m glad you like the villa. The weekend is yours. You can choose every activity we do. Honestly, if you want to stay in here all weekend and let me eat you like a buffet, I’m cool with that too.” I smirked as I locked eyes with my lady.
Bernice’s beauty was beyond any words I could come up with. She made me speechless with just a stretch of her lips. I couldn’t get enough of my girl.
“I’m a bit tired from the flight. I would really like to shower and then take a nap before we do anything. I know for sure I want to feel the sand between my toes. I also want to try some of the food places in the area. I’ll look on the website to the resort to see what we can get into.”
“Sounds like a great plan. We got all weekend to explore and have fun. I’m down for whatever you’re on,” I explained.
“I looked on the internet to see what all there was to do out here. I’d love to go to the beach, obviously.”
“Right.”
“I also saw they offer horseback riding on the Providenciales. They have ATV tours there too. I figured just because our resort is in the South Caicos, we could still travel to the other parts of the islands. Who knows when the next time we’ll be here will be? I want to try as many things in as many parts as possible, you know?”
I nodded. “I love all these plans, but I don’t know how I feel about my pregnant lady getting on a horse while she’s carrying my child.”
I placed my hand on her slightly round stomach.
She pouted. “Don’t piss me off, Keyshawn.”
“Well, Bernice. Horseback riding can be dangerous. I don’t want to have to catch a charge in a foreign country because you were injured on a horse you had no business being near.”
“Fine.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Let’s shower and nap. We can eat some local food on the beach and plan the rest of the weekend while our toes are in the sand. I’m sure we can find some safe activities to do that won’t have me catching bodies on these beautiful islands.”
“Whatever,” she mumbled.
“Don’t do that, baby.”
“I have a right to be upset. I know what you’re saying makes sense, but it’s still frustrating. I just want to do fun things.”
“You can do fun things that are safe for you. We can go on a hike. How do you feel about that? Seeing some of the cool attractions they have around the area.”
“That’ll work, I guess.”
I chuckled. “Let’s get you in the shower and down for a nap before you get too cranky.”
“Now I can’t regulate my emotions. If you hate me, please just say that.”
“Nah. C’mon.”
I tugged her in the direction of the bathroom. There was a large tub in one corner and a walk-in shower beside it. I started the shower and got everything we’d need. While I grabbed towels, Bernice stripped and stepped into the shower.
Bernice’s naked body had evolved since we found out she was pregnant. As her stomach grew rounder, her attractiveness increased. I didn’t have one, but I could see why niggas had breeding kinks… If I could keep her pregnant, I would. She was more sensitive to everything I did, but that pussy responded to me in the best ways. When she got horny, she was wetter than a waterpark. Lately, when I’d eat her pussy, she’d have me drowning like she was waterboarding a nigga.
We hadn’t told the family yet. It was easy to hide because she was never a big drinker and had made it through the first trimester. There was no morning sickness and random throwing up to worry about. She did get tired a lot more, but most of her family and friends chopped it up to her working harder. We decided to do a huge reveal on Christmas Day. After Thanksgiving, we needed a getaway from the world to prepare for this reveal and transition into parenthood. I still had to propose to her, which I had Gary and Deionte working hard on that for us.
My plan was to enter the new year with Bernice as my fiancée.
Sweat poured from my pores as I looked out at the view. The terrain was breathtaking. The foliage and ocean view made me grateful for life. I placed my hands on my hips and took in deep breaths as I soaked in the sun and nature around me.
“Hmph!”
A few moments later, Bernice emerged from the trail with sweat covering her skin and a scowl on her face. I smirked as she took a seat on the dirt path and placed her hands on her knees. She leveled her breathing and gulped down her water.
“I feel like my legs are going to fall off,” she complained.
“You made it to the end of the trail. You probably hit triple the number of steps you take on an average day. You should feel accomplished.”
“I don’t need your positivity right now, Krash.”
“What do you want?”
“I want you to shut the hell up and let me be grumpy in peace.”
“All right, bae. Be mad. When you’re ready, we can make the trip back to the resort.”
“My legs are going to fall the fuck off.”
“I’ll order a massage when we get back to the villa. We can shower and get all the aches worked out of our joints and muscles.”
