Chapter 7
“Don’t thank me, love. It’s my job to take care of you now, ain’t it? Besides, you need your strength for the wedding tomorrow.”
Glimmer watched him disappear into the bathroom with her eyes bucked out of her head.
Tomorrow?
She knew she agreed to marry Gideon, but she didn’t realize it would come so soon. Her heard swarmed with uneasy thoughts, and before she knew it, the scent of lavender wafted through the bedroom.
Gideon walked out and said, “You’re good to go, love. You need anything else before I get our food?”
“No, thank you, Gideon. Really, for everything.”
He gave her a smile that threatened to melt her heart. “No thanks needed. I’ll be back soon.”
She nodded timidly and watched him disappear from the room.
With a heavy sigh, she got out of bed and winced when her ankle pained from the weight.
She groaned as she made her way into the bathroom.
Tears threatened to fall from her puffy eyes at the sight of the bubble bath, fresh towels, and a new red pajama set.
Gideon had even set out some lotion and bodywash for her.
She had never known such thoughtfulness before.
When she eased into the hot bubble bath, she moaned at how good the water felt on her aching body. Her mind relaxed completely, and she stopped thinking about her father’s safety, the wedding, her mother, and Trick. She slipped into a blissful state of oblivion that threatened to rock her to sleep.
After a solid thirty minutes of soaking, she begrudgingly washed her body up. She realized she forgot to unwrap her ankle, so she took the bandages off and carefully washed her aching feet before she drained the water and gingerly stood up.
By the time she was dressed in the new pajamas, she felt a lot better. That feeling heightened when she got back into the bedroom and saw Gideon was back. Without even meaning to, she smiled brightly.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” he said with a lopsided smile. His locs were pulled back, and she noticed he changed as well. He had a black tank on, which allowed her a good look at his various tattoos and muscles, and he had black basketball shorts on.
She tore her eyes away from the beautiful specimen sitting comfortably on the bed and looked at the food spread out over the comforter.
She giggled as her eyes grew wide. “Were you planning on feeding the entire house?”
“I did go a little overboard. You know that little strip over south that has all the food places?” He grabbed at the back of his neck.
She crawled up on the bed and sat next to him. When she tried to tuck her feet under her, she cringed. “You talking about Eat Street?”
“Yeah. That’s where I went. I got a few things from each place over there.
I wanted to make sure you were satisfied.
” He got off the bed and walked over to the dresser to grab a pill bottle and an ankle brace before he held them up.
“Doc left these for you. You can take some of these pain killers with food, and I can help you put this brace on. It should help with the swelling and pain. When we finish eating, I can get you an ice pack to wrap in there too.”
She stared at him for a few seconds. “You really think of everything, don’t you?”
He shrugged. “Guess that comes from growing up having to look out for myself. I had to anticipate my own needs for so long, it kind of spills over to others.”
“I think it’s sweet,” she said as he handed her two pills.
He smirked. “You want strawberry lemonade or water?”
“Is that a question? One thing you should know about your wife is she’s a complete sugar fiend.”
“Is that right? Noted,” he said as he handed her the lemonade.
After she took her pills, he sat down and grabbed her foot so he could put the brace on her. She watched him handle her so gently. It was so different from how Trick ever dealt with her. Gideon reminded her of her father.
When he finished, he looked at all the food and asked, “Where you want to start?”
Glimmer hummed. “Pizza. Then tacos. Wait, are those birria tacos?”
“They are,” he said with amusement dancing in his tone as he watched her.
“Aw, yeah. Those first. It might get messy though.”
“It’s all good. I don’t normally eat in bed, but we can make an exception this time. We can change the bedding if we have to.”
She nodded sharply. “I normally don’t eat in bed, either, but I appreciate this. I don’t really feel like being around a bunch of people right now.”
“I don’t blame you. You been through a lot.”
Gideon got comfortable next to her again and reached for the Thai food while she opened the large box of tacos and consommé.
They ate in silence for a second before Glimmer said, “This is so fuckin’ good. Thank you, Gideon. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”
“Shit, you just took down two tacos in two minutes. I’d say you were past hungry. When’s the last time you ate?”
She shrugged. “I couldn’t even tell you. Probably the night before I ran away from my own wedding.”
