Chapter 18 #2
A little annoyed but curious, I shower, brush my teeth, gargle, and floss, then style my hair.
I frame my face by slicking back my right side and defining my natural loose curl pattern with moisturizing curl gel from the new hair line, Black Mane.
When my hair is straight, I band down my edges then do my face.
After washing it, I rub in caramel crème tinted moisturizer, brush my lashes, and line my lips with a burgundy pencil then fill them in with vitamin E gloss.
When I emerge back into the bedroom, he isn’t in here but I hear him downstairs.
He’s making my breakfast smoothie. All I can do is smile but it quickly fades the moment reality slaps the shit out of me.
He’s leaving tomorrow.
I sigh so damn loudly he can probably hear me downstairs. I take a moment and refocus my mind and energy. Obviously, he’s planned another surprise, and after my popcorn date, I know this is going to be great too. The only problem now is my clothes.
“What the hell should I wear?” I utter as I walk into my closet.
It’s the middle of May, spring, and nice out.
So, after several noes, uh uhns, and hell nawls, I decide on baggy, beige, long cargo shorts and a gold and beige crop top.
At a little over three months, I’m finally starting to look pregnant and I’m ready to show my belly off.
I’m going to be belly out until November.
When I head down the stairs, he’s actually walking up with my smoothie and vitamins.
“This one is ginger, pineapple, mango, and chia seeds,” he says.
“That sounds good actually. I’ll drink it in the car though. My mouth still tastes like toothpaste.”
“Let me taste,” he says before taking a step down so we are eye level on the stairs. Then his lips crash into mine and we kiss.
“God, I love your lips,” I admit.
“Just my lips? That’s cold ‘cause I love all of you,” he says and everything stalls.
“You love what?”
“Not a what. A you. I love you, Tee.”
“You do?” stupidly rolls off my lips before I can stop the words. Instead of telling him how I feel about him, I hear myself basically ask the same damn thing again for the second time. Before he can answer me, I gather my senses and quickly add, “Because I love you too, Tyriq.”
With a smug look on his sexy ass face, he asks, “What took you so long to tell me?”
Before I can even try to respond, his lips are back on mine. He kisses me with the perfect cocktail of passion, love, need, and aggression. Wanting to be closer to him, I drop down two steps and his arms latch around me and he pulls me into my favorite place…him.
When he’s kissed the soul from my body, he releases me, stares into my eyes, then runs his fingers through my hair. Now that he knows it’s mine and permanently attached to my head, I swear he can’t keep his hands out of it.
“Don’t mess it up,” I quip.
“I’m not. Just seeing how I’m going to grip it later.”
“Nasty ass,” I tease.
“I wasn’t begging for it this morning. That was yo’ freaky ass.”
He pecks my lips again then grabs my hand.
We walk down the stairs to the door. He sets the alarm, opens the door, and we leave.
The moment we are in his ride, he hands me vitamins and my smoothie.
Because of him, I never miss them. When I place the cup in the holder, he looks down and frowns.
I fight to hold my laughter in because he’s so serious about these vitamins.
When I realize he’s not moving because they are still in my hand, I grab the cup and quickly down them.
Satisfied, he backs away from my Jeep then pulls off.
I get comfortable in my seat, adjusting it to a slight recline.
Then I change the music to his After Game R it’s obvious he isn’t going to tell me.
Besides, I can always use more sleep, especially after this week.
The ER was extra exhausting, and more and more, I’m ready to leave it.
One of the doctors in the ER, Dr. Matheson, told me that the cancer center on the fifth floor has an opening for an infusion nurse, so I put in for the transfer.
I’ve always wanted to work in oncology. Watching my grandmother fight cancer was one of the hardest things my family had to endure ,and if it wasn’t for the love and care provided by her oncology nurses and doctors, her battle would have been much worse.
I appreciate all that they did and I want to pay it forward.
This opening is a perfect opportunity. Not only would I be placing IV lines and administering vital medications, such as the patient’s antibiotics, chemotherapy, or other specialized drugs, I would be working first shift, Monday through Friday.
My dream shift. I’m hoping and praying the transfer comes through.
“You need to stop?” I hear Tyriq ask, waking me from my nap. I don’t even remember when I fell asleep.
