Chapter 21 Mia
DATE NIGHT
Istood in front of my full-length mirror, looking over myself.
I’d given in and allowed this man to dress me for our date.
I was surprised when my mother showed up with a white box with a huge red bow on it a few hours ago.
When I pulled off the top, my eyes widened at the cream colored, strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline.
The bust of the dress was covered in beautiful beading while the rest of it hugged my small curves like a glove.
Not only had he sent the dress, but he also sent a matching pair of heels and jewelry.
He wouldn’t tell me where we were going or what we were doing.
He basically said my job was to show up and look good in whatever he picked out for me.
I could tell he was excited about the date because he wouldn’t even spend the night here last night.
He told me he had to pick me up like it was our first date.
Even if I rolled my eyes, I sickenly found the gesture cute.
“You look so beautiful, baby,” my mother said, coming up behind me.
She’d taken the initiative to do light makeup and my hair in a sleek updo with a messy bun of curls and two tendrils hanging in the front. As I looked over everything, I had to admit that I was impressed, and I looked amazing.
She had tears in her eyes, and it confused me. I turned to her with a frown.
“Ma, why are you crying?”
“Because. . . I’m just happy you’re still here, Mia.
I’m happy I get to see your growth with bettering yourself and see you embrace being a wife.
All I’ve ever wanted for you was to be happy in life.
I know you still have a way to go, but I see you changing.
” She cupped my face. “I know you will come out of this stronger than ever.”
She pulled me into a hug and kissed my temple. She’d been so soft with me since everything happened. It was different, but in a good way. When she pulled away, she swiped at the tears pooling in her eyes.
“Okay, enough of that,” she said with a giggle. “Again, you look beautiful. I’m sure Titan will be just as handsome.”
At the mention of his name, the doorbell rang. My mother was giddy with excitement as she turned to me.
“He’s here!”
“Ma, you’re acting really weird.”
“Girl, come on here.”
She pulled me out of the room, and we headed downstairs.
This man was really taking this first date thing serious because he had a key to my house and was still standing outside.
When I opened the door. . . fuck! My panties flooded at the sight of him in a perfectly tailored five-piece suit.
His hair was freshly retwisted and styled into a bun atop his head.
White old jewelry completed his look, but didn’t overpower it.
When he smiled at me, that platinum grill glistened beneath my porch light.
“Damn, mamas,” he said, lowly as he looked me over from head to toe. “I did good, didn’t I?”
I playfully rolled my eyes. “You did a’ight.”
“Ma, tell your daughter to stop playing on my top,” he said to my mother.
She laughed. “You did her perfect,” she said.
Titan grinned as he reached for my hand. “Come here.”
No sooner than I placed my hand in his was I being pulled into his strong arms. He wrapped one around my waist and gripped the back of my neck with the other before crashing his lips into mine. I forgot all about my mama being there when I moaned into his mouth.
“All right now,” she said. “Don’t get beside yourself.”
We both turned to her with grins on our faces.
“Sorry,” I said, wiping my lip gloss from his lips.
“You two look beautiful,” she said, pulling out her phone. “Let me take a picture.”
“Come on, Ma” I protested.
“Pose for the damn picture, girl.”
I kissed my teeth but did as she said and posed. For a solid three minutes, she made us take several pictures. Titan finally had to tell her we were going to be late for our reservation before she let us go. When we stepped outside, I was shocked to see a limo waiting for us.
“You really went all out,” I said, looking at my husband.
“Oh, I went the fuck off, baby,” he said, grinning. “Just wait until you see what I have in store for you.”
Leaning in, he kissed my temple before leading me to the limo. The driver was waiting to let us in. The back seat was littered with rose petals. A huge bouquet of white roses sat on the seat and a chilled bottle of champagne was present. Once we were settled, Titan handed the bouquet to me.
“You’ve never given me flowers,” I said.
“Your ass doesn’t like flowers, but you’re gonna take these. White roses symbolize new beginnings. That’s the journey we’re working on.”
He grabbed the champagne and popped the bottle. After pouring up two glasses, he handed one to me.
“Tonight is a new beginning for us,” he said, clinking his glass against mine.
We took a sip, and he leaned in to kiss my lips. I was feeling all giddy inside. Dr. Baxter told us to focus on being intimate, and this was giving just that.
“I love you,” Titan said, cupping my chin.
“I love you too.”
We shared another kiss before I settled into his side.
The entire ride, we made conversation about various things as we sipped the bubbly champagne.
About an hour or so went by before the limo came to a stop.
We placed the glasses back and prepared to exit.
When the doors opened, Titan got out and reached for my hand.
Stepping onto the sidewalk, I broke into laughter.
The man brought me to the diner our training group used to frequent after our sessions.
It was an hour away from my grandfather’s compound and once one of my favorite places.
The place was owned by a former member of their organization who knew us all by name.
I couldn’t tell if the place was open because the blinds were down.
“You did not have me dress up to bring me to a diner, Titan DeLuca!”
He grinned. “I thought it would be nice to have a bit of nostalgia. When’s the last time you had this?”
I smiled as I looked up at the sign. “Not since I moved with my dad. God, it’s been years. Mr. Owen still here?”
“Why don’t we find out?”
