Epilogue
donavan
“Hi, baby, how was your day?” The feeling of watching her come home, to our home, never got old for me.
Before, it felt like a feverish dream. For some reason, God did his big one and made it my reality each and every day.
I watched her come in the door and do her usual routine of kicking her shoes off and placing them next to the rack instead of on it. She shrugged off her jacket, then ran to the kitchen to wash her hands, before plopping down in my lap to tell me all about whatever Bridezilla client she had.
“You know, it’s been much easier having my own building for my clients to meet me and the rest of our team.
” After I won the Wasteland tournament, I bought Ivory her own building and vetted a team for her.
She now had her own makeup and hair stylists, a caterer, and a personal assistant.
She didn’t have to do anything by herself anymore.
She adjusted in my lap, laying her head on my shoulder.
Her signature scent of mangos wafted in the air between us.
Placing a few kisses on the top of her head, I missed her today.
It was the off-season for me, and Graycen and Camille’s wedding was approaching in a few weeks.
As the best man, I made myself available to them.
“But what, Ivy? I know there is something more coming.” She lifted her head off my chest with her brows arched and a smile lightly peeking through her lips
“You don’t know me like that, Donavan Matthews” I chuckled at the same conversation we’ve had every two to five business days for all of our friendship. Lightly, I wrapped my hand around her neck, her pulse quickening underneath my touch.
“If I know what you look like falling apart on my dick and the drool on the side of your face the morning after, I think that constitutes me knowing you very well. Don’t you think?” Ivory licked her lips, staring at me with her lustful gaze. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time for that right now.
“You might have ate that, little one.” Pulling her in closer to me, I kissed her three times.
“Can you go get dressed for me, baby? I want to take you out.” She nodded, still underneath the spell of us.
“Give me some more kisses and I can do that.” Pouring everything I wanted to do to her tonight into the kiss, we had two hours before we had to head over to the destination.
ivory
“Torin’s Tales, is this place new? I never been here before.” There were so many black owned businesses in Slatesville, it was amazing to see.
“It’s been here for three years now, let’s hurry up and pick my order before we head to dinner.” Donavan just bought thirty books the other day, I don’t know why he needed more, but at least it was books and not drugs.
He parked in the lot, opened the door for me, smacking my ass before taking us inside the empty store.
“The business must not be doing that well if it’s a ghost town in here,” I whispered to him; he nudged me slightly. “Ivory, please.”
The store was beautiful, though, there were rows and rows of books. As we navigated toward the middle of the store, glancing on the shelves, majority of them were from black authors.
The shelves had twinkle lights and a few picture frames on them. I freed my hand from his when I saw one that looked familiar.
“Dj, doesn’t this picture look like me?” I thought I was going crazy for a second.
“Don’t tell me you have no idea what you looked like as a kid.” Why would my picture be here?
“But-” He cut me off with a gentle tug to where a small table sat, covered by silver trays that I assumed to be food.
“Date night, remember?” I nodded, breathing through the butterflies swarming in my body.
Donavan always went all out when it came to our dates, he never made me regret choosing him.
“Mr. Matthews and Ivory, it is so good to see you two again.” Lorelei, the country artist said, appearing out of nowhere. She went to sit in the corner with a guitar in her hands.
“I’m starting to think that we are your favorite fans.” I squeezed Donavan’s hand to control my freak out. I wanted to fangirl so bad but I didn’t want to scare her away.
“You are one lucky girl, this man emailed me twenty times until I agreed to come.” I stared a hole into the side of his face until he looked at me.
“Don’t you dare thank me, Ivory, I should be thanking you for being with me.
You could have anyone you want and somehow, you thought I was the best choice for you.
I will spend the rest of our lives proving to you that you did the right thing.
” My heart thumped out of control at the lone tear that fell down his cheek.
My heels brought us eye to eye and I pressed my forehead against his, just breathing him in. I was equally in love with him. These past six months with him had been a dream, I never wanted for anything because before I could, he had already gotten it for me.
We were so in tune with each other that I didn’t have to voice my needs, this man read my mind. It was freaky at times, but I wouldn’t trade it – trade him – for anything else in this world.
“Thank you for loving me so ferociously that I can’t fathom loving anyone other than you.”
Lorelei was softly strumming my favorite song “Choose You” by Kiana Lede, I nuzzled my nose against his, lost in the power of this moment.
Donavan wrapped his hands around my waist, pulling me into his dance.
Our hearts pumped on the same beat, my fingertips danced across his nape while one of his hands cuffed my ass.
The song transitioned into “Like a Star” by Corinne Bailey Rae, the words were so true. Donavan felt like a star in the night sky to me. I was confused and in the dark about love all of this time. He made me see that love could be easy, he made loving him so damn easy, it felt wrong.
And when he kissed me, just like always, the rest of the world refused to exist.
We ate dinner and talked with Lorelei for a bit, and she told us all about her tour. It was surreal to hear about her experience.
“Come on, love, I have one more surprise for you. You know it’ll be a year since the wedding in two weeks, right?” Donavan held my coat, helping me slide my arms inside.
