Chapter 7 Distraction #3
“Sureeeee,” I laugh and hold my pose then the flash finally clicks.
I walk toward him through the sand, soft white fabric floating around my ankles. The sea breeze lifts my curls and the scent of salt clings to my skin. He doesn’t move. Just lowers the camera slightly, still staring at me.
“Let me see it,” I say, standing on my toes beside him. He’s so tall, the camera is still a little out of reach even as I lean in. He angles the screen toward me. Whew.
The picture takes my breath. I’m standing just at the edge of the water, the shoreline so crisp it mirrors my figure, but behind me, the sky is deep and dark. The moonlight outlines my silhouette like a glow only he could catch.
“Omg..” I whisper, eyes still on the picture.
He licks his bottom lip, watching me instead. “Nah. That’s just how you look when mi see you.”
“Yam head,” I murmur under my breath, turning away before he sees me blush.
“Say it louder,” he grins.
“I said you a yam head for the lady,” I say, louder now, holding my dress to keep it from blowing too high. I glance up at him. “And you in love wid me.”
“Fa sure…” he chuckles, reaching for the adapter without denying it. “Mi want this right now.”
“After we eattttt,” I pull his firm hand, feeling the veins beneath my fingers, eyes flicking to the waitress setting up our table in the sand.
Our set up is perfect: soft lighting, scattered candles, and waves crashing softly a few feet away. Other guests sit up on the porch of the beachfront restaurant, but we’re right here in the sand, closer to the water. Private. Surreal. He walks behind me again. I feel his gaze on my ass.
“Perfectttt,” he hums, singing it like Alkaline. I laugh as he pulls out my seat, then takes his beside me. A tablet is handed to him for the menu. Everything feels like a dream. It couldn’t get any better than this.
“Jesus… the apple cinnamon smoked pork chops look nice eeh,” I say, eyes lighting up as I scroll the menu.
Nickoi looks at me over the edge of the tablet, his voice calm and direct. “That’s what you want, Mami?”
I nod, already picturing the plate. He starts placing the order for me. Lobster with mac and cheese for himself, blue electric lemonade and orange juice for me. A few more items follow before he finally sets the tablet down and leans back.
Then he looks at me. Full-on. “How you feel?” he asks, adjusting the edge of his shirt before his hand slides casually to his Rolex. A simple move, but on him, it looks like power dressed in diamonds.
His eyes don’t leave mine. Not once.
So. Damn. Sexy.
“Everything feels…” I pause, letting the breeze kiss my shoulder, “Dreamy.”
I rest my elbow on the table, chin in my hand, just watching him. “How are you feeling?”
He leans forward a little. “Grateful,” he says, low and sure. “Mi Gov, man.”
There are women all over the restaurant. Some with full beat, some with heels that sink in the sand every time they stand. All of them trying to catch his eye. But his eyes haven’t left me. Purr.
“Cyaa believe mi have you,” he murmurs, the edge of his voice dipped in awe.
I blush, my fingers grazing the edge of my glass. “Really?”
He doesn’t smile. Not right away. Just looks at me like I’m something rare. Like I’m the win he didn’t think he’d deserve. And Lord… Why is that making my heart thump harder?
“When Jordane come to me and say, ‘Mi see a nice teacher over school weh look like your type,’ mi never know say it woulda be you.”
Nickoi leans back in his chair, eyes steady on mine. “The woman fi change me. And about fi mek me be a father.” Whew.
I blush so hard I have to look down, pretending to smooth out my dress.
This man has no idea what his words do to me.
The waitress comes over with a gentle smile and sets down two glasses of water, followed by our appetizers.
Nickoi gets creamy shrimp scampi. I get cheesy fries.
Of course. One thing about me? I’m gonna order that.
As we eat, we slip into our own little world.
Question after question, stories flowing easy, like we’ve known each other through a thousand lifetimes and just now found our way back.
I learn that his mother’s side is from Flanker, in Montego Bay and his father’s side is from Spanish Town; 31 Johns Rd.
His dad, Owayne, was close with him like best friends, with a complicated bond and even though Nickoi acts like the oldest, he isn’t. Junior’s the eldest.
And crazy enough, Junior’s real name is Owayne, just like their dad.
I smile at him as I eat, my pork chops sweet and smoky.
He’s tearing into his lobster, but his eyes keep drifting up to me.
He uses seafood scissors to break through difficult shells, cracking through with his bare hands, most times and still manage to not get any sauce on his clothes.
He loves a little lemon juice squeezed into his lobster too.
“I feel like I know something real about you now,” I say, gently.
It’s quiet for a moment. Not heavy. Just full. Like we crossed a line neither of us saw coming, and we’re both okay with it.
Once we’re done, the waitress returns, this time with dessert. “How is it so far, Mami?” he asks, tilting his head slightly, voice dipping low.
Awww. Why is my baby looking so nervous for the first time?
I look across the table at him, my heart so full it could spill. “It’s amazing,” I say, and I mean every syllable. I pick up the fork and take a bite of the cake. He’s not eating. Just watching me. His gaze feels heavier than usual, like he’s thinking deep about something he hasn’t said yet.
“That mi wah hear, man,” he says softly, almost like to himself. Then he reaches across the table and gently takes my hand, stilling me. His tone shifts. I swallow. No sah… him a mek mi nervous now.
