7. Lark
A WHILE LATER… MRS. LARK DAWN brOUGHTON
Today was the day that I married the man I was obsessively in love with. When he asked me to marry him at my gala, it took me completely by surprise. I love surprises! Another shock was the engagement ring. I felt so honored that his mother wanted to pass down her engagement ring as the beginning of a family heirloom.
“I always knew you would be a perfect bride. When you were six years old, you used to plan weddings for you and your stuffed toys,” my mama said from her seat beside me at the head table at my reception. “I think the one I liked the most was when you married your Tickle-Me Elmo.”
We both chortled. I remembered those weddings. I would have one once a month. They used to be more often, but my cousins got tired of coming to them. We all compromised that I would get fake married once a month. Getting married had always been in my life plans. When Derrick and I broke up, I thought it would never happen.
“Thank you, Mama. You know my weddings were everything. Thank you for always making sure I had cake for the reception.” My mother always gave into my shenanigans.
I looked over the dance floor at everyone having a good time. Chance, Joston, and my father-in-law were on the balcony smoking a cigar.
“Girl, don’t let me have another drink,” Jacobia said when she plopped down in the seat on the other side of me. She leaned up to look at my mama. “Mama Georgia, if you see me with another drink in my hand, pop me.”
My mama rolled her eyes. “Lil girl, I’m going to do more than pop you. I’m going to slap your ass.” My mother reached over me and grabbed her hand. With her serious motherly eyes, she glared at my best friend. “Jacobia Justina Christianson, get your fuckin’ self together in here. Ya mama and daddy left to be nasty, but don’t think I won’t call Chelle back to tell her to come get you,” she sternly said.
There was a sadness in Jacobia’s eyes. “Come on, best friend. Let’s hit the dance for.” I grabbed her hand, stood up, pulled her out of her seat, then pulled her to the dance floor.
The DJ must have heard my heart. When the beat for Tamia’s song came on, I knew it was up from there… hopefully. Jacobia and I loved to line dance. We immediately fell in step. After a couple rounds, I felt arms wrap around my waist from behind. They fell in step with my moves.
“I missed you,” Chance whispered in my ear. This man is everything.
I stopped the line dance to turn in his arms. “Did you now? You were just with me less than an hour ago.”
“What that mean? Lark, I miss you before I’m gone. Just the thought of you not being in my presence causes me pain.” He smacked my ass. “Act like you know.”
I laughed at his facial expression. He looked at me like I had two heads. “I apologize, Mr. Broughton. I do know.”
He kissed my neck. “I know you do, Mrs. Broughton.”
The music changed to another line dance song. It didn’t matter, because Chance and I were slowly dancing to a beat all our own. I heard and saw the flash from the photographer’s camera. I was so happy that we took most of our pictures yesterday. We were leaving for our honeymoon in a week and a half. I took my real estate licensure exam in a few days. I had put it off to plan my wedding.
Chance and I went with something different for our wedding guestbook. We did a vintage audio guestbook. We had two phones on special tables that we rented from a company called After the Tone. Our guests simply went up to the phone, picked it up, waited for the tone, and left a special message for us. I couldn’t wait to hear the messages because I had seen plenty of our tipsy guests on the phones.
“So, how soon can I get my baby?” Chance broke into my thoughts with his question.
My ear lowered toward my shoulder, and my lips pursed out. We had a conversation during our premarital counseling about how soon we wanted to have children. Both of us were tapping the door of forty, so time was of the essence. “Well, I took my birth control out in preparation for this. It’s really up to how soon can I get my dick.”
One of our assignments in counseling was to abstain from sex for the month before our wedding. At first, I didn’t think we’d be able to do it, but we did. Without the sex, we discovered other ways to be intimate. It was crazy because during the last month, our friendship deepened to a level that I never experienced with Derrick.
Derrick was also a topic during our sessions because shortly after our little apology meeting, he popped back up. He wanted to at least be friends. He asked me out for lunch. Chance and I accepted the invitation. We are one. Derrick left the lunch without my friendship and a fractured jaw.
“Shit, wife, you ain’t said nothing but a word,” he said before he let me go and grabbed my hand. I roared in laughter when he started walking toward the bathroom. “We’re about to make a reception baby, Lark.”
* * *
My dress was on the floor near the door of my bridal suite, my shapewear was hanging off the chaise, and my ass was rippling on my husband’s dick. There was something to be said about married sex. I was going to say it all too because I’s married now!
“Lark, your legs getting a little wobbly on me. You gonna cha-cha slide next, love? Chance taunted me. He knew that would get my competitive spirit together. I believed firmly that one of the reasons that our sex was so outstanding was because both of us continually tried to out-fuck each other. “There you go, wife. Fuck me back.”
If the top of my body pushed into the mattress any harder, I might have gone through it. I peeked over my shoulders with a sinister smile. “Is that all you got, husband?”
