Chapter 22
Wifey:
Get fly for me tonight. I’m taking you out.
“This girl.” I chuckled and shook my head at the message Maverick sent me.
“Must be your lady that got you looking all dreamy,” D said as he slid into the chair across from me.
We’d just gotten back from a call involving a multicar accident. A few people had to be rushed to the hospital, but they all should be okay. The accident looked worse than it was.
Me:
Can’t wait.
I pocketed my phone, then gave D my attention. He was the only one that I talked to at the firehouse whenever I chose to talk. I kept my business to a minimum, though, but he knew about Maverick after we ran into him at the mall one day.
“Yeah. It’s date night.”
“That’s what’s up. You might not talk much, but I noticed a change in you since you’ve been with her. You look a lot happier.”
“Thanks. I am.”
I left it at that because I wasn’t going to tell him much more.
I didn’t even tell anyone about the engagement.
It wasn’t like I tried to hide Maverick; I just wanted to keep it to myself a little longer.
Our families and her friends knew, but that was it.
More than likely, I wouldn’t tell anyone until after we got married.
I didn’t want any of them thinking they were going to get an invite.
Maverick and I talked about having a small, intimate wedding.
Just our parents and her friends. Of course, Turquoise and Spencer would be involved.
If Maverick had agreed, I would have married her the same day I asked.
I couldn’t wait to make her my wife and do life together.
I loved waking up to her in the mornings when we stayed with each other.
My favorite moments were when Maverick and Turquoise would be in the kitchen fixing breakfast or dinner.
Maverick took her time teaching Turquoise how to cook certain things.
She had all the patience in the world for my baby.
It didn’t matter how many questions Turquoise asked, Maverick always made time to answer them.
I would always tell Turquoise about Bria, but it was nice that she had Maverick as a bonus mom.
Maverick informed me that the only thing I needed to do was get some rest after work, and that was all I did. I worked a twenty-four-hour shift, so a nap was on the agenda. The rest of my shift went by with no other calls, so as soon as it was time to go, I was out of there.
I couldn’t wait to have date night with my lady and to see what she had in store.
As I put the finishing touch on my look for the evening, my doorbell rang.
I wanted to look good for Maverick, so I wore black jeans with a beige sweater and black boots.
Maverick liked it when I wore my hair in the barrels, so I had them freshly done.
I wore my silver necklace with a silver watch and a diamond earring in my left ear.
I looked good, felt good, and smelled good. I didn’t want to keep Maverick waiting, so I grabbed my phone, then headed downstairs.
“I didn’t expect you to come to the door. You could have just told me you were outside.” I pulled her into my arms and kissed the side of her mouth. She had on lipstick, and I wasn’t trying to mess it up before the date started.
“This is a date, so I had to do the whole picking you up thing. These are for you.” She produced a small bouquet from behind her back.
“For me?” I put my hand on my chest and took the flowers from her. “My fiancée might not like you buying me flowers and taking me on dates,” I teased as I stepped back so I could put the flowers in some water.
“Can she fight?”
Laughter flew from my mouth at Maverick’s question. I walked into the kitchen and quickly filled a cup with water since I didn’t have any vases.
Maverick was on the couch when I reentered the living room.
“Not only can she fight, but she’s a doctor, so she may know some ways to get rid of you and make it look like an accident.”
Maverick stood, then stepped in front of me. She trailed her hand down the middle of my chest. “Well, I think you are worth the fight.” She winked.
“Girl, let’s get out of here before we don’t make it anywhere.”
Maverick giggled and walked to the front door. “No, sir. We are going on this date, and by the end of the night, you are putting out.”
I watched the sway of her hips in the dress she wore as she walked down the steps. The boots she had on had a small heel that gave her a little height. She’d gotten her hair done, and whoever did it put big curls in it that hung down her back.
After I locked the door, I followed behind her. When I caught up to her, I whispered in her ear, “Just because you buy me dinner doesn’t mean you are getting any of my goods.” I kissed her ear, then opened the driver’s side door for her.
Her laughter pierced the quietness of the air.
“That’s how y’all men be.” She slid inside the car, and I closed the door.
There was no way I was going to let her open the car door for me. It was bad enough that she insisted she do everything for this date, including bringing me flowers. I’d never gotten flowers before.
“For the record, I never expected a woman to put out after a meal,” I said as I got in the car. “But if you insist, I don’t have a problem with it,” I teased.
Maverick giggled and started her car. Once we were both secured, she pulled out of the driveway.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She winked.
While we drove to wherever she was taking me, we talked about our days.
I filled her in on a couple of the calls I had gone on.
She told me about some patients she saw and some new case study she was a part of.
Maverick constantly learned about stomach issues and medications to help her patients.
She was all beauty, brains, and sexiness.
Sometimes I couldn’t get over the fact that she was going to be my wife and the mother of my future children.
Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to a restaurant. They had valet parking, so I helped Maverick out of the car and handed the keys to the attendant.
“This fancy, ain’t it?” I asked as I placed my hand on the small of Maverick’s back.
“Had to be if I was going to compete with your fiancée.”
I pulled the door open for her, and we stepped inside. It was one of those restaurants that had low lighting and soft music playing. Distinctive chatter could be heard, but it wasn’t too loud.
I looked down at Maverick’s finger and smiled at her ring sparkling under the light.
“Looks like someone already iced you out,” I teased.
Maverick gave her name to the hostess, then turned toward me.
A huge smile filled her face, showing all her pretty ass teeth. She held her hand up and admired her ring for a second.
“He did. But he allows me to play from time to time.”
