Chapter 17 #3
“I done had a whole lot of time to dissect love. How it look. How it feel. How it make people act. How it influenced logic and the way decisions get made. How it smell and taste. I mean I broke that shit down like a math problem, weighted it on my soul, and conducted personal case studies within my own mind,” Monroe stated, swiping his thumb over Promise’s hand.
“I know it’s real. I can see it. I’m experiencing it.
Every time I’m with you, I smell it…I can taste it, and when I touch you…
I mean really touch you, Doll. You feel so fuckin’ good,” he confessed.
“I’on think I’ma ever understand why the first woman I ever loved did everything in her power to keep this shit away from me.
She said it would make me a weaker man. She said it wasn’t for men like me, like I wasn’t worthy of it,” his eyes brimmed with tears, but they never fell.
“Then I met you, and leaped into the deepest love I ever experienced in my life,” Monroe kissed her stomach.
“Just being your man ain’t enough no more, Doll.
A nigga tryna be yo’ husband. I’m ready for our family to officially begin.
Marry me, Doll. Ain’t nothin’ in this world I want more than to make this love between us a permanent reality.
You rockin’ with a nigga or what? I love you.
” Monroe proposed, and waited for her answer as he opened the small black box, revealing the pear-shaped 16-carat brilliant/cushion-cut diamond with Trapezoid side diamonds.
“Yes,” Promise cried like a baby, feeling the weight of Monroe’s love as he slid the engagement ring on her finger. “I love you so much, baby,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
And just like that, they’d created a moment that they’d remember for the rest of their lives.
Monroe held her tight in his warm embrace, kissing the nape of her neck ever so sweetly, then pulled back slightly.
He brought his hands to the front of her belly, then lowered his lips to her stomach, and kissed his baby.
“Daddy can’t wait to meet you, Young King,” Monroe said, smiling at the feel of his baby kicking his hand after hearing the sound of his voice.
“We out here gettin’ everything right for you, but I wanted to let you know before you get here that we love you already.
You gon’ be born into wealth, so you won’t ever have to worry about nothin’.
I’m wise enough to know that money ain’t gon’ be enough to sustain you forever, that’s why I wanna promise you today that you’ll never have to question where I stand as your father,” Monroe told his son.
“You ain’t never gon’ have to earn my love, and you’ll never have to heal from the way I give it to you. ”
Promise smiled, resting her hand on the back of his head.
“You gon’ know what home feels like, son.
Even when life gets complicated, you gon’ know exactly where yours is.
” He smoothed his thumb slowly over Promise’s skin.
“I can’t promise I’ma always get this daddy shit right, but I’ma give it my best. I might make some mistakes, but we gon’ get through it all together. ”
“Yes, we will,” Promise agreed, resting her hand over his.
“I got one more surprise for you, Doll,” Monroe said, placing his last gift for the night in her hands.
Promise ripped the gift wrap off, eager to see what it was, and once she opened it, she froze when she saw three pictures from the day they officially met, Thanksgiving, 2023.
She swiped her hand across the photos, cherishing the day they crossed paths before flipping the page.
The next page were off-guard pictures from their first date.
“Oh my God, babe. When did you take these?” Promise asked, blown away by his thoughtfulness.
Monroe chuckled because Promise had no idea how many pictures he’d truly had of her. “Keep looking, Doll. I can’t tell you all my shit.”
Promise laughed through the happy tears that were still pouring from her eyes, but when she flipped the page, her breath hiked immediately when she noticed six rose petals from the beautiful assortment Monroe had given her from Grand Fleur for their first date.
Dusty pink, cream, and soft brown. Each color had its own significant meaning.
Monroe stood and walked to the dresser to grab Promise’s favorite soft chiffon-material maternity nightgown for her to slip on because if she sat there naked for any longer, Monroe was going to be smearing his face in her wetness.
As soon as Monroe slipped the gown over Promise’s head, the light round of taps on their door caught their attention instantly.
“Come on in,” Promise voiced, standing with the photo album in her hand as the gown automatically draped over the rest of her body.
Monae opened the door and walked in slowly. “Y’all want some tacos?”
Promise and Monroe fell out laughing.
“What?” Monae shrugged. “It ain’t like y’all was in here sleep anyway. I’ll cook it,” she said. “Me and my mom always eat tacos late night when we can’t sleep, and I don’t know what it is, but I’m wide awake.”
“I’m down,” Promise happily stated, slipping her feet into her house slippers.
“Y’all ass gone be fat,” Monroe said, pulling his shirt over his head.
“Mhm,” Monae said. “You want me to fix yours first?”
“Hell yea. You already know,” Monroe said, grabbing some socks.
They all shared a laugh on the way downstairs.
“You wanna look at this photo album with me?” Promise asked Monae.
“Of course,” she agreed.