Chapter 20 #3
Her heartbeat spiked. “Tia…wait.”
Tia stopped mid-stride. “What?”
“I wanna go in here.”
Tia blinked, following Meadow’s gaze. “The golf store?”
“Yes.”
“For who?
Meadow rolled her eyes. “Who you think?”
Tia grinned. “Oh, you love that man.”
“Shut up,” Meadow whispered, her cheeks warming again.
She stepped inside.
Soft jazz floated through hidden speakers. Displays spotlighted items like museum pieces. A section on the far wall caught Meadow’s eye immediately novelty socks lined up in rows.
A pair featuring a Black Prince Charming with waves, a crown, and a tailored suit caught her eye.
Her heart galloped in her chest because this felt like destiny.
Picking them up, she flipped them over and there sat the prettiest brown Cinderella, She sucked in a heap of air. These were perfect…almost too perfect.
“THIS,” Tia whispered behind her, “is destiny.”
Meadow grabbed the socks without hesitation. “He gon’ clown me if I give him this.”
“And?”
“And I want him to like it.”
“He will…because he likes you.”
Meadow snatched the socks from Tia fingers. “Here you go.” She rolled her neck.
An employee approached with a bright smile. “Do you need help with sizes or designs?”
Meadow lifted the socks. “I’m good with these.”
“Oh! Those are part of our Black fairytale collection,” the employee explained. “We also offer custom stitching on this wall if you want initials or a little name added.”
Meadow paused, thinking…Custom?
That felt personal.
It felt right…It felt like her.
“Tia…” she breathed. “Should I?”
“Yes you should. Absolutely.”
Meadow walked toward the embroidery station, staring at the digital preview screen. “Okay…what do I put though?”
“His name,” Tia offered.
“No, that’s too serious.”
“A nickname then,” Tia shrugged.
Meadow chewed her lip, thinking. Zaire already called her Marai. So she needed a Prince Charming name for him, but something with hood flavor, something that matched him, something he would instantly understand.
She whispered it slowly, tasting it on her tongue. “Charm.”
Tia grinned, “Oooooh, bitch.”
Meadow kept going. “Or NorthStar ’cause he feel like…I don’t know, direction…like he be keeping me steady without trying.”
Tia nodded slowly. “That’s the one.”
Meadow turned to the associate. “Can y’all do…Marai + NorthStar?”
The employee typed it in.
The preview screen lit up.
Marai + NorthStar stitched in gold cursive against midnight blue fabric.
Meadow’s breath caught. “Yeah, that’s perfect.”
“You getting soft.” Tia bumped her shoulder.
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“Whatever.”
They both laughed, but Meadow’s eyes lingered on the screen.
It was cute.
It was intimate.
It was…them.
The associate smiled. “It’ll take about ten minutes.”
“Okay,” Meadow nodded, feeling her heart swoon even more.
As she stepped away, she clutched her new luxury bag in one hand and felt something warm bloom in her chest.
She wasn’t just spending his money.
She was choosing him.
And maybe…just maybe…he’d already chosen her.
Meadow lay across the guest bed in Tia’s house, bonnet on, lights low, city glow slipping through the curtains. She had been staring at her phone for ten minutes, pretending she wasn’t waiting for Zaire’s name to pop up.
When it finally lit the screen, her stomach dropped.
She took a breath, then answered, “Hello?”
Zaire’s voice was warm, relaxed, carrying that lazy West Coast slide that always made her shoulders loosen. “You sound tired.”
“I’m not,” Meadow lied, smiling into the phone. “Just full. Tia fed me like I been starving myself.”
His laugh was low, sexy, and rough. “Good. I know you run a tight ship and this is past the time dinner is served.”
Meadow rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling, ignoring the truth. “You all settled?”
“Yeah,” he said. She could hear him shift. “Been hittin’ the balcony, practicin’ a little.”
“In the dark?”
“In the dark,” he repeated “helps me think.”
“How you feel about tomorrow?”
“I’m ready.” He paused. “Wasn’t focused earlier though.”
Meadow bit her lip. “Why?”
“You.”
She swallowed. “Zaire…”
“What?” His tone was teasing. “I can’t be honest?”
“No, you can… I just…” She sat up, fidgeting with the edge of the blanket. “I gotta tell you something.”
He hummed, suddenly more alert. “What’s that?”
“So, um…” She cleared her throat. “Brent is here.”
Silence.
“For what?”
Meadow shrugged even though he couldn’t see it. “I don’t know why he’s here, Zaire. Tia is married to his brother.”
“You left that out.”
“I didn’t think it mattered like that!”
“It matters now.”
Meadow exhaled through her nose. “Don’t start.”
“I ain’t startin’. I’m askin’ a question, cuh.”
“Well, ask it with a nicer tone.”
He laughed quietly. “Meadow.”
“Zaire.”
“You know he likes you.”
“He likes everybody.”
“I don’t give a fuck about everybody.”
She chewed her cheek. “You’re being dramatic.”
“I’m bein’ a man...one that knows what it feels like to be with you.”
Meadow shifted, pulling her knees up. “Look…I didn’t plan on him being here. I didn’t invite him, and I’m sure as hell not checkin’ for him.”
“Aight,” Zaire replied. “Just needed to hear you say it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Zaire, please. You think I flew out here to flirt with Brent?”
“I don’t know, that’s why I asked,” he muttered.
Meadow laughed into her sleeve. “You jealous?”
“What you think?”
“I think you’re being cute right now.”
“I ain’t tryna be cute.” His voice dropped a shade deeper. “I just don’t like the idea of a bitch ass nigga standin’ in the same room with you, lookin’ at you the way I know he do.”
Her chest pulled tight. “Zaire…”
“Nah,” he countered. “I’m straight. He don’t bother me.”
Meadow raised a brow. “So you not worried?”
Zaire chuckled confidently. “Baby…from how deep I be in your guts, another man couldn’t fit if he tried.”
Meadow covered her face with both hands, kicking her feet like she was fifteen. “Zaire!”
“What?” He sounded proud of himself. “Why you actin’ shy?”
“Don’t say stuff like that.”
“It ain’t the truth?”
Meadow groaned, falling back onto the bed. “You gon’ have me actin’ stupid.”
“You already do.”
“Zaire—"
“You smiled when I said it,” he added. “I can hear it.”
Meadow pressed the phone closer to her ear, fighting the warmth crawling down her body. “Whatever.”
“You miss me yet?”
“No.”
“You stay lyin’.”
She sighed, “Maybe a little.”
“You miss me a lot,” he corrected.
“Go to hell.”
He laughed again, the sound deep enough to pull at her breath. “Go to sleep, Meadow. I’ll call you when I wake up.”
“What time?”
“Early.”
“Text me first,” she said. “I’m on vacation time.”
“Just answer when I call.”
She felt her heart settle. “Goodnight, Zaire.”
“Night, baby. Dream big.”
The line clicked, and Meadow stared at the ceiling, smiling like a fool.
Because even with Brent in the house, even with her confusion, even with everything moving so fast…she knew exactly who she wanted and he knew it too.