18. Tegan #2
I knew that his business took him all over town, and sometimes to other cities in the area, but I was glad that he was planning to come and see me.
“Yeah, I’m fine, now that you’re here. Thank you, babe.”
“Always. That’s my job. Where are you heading?”
“I was gonna pick up something to eat because I missed lunch and then head back to the bakery, but I don’t really feel like going back to work.”
“You don’t have to. Listen, let’s stop someplace and pick up some dinner. I’ll drive you home. We can take your car because I know how you get about your li’l princess.”
I laughed. “You’re right, but what about your car?”
“I’ll get someone to pick it up for me.”
“Babe, that’s not necessary. I can drive, and you can just follow me.”
“Nah. It’s very necessary. I just want to make sure that you’re good and that nigga doesn’t try to follow you. I want you in the passenger seat, and I’ll be holding your hand until we get home. Literally holding your hand.”
“I doubt that he’ll follow me.”
“I may come from a wealthy background, Baby, but I’ve spent time in the streets too. I put nothing past no one. Niggas be on some shiesty shit.”
“Fine. You can take me home,” I agreed, handing him the keys. He unlocked the trunk, placed my bags in there, and then opened the car door for me. Once I was inside, he buckled me in.
It was always the little things for me. I loved how he took such good care of me. My stomach rumbled, and as much as I wanted to grab something to eat, I wanted to be home even more.
We didn’t stop for anything to eat, because I was ready to go home. He told me to place an online order for ribs and all the fixings to be delivered from Off the Bone, a popular barbeque spot in town.
By the time we arrived at my house, I was exhausted. Harlem grabbed my bags from the car, unlocked my house, checked it out, and then allowed me to come inside.
“This is for you.” I shyly handed him a gift bag when we were sitting in my room.
The other bags contained a cute little shirt that I saw for Palmer, some earrings for my mom, and a couple of lingerie sets for me.
“What’s this?”
“Open it and see,” I encouraged, smiling at him.
He opened the bag and pulled out the signed jersey and hat from Jordyn Briant, number twenty-seven on the Cherokee Springs Pumas NBA team. He was the shooting guard and our city’s favorite player, on and off the court.
“Bae!”
I smiled. “I noticed that you had a lot of their memorabilia in your man cave, but you didn’t have anything from him.”
“Bae, this is authentic. He signed this shit; it’s not an imprint like most of that stuff in those stores.”
I bobbed my head, grinning at his reaction. “I know, baby.”
“But how? He doesn’t sign a damn thing, because he doesn’t want anyone copying his signature.”
I giggled. “His father and my father are best friends.”
“What? You fucking lying, Baby?”
“No.”
“How come I never knew that?”
I shrugged. “I grew up protecting their relationship because they always knew that boy was destined for greatness. His dad and mine always declared that he would be a star in the NBA one day. With that mindset, they just made sure they protected Jordyn and anything surrounding him, including his relationships with people outside of the family. Early on, I knew not to let that tidbit out, especially to guys I was dating.”
“Ever?”
“Ever. I was with Carl for years, and he never knew my father and Earl Briant were friends.” On the ride home, I told him everything Carl said to me. He said that he must have gotten jealous of my success and wanted back in. I agreed.
“But you told me.”
“Yeah, you’re just that important to me. His sister owns a boutique just outside of the mall. She brought it with her when I told her that I was coming to the mall today. The real reason that I went to the mall was to get you this,” I declared, handing him a smaller jewelry bag.
“What’s this?”
“A little something special for you.”
He opened the bag and pulled out a sterling silver chevron signet ring with black diamonds that formed the letter H.
“This is fresh as hell, Baby.”
“Just a little ice to keep my hothead boyfriend cool,” I teased.
“Come here and kiss me, dulzura.”
I climbed onto his lap in the chair he occupied in my sitting room. He wrapped his arms around me, and he pulled me closer. I took my time, brushing my lips against his, licking them, and savoring the taste and feel of his soft, full lips.