I stopped to think for a moment, he was right. What was supposed to be the happiest day of my life ended up birthing something even better. A pure love between two destined souls.
“It completely slipped my mind, I don’t even think about that day anymore.
Oh, I forgot to tell you that Clarissa messaged me the other day with an invitation to her wedding.
She met another woman online, but this time, she did a thorough background check.
Turns out, they’re like us, happy and in love.
” It was sweet, and my heart was happy for her.
“That’s good for her, she deserves a redo after all that shit with Acacia or whatever her real name is.” We rode home in a comfortable silence.
Donavan told me to meet him in the library in five minutes, my feet hurt from the heels I wore.
I was more than ready for his magical hands, I only wore them because they were his favorite.
Who would have ever thought I’d wear a pair of heels for a man?
Surely not me, but when that same man did some blessed things to my feet and body with just his mouth, it was a no-brainer.
“Come on, Poison Ivy, I said five minutes,” Donavan shouted from the intercom that he had in every room.
“Don’t boss me around, Donavan Matthews, I’ll get up there when I’m good and ready.” I laughed at the sound of him mumbling from the intercom.
Quickly, I made my way to the library. He stood there with a nervous look on his face, “What’s wrong, did the dinner not sit right with you? I told you not to eat all of those?—”
“Princess, please, I’m trying to do something and here you go playing around.” He barked out a laugh and I smirked, walking over to stand in front of him.
His arms were behind his back, “I’m sorry, I’ll be serious,” I inched up on my tippy toes to place a kiss on his chin.
“Do you remember the items we didn’t get to on the bucket list?” I shook my head no, I stopped thinking about that list a long time ago.
“Items 2, 6, and 13, were the ones we missed. What’s your non-negotiable?” The look on his face was determined, his smile gave me the confidence to say something that I knew he would appreciate.
My hand trailed up to softly cup his face, and he leaned into my touch. “If I had to think of anything it would be, to be here with you forever. I like it here.”
He nodded, “Don’t front, Ivy, you love it here.
Now, as for me, mine is that I have to ask you to be the pain in my ass for the rest of our lives.
When I saw you in math class in ninth grade, I knew you would change my life.
Now as we stand here, almost twenty years later, you are still changing me.
You’ve shown me that good things come to those who pray hard and work harder.
I want you to show me how to be a husband.
” My heart dropped as low as he did as he fell to one knee, pulling out a tiny box that looked like a book.
“W-what’s that?” Donavan smiled, reaching for my clammy hands that trembled in his clutch.
“Ivory, this can either be the start of the rest of our lives together or the rest of our lives starting. To be frank, you can’t say no, it’s my non-negotiable.
So, what do you say, you want to be Mrs. Matthews or Mrs. Ivory Jones-Matthews?
” He flipped open the box to reveal a solid gold engagement ring that had a lot of diamonds on it.
Emerald was my birthstone, and there were a few of those wrapped within the band of the ring.
It was beautiful and a replica of the one in my wedding binder.
Staring into the eyes of the person who never failed to amaze me, “Of course, I’ll be Mrs. Matthews, as long as you promise to be waiting for me at the altar.” The ring fit like a glove.
“I’d never leave you hanging, Princess, never.”
Pushing him onto his back, I smirked, unfastening the buttons on my top.
Donavan ripped open a brown bag I failed to notice was on the floor, just within reach.
He pulled out a purple book with a picture of him on the cover.
He looked damn good on it, too, in the corner was a golf ball with a red lipstick kiss planted there.
“Maybe I Love You”, what’s this?” Donavan quickly removed his clothes, pulling out the second thing I loved most about him after his heart.
He yanked my skirt off and ripped the soaked thong before bringing it to his nose to smell.
“Come sit on your favorite seat and read our love story. Remember item 13, read-n-chill, the minute you stop reading, I stop moving. If you want this, you better make it through the first chapter.” My mouth dropped open in disbelief, mixed in with slight amusement.
Walking over to him, I didn’t need any foreplay tonight. The date, music, and ring were more than enough.
“You are crazy, but I love it. I never been scared of a challenge, hand me the book.” Donavan grabbed the back of my knees, making me fall on top of him.
I bit my lip to conceal the moan that always greeted me anytime we connected.
He flipped us over so that he was on top, which was perfect because how did he expect me to read and ride at the same time?
“Come on, mamas, I don’t hear you reading.”
Anchoring one hand on his shoulder, and the other to hold the book open, my eyes teared up at the first sentence.
“‘The white long-stem roses I carried to the bridal suite were heavier than usual, my feet weighed a ton as I dragged them across the pristine marble floors.’ Aww, you were sad to see me about to marry someone else, you do really love me.” It was hard to concentrate, my eyes kept closing without my permission.
“Of course, but I was going to support you because that’s what you needed from me. You know what I need now?” The heat climbed up my body from my toes to my nose, with the way Donavan was moving in and out of me.
“W-what is it?” Breathlessly, I held on to the book for dear life.
“I need you to keep loving me.” Donavan poured open kisses all over my neck, he wasn’t playing fair at all.
I did that special trick and he groaned in my ear, thrusting harder.
“Maybe I can do that.”
The End