Chapter 18
Chapter
Eighteen
Ramel
My ten-minute talk with Gina turned into a weekend getaway, and I couldn’t have been happier about it.
After everything that went down at my house, it was taking an act of God to get her to even look at me, let alone agree to go away for the weekend together.
I’d apologized to Gina in more ways than I could count, but I still felt like I needed to do more to prove myself.
Gina deserved to know that I was completely hers, and I’d always be there no matter what. This weekend was the first step toward drilling that into her head. My baby was the type that needed reassurance, and it was my job to give it to her.
“Ramel, this is beautiful,” she said, walking around my beachfront condo in Orange Beach.
Orange Beach, Alabama, was a hidden gem that few people knew or even cared to know about.
Out of all the places I’d visited in my life, it was still one of my favorites.
Not only was the water crystal blue and the sand white, but it was also lowkey.
I never had to worry about being completely surrounded by tourists, which meant my girl and I could spend the quality time we needed with little interruptions.
“I’m glad you like it. My parents got this place when I was in elementary, and I fell in love with it my first summer out here. I bought it from them as soon as I was old enough to know what to do with it.”
“Do you ever plan on moving here for good?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“So now you’re making life decisions based on what I want?”
“I’ve been making life decisions based on what you wanted from the moment I met you. That ain’t never going to change.”
“Um,” she said before walking off to look at the rest of the house.
I gave Gina a quick tour of the property before we settled in the kitchen. I didn’t know about her, but that four-hour drive from base had my stomach touching my back. I needed to find something to eat before it started growling.
Luckily, I’d already ordered groceries and everything else I needed for the night on the way, and it’d arrived at the same time we did.
I had plans of giving my baby a romantic dinner under candlelight.
I wanted dinner to be at home so she could have the space to speak her mind and let out any frustrations she needed to.
Gina and I had a few conversations about my mother and Lacy popping up at the crib, but something was telling me she hadn’t gotten everything off her chest. In order for us to move forward, I knew Gina needed to be completely secure in where she stood in my life.
I was there to guarantee her that her place would always be front and center.
“Can I cook for you tonight?”
I picked Gina up and placed her on the counter before making my way between her legs. She tensed up a little, but relaxed the closer my face got to hers. I studied her features for a moment just to appreciate the raw beauty that she was.
“If you want to. I could definitely eat.”
She swallowed hard, trying to avoid eye contact, like she always did when she was nervous.
I tilted my head so that our eyes could meet despite her best efforts, and as soon as they did, that was all the confirmation I needed to kiss her.
She willingly gave me her tongue, letting her body fall softly into mine.
“I want to,” I declared before moving around the kitchen to gather everything I needed.
Cooking for the people I cared about had always been my favorite way to show them love. It was a trait I’d gotten from my father. He used to say, ‘What better way to say I love you than with a meal you pour your heart into?’ That was what I wanted to give Gina.
“What are you going to cook?”
“I didn’t tell you I’m famous for my salmon and shrimp pasta?”
“Let you tell it, you’re famous for everything.” She laughed as she walked around the counter to sit closer to where I was rummaging through the bags.
“You said it. I didn’t.” I shrugged, always being the confident nigga I was.
All my life, people teased me for being too cocky, but confidence was not cockiness. It wasn’t my fault people didn’t know the difference. I could tell Gina liked it, though, and that was all that mattered at the end of the day.
It wasn’t long before I was plating the food, and Gina was helping set the table. I kept it simple with a black tablecloth, white plates and candles, and long-stemmed white roses sitting right next to my baby.
“That salmon smells so good. I can’t wait to taste it.”
“Well, go ahead and have a seat. I’ll say the blessing so we don’t keep big mama waiting too long.”
Once Gina was seated, I stood beside her and grabbed her hand instead of going to my seat. I wanted to be close to her when I blessed the food. I wanted to be close to her period, but I could wait.
“Father God, I want to thank you for bringing Gina into my life. Since the moment I met her, I knew she was crafted by you, specifically for me. Thank you, Lord, for putting it on her heart to spend this weekend with me because you know I would have kidnapped her if she didn’t.”
I could feel her nudging me, but I kept going until I was finished. One thing about big G was he knew my heart. I never had to front when I was talking to him, because if I had to kidnap Gina, then that’s exactly what I would’ve done.
“Amen.”
“Amen.” Gina opened her eyes and looked up at me. “Now, why would you say that?”
“It’s the truth. You wanted me to lie to God, baby?”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”
“Love me.”
Gina stayed quiet instead of offering a response in that moment.
Kicking our weekend off with a private dinner was the perfect way to break whatever tension was still lingering between us.
Just as I expected, it gave Gina the space she needed to air my ass out, and I could simp for her in the privacy of my own home.
As long as she left this table happy, I did what I came to do.