He pulled me toward the door and gave a hard knock. A few seconds went by before the knob turned and the door opened. There stood Mr. Owen with a huge grin on his face. He hadn’t aged a day in all the years since I last saw him.
“Mia James! When Titan told me he was bringing someone special here, he didn’t say it was you.”
“It’s DeLuca now,” Titan said, holding up my hand to show him my wedding ring.
Mr. Owen dramatically clutched his chest.
“The way you two used to go at it, you mean to tell me y’all got married?”
Titan chuckled. “We did.”
“Well, shit! Congratulations!”
“Thank you. Everything ready?”
“Just what you asked for.”
He opened the door and stepped aside to let us in.
My eyes widened as we stepped over the threshold.
The diner had been transformed into a romantic oasis.
The lights were low. Candles and hundreds of roses were everywhere.
Curtains were draped to block off the place, separating the dining room from the counter seating.
The space had been cleared of all the tables except one. It sat in the middle of the room, with a white linen tablecloth and decorated with rose petals and a beautiful floral tablescape with a bottle of chilled wine. The smooth sounds of John Legend’s “So High” played on the surrounding sound.
This was the last thing I expected walking in here.
“You did all this?” I asked, looking at Titan. “When did you have time to plan this?”
“Connections, baby.”
He led me over to the table and pulled out a chair. I took a seat, and he claimed his as Mr. Owen locked up and came over to us.
“Do you two need menus or are we going with your usual orders?”
“You still remember?” I asked.
“If you’re a long-time customer, I take great pride in remembering signature orders. Don’t worry, as pretty as you look tonight, I have a cover-up so you don’t get any on that dress.”
“Thank you, Mr. Owen. I’ll take my usual.”
“Me too,” Titan said.
“Coming right up.”
He left us alone, and I turned to Titan as he poured us a glass of wine.
“You got me all dressed up to eat a greasy burger.”
“And you’re gonna smash it like you did when we were kids.”
“Remind me why I ever went out to eat with y’all. Remember that time y’all tried to stick me with the bill and I had to beat Taylor’s ass? Bitch thought she was gonna bully me and I not do anything because we were in public. I whipped her ass all up and down this diner.”
He laughed. “I remember. It took four of us to get you off her.”
“She never tried that shit again.”
“Nah, she knew better.” He looked at me and licked his lips. “That’s one thing I love about you. You never took any shit from anybody.”
“Especially not your ass.”
“Especially not me.”
“You know your mama used to tell me you had a crush on me, that’s why you were such a little shit.”
“Moms be lying.”
“That must be where you get it from then.”
“I don’t lie.”
I laughed. “You’re lying right now.”
He grinned and raised his hands in surrender. “A’ight, part of me did have a crush on you. I couldn’t tell you that though. You gotta admit that you came in with a slight chip on your shoulder, love.”
“Because things went exactly how my mom told me they would. You think she didn’t have to kick ass when she joined the organization?
You know my grandfather is a hard ass. He didn’t show her any mercy, and he made it clear I wouldn’t get that either.
I had to be tough, and y’all didn’t make it easy for me to trust you as my team.
My brothers have never made me feel like that.
I’ve always known that without a shadow of a doubt, they would take a bullet before they ever let me get hurt. ”
Titan reached for my hands. “I know. I was a stupid kid, I treated you unfairly, but make no mistake, I would have always taken a bullet for you, Mia. I can’t say enough how sorry I am for the way I treated you back then.
I was wrong, and I own that. But listen to me when I tell you this.
I’d lay down my life for you on any given day and tell God himself to send me back to save you every single time.
You’re mine. . . my wife, my best friend, the love of my fucking life.
I’ve been crazy about you since I was a jit and even more crazy about you now. ”
I smiled. “I think I pretty much figured that out the other night. ‘Wifey said get em, I gotta get em’. Trained to go. I like that shit.”
“I know exactly how much you liked it,” he said, looking at me lustfully. “Didn’t you tell me how good I looked with your pussy in my mouth?”
“My favorite way to see you. . . shit!”
“What?”
“Dr. Baxter said no sex. Stop making me horny.”
“Fuck that shit. I’m getting some ass at the end of the night.”
“No, you’re not.”
He kissed his teeth. “So I can’t even put the tip in?”
I laughed. “No! We said we were doing this right, and that means following Dr. Baxter’s rules for tonight.”
He huffed. “Can I at least have a kiss?”
“Yes, you may.”
He pushed his chair back and came around the table to me. Reaching for my hand, he pulled me to my feet and into his arms. His lips crashed into mine as his hands slid down my back to grip my ass. I moaned into his mouth. Just as he started pulling the back of my dress up, I pushed him away.
“See how you’re about to make us fail the assignment!” I exclaimed, pointing at him.
He grinned. “Sue me. I made you look too damn good tonight, mamas. Can you blame me?”
“Sit your fast ass down,” I said, taking my seat. “I’m gonna tell your mama you have no home training.”
“She and my daddy still kiss like that, and he’s always grabbing her ass. Where do you think I get it from? This is what you have to look forward to when we get to their age.”
“You think we’ll make it there?”
“We don’t have a choice. I told you, you’re stuck with me, baby. Welcome to Death Row. Buckle the fuck up.”
I smirked as I took a sip of my untouched wine. “I’m always down to ride.”