Myraj
TWO YEARS LATER
My intention had never been to save myself for marriage.
My only intention had been to focus on building my company and not give my heart away carelessly to someone who would wreck it.
Yet, in the midst of all that, I had somehow become married to my company and looked up one day and became afraid because I was all alone.
To this day, I thanked God that my two-week long trip with my girls and a book conference had opened my eyes, showing me the error of my ways.
After that, I knew I wanted what all the other girls had: a man and a family.
Tyrus had just broken up with me the evening that I met Micaiah.
I was thankful that not only was I so deep in my feelings that I went to the rooftop to be alone, but also that I had the courage to take the bulls by the horns and engage Micaiah in conversation.
I was bold enough to vocalize to a stranger what I wanted and needed, and then I trusted that man to give it to me.
Where I had messed up at was walking away, believing that, in the end, he would be like all other men and disappoint me.
Losing my virginity took away the prospect of becoming a mom through IUI and caused me to lose a significant amount of money that I had already invested in the process, and that couldn’t be refunded.
Yet, that one-night stand had turned into so much more than my heart could imagine.
We had dropped Malaika off with Tamar for the weekend.
She and her husband had a one-year-old, and she was excited about bringing Malaika, who was now three, over to play with her baby.
Malachi was spending the weekend with his mother.
Mai would be picking them both up on Sunday and taking them to Dawn’s house for one week and Brooke’s for another week.
We would fly back and spend the weekend with them before we returned to California for another two weeks.
During those two weeks, they would be with Micaiah’s parents for one week and mine the next.
After that, we would bring them to California to spend what we hoped would be the last two weeks with us.
At that point, school would be out for Malachi.
He was excited about the end of his first-grade year and that his mother would be helping out with the end-of-the-school-year party this year.
She had gradually proven herself over the last two years, and she had earned visitation rights again, two weekends out of the month.
“Are you ready for this, baby?” I asked as Micaiah squeezed my hand.
We stood on the other side of the doors of a hotel ballroom where a major book signing was about to take place.
“As ready as I can be.”
He kissed my lips at the same time we heard KC announce, “We present to you, the writer known as MJ Stone.”
People screamed and cheered and clapped.
We walked into the ballroom together, holding hands.
There were shock and confusion on people’s faces.
They weren’t sure what to make of the revelation, but I could tell that a few people had figured it out.
The whispers of Mike Jamison and MJ Stone being the same person, the screams of “I love you,” and the teary-eyed smiles were reward enough for him.
I could tell by the genuine smile on Micaiah’s face and the way he squeezed my hand that this moment was rewarding and fulfilling.
“Please welcome Mike Jamison, also known as MJ Stone,” KC announced.
Everyone was so excited, and the glee was on their faces.
Since we were in California filming his book Love You Hard, KC thought it would be the best time to reveal the identity behind the pen name. He had created an invitation-only special event and sent out invites to two hundred selected readers to attend.
They had all purchased a copy of his new book titled Lover of Her Heart, and they waited in line to take pictures, get their books signed, and to hear him give an interview after the signing was finished.
I sat by his side as he signed books. I took pictures of him and his fans, made sure that he had something to drink whenever the attendants weren’t on top of things, and I spoke affirmations to him when he was growing tired and his hand cramped.
When it was all finished three hours later, he took to the dais and gave an interview. I listened as he explained that his latest book, Lover of Her Heart, was not only loosely based on a true story, but that I helped him write the book.
We had set up a raffle at the beginning of the signing, and at the end, I announced the winners of the all-expense paid trips to the Amalfi Coast in Italy for a guest and their plus one to two lucky winners.
When it was finished, we headed back to the rental house that the production company was putting us up in.
Micaiah intertwined our fingers and kissed my knuckles.
“What are you thinking, beautiful?”
I turned to him and smiled. “I was just thinking how no book ever written could compare to or surpass the love that we have for each other. You have truly been a blessing to me, and you’re the best book bae ever created.”
He stopped at the red light, turned, and kissed me slowly.
“Thank you, babe. In you, God gave me the perfect woman. No better female character could ever be written for my life than you. Thank you for giving me more than I ever expected or imagined. I love you.”
“Not as much as I love you,” I replied with a giggle.
And that was the truth.
“To forever,” I stated.
“To happily ever after,” he replied and kissed my knuckles.
I was happy that I’d found my perfect book bae and that he loved me down!
THE END