“That’s not good. I vow to not let you go more than six hours without eating,” he stated seriously.
She giggled. “Is that right? Tell me more about these vows you keep mentioning.”
Gideon put his food down and folded his hands in his lap as he stared straight ahead, deep in thought. She liked that he seemed to be intentional about his words. She waited patiently. She turned her attention toward the cheesesteak and fries.
“I think I might have to add to my vows as I learn you, but here’s a start.
I vow to respect you. I vow to honor you.
I vow to protect you. I vow to always listen to you and your needs.
I vow to never trap you or make you feel like a prisoner.
Once we handle this shit with Trick, you’re free to divorce me if you wish, but I vow to always be your friend, no matter what.
I vow to give you anything you desire within my power.
I vow to always run everything that affects you, or us, by you so I can get your input.
“I ain’t ever been married before, but I vow to be the best husband I know how to be. The only example of that I have is Big Henry and Charlene, but I think they were a good example. I picked up a thing or two.”
“They were the best example. You’re really taking this seriously, aren’t you?” Glimmer whispered.
His thick brows pulled in. He looked mean as hell when he made that face, but she wasn’t afraid of him. He was big and intimidating and looked scary, but she had seen too much gentleness from him to ever be afraid.
“Ain’t I supposed to? Marriage ain’t no joke.”
“You’re right, but you don’t have to promise me all those things, you know?
We’re doing this as a convenience . . .” As she said the words, her heart pained.
She didn’t like the sound of that at all.
With Trick, she knew the marriage was as phony as a three-dollar bill. With Gideon, it felt different.
“It doesn’t matter what it’s for. You’re about to be my wife, Glimmer. That means something to me.”
A lump formed in her throat. For some reason, his words hit her right in the heart and made her want to cry. “It means something to me too.”
They gazed into each other’s eyes. Gideon reached over and pushed her silk press out of her face. His thumb ran across her cheek, and he smiled. “We gon’ be just fine, beautiful. Promise that.”
And she believed him. She didn’t know why she felt so secure with Gideon, like nothing bad could happen while he was in her corner, but she sank fully into the feeling, thinking that this marriage wouldn’t be so bad after all.
This was the second time in two days Glimmer stood in front of a mirror dressed in all white, ready to be married.
This time, there were no tears. Her swollen eyes had been covered flawlessly with makeup, and she wouldn’t ruin it this time.
There were nerves, though, and her ankle hurt, but she sucked it up and stood tall.
She and Gideon had stayed up all night talking.
She found it so easy to talk to him. They learned each other’s likes and dislikes.
They talked about their childhoods and previous relationships.
Glimmer felt like she knew Gideon really well at this point, but to marry him after a crash course felt so . . . rushed.
But so right.
She shook her head and tried to focus, but Deja and Kyomi ran around Gideon’s room like they were on fire.
“Grab her shoes, Ky,” Deja snapped.
“I got them, but you need to put yours on,” Kyomi responded.
Glimmer did her best to ignore them as she continued taking herself in.
Once again, she looked like a Black Barbie.
This time, she looked a little more classy with a dash of sexy.
The sweetheart neckline dipped ever so slightly, showing off a bit of her cleavage.
The dress fit her tightly, revealing all her beautiful curves, until it got to her knees and flared out like a mermaid tail.
Kyomi and Deja had surprised her with the dress that morning, and Glimmer had almost been moved to tears. It was exactly the kind of dress she would have picked for herself.
“Just because this wedding might not be traditional, it doesn’t mean we can’t go all out. Wait until you see downstairs,” Kyomi had said.
There was a soft knock on the door, scattering Glimmer’s thoughts.
“Come in,” Deja shouted. “Unless you’re a man! Then get lost!”
Giggling sounded on the other side of the door before it was pushed open. Two women Glimmer had never seen before stood in the entryway. They were beautiful with wide smiles.
“We have a delivery for the bride,” the light-skinned woman with long brown locs said as she grinned at Glimmer. She stepped forward and wrapped Glimmer in a warm hug, surprising her. “I’m Tiki, Deuce’s girl. He’s part of VK.”
“And I’m Ivy,” the caramel-skinned woman with curves for days said with a wave. “Gideon sent us with a gift for you.”
“Thank you,” Glimmer whispered shyly as she took the pretty box wrapped in silver paper.