“I’m not perfect,” he begins, his thumb grazing my knuckles. “But mi try mi best fi come off perfect inna your eyes. Like mi tell yuh before… mi deh yah fi mek yuh happy, and a that mi plan fi do… as long as mi alive.”
I blink fast. The tears come before I can stop them. “The only tears mi ever want see yuh cry…” he pauses, looking me dead in the eye, “A tears of joy. That’s it.”
“Awww,” I whisper, my heart full. My fingers tighten around his.
But he’s not finished. “Mi know mi take yuh from a home weh maybe yuh never expect fi end up wid a man like me, bad man or not but through it all, yuh still a be you. And yuh still deh right yer wid mi.” his voice cracks a little, he’s so nervous.
“You had enough reason fi cut. Bad energy, rumors, everyting… but yuh never move. Yuh held it down.”
He chuckles softly, eyes dropping for a second. “And mi know it probably look too soon to people. But nothing weh a gwan between we… nobody else nuh need fi understand it.” My hands start trembling. I laugh lightly. A bit overwhelmed.
When I glance around, I realize the other couples nearby have gone quiet.
They’re watching, smiling wide like they already know what’s about to happen.
Then I notice him, a man dressed in black, barefoot in the sand, spinning blue fire in hypnotic loops.
The flames light up the night, dancing in circles around him.
A few people are recording, their phones held high.
The light from the fire casts a soft glow across our table.
And it’s right there, in that flickering light, with Nickoi’s hand still wrapped around mine, that I realize something’s happening.
Zara… mi hope yuh ready fi this enuh.
I try to hide the tears slipping down my cheek. But mi emotional now. I don’t even know what’s happening to me.
“Oh my God,” I breathe, smiling through it, trying to pick up the fork again, just to look like I have something to do. Something to anchor me while this man talks like I’m the only woman in the world.
I use the fork to take up a piece of the cake then pause. That’s when I see it. The ring. My breath catches. A scream leaves my throat before I can stop it. Tears start running down my face almost immediately. “Y-you really see me a-as your wife?” I stutter, sobbing through the words.
Nickoi nods with a smile, calm and sure. “Definitely… mi see you as mi baby mother and mi wife, Zara.”
His voice is steady. “And usually… mi nuh meds dem thing yah. But I guess a this love do.”
“Awwww,” I hear it from the people nearby, making me smile even through the tears.
Then he gets up. My heart is beating so fast I feel dizzy. I’m trying hard to calm myself, but how is that possible when Nickoi is proposing to me?
He reaches for my hand. “Come,” he says softly.
Still in shock, I let him lead me. We walk further down the beach, past the tables, past the candlelight, toward the ocean breeze and the sound of soft waves.
That’s when I see it. A heart, outlined in fire, glowing in the sand.
We step into the center. The warmth from the flames surrounds us, but I’m already on fire from what’s happening.
I glance up, confused. And that’s when I see them.
Not one, but two fire dancers now in the sand.
Both dressed in black, barefoot, twirling flame through the night air.
One moves left, the other right, circling each other until they come together at the center of the beach.
In one sweeping motion, they drag the fire across and then it appears bright, blazing, floating in the night.
ZARA, WILL YOU MARRY ME?
The fire flickers in the dark sky, letters hanging in blue flames. It’s literally so pretty… and poetic. My hands fly to my mouth as tears flow all over again. And when I turn, Nickoi’s already down on one knee. Waiting. Watching. His whole world in his eyes.
“Mi usually woulda say the only time mi drop to mi knees a when mi a pray…”
He chuckles nervously, scanning my face.
“… but times change. Now man a propose.” Laughter echoes from the people watching, soft and genuine.
Some clap. Some record. But my eyes don’t move from him.
Tears bead down my cheeks, hot and quiet.
I love this man so much. He holds out the ring, eyes locked on mine like the world stopped spinning.
“Zara… Williams… you a make man change that?”
I don’t answer right away. Not because I don’t know. But because my voice is caught behind my heart. I see the way his chest rises a little harder, like he’s waiting, trying not to look nervous, but I know he is. Who wouldn’t be?
“The man a crease him Clarks enuh!” someone shouts behind me, and that finally makes me laugh.
“Of course,” I say through a watery smile. The crowd breaks out in cheers.
Applause ripples through the beach like waves. He gets up, slipping the ring on my finger before pulling me into him. My arms wrap around his neck, his lips brushing my ear.
“I love you,” he rasps. Whew. That never affi sound so good. Mi feel drunk, but not from liquor. Just… from him.
I pull back, staring into his eyes like they’re the only stars that matter. “I love you too,” I whisper.
“Congratulations!” people shout around us as we make our way back to the table.
“Thank you,” I say, still dazed. Nickoi picks up his drink, leans back, and takes a slow sip like nothing could ever touch him now.
“Congratulations to you two,” the chef says, walking out with two more plates in hand.
I smile, cheeks hurting now. “Thank you,” I reply, watching the blueberry cake, across the frosting in delicate gold script: Soon to be Mrs. Jacobs.
“Listennn,” I smile. Damn. Nickoi really knows how to make you happy.
I say a quick prayer, I’m so happy. Every woman deserves this feeling.