Chapter 7
KWAMé
“Hello?”
“I’on mean to call you so late. I just wanted to hear ya voice.”
Adrian woke me up out of my sleep, but his deep drawl was the best wake-up call.
Adding in that he wanted to hear my voice made me smile.
He’d been gone for one week now, and his absence was surely felt.
Too often throughout the day, Jessie looked for him.
I couldn’t even blame my baby for being fussy because I missed Adrian, too.
Rolling over onto my back, I peered at the darkened ceiling. “We talked earlier.”
“I know… I just… A nigga can’t sleep, aight.” He chuckled and added, “I’m worn out, but it’s like I can’t sleep when you and Jessie are so far away from me.”
Although my heart stuttered, I kept my composure. “Aww, how sweet.”
“I’m serious. When we become a couple, we’re never breaking up.”
I chuckled. “Really, sir?”
“Really. You stuck wit’ me forever, Kwamé.”
Adrian kissed his way down my body, waking me up out of my peaceful slumber. Cracking my eyes open, I saw that the sun was barely up. Forgetting about the rising sun, I focused on the man whose eyes stared at me as he kissed his way lower.
I opened my thighs for him and positioned my feet on his shoulders. He took my thighs and pinned them back to give himself room to work. The anticipation of feeling his lips on my pussy caused me to squirm anxiously.
His head lowered to my center, and his lips connected in a soft kiss. Not a second later, a jolt of electricity shot through me as his tongue connected with my tender flesh. He was relentless, licking and sucking my clit, drawing sounds from my lips and nectar from my pussy.
Caught up in a tidal wave, I was floating as he entered me. His long, thick dick was masterfully created, and his ass knew how to use it to perfection. He was deep stroking me while whispering the nastiest shit in my ear.
“I wanna crawl inside this pussy and stay there forever, baby,” he groaned. “You gon’ let me live inside this pussy?”
“Yes!” I panted, because why the hell not?
He took me higher before we both tumbled over the cliff. Holding our sweaty bodies close together, he rolled us over until I was on top of him.
He brought my face to his, kissed my lips, then uttered, “Good mornin’.”
The morning was beyond good.
After we showered and dressed, we went back to Ari’s house to take her to breakfast. This morning, she looked better and even smiled some.
“So, things escalated quickly with you and Adrian,” she commented while tapping my ring. She and I sat at a table in front of Adrian and Russ where they could keep an eye on us.
“Very,” I agreed. “But it seems almost…perfect. Which I know is not the case.”
“Please,” Ari responded, “he’s as close to perfect as you’re going to get.”
Smiling, I said, “Facts.”
“So… Jessie’s first birthday is next week. How do you feel?” she asked.
Sighing, I couldn’t believe a year had passed already. “I feel good. It took some time to get to this place of peace, but I’m happy.”
Ari grinned. “As much as I didn’t want you to go to the farm, it did you some good. You have your light back, and I love that for you. I thought Damon would take you from me.”
He almost did, I wanted to say. “My life is built around helping people through their grief. I nearly drowned in mine,” I confessed.
Ari reached across the table and took my hands in hers. “Having you in my life has been such a blessing. As long as I’m alive, I’m never going to let you drown. I’m gon’ jump in the deep end to help you swim.”
“Same,” I replied.
We smiled and squeezed each other’s hands, then went back to eating.
“Ya know, if you ever decide to leave this place, there’s plenty of space on the farm,” I stated.
Ari gasped. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
“No threat. Just an invitation. I know how stuffy this big city can feel at times.”
Ari thought for a minute. The moment her eyes lit up, I knew that she had seen the possibilities of her leaving Atlanta.
“Although I’m pushing thirty-five, starting over isn’t a bad idea, huh?” she questioned.
I shook my head. “It’s not a bad idea at all.”
“I’m due in July. Think I can find another job, relocate, and get settled in by then?”
Glancing over Ari’s shoulder at the man sitting in front of us, my breath hitched at Adrian blowing me a kiss. I wasn’t sure how he managed to be so stern and yet so soft with me.
“If my man and Russ have anything to do with it, you’ll get settled at the farm in no time.”
Ari’s smile stretched across her face. “I say we have a deal, Best Friend.”
I couldn’t have been happier.
Days later…
“Adrian, you can’t keep spoiling Jessie. She’s going to grow up thinking she can have whatever she wants.”
“And she can,” Adrian countered. “I’d buy her a piece of the sky if I could.”
For a second, I smiled, then frowned. “That’s cute and all, but who’s going to deal with her on the days I say no?”
“Me,” he replied. “Trust me. Our daughter is gon’ be just fine, baby.”
Jessie squealed and bashfully grinned as everyone sang Happy Birthday to her.
Everyone from my dad to the Bell boys were gathered on the farm to celebrate my baby’s first birthday.
