The Duchess & the Duke （2025）
ONE YEAR LATER
Up and down, my chin lifted in acknowledgment of the man before me as I approached. Withdrawing his lips, he exposed his teeth at my arrival.
“I always knew it would come,” with a satisfied chuckle, Ramsay freed a stream of smoke from his cigar. Slapping a hand against my back as he embraced me further confirmed his excitement.
It was spring. Ideal weather for a day out on the green. Not too cold and far from hot. A few yards behind us, a few golf bags sat. Allowing us the privacy of our conversation, the caddies assisting weren’t far behind.
“You want one, son?”
“Naw, I’m good.”
Respectfully, I declined the offer of a Cuban cigar. Over the last six months, much had changed, including my taste for them. While only an occasional indulgence, they’d now become a thing of the past. A nigga was getting older, and I had no desire to adopt any preventable illnesses.
Overlooking the verdurous terrain with impeccable maintenance and varied holes throughout the golf course, my eyes roamed.
“Serenity finally gave in, huh?”
Serenity hadn’t given in to shit. Profusely, she’d popped her gums about her opposition to marriage over our first year together. At nearly two years into our relationship, I was inclined to believe that despite her protests, even those views were part of some sort of programming her family unknowingly exacerbated.
She had no idea I was meeting with her father.
“Is it yes or no, old man?” Hitting the ball with my club, I watched as it settled near the hole but refused to go in.
“Don’t push it, D3.”
Stalking toward the ball in the leather, I putted and smirked at Ramsay. He hadn’t expected me to come out on the green and beat his ass.
“You still haven’t given me an answer.”
“Of course, you have my blessing. If not you, then who, Duke?”