18. Artez
A weight lifted from my shoulders. With everything out in the open, I felt like a new and improved man.
I could breathe better, see clearer, and live in my truth.
Mali accepted my actions and made love to me to show her gratitude for what I did for her.
It was the best sex of my life, and that was saying a lot.
“Look at y’all grinning like schoolgirls with a crush. I know Mali’s got you whipped, but what’s going on with you, Probie?” Juliet teased as she sat beside me on the couch. She kicked her feet up on the coffee table.
“I’m not going to lie . . . I got Joylei’s number after we helped Mali move. We’ve been talking for a while.”
I shook my head. “Does she know you still have baby formula on your breath?”
“I’ll literally be twenty-two on my next birthday . . .” Charles crossed his arms over his chest.
“Isn’t Joylei almost thirty? You don’t know what to do with a grown woman,” Juliet concluded.
“Y’all are haters. Plus, we’re just talking right now. She could be a lesson or a blessing. We’ll see in a couple of months from now.”
I sighed. “See. You’re not about to ruin my home life.”
“How would I ruin your life? What we do ain’t got nothing to do with you or Mali.”
“Men are so dumb. Let me break it down for you since you’re so inexperienced. Joylei is Mali’s best friend. You work with Mali’s man. If you break Joylei’s heart, Flame here is going to have to move out the city.”
“Now wait a minute. How I get booted out of the station? Probie should be the one to go since he’s new here.”
“Hey, I don’t make the rules.” Juliet shrugged.
“Flame, can I speak with you in my office?” Cap asked as he walked by the lounge area.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“See, Cap already finna have him pack his bags. So long, farewell, until we meet again, my friend,” Juliet sang.
The crew heckled at me as I stood up and followed him to his office. He closed the door, and we sat at his desk.
“What’s up, Cap?”
“How are you doing?” he asked.
I raised an eyebrow. “I’m good. How are you?”
“I’ve had better days, but I’m blessed. The reason I want to speak with you is that it’s getting time I choose someone to take on the title of captain when I retire.”
“Retire? Don’t tell me you’re tired of the 143.”
“I breathe, sweat, and bleed 143, but a couple of months ago, they diagnosed me with lung cancer. I’ve been going through aggressive treatments, but my body is tired of hiding and fighting alone.
I want to attack the cancer full on without worrying about the family I have here.
I want to make sure I have someone I trust holding the reins of the place I’ve given almost forty years to. ”
Captain broke down everything to me as I listened intently. I wouldn’t lie and say I never thought about becoming captain, but I really wasn’t expecting it to come to me like this.
“I don’t know what to say, Cap.” I replied honestly.
“You don’t have to give me a definite answer yet, but soon.
This job isn’t easy. You have the entire station depending on you, and there is a lot of paperwork involved.
I’ve watched you become one of the strongest leaders in the crew.
You take care of everyone. You show up when needed.
You have had such amazing character development since you joined my station. ”
“Alright, old man. You’re trying to make me cry?” I asked as I clasped my hands together and shook my head.
It was a lot happening too fast. I felt like I had whiplash from the number of things he dropped on me.
Captain Moore was not only a role model but a father figure to me.
I wanted him to be a grandfather to my future kids and stand beside me at my wedding.
To hear he was going through such a scary experience alone, without the support of his fire family, broke my heart.
I wanted to be there for him in his toughest moments.
I wanted to ease his workload so he could fight the cancer full force.
“I want you to give me your choice at the start of the month. It will take a while to get things moving, but I already have the support of the fire chief and higher-ups.”
I blinked. “You do?”
He nodded. “What do you think I’ve been doing these last couple of months? I’ve been setting a foundation for a smooth transition of power.”
“Wow, Cap. You really fucked me up with this one.”
“I see your potential, Flame. You will be a great leader to the 143 and all future firefighters who step foot into this station.”
“Thank you.”
We stood up, and he shook my hand.
“You’re going to do great things, Flame.”
“You are too, Cap. Trust you’ve got an army of family ready to fight this cancer with you.”
“What’s all of this?” Mali asked as she walked into the house and followed the trail of roses to the living room.
I had set up an in-home date night. We would have pasta from her favorite Italian spot and then make our own dessert in the kitchen. I placed a blanket on the floor, with LED candles and a vase of roses with our containers of food. Music that reminded me of her played softly in the background.
“I wanted to do something special for you. There’s a bubble bath with a bucket of fruit and wine waiting for you. Take as long as you want to unwind and relax.”
“Aww shit. What’s the occasion?” she quizzed.
“There shouldn’t be a reason to love my woman outside of the bedroom. You deserve to be courted and dated outside of holidays and sex. Sometimes I want to just pamper and speak life into my lady. Can I do that?”
“Yes, you can.” She giggled. I pecked her lips several times and gave her ass an encouraging slap before I watched her walk down the hall to the bedroom.