His brows knitted together. “Oh, you talking shit! That ring got you brave, Mrs. Broughton. Let me try this out.”
He did some kind of hip dip to the right stroke while his fingers found their way to my nipple, giving it a pinch. “Muthafucka! Wait… wait!”
“Nah, it ain’t no wait now, Mrs. Lark Broughton. Keep that same energy from less than ten seconds ago,” he said as he stroked me into a haze. “Here comes my babies.”
I threw my ass back to meet his stroke. Chance did this thing where he could quickly change the angles of his thrust. That, coupled with the intensity, had me cumming all over myself. The tightening of my abdomen was pleasurably painful. Right as I finished my orgasm, he came to his. “That was so fuckin’ good!”
We were both out of breath. I was glad that I suggested the bridal suite to get nasty in. There was a change of outfit in here for me so I wouldn’t have to put back on my dress. After we both cleaned up in the attached bathroom, I put on my bride’s pants jumper. Damn, I look good!
When Chance and I were headed back toward the ballroom, we heard elevated voices. Who the hell is that? My steps paused for a moment until I heard Jacobia’s voice. My head snapped in my husband’s direction before I rushed down the hall toward the voice. Chance was on my heels.
Jacobia was pacing back and forth in the hallway, fussing with herself. My best friend has lost her mind. “Jacobia, what’s wrong? Are you alright?”
When she turned to face me, I knew she had another drink. “Lark, hey, best friend. Why are you back here? You’re supposed to be out there with your hubby.” She waved at Chance. “Hey, best friend’s hubby.”
I peeked over my shoulder at Chance, who looked just as puzzled as I was. “Best friend, what’s wrong? What you back here fussing about?”
She walked into my space, then crossed her arms over her chest. In a quiet voice, she asked, “Did you know Joston was bringing a date? Why wouldn’t you tell me that?”
I pivoted so that Chance could see my face. We had a conversation a little earlier about this very thing. When my eyes landed back on Jacobia, they softened. “Best friend, I didn’t know. I asked this one behind me why he didn’t tell me.” I pointed at my husband behind me.
“Damn, throw me under the bus.” Chance threw his hands up. “What did I tell you when you asked me, Lark?”
I rolled my eyes. “You told me that it wasn’t my business who a single man brought to our wedding. Last time you checked, Joston was single.”
Jacobia’s head bucked back before she laughed. “You right. Dat man single as hell.”
“What y’all doing down here?” I closed my eyes to Joston’s voice behind me. This man had the timing of a heavy period arriving during an all-white cotillion. Please, please let that man be alone!
My eyes sprung open when I heard Jacobia kiss her teeth. The slits in her eyes told me that he was in fact not alone. “What we’re doing, Joston, is having a conversation amongst friends. You can take Cindy Lou Who looking ass girl back to the ballroom.” Ah hell!
I turned to face Joston and his plus one just in time to see her face contort. She laughed, then said, “I’m a guest here. I’m not going to ruin your best friend’s wedding by being childish like you are, so I will go back into the ballroom.” She began her departure but stopped, turning with parting words. “While you’re in your childish feelings tonight, I’ll be fucking Joston’s dick.”
My eyes bugged out. Joston stepped in front of his date. “Noelle, that’s enough. Take your ass back in the ballroom and find a seat.” She started to say something, but he snapped his finger. “Now!”
“Right, bitch! Listen to your master, ho. Talking about I’m ruining my best friend’s wedding. I’m not doing shit! My bullshit is her bullshit!” Jacobia yelled at this girl’s back.
She was right. Her bullshit was mine. Besides, I’d just have a baby at her wedding and call it even. The girl spun around as if she would say something. I wasn’t sure what expression Joston gave her, but her ass turned right back around and stomped toward the ballroom.
I glanced at Chance with an unspoken question. He nodded with a smile. When I focused my attention on Jacobia, there was this unreadable expression on her face. “Hey, let’s go outside for some air.”
Before I could pull Jacobia away, Joston’s hand wrapped around her arm. “Nah, Lark. You go with your husband. I got her.”
I stood there for a moment, frozen. Joston didn’t look happy at all. My eyes bounced back and forth between Jacobia and him. “Um, no. I think she should?—”
“Nah, love.” Chance cut in. “What you’re going to do is come on so we can get back to our guest. Let Joston and Jacobia handle their own shit.”
He wrapped his arm around my waist and dapped Joston with his other hand before he pulled me toward the ballroom. I peeked over my shoulder, worried about my best friend. She was completely out of pocket today, and everyone who knew her knew it.
Chance’s hand smacking my ass pulled me out of my worry. “Stop worrying my damn sperm. They got an important journey.”
My blank stare preceded my laughter. This man of mine was too damn much. Thank God, I could handle it all.