Chapter 10 #2
Nodding, I smiled as he leaned forward, genuinely interested in me and my life. That was rare. Most men didn’t care about the facts or even being a friend to the woman they were romantically involved with.
“Yeah. It wasn’t because they told me what to do or anything like that.
I just wanted the security of what they did.
Back then it felt like librarians were only paid crumbs, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to maintain the lifestyle I was accustomed to off that salary.
And I certainly didn’t want to rush into marriage just so a man could provide for me financially. So yeah. I went the safe route.”
“So what I’m hearing is, when this is over, you’re quitting your job and going back to school.”
Smiling, I shrugged before tugging my bottom lip into my mouth. “I could. I mean… I still live with my parents, so it’s not like I have any real bills. I haven’t gotten married yet so—”
The look he gave me made me tilt my head back as I laughed. Sucking his teeth, Marz chuckled.
“I’ma let you have that because we don’t have a marriage license. But yeah. I’ll pay for you to go back to school, and if you want to stay with your parents until we’re legally married, I’m cool with that.”
My heart skipped a beat as I processed what he was saying. What he was willing to do for me.
“I can’t ask you to do that, babe.”
“You don’t have to. I’m offering. I want you to be able to do what you want to do, and even if you decide not to work at all, at least you’ll have the degree you need to make it happen in the future should you decide to.”
“Are you sure?” I asked sweetly, finding it difficult to accept what he was offering.
“I’m positive, Wifey. I meant it when I said I was going to be a good steward. A good husband. Whatever you need I’ma provide, and if I can’t, I’ma get it from God.”
A pout shifted my lips before I leaned forward and connected them with his. My hand slid down his neck as I deepened the kiss, finding it difficult to hold in my content sigh. When we pulled away, our conversation continued to shift as we talked about our hobbies, interests, and favorite things.
Marz loved cars—shows, races, and collecting them. He was into music like his parents. I thought it was cool that Merc and Neo played and taught their kids how to play so many instruments and that Neo still had a thriving music store.
“How many instruments do you know how to play?” I asked, genuinely impressed.
“Hmm, let’s see. Piano, guitar, drums, violin, and harp. So five.”
“Ooh that’s so cool! I tried to learn how to play the guitar twice as a child but gave up. I always wanted to learn that and the piano but didn’t have the patience.”
“I’ll teach you,” he offered, not to my surprise, and that was something I wouldn’t turn down either.
“So I don’t have to worry about you thinking the things I like to do are boring then,” I said happily. “I’m an artsy and cultural girl. I love me a good Broadway musical, symphony or opera night, or evening watching ballet.”
“Aw yeah. We gon’ get along just fine. Me and my parents go to the symphony all the time. Our night might end with smoking and drinking and listening to blues, but we be on all that. I love classical music and jazz just as much as I love trap music and old school R&B.”
The more we talked, the more we realized we had in common.
And the things we didn’t have in common balanced each other out.
I thought it was really cute that he loved animals and wanted to have a lot of land with a farm one day.
We both loved Southern food and a good steak dinner along with traveling.
While his favorite color was black, mine was purple, and we both loved watching old shows from the late 80s and early 90s to relax.
We decided to end our impromptu date night in the game room, but before we left, we decided to have another glass of wine. As Marz caressed my ring finger, I giggled bashfully.
“What’re you doing?” I asked softly.
“I’ma put a ring right here.” He lifted my hand and kissed that finger. “What kind of diamond do you want? And what size is this finger?”
“Oh. I don’t know. I never really thought about it.”
Marz chuckled before licking his lips in a sexy way that made me want to kiss them. “How are you a hopeless romantic but you don’t know what kind of engagement and wedding rings you want?”
“I said I was a hopeless romantic,” I clarified with my own laugh. “Let’s just say the men I dealt with after you took away some of my whimsy and priority of romance and love.”
“Nah. We gotta fix that.” As Tim announced Ruben’s arrival, Marz stood and gave me a quick, sweet kiss. “When this shit is over, we’re going to work on softening you back up and reminding you of the romance and love you believed in before life and men started letting you down.”
Speechless, all I could do was stare at his back as he walked away.
My chin trembled as I found myself yet again fighting back my tears.
It was crazy how the worst thing that ever happened to me had simultaneously led me back to the best man I’d ever experienced in my life.
Since I didn’t know Ruben or why he was here, I didn’t bother trying to figure out what was going on. I decided to start taking our dishes to the kitchen, but Marz caught me and told me not to worry about that. As he led me to the living room I asked, “What’s going on?”
I gasped at the sight of the large black cases that were filled with diamond rings of all shapes and sizes.
“Now we can figure out what you like together,” Marz said against my ear before kissing it.
Wiping a quickly fallen tear from my cheek, I turned and hugged him tightly. I didn’t give a damn how crazy I looked as he laughed at me. Sniffling, I buried my face in his chest, not wanting to let him go.
“Wifey,” he called sweetly, and I could hear the smile on his face.
“Just… hold me for a while,” I requested.
“Whatever you want, bae,” he agreed with no hesitation.
And Marz did just as I asked.
He held me until I was composed, then wiped my face of its tears. They allowed me to take my time, meticulously going over one row of rings after another. By the time I was done, I’d picked out five different rings that I loved.
That way, I’d still be surprised when he proposed.
Because that’s where we were.
Him planning to propose and me looking forward to it as if we’d been together for years instead of days.
But regardless of how crazy it seemed or how rushed people thought it would be, it felt real.
It felt perfect.
It felt promised.