“Don’t get nobody fucked up in here,” I whispered in her ear.
She cracked up as the waitress told us that we could follow her. As we walked to our table, I spotted a familiar face. I prayed she didn’t see me or make a big deal out of it, because I wasn’t trying to cause any issues with Maverick or anyone else.
When we reached the table, I pulled Maverick’s chair out for her, then pushed it in once she sat down.
The hostess put the menus on the table, then told us that a waitress would be over.
“You know that broad?” Maverick’s head tilted toward the other table.
“Yeah. That’s the chick I was messing with before you came along.”
“Oh, okay. I hope she chooses to keep her ass and her eyes over there because I hate to have to punch her in her damn eyeballs.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the frown on Maverick’s face and the look in her eyes.
“Don’t worry about her. Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?” I needed to get her attention off homegirl, because she wasn’t worth it. I also didn’t think she would start anything anyway. She probably was just surprised to see me.
Maverick went from frowning to smiling, and that was all I wanted.
“You didn’t, but thank you. You look good, too.”
“Thank you, baby.”
The waitress came over, and we placed our orders.
“What made you pick this place?” I asked once the waitress walked away.
“I wanted to do something special for you. You always plan the dates, so I wanted to switch things up. You work hard and deserve to be treated sometimes.”
I reached for her hand across the table and held it.
“I appreciate you for that. I don’t need fancy dinners and shit. As long as I have you around, I’m good. I like it though.” I lifted our hands and kissed the back of hers. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Onyx.”
I loved the way she said my name every single time she said it.
“Do you think you’ll retire when you’re young? Or wait until they put you out?” Maverick asked after a few seconds had passed.
“I never fully thought about it. I would like to retire while I can enjoy life post-work, but I don’t know.
I love what I do, but I know things are changing in my life.
I worked so hard to make sure Turquoise has a great life, but now I have to add you and our children to the mix.
I do feel like I’d either cut my hours significantly at some point or become a volunteer. ”
Being a firefighter was fulfilling, and I loved the adrenaline rush.
I felt like it was my calling in life to save people.
I knew there would come a time I would have to slow down, and I was okay with that because having a solid relationship and a family was more important to me.
I didn’t think I would completely give it up, though.
Financially, I was comfortable because I learned how to save money but also make money even when I didn’t work.
I’d been putting money into a college fund for Turquoise since the minute she was born, and it was already a nice little nest egg.
Bria had a life insurance policy, but all that money sat in a bank account for Turquoise.
“I share those same sentiments,” Maverick shared.
A few moments later, the waitress came back with our food. Once she was assured we were good, she walked away.
I’d gotten the steak au poivre with grilled brussels sprouts and roasted red potatoes, while Maverick had some type of seafood dish I’d never heard of. I just knew she had shrimp and mussels, with some kind of sauce. I believed it had rice or something in it as well.
“This sauce is really good,” I told Maverick as I chewed a piece of the steak. I wasn’t sure what kind of sauce it was, but it was white.
“You want to try mine?” Maverick scooped up some of the shrimp and rice onto her spoon.
When I nodded, she fed some to me.
“That’s good.”
We continued sharing our food until all the food was gone.
“I heard mussels are aphrodisiacs. You might get pregnant tonight,” I said as I pushed my plate to the side.
Maverick got quiet for a second as she pulled something out of her pocketbook.
She placed a small box on the table but hadn’t responded to what I said.
“What’s that?” I nodded toward the box.
“Open it and see.”
Maverick looked nervous as I reached for the box. I slowly pulled off the bow and opened the box. Inside, it was filled with pink and blue tissue paper. I pushed the tissue aside until I found the contents of the box.
I blinked multiple times as I stared at the small piece of paper inside. The corners of my eyes moistened when I noticed Maverick’s name in the corner and the small blob in the middle of the paper.
My eyes shot up to Maverick. “Is this what I think it is?” I choked out. I was filled with so much emotion it was hard for me to speak clearly.
Maverick’s head nodded. “Yes.” She bit the corner of her bottom lip.
I leaped up from my seat and made my way over to her side of the table. I got down on my knees and hugged her around her stomach. I couldn’t help the tears that streamed down my face as I rubbed her stomach.
“Thank you,” I mumbled against her stomach. I was sure people in the restaurant wondered what was going on, but I didn’t care how crazy I looked on my knees.
Maverick rubbed my back and hugged me as I cried. I thought things couldn’t get any better, but her being pregnant made my damn day.
“We have to get married before the baby comes. I don’t care if it has to be in the backyard. We all have to share the same last name.”
With her pregnant, I didn’t see the point in waiting. We had to get a new house because I didn’t want to miss anything. There was so much we had to do before the baby came.
“We can do that. It’s not like we were having a big wedding anyway. You have to get up from the floor, though. People are staring.”
“Fuck them people.” I stood up and kissed her lips. “I’m just so fucking happy.” I rubbed her stomach again, then went back to my seat.
“I’m glad you are happy. It was so hard not to tell you as soon as I found out. Nobody knows yet.”
I reached for her hand, then stared at her pretty ass face.
“We can tell them whenever you are ready. Just let me know when.” It wasn’t like I talked to people, so my dad, Sharon, and Turquoise would be the only people I told. “This is the best date ever.”
We celebrated by getting ice cream, then I drove us back to my place, where we celebrated some more.
When Maverick fell asleep, I prayed to God for a safe pregnancy and delivery. I would pray every day until she gave birth and after. I couldn’t imagine another situation like with Bria, and I wasn’t going to put that thought in the atmosphere.
Maverick and I, along with our kids, had a long future ahead of us.