I went into the guest bathroom to freshen up. I took a quick shower and sprayed on her favorite cologne of mine. I put on my cross chain and pulled on a black T-shirt and gray sweats. I wanted to be comfortable with all I had planned for my lady.
After my shower, I warmed up our pasta and set it on plates. There was also garlic bread and Caesar salad to go along with it. As I set the bowl of salad on the floor, Mali emerged in a red lace nightgown and her favorite white furry paw slippers.
“Damn.” I whistled.
She did a spin and shook her ass. “You like it?”
“I love it, but now you got me feeling like I’m underdressed,” I replied.
“You look good enough to eat.”
“Don’t get me started, Mali. Let’s eat the pasta before it gets cold.”
“Fine!” she sang with a chuckle.
I locked our fingers and led her to the living room picnic. We sat, said grace, and dug in. We talked about her day, the stress of locking in a new building, and the drama with her employees.
“Apparently, Dominique has been sleeping with Otis’s daddy!” Mali gossiped.
“Otis is the dog?” I asked for clarification.
“Yes. He’s the goodest boy. Let me show you.” She picked up her phone and scrolled to a picture of her and Otis. The round face and big smile damn near melted my heart.
“Oh, he’s definitely a heartbreaker,” I joked.
“Chile, he learned it from his daddy. Apparently, while I was out of the office, Dominique and Eric were getting acquainted since she took over Otis’s services.
Baby, she said that man had her twisted like a pretzel and seeing stars.
Unfortunately, his old ass was twisting several other young women up like pretzels too.
She was pissed. She slashed his tires and put glitter all over his car seats. ”
I shook my head. “Damn. Mixing business and pleasure almost never ends well.”
“It worked for us. Sexy firefighter busting down doors to save the damsel in distress.” Mali batted her eyelashes and placed a dramatic hand over her chest.
“We don’t really count, though.”
“Why we don’t?”
“God was going to put you in my path no matter what,” I answered.
“How can you be so sure?”
“You’re my rib. You’re my missing piece. You’re my sunshine on a cloudy day. No matter if we met a few months ago or ten years in the future, you would be mine.”
“You need to teach a class on how to speak life into a woman, because the way you talk to me is something straight out of a movie. I’ve never had someone pour into my cup the way you do.”
“Man, I wasn’t even a big reader growing up. The words just come to me when I’m with you. It’s not something I could teach, if I’m being completely honest. Niggas just got to find the right woman to unlock their poetry settings.” I shrugged.
Mali tossed her head back and laughed deep from her belly. I loved the sound of her amusement. I loved everything about her.
“I have a question to ask you, though.”
Her laughter subsided as she raised a curious brow in my direction. “What’s up?”
“Will you marry me?”
“I already told you I wanted to be your wife.”
“I know. This is me proposing.” I pulled the velvet red box out of my pocket and placed it in front of her on the floor.
She gasped. “Shut up, Artez, and stop playing.”
“I’m not playing. Pick up the box and open it.”
She did. At the sight of the four-karat princess cut diamond with the diamond encrusted infinity band, she cried. With shaking hands, she pulled the ring out of its container and slid it onto her ring finger—a perfect fit. As I knew it would be.
“It’s beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful. Now, can I be your husband?”
Mali nodded. “Yes!”
She squealed and did a little dance on the floor. Amusement fluttered through my eyes at the sight of my fiancée. The shit was so perfect. Life with her had been perfect, even on the bad days.
“We’re getting married. Oh, my goodness.”
“Yes, we are. Now, how we do it is all up to you. I promise I will love you through this lifetime and everyone after this, and I trust your creative eye.”
“Boy, we could go to the courthouse tomorrow and make this shit official. I’ve never been a fan of expensive ceremonies. I’m absolutely cool with saving money for a huge honeymoon and a nice-sized reception for our family and friends.”
“You’re playing, but I’ll fill out that marriage certificate form tonight and meet you at the courthouse in the morning.”
“Who playing?”
I laughed. “I am eager to make you my wife, but I won’t move too fast. We still have one more activity in my schedule.”
“What’s that?”
“Dessert. I wanted us to make a dessert from scratch. I have ingredients for both a cake and cinnamon rolls. I was going to let you decide.”
“If dessert is my choice, then we don’t have to leave this floor.” Mali crawled over to me and climbed into my lap. Her hands always found the back of my neck. The feel of her fingernails on my skin always turned me on.
“Show out then, fiancée.”
Tonight we didn’t make love. Tonight we fucked. We fucked like primal animals, hungry for pleasure. We fucked like greedy, selfish beings who only cared about the orgasm. We sucked, and we fucked, and we made a mess all over the blanket.
When we were done, we lay in our mess, chests rising and falling irregularly.
“I love you.”
“I love you.”
I reached for her hand and lifted it to my lips. I kissed her ring and placed her hand on my chest. My heartbeat steadied instantly.
Mali was my world, and soon, she’d be my wife.