She had too many gifts to count, and the fact that she was too young to truly appreciate most of the gifts was a little sad.
Hopefully, she carried these memories into adulthood.
The more I tried to get her to be still while opening gifts, the more she fussed. Finally, I started opening her gifts and taking the pictures as best as we could. One gift I opened had me stumped.
It was a card with Jessie’s handprint on it. Confused, I opened the card.
Mommy, will you marry Adrian already?
My eyes flew up from the card and landed on Adrian’s smiling face. No one understood what was going on until this man took a knee in front of me. Shouts of approval and excitement went around as my vision blurred. Mouth agape, I peered down at Adrian, completely caught by surprise.
“I love you, Kwamé,” he announced. “Every chance I get, I do my best to show you that.” He lifted my left hand and tapped the ring that was already on my ring finger.
“I gave you this a few weeks ago,” he said.
“While it was fun while it lasted, we’re meant to be more than a courtship.
I’ve waited long enough to be truly tied to you, Kwamé, and that’s on me.
I’m ready to give you and our daughter my last name. Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” everyone practically shouted for me.
Although tears streamed from my eyes, I laughed and shouted, “Yes!” Bringing him close for a kiss, I declared, “I love you!”
With a smile, Adrian removed the ring he’d given me mere weeks ago and replaced it with the most brilliant princess cut diamond. In awe, I stared down at it and balked.
“Before the summer is over, I want to be able to call you Mrs. Bell. Is that okay wit’ you?” he asked.
I nodded and covered my face to hide the ugly crying I was doing. He leaned up, removed my hands, and planted kisses everywhere my tears touched. This was likely moving too fast in someone’s eyes. In my eyes, I wouldn’t have changed this for the world.
After several rounds of congratulations and well wishes, Jessie’s party continued well into early evening.
She smashed her first cake, ate off nearly everyone’s plate, cried a little when the bouncy house got a little too bouncy, and played with the wrapping paper instead of the actual toys that were wrapped in it.
Jessie played with her cousins, fussed at Russ for telling her to be careful, and even attempted to give some of her toys away.
My baby had a sharing spirit, but all in all, her birthday party was perfect.
She wore herself out, and after a bath, she went straight to sleep.
Exhausted, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and slowly trudged through my face routine.
Any time I moved my hand, the sparkle of the diamonds in my ring sent butterflies through my stomach.
I still couldn’t believe that Adrian pulled the announcement off the way he did.
He told me that everyone would know, and he meant that.
Adrian walked into the bathroom, took one look at me, and chuckled. He took over scrubbing my face, then had me lean down to rinse the cleanser off. Next, he picked me up and sat me on the counter where he applied the rest of my facial products. Impressed that he got the order correctly, I grinned.
“Thanks, baby,” I said.
His lips briefly met mine, then he said, “Let me get you cleaned up, so we can hop in bed.”
Adrian’s house was my second home. Whenever I came here, a part of his environment sealed itself to me. He was generous and opened his house to my parents, who were likely fast asleep on the other side of the large mansion. Ari took another one of the guest bedrooms.
Despite still not hearing from her parents or Carli, Ari had a blast today.
She was the first to hug and cry with me after Adrian proposed.
Knowing what she was going through, a part of me prayed she would one day feel the love of a man.
Every so often, I noticed how Russ tended to her today.
I thought it was cute because Russ was such a hard man.
I wondered if had a thing for my best friend, and if he did, I prayed one day he decided to act on it.
Inside the shower, Adrian cleansed my body, then his.
If I wasn’t so exhausted, I would’ve gladly let him bend me over.
He was exhausted, too, though and dried us, dressed us, then carried me to bed where we climbed under the covers.
Adrian cut the lamp off, then turned the television up. It was on the news.
“…Breaking news tonight. CEO of Niceville Shores News Station and Company, Katrelle High, has been reported missing. Her loved ones grew concerned after Miss High never returned home from work last night. Their concern grew as morning came with no sign of the news station’s owner.
The High family plans to issue a public statement tomorrow regarding the disappearance of Miss High.
Authorities are urging anyone with information to please contact the Niceville Shores Police Department. ”
Shocked, I glanced at Adrian, who simply flipped the television to a streaming platform to put on a movie we could fall asleep to. Just this tiny gesture of how deeply he knew me almost distracted me from the news at hand.
“Isn’t that crazy to you?” I asked him. Knowing Katrelle’s history with my brother and Bianca, I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Naw, it’s not. What you wanna watch?” he questioned.
His nonchalance spoke loud and clear. I needed to drop whatever the hell it was surrounding Katrelle. What she had going on wasn’t my business. Plus, I knew who the hell she’d crossed. If Antonias felt threatened, he wouldn’t waste any time removing the threat.