22. Bernice
“How long do I have to keep this blindfold on?” I asked as I sat in the passenger side of Krash’s SUV.
The weather had been consistently cold since Thanksgiving. I was dressed in a pair of black tights and a knitted sweater that fell to my mid-thigh. The cream-colored sweater was cozy in the brisk forty-degree weather. To complete the look, I also wore a pair of insulated white Crocs. My hair was styled in a wand curled black wig with my signature pink skunk stripe.
Texas’s crazy mood swings were the reason my nose was running. It had been eighty degrees the week before Thanksgiving and a cold front came through and knocked us all on our asses when we returned from our vacation. We were a few weeks away from Christmas.
My vision was blocked by the blindfold Krash put on me before he ushered me out of the house and into the car. We’d been on the road for about ten minutes before my impatience settled in.
“Be patient, bae.”
“I can’t. My nerves are bad. I have no idea where you’re taking me.”
“What are you nervous for? You know I’d never put you in harm’s way.”
“At least give me a hint,” I bargained.
I felt his hand rub my thigh. “We’re going somewhere special. This place holds a lot of great memories.”
“Hmm. There are a couple of places that comes to mind. What’s the occasion? I know I haven’t forgotten about an anniversary.”
“Bernice.”
“Not my government…”
“Sit back and relax. All of your questions will get answers as soon as we get there.”
“Fine…”
I sat back and allowed the music coming from his speakers to soothe me. Kenyon Dixon’s “On My Mind” serenaded me.
Every morning when I’m wakin’ up, I just wanna feel you baby.
I hummed along to the lyrics as butterflies swarmed my stomach. Something was going to happen when we made it to our destination, and I couldn’t wait for the reveal. Kenyon’s voice transitioned to Fridayy’s “When It Comes To You.”
I won’t waste no time when it comes to you. Put my pride aside, give it all to you.
Part of me felt like the songs playing on our journey played a role in setting the tone for what awaited me. The lyrics were a little too intentional. My man had gotten better with how he showed his love and affection toward me. In the beginning, he wasn’t the best at being romantic, but he was learning, and I was grateful for it.
When the car stopped, I motioned to remove the blindfold, but Krash stopped me.
“Not yet.”
“Fine.” I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for Krash to open the passenger door and help me out. He wrapped his arm around me and guided me down a concrete path. I tried to allow my other senses to give me a hint of where we were, but all I could feel was the cold air on my cheeks and the hard pavement under my Crocs.
“Wait right here,” he instructed. A second later, his warmth had disappeared from my side.
I felt like a sitting duck waiting to be shot by a hunter. My heart pounded against my chest as I shifted my weight onto the balls of my feet. My hands fidgeted against the bottom of my sweater.
“Remove the blindfold.”
My eyes adjusted to the bright sunny sky. Once my vision cleared, I realized where we were. We were standing at the front door of the high school we’d first met at. On each step were pictures of us over the years. Pictures from boxing matches, homecoming, prom, college days, random date nights, sleepovers, and more. My eyes burned from the tears as I covered my mouth.
The sight of Krash bended on one knee with a ring in his hand made my entire body quake with emotions. The sign behind him read in large gold letters: Will you Marry me?
“Bernice James, from the moment we met in Mrs. Donaldson’s class, I took a liking to you. Back then, I assumed the reason I took you under my wing was because you were younger and more susceptible to bullying. Now, as I look back, I realize my soul knew then that you were the one I was supposed to spend forever with.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I listened to him. “Krash…”
“Bern, you’re the honey to my comb. You’re the ranch to my wing. You’re the sole to my shoes. Without you, I wouldn’t be the best version of me. I love you more than there are stars in the galaxy. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
I was at a loss for words. To hear my man express his feelings had me speechless. I nodded.
“Is that a yes?” he asked as he removed the ring from the box in his hand.
Again, I nodded. “Yes. Yes. Yes!”
He stood up and slid the ring on my finger. Once the ring was on securely, he spun me around. My legs wrapped around him as he pulled my face closer to press our lips together. The subtle feel of his breath against my face caused goosebumps to rise on my body. I wanted to make love to him in the best way, but we obviously couldn’t do that on the front steps of our high school.
“Take me home,” I instructed.
“There’s more?—”
“Well, we need to go to the car really quick.”
“Your horny ass is hot, huh?”
“The thought of making love to my fiancé is too good to pass up. Also, I’ve always wanted to have parking lot sex—we just can’t get caught because I’m not trying to get on that list…”
He tossed his head back with a boisterous laugh. “Can’t you wait until after we go to lunch?”
“Nope. I won’t be able to enjoy my food from the pulsing throb between my legs.”
“C’mon!” He placed me back on my feet and interlocked our fingers.
“Who is going to clean up all the pictures?” I asked.
“Gary. He’s in the black and yellow Challenger with the dark tinted windows.”
I nodded. “I’m glad your windows are tinted too. No one will know I’m riding that dick in the back seat of the SUV.”
Krash shook his head. “You’re so nasty.”
“Only for you.”
“Good. Keep it that way, fa sho.”