“I’d like that a lot.”
When she gathered the energy to make the hike back to the van, I intertwined our fingers. She set the pace for the walk as we talked about different things.
“Do you think you’re really ready to retire from boxing?”
I nodded. “Fa sho. I’ve made more than enough money to supply my lifestyle for the rest of my life. I’ve made enough to raise children and set them up with a cushion to get through those first adulting milestones. I’ve been thinking about the type of father I’m going to be to our children.”
“What kind of father is that?” she asked as she paused to catch her breath.
“The complete opposite of the father I was raised by. I’m not going to hide my emotions from my child. They deserve to see good examples of a father who can control their emotions. I want my child to know that it is okay to be sad, mad, angry, and happy. It’s healthy to go through different emotions. I’m going to show them how to safely let their anger flow through their body. Bottling shit up ain’t gon’ do shit for anybody.”
She poked out her bottom lip and wiped at her teary eyes. “Aww, baby.”
I chuckled. “Don’t start, woman.”
“You don’t know how much it tugs at my heart to hear your growth. I love that I get to make you a father to show a child unconditional love. You’re going to be so great.”
“I’m going to do my best. We obviously aren’t going to know everything as first-time parents, but we gon’ have a solid foundation fa sho.”
“Are we signing prenuptial agreements before we get married?” she asked.
My eyebrows met in the center of my forehead. “The fuck do you mean are we signing prenups?”
“We both have wealth; most wealthy people protect their assets with a prenup.”
“Good for them, but that shit ain’t happening to us. We’re not divorcing to put our accounts in jeopardy. Prenups are for couples who can’t love every version of their spouse. I don’t care what evolutions you make during our relationship; I’m gon’ adapt and love you in the capacity you need in those seasons. Fuck a divorce. If we got problems, we gon’ go to counseling, the fuck?”
She covered her mouth and giggled. “You’re too damn aggressive, Krash. However, I love your response. It was the reassurance I needed to know when I do walk down the aisle and say I do… I’m marrying a man who will love every version of me. Hell, it was proof in the way we fell back in love after being apart for eight years. Coming back to you after growing into a better woman was like diving into a cold pool in the summertime—the perfect remedy.”
We stopped again, but this time, she pulled me against a tree.
“Make love to me,” she demanded.
My eyebrows lifted. “Right here?”
“Yes.”
She tugged at my shorts. I held her hands and kissed her lips. “I know you want me now, but you’re too sensitive, baby. We’ve both been sweating and being attacked by bugs, wind, and who knows what foreign creatures. I want to wash my dick before I penetrate you to avoid another trip to the doctor to get you cream for your coochie.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
I laughed. “Hold out for a little while longer, beautiful. I’ll have you dripping on this dick very soon.”
“Don’t talk nasty to me. I’m literally hotter than a Little Caesar’s pizza.”
I hollered at her comment. The rest of the hike was made in haste. She was bouncing with anticipation the entire drive to the suite. When we got to the room, it was like all her clothes had evaporated at the speed in which she stripped and went into the shower.
Once we were both clean, I made love to Bernice all night long. I penetrated her with precision while she dug her manicured fingernails into the skin on my back. Every position resulted in her making a mess on my dick.
“I can’t take any more,” she whimpered as she rode my dick.
I smirked. “If you can’t take the dick, then get up.”
Tears slid down her face as she quaked in my arms. “No. I can’t get up.”
“Then shut up and ride that dick like the good girl you are.”
Her hips moved in a circular motion as she chased her orgasm. I gripped her waist to control her sporadic motions. With precision, I guided us both to our peaks. Her head fell against my chest as she sprayed her juices all over my dick. The suction of her wetness had me filling her with my seed.
“I’ll never get used to making love to this pussy. This is my favorite drug. I don’t mind overdosing on that shit.”
She giggled. “You’re so nasty.”
“I’m serious.”
I slowly pulled out of her. “Let me get you cleaned up. I’ll move our massage to tomorrow morning. A nigga feels like he about to go into hibernation.”
“Me too!” she exclaimed with a chuckle.
Bernice was endgame for me. I’d never get tired of loving her, fucking her, and going through life with her. It was time to put a ring on it so these niggas knew she was spoken for.