Chapter 6 Ruth – My Baby Girl’s First Valentine #2
I wanted to stay to get his reaction to her jersey. My eyes stayed on them as Mega ushered me to our seat. Based on Travis’s smile and my daughter’s blushing cheeks, I didn’t have to hear the words. He appreciated and liked her creation.
“We’re right here, baby.” Mega’s voice pulled me out of my nosiness. I looked down at the double chaise couch, then smiled. “You like it, baby?”
I took a moment to look around at the setup.
They were all identical with pillows, blankets, and side tables.
What made my heart swoon was the custom picture collage sign that hung on the couches with our names on it.
There were also beautiful flowers on each setup.
From what I could see, the flowers were customized to the woman’s preference.
My body turned into Mega’s, and my arms went around his neck. “I absolutely love it. I see you men all had something up your sleeves. I love it when you have something up your sleeve.”
His hands went to my ass, and his tongue welcomed itself to my mouth.
There will be a lot of touching under the blanket tonight.
After we finished with our public display of affection, I noticed everyone who was here.
My cheeks rose at the sight of Travis’s parents, Tristian and Annie.
They were on the road so much that we barely saw them.
Something caught my eye. “Shan! Shan! Look!”
Shan’s eyes followed where my finger pointed. The same miss crushing on money girl sat cozily next to Warrior. “They look so cute together.”
“The fuck they do,” Ned blurted. “Shan, I don’t know why y’all women think this shit is cute. I’m not going to say anything, though, because Corleone will handle that shit later.”
I rolled my eyes. I started to speak but was interrupted by Mega. “Ruth, mind your business. Don’t stretch my patience for other people’s business. It took all of Big G, His disciples, and a few other honorable mentions to get me to agree to this.”
Fiona’s voice on the microphone caught everyone’s attention.
She gave instructions for everyone to get food from one of the two available food trucks or the concession stand.
We hired a few people to help with the popcorn, candy, and all the other stuff that you would find at a concession stand in a movie theater.
She told everyone that the movie would start in twenty minutes.
Mega let me know that he would be back after he got a drink from the bar. Yes, there is a bar too. I walked over to where the women had congregated. “This is so nice. The men did this,” I said.
They all agreed. “Oh, I love the separate movie night in the theater in the house for the younger ones with nanny supervision,” Mekole added. “I made sure I gave the nanny that melatonin that my mama found. It puts Lil TJ right out.”
Taelyn stepped forward with a raised finger. “See, nope! Don’t be a gatekeeper, Mekole. I need to know the brand of that melatonin. Where can I get it from? Oh, and does that shit come in bulk?”
Fiona burst into laughter. “Tell us those twins whipping your ass without telling us. I get it though. I had toddler twins at one point too.”
We all laughed. “It’s not that they’re whipping my ass. I just want to be able to get some dick in peace. It’s like four-year-olds can smell when fuckin’ is about to happen.”
Frustration laced her tone to our amusement. My laughter subsided when I noticed Pea’s attention on Warrior and Shanae. I walked next to her and bumped her shoulder. “Do you see the same thing that I do?”
Shan came over and bumped Pea’s other shoulder. “What do you think that they’re talking about?”
“As much as they be on the phone, they should be out of things to talk about. I poked my head into his room the other night, and they were asleep on a video call.” She giggled before she shook her head.
Shan’s and my heads bucked back. “Oh, I didn’t know they were moving like that. Earlier when I asked her about her crush, she said that she only crushed on the old men on the money. Chile, that girl is too much.”
Everyone mingled, got their food and drinks, then settled in to our assigned seats for the movie. Travis and Maggie’s seat was next to mine and Mega’s. Kellie sat strategically where she could record Maggie’s reaction to what was about to happen.
My body leaned into Mega’s. “Are you ready for this?”
Mega’s eyes were soft when they landed on me. “Am I ready to hear a lil boy ask my baby girl to be his girlfriend? Hell no, but I know this is a new chapter in this book of parenting life.”
The screen flickered, and a very special movie started. Everyone was quiet until the first scene popped up. A few gasps were heard. Kellie’s phone recorded Maggie and Travis as the movie played.
“Wait, what’s going on? What’s this, Travis?” Maggie asked him. Her voice was low but audible.
The short film that Travis produced carried us through different interactions of his and Maggie’s. In between, he had what I would call confessionals where he told the audience what he liked about her. When he mentioned the cluster of freckles that was just below her left eye, I felt a tear fall.
It was like God decided that he wanted our baby girl to have freckles, but he wanted them to be very particular.
Just one little cluster under her left eye.
It was a facial feature that she hated. Maggie couldn’t wait for the day that she could wear makeup to cover it up.
The fact that Travis mentioned her freckles as something that made her beautiful warmed my heart.
Her fingers went to her freckle cluster, and her smile was deep.
The short film was about fifteen minutes. At the end of the film, Travis asked Maggie to not only be his valentine, but his girlfriend as well. Everyone’s attention went to Maggie. Travis reached in his pocket, then pulled out a small box. My baby girl gasped when he opened it.
I leaned toward Mega. “What’s in the box? I didn’t know he was getting her a ring.”
Mega’s face scrunched. “That’s a necklace with his jersey number on it. No nigga is giving my daughter a ring until he’s ready to make her his wife. We don’t do promise rings over here.”
When Maggie nodded her head, all the women celebrated with shouts and claps. My baby had a Valentine and a boyfriend. Travis put the necklace on Maggie. When she turned to face him, he softly kissed her lips. My eyes closed tightly. Oh, shit!