Chapter 15
NAOMI
Sin had been acting strange all damn day. Normally, he catered to me with a snarky response. Today, however, he was “yes dear-ing” me and that shit had me weirded out. At one point, I asked him what the deal was.
“What you mean, baby? I’m takin’ care of my woman by any means necessary.”
I rolled my eyes at him and laid back on my mound of pillows. Whatever he had going on had better not been anything foolish.
My phone rang, interrupting me flipping through the channels. Being in this bed so often had me bored as hell and lowkey gaining weight quicker than I would’ve liked to. I didn’t mind the weight though. As long as my baby was growing healthy, I’d be a house around here.
Just being as far along as I was caused my heart to swell with happiness. Every time I wanted to be happy, I’d get scared. Lately, though, I’d find myself smiling and feeling giddy. I had a doctor’s appointment in a few days, and I was on pins and needles to know if my baby was growing accordingly.
With this pregnancy, everything just felt right. I wasn’t sure what made me feel that way. Maybe it was the comfort of the man whose heart I held. Sin made this journey so uncomplicated.
“Hey, Mama.”
“Hey, Beautiful!” she sang. “How are you feeling?”
“Perfect. I’ve been feeling the baby move, so…” I fanned my eyes to keep me from crying.
“Oh, Lord.” Mama sniffled. “I think your dad and I will have to move to Pensacola. There’s no way I can be without my grandbaby.”
I chuckled and sniffled back my tears. “I’d love for you and Daddy to move here, Mama.”
“Say no more,” Daddy stated from the background. “I’ll start looking for places tomorrow.”
The biggest smile split my face. I truly was blessed to have parents who cared enough for their children to want the best for them.
Even as far as us playing basketball, our parents came around to understand how much the game meant to us.
Now, they were just as invested in our careers as PJ and I were.
Sin came into the room, carrying a tray with a bowl of fruit and a glass of water on it.
“Sin knows a lot of people, so maybe he can help you with that, Daddy.”
Sin’s eyebrows shot up as he placed the tray on the bed next to me.
“Oh? Let me speak to him.”
I handed Sin the phone and dipped my fingers in the bowl for a piece of watermelon. The bowl had only a few cubes of watermelon and a few strawberries.
“Yes, sir,” Sin answered. He left the room, leaving me to my fruit and water.
I picked through the bowl, eating the small portion quickly.
Sin was so thoughtful. He remembered something he’d read in one of the printouts we’d gotten from Dr. Coco in our healthy baby package.
While fruit was good for the body, I still had to be careful if I wanted to avoid having high blood sugar during my pregnancy.
With all the other worries I’d had, that was the last thing we needed to add to the pile.
It was fifteen minutes later when Sin came back into the room. He handed me my phone and plopped down on the bed, laying his head on my stomach, causing me to giggle. I ran my fingers over his moisturized waves.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you, too, baby. What do you say we pick a name—boy and girl.”
Sin’s head popped up.
“You serious?”
Smiling, I nodded. “I’m very serious. This baby is coming to us, Sin. I feel it. I’m not sure what’s caused me to have such hope, but it’s giving me so much inspiration to proceed as if nothing ever happened in my past.”
He leaned up to kiss my lips, letting his linger for a minute.
“How does Naima sound for a girl?”
“Ny-e-mah,” I sounded out. “That’s too close to mine.”
“It’s perfect, though,” he countered.
I agreed. “And of course, Jamison is the only name I’d name my first-born son.”
Sin ducked his head, but I didn’t miss the mist in his eyes.
“I want to celebrate the hope that you’ve been given. I want to celebrate my woman understanding that no matter what, I’m gon’ always be by her side.”
His beard was soft under my touch as I palmed his jaw.
“Let’s celebrate,” I tearfully stated.
My doctor’s appointment went so well that I had to call my girls and scream to the heavens with joy.
I knew I wasn’t tripping, and the photos in my hand proved it.
Sin didn’t want to know the sex of the baby, so he stepped out after hearing our baby’s strong heartbeat.
Like every time, he didn’t know I knew that he cried when he heard the sound.
I loved my man so much, especially the side of him that wasn’t afraid to show his emotions.
I was especially grateful because, like I told my daddy, Sin knew a lot of people.
He’d made it to where my parents didn’t have to even look for a house.
He owned several properties that were wide open for anyone to live in.
The second he mentioned beach house, my parents jumped on it.
For two days now, my daddy had been trying to make an offer on the beach house, but Sin was dead set on just letting my parents have it.
Lord knows, I didn’t understand how a man like him came into my life.
One minute I was grilling him, and the next he was the love of my life.
How could I not cherish this man and be the best woman that I could be for him?
I wasn’t going to be one of those females that took my man for granted, not even for a minute.
Sin worked hard and still came home to take care of me.
Throughout his day, he’d call me a million times to make sure I was okay.
Many days he worked from home, but on those days when he wasn’t at the house, he stayed on my line. I thought it was cute.
On the ride home, Sin started that weird shit again. He kept looking at me and smiling.
“What is it?” I asked after he’d stared at me through an entire red light.
“We’re celebrating tonight. When we get home, I’ma make you a nice bubble bath, then I want you to get dressed.”
I started to whine because I was tired. However, I quickly cheered up. If my man wanted to go out on the town, I’d take my tired ass on. Knowing Sin, he’d have me home at a decent hour anyway. And the massage he would likely give me later had me even more excited.
“Okay, boo. You’re joining me in the tub?”
“Of course,” he answered, squeezing my thigh where his hand was positioned.
As soon as we made it in the house, Sin ran us a bath. I had already undressed and was enjoying the hot bubbly water when he came into the bathroom naked. He sank into the tub behind me, then pulled me back to his chest. He kissed along my cheek while rubbing my belly.