“Depends,” I utter before opening my eyes. When I do, I see it’s fifteen after ten. We’ve been driving for over an hour. “How much longer?” I ask as we pass the first exit for Crescent Falls. There are three total off this highway.
“About fifteen minutes but I can stop if you need to.”
“No. I’m good.”
After raising my seat upright, I stretch my back and neck then yawn.
I needed that extra sleep, and now I’m ready for whatever, especially if it involves food.
I barely drank half of my smoothie and my stomach is growling.
To see if we are anywhere close to food, I study my surroundings and see we are taking the third exit, which is close to the mountain.
Blue Mountain is one of the most popular tourist spots in Crescent Falls.
The streets are lined with beautiful boutiques, specialty shops, and novelty food spots.
On the mountain, there’s a huge resort with a huge hotel and casino.
Behind the hotel and casino are cabins to rent but also cabins owned by locals and vacationers.
On the property, there’s also a water park that’s open from spring to summer and behind that are the slopes.
During the winter, the slopes stay crowded with skiers.
He pulls onto the resort and drives past the hotel entrance, following the signs to the cabins.
My excitement builds as we head up the elevated roads.
I’ve gambled in the casino here at the mountain but that’s it.
This is my first time in the cabin area.
When we reach the main entrance for cabins, there’s a security gate.
He creeps up to the gate and the tall, older looking guard steps out. Tyriq lowers his window.
“Rental pass and ID, please,” he says.
He has a rental? Are we staying? How? I don’t have anything packed.
I have a million and one questions but now isn’t the time.
The guard is waiting. Tyriq reaches into the space under his navigation screen and pulls out a blue and black plastic card.
He hands it to the guard then grabs his license out of his pocket.
When he gives it to the guard, the guard stares at it for a moment then looks back up at Tyriq’s face and back at the card.
Clearly, he recognizes Tyriq but doesn’t say anything.
Instead, he takes the pass and license with him back into the booth.
When he returns, he hands the items back along with a small envelope.
“Enjoy your stay, Mr. Hill, and we’re rooting for you in the draft. We want you right here with the Royals,” he says.
“’Preciate that.”
“Take the first right through the gate. Your cabin is the fourth one on the left.”
He nods, and as soon as Tyriq lets his window up, my seat belt is off and I climb over the middle console. My arms fly around him and I kiss his cheek too many times to count.
“Baby, you gon’ make me wreck,” he scoffs with a light tone.
“Sorry. I’m excited. You got us a cabin. I love it already. Why didn’t you tell me? I would have packed a bag. Oh God. I don’t have anything.”
“I got you,” he says before kissing my lips. “Sit back. If somebody hits me, you need to be in your seat belt.”
Laughing, I peck his cheek again. “The speed limit is twenty-five miles per hour and we are literally the only vehicle on this road. I’m good.”
As I sit and buckle my seat belt, my eyes never leave him. I could not have dreamed of a better man.
The fourth cabin on the left is exquisite, a three-level, wood crafted cabin situated in the midst of ginormous trees. As he pulls onto the pebbled circle driveway, I take in the beautiful views. When we stop, I open my door before he opens his and his long arm stretches out in front of me.
“The driveway is pebbled. You gotta be careful. Hold up.”
He gets out and rushes over to me. As soon as I’m out, I’m ready to get inside. I start walking and he has to catch up with me. When he does, he grabs my hand and together we walk up the steps to the front door. There’s a sign on it that reads: Welcome to the Mountain Jewel.
Tyriq opens the envelope, pulls out the key, and unlocks the door. He lets me walk in first, and when I do, my mouth drops to the floor filled with purple rose petals. A trail of them that starts in the foyer.
“What is this?” I ask with misty eyes.
“Follow the petals,” he urges.
I start my journey through the extra spacious layout. Between the large kitchen layout with a wrapping bar area and the perfectly placed dining room opening to the lovely living room, I am in utter awe. Everything is just gorgeous, especially the stone gas fireplace with a huge TV hung above it.
The petals lead me through the living room and into what has to be the master bedroom suite. The purple petals surround a massive, gorgeous, four-post, bigger than king-size bed. I rush toward it.