He helped me into the back seat, and we let the seats down. Once we had a flat surface to work with, he grabbed some blankets to make it more comfortable for him while I pulled down my leggings.
Being pregnant had increased my sex drive beyond belief. Krash was my biggest pregnancy craving. I wanted him more than I wanted any food or drink combination. Krash filled me up better than any dessert. We wouldn’t be able to have as much sex when the baby was born, so we were putting up Wilt Chamberlain numbers before our season ended.
After our quick session in the back seat, we headed to lunch. He wanted to take me to one of those high-end restaurants with the tiny portions. I told him don’t play with me. I needed a real lunch, so we ended up going to Cheddars. Once we were seated, we were approached by several people.
“Hey, um… Hi Krash…” One woman stuttered as she walked over to the table.
“Yo! Krash Williams! I’m a huge fan man!” Another man shouted as he walked over.
“Krash Williams! Can I get a picture?”
At the sound of the question, several other people approached us with the same question. Almost a dozen people surrounded our table with phones aimed at Krash.
Krash let out a deep sigh and rubbed his temples. I could tell he was frustrated with all of the interruptions. I could see in his body language he was on the brink of snapping.
“Call Blake and Nehemiah. Tell them you want to enjoy your lunch without guests walking up to you, so if they could manage the crowd, you’d be grateful to give them a little extra.”
Keyshawn nodded and pulled out his phone. He placed the device up to his ear and mumbled into the receiver. While he got his bodyguards on the phone, I addressed the crowd.
“Hey, y’all…” I addressed the crowd around us.
A few people glanced at me, but most of them were too focused on Krash.
I cleared my throat. “I said… Hey y’all!” I raised my voice. Everyone turned to look at me.
“I know a lot of y’all get starstruck when you see a celebrity, but I’m gon’ need y’all to back up and let this man breathe. We are out trying to enjoy lunch like everyone else… We haven’t even gotten our drinks yet because y’all done crowded the damn table. Have some decorum. Let this man have some space to enjoy some spinach dip with his fiancée.”
Krash’s gaze met mine as he smirked.
“Fiancée? Girl, quit?—”
“Look at that fat ass ring on her finger… Damn…”
Many of the women who were breaking their necks to get a picture with Krash backed up and mugged me. I didn’t mind though. I’d been looked at much worse over the years.
It took about ten minutes for everyone to finally get the hint and back off—granted, Blake and Nehemiah had arrived and made them all return to their seats. Blake and Nehemiah were huge men. They both stood well over six feet tall and were wide built. Their muscles were as thick as some people’s whole bodies. Blake stood to the left of our table, and Nehemiah stood to the right. They made sure to give us space while keeping fans away.
The waitress finally brought out our drinks and took our orders. While we waited, I took a bite of the honey butter croissants. The sticky mess was perfect.
“I’m sorry folks ruined our lunch,” Keyshawn said in a low tone.
I frowned. “No. Nobody ruined our lunch. We haven’t even eaten yet.”
“This celebrity shit is so draining. A nigga just wanted to share a meal with his fiancée and was bombarded with groupie bitches and niggas.”
“It’s okay, Key. They left us alone, and we still have plenty of time to enjoy our meals.”
He remained quiet as he took a sip of his drink. Krash ordered a frozen margarita. He felt bad about ordering alcohol, but I told him not to worry. I’d enjoy my strawberry lemonade in peace.
“While we’re here, we can start planning the wedding,” I suggested.
“Already?”
“Yes. I always said I wanted an intimate wedding and extravagant honeymoon.”
He nodded. “The guest list will mostly be up to you. I’m not gon’ act like I don’t feel some type of way, but I do.”
I frowned deeply. My lips turned downward as I rubbed my hands together. “What are you feeling?”
He cleared his throat and lowered the volume of his voice. “You’re the only family I’ve ever had. When I lost you, I had no one. I don’t know who would be seated on my side of the wedding, because I’ve always been alone.”
“Keyshawn,” I whispered.
I reached my hands out to hold his. I rubbed his knuckles with my thumb and gazed into his eyes. I could see the storm in his brown orbs. I could see the pain in his pinched lips. My heart ached for him.
“Baby,” I began in a gentle tone. “No matter what, my family is your family. Don’t forget, we’re also building a family. You’re going to be the best father to our child. We’re going to do the best job of raising our baby and building a foundation for our future.”
Krash smiled. “You’re right.”
“Plus, you do have family. Gary, Coach Larry, Nehemiah, Blake, and Deionte are your family. I’m sure all of them would be honored to stand with you at our wedding too.”
“Damn right,” Blake chimed in without making eye contact.
Keyshawn chuckled. “You’re right.”
“Of course I am. You know I’m always right.”
“Always?”
Before I could reply, our waitress brought our appetizers and entrees at the same time. I focused on the steaming bowl of spinach dip. I devoured it like it was my main course. Keyshawn began eating his Cajun pasta.
The entire time we ate, I thought about ways I could make Keyshawn feel more comfortable with looking at my family as his family. He needed to know that I wasn’t going anywhere. We were locked in and would be in this forever.