When he finished, he asked, “What’s the special occasion?”
“I just wanted to celebrate you because you do so much for me and others.”
“That’s wassup. I love you, babe.”
“I love you too, Harlem.”
“Let me take care of you.” He lifted me off his lap and walked to my bathroom.
“What are you doing?”
“About to bathe you. The food will be here soon.”
He carried me into the bathroom and ran the water in the tub with my oils before he turned on some jazz music. He slowly undressed me, removing my phone from my back pocket, and kissing me with every item he removed. Harlem lifted me and placed me in the tub.
Once I was settled in the water, the doorbell rang, and he checked the app on his phone. “That’s our food. I’ll be back; you relax.”
I laughed when he unlocked my phone, opened the Kindle app, and handed it to me. “Here, read something while you wait.”
I did as he instructed, trying to keep my mind off Carl’s actions earlier, but after a while, I fell asleep, wondering what was taking Harlem so long.
“Hey, Baby. Sit up and let me wash you.”
I blinked and noticed that my phone had fallen to the floor.
“What took you so long?”
“Just getting the food set up and ready for you to eat when you get out of here.”
“Mm,” I muttered as he washed my body.
I was sleepy. It was more mental exhaustion after what happened with Carl than it was physical exhaustion. I relaxed as Harlem took care of cleansing my body and toweling me dry after he finished.
After I was oiled and dressed, he led me to the living room, and I gasped.
“Harlem, you’re so sweet.” I moaned.
“I tried to do a li’l sumpin’ sumpin’.”
“Harlem? Are those tulip petals from my bush outside?” I asked, freaking out.
He squeezed my shoulders from behind and kissed my neck. “No, baby. Those are not your tulips. I ordered those earlier in the day to be delivered here. The delivery arrived before the food did, and it was on your front porch waiting to be picked up.”
He had taken the flower petals and formed a heart in the center of my living room floor. Outside of the flower petals were candles of varying sizes. In the middle of the heart was one tapered candle in a candle holder, a vase of tulips, and our dinner plated and ready to be eaten.
He grabbed my hand and lowered me into the heart.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve such a romantic man. I didn’t know they existed anymore.”
“The minute you saw me, you knew that was a lie.”
“Nah. Can’t say that’s true. You genuinely don’t look the type, Harlem.”
“For real? I don’t look romantic?” he asked, popping his collar and holding his head up in a distinguished pose.
I giggled so hard that I rocked to the side and almost knocked over a candle. “You’re so silly.”
“Only for you, dulzura. Only for you.”
He lifted me onto his lap and took his time feeding me ribs, potato salad, greens, cornbread, and sweet potatoes. When we finished, he tried to feed me the apple pie that came along with it, but I was stuffed.
He blew out the candles, carried me to my bathroom, and washed my hands. When we returned to the bedroom, he placed me in the bed and climbed in beside me after he stripped out of his clothes.
“I’ll take a shower later, but right now, I’m gonna read my baby a bedtime story and put her to bed,” he announced, leaning over and kissing my forehead as he grabbed my phone from the nightstand.
A small smile lit my lips as he picked up where I left off reading in my kindle.
“Mr. Too Damn Good by Egypt . . . how you say her last name, Baby?”
“Cynaé? It’s like Suh-nae. Egypt Cynaé.”
“Yeah, that. This better be good.”
“Oh, it’s so damn good,” I declared, laughing.
I smiled as he read from chapter three. When he started chapter four, I stopped him. “Baby, no one has ever taken such good care of me before. Thank you for knowing how to love me and what matters to me.”
“That’s because you were never destined for those other niggas. They didn’t know what to do with you because you always belonged to me, even before we met.”
I smiled at that and snuggled closer to him as he read chapter four. Before he even got to the next chapter, my eyes had closed, and I had happily drifted off to sleep with my man.