“I want you to have the world, Naomi,” he whispered in my ear.
“I have it. Right here with you,” I responded.
He turned my head until our lips met. Something in his eyes had my heart beating out of my chest. Sin was definitely being weird today. I didn’t know what to think.
SIN
By the time Naomi got out of the tub, I had her clothes laid out on the bed, along with a clutch that matched her dress, and some heels that I knew she’d be comfortable walking in. My baby didn’t do dresses, but tonight she’d have to roll with it.
When she came out of the bathroom wrapped in a body towel, her eyes widened. Prepared to hear her bitch about wearing a dress, I was surprised when she said, “That dress is bomb, baby!”
“You like it?” The champagne-colored bandage dress would fit her curves to a T. Anything flattered my baby’s figure, so seeing her in a dress wasn’t any less exciting than seeing her in jeans and a T-shirt.
“I love it! I need to put my hair up in a bun to rock this the right way,” she said.
“Nah, you just got it done yesterday. Keep it like that.” Her tresses were hanging just past her shoulders in a sleek bob style.
I lowkey told her how I liked her hair that way when really I liked her hair any way she wore it.
Her bob would set the dress off, though, being as the dress was sleeveless.
I helped her moisturize her body before assisting her into the dress. Like I thought, it hugged her like her pussy hugged my dick.
“Sexy ass,” I admired.
She blushed and reached for her heels.
“I got it. Sit down.”
She sat on the edge of the bed and let me slide the heels onto her beautiful feet. Her white-polished toenails peeked out, tempting me to kiss them. I would tonight. I iced her out, then she went into the bathroom to take care of her face.
After getting myself dressed and iced out, I texted the driver I’d hired to make sure he was in position. He answered back, letting me know that he was parked out front.
Zoo: We’re at the restaurant.
Me: We’re leaving in ten.
Zoo: Bet.
His ass had better been glad I loved him. The fact that he told Pen my plans had me shaking my head. I guess I couldn’t blame him. I’d tell Naomi whatever she wanted to know, too.
Fifteen minutes later, Naomi and I were in the limo, cruising towards the restaurant. She was in awe observing all the rose petals and gift bags filling the limo.
“Sin, this is too much.” Her mouth was ajar.
“No, the hell it isn’t. We’re celebrating, remember? You’ll open ya gifts after dinner.”
She suspiciously eyed me before leaning against me and gazing out of the window.
Thirty minutes later, we pulled into Noah’s.
The restaurant boasted the best menu in the city and was always by reservation only.
Some of the wealthiest people ate there, although it was down home cooking.
Instead of a nice steak, Noah’s served the best ribs and cabbage, two foods I knew Naomi would enjoy without getting sick.
Another thing I loved about Noah’s was the live band and dancing area.
Edwin, the driver, pulled to the front of the restaurant and parked. I got out, then helped Naomi out. She smiled big and clutched my hand. I wasn’t nervous in the least. My whole life was in this woman forever.
“You’re gonna have to roll me outta here.” She chuckled.
“How ‘bout I carry you outta here?”
She laughed and said, “Okay.”
Inside, we were led to our table. Naomi was surprised to see her sister and Bri there. They screeched and hugged each other like they lived in two separate cities and hadn’t just seen each other a couple of days ago.
“You look so good!” Bri exclaimed, embracing Naomi.
I dapped my cousins and laughed at the way they were still salty over me proposing first.
After everyone was seated, we placed our orders and sipped our drinks while we listened to the women gush over how beautiful Naomi was.
Pregnancy sure did make my baby glow even more.
I couldn’t wait to see what our son or daughter would look like.
Would we have a mini her with big brown eyes?
Or would we have a mini me with soulful brown eyes?
Either way, I was going to love my child ‘til death.
“Naomi?” Fuck it. I couldn’t wait until this dinner was over to ask her what I’d been wanting to ask her for some time.
She glanced at me in the middle of laughing at something Pen said. When she saw the look on my face, her hand went to my jaw.
“You okay, baby?” she asked, concerned.
“Yeah.” I pushed my chair back and stood to turn her chair to face me. Then, I dropped to one knee and produced the box from my pocket, opening it to show her the rock that laid inside.
Naomi gasped so loud, even over the music, it drew the attention of other patrons.
“Jamison!” she cried. Bri and Pen were already in tears, and I hadn’t said shit yet.
“I was gon’ wait until after dinner, but I can’t.
I need to know right now if you wanna be in this forever.
I love you beyond anything that I can describe.
When I first laid eyes on you, there was no question who you were to me.
I’ll go to my grave believing that. I’ll go to my grave loving you and the family we build. Will you marry me, Naomi?”
She was a complete wreck, crying so hard that I barely heard her, “Yes!”
“What?” I playfully questioned.
“Yes!” she screamed to the top of her lungs.
A chorus of “awes” and “that’s so sweet” sounded off as people started clapping.
I slid the ring onto Naomi’s shaking finger, laughing because she was about to fly out of her chair.
Standing, I took her into my arms and kissed her like it was just the two of us in here.
Whistles rang out at the raunchiness of our lip-lock.
Now that I had a ring on Naomi’s finger, wasn’t shit that could break us apart. As far as I was concerned, we were already past the death-do-you-part stage. Hell, I’d been calling her my wife since the first day I met her. I claimed the prize that was put before me in the most intriguing way.
Naomi was different, beautiful, cocky, smart, confident, and most of all, genuine. I fucked with her on a level no one could ever knock me off of. Not until my last breath.
“I love you, Jamison,” she cried.
Kissing her tears away, I uttered, “I love you, wifey.”
She cried harder, realizing that she indeed was about to be my wife.