Chapter 16
“After flying first class, I don’t think I can ever fly coach again,” Eva said as we left baggage claim at O’Hare airport.
“Why would you ever have to fly coach again?”
“Because I can’t afford—you know what? Never mind. I forgot who my fiancé was.”
“I’ll give you a few more days to get used to it. Our car should be waiting, but bundle up, baby.”
She groaned as she zipped up her coat and pulled the hood over her head. We stepped outside, and I couldn’t help but shiver. After two weeks in paradise, it would definitely take a minute to get used to the cold again.
We returned to Chicago with a lot more luggage than we took to Barbados, so we had to get a cart to move through the airport.
I spotted my driver and headed toward him.
Eva followed close behind me until we reached the black Escalade.
While the driver loaded our luggage into the back, I helped her get inside and then climbed in behind her.
“Brrr! It’s so cold.”
“Welcome home,” I teased, knowing she’d been dreading our return to the cold.
“Some kinda welcome. It would’ve been nice if the temperature were at least above freezing.”
“Quit complaining. Michael, this is my fiancée, Eva. Baby, this is my driver, Michael. He’s responsible for getting me where I need to go when I don’t feel like driving.”
“It’s nice to meet you, and congratulations,” Michael said.
“Same, and thank you,” Eva replied.
“Give him your parents’ address.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s our first stop. I already didn’t go about this the right way and ask them for their blessing. I don’t want them to think I’m a nigga with no manners.”
“Aww! Look at you being a gentleman.”
I frowned. “The only time I’m not a gentleman is when I’m beating that pussy up,” I whispered. “Now give the man the address.”
“You’re so nasty.”
“And you love it.”
“It might just be my favorite thing about you.”
She kissed my cheek before rambling off her parents’ address to Michael. I texted Semaj to ask if he and Elaine could meet us at his in-laws’ house. Of course, he wanted to know why, but I didn’t share any details.
“How do you think your family will feel about us being engaged after two weeks?” I asked.
She thought about it for a moment before responding.
“If Elaine and Semaj set us up, I’m sure they weren’t expecting us to move so quickly, but I think they’ll be excited.”
“Stop speculating. They set us up, and I’m not mad about it.”
“Same. We owe them big time, and I’m sure they’ll never let us forget it.”
“What about your parents?”
“Of course, they’ll be surprised, but they only dated a few months before getting married. If you ask my dad, he’ll say he knew my mother was the one the day they met. I think they’ll be supportive. They also love Semaj, so if you have his stamp of approval, they won’t give you too much trouble.”
“That’s good to know.”
“Plus, they weren’t too fond of my ex, and y’all are polar opposites, so that’ll work in your favor.”
I laughed. “Basically, you’re saying I’ll get their blessing by default. It’s not how I imagined getting on their good side, but hey, a win is a win.”
“It won’t be by default. Every day we’ve been together, you’ve shown me how good a man you are. My parents will see that immediately and won’t hesitate to give us their blessing. Watch and see.”
“I guess I’ll find out soon enough. Have you thought about a wedding date?” I asked, slightly changing the subject.
“I have a few dates in mind, but it depends on if you want a long or short engagement.”
“How does New Year’s Eve sound?”
“Excuse me, what?”
“New Year’s Eve.”
“Like . . . next year?”
“No. In a couple of weeks. Is that too soon?”
“Solo, two weeks from now?”
“Is that a problem?”
“Yes. I mean, no. I mean, are you sure?”
“Is there a reason we need to wait any longer?”
“I need time to plan, find a dress, choose a venue, hire a caterer. . . Two weeks isn’t enough time for all that.”
“It was enough time for us to fall in love, so it’ll be enough time for us to plan our wedding.”
“I can’t believe all of you were in on this. None of you can be trusted,” Eva joked with her family.
When we arrived at the Fuller residence about an hour ago, I didn’t have a chance to ask for their blessing. Not only did Semaj and Elaine admit to playing matchmaker, but Mr. and Mrs. Fuller knew all about it, and they couldn’t wait for us to get back to tell us.
“Semaj spoke very highly of Solomon, and we figured, if nothing else, you’d have a good time together,” Mrs. Fuller said.
“Not too good a time, I hope,” Mr. Fuller added.
“You were kind of in a rut and didn’t seem interested in dating again, so I thought it was a great idea,” Mrs. Fuller continued.
Before we came inside, Eva took her ring off so as not to ruin our surprise. The four of them sat there, looking smug because their plan worked, but I was anxious to see how they’d respond to our news.
“Actually, Mr. and Mrs. Fuller, and I don’t mean any disrespect, but we probably enjoyed ourselves more than you’d care to hear. I’m sure the four of you didn’t think playing matchmaker would work as well as it did. I asked Eva to marry me, and she said yes.”
While I spoke, Eva removed the diamond ring from her pocket, slipped it back onto her ring finger, and held her hand up at the exact moment I shared the news.
“You proposed?”
“She said yes?”
“Now this is what I call a surprise!”
“Let me see that ring up close!”
Everyone spoke at once as Elaine and Mrs. Fuller gathered around Eva, and Semaj and Mr. Fuller approached me.
“Mr. Fuller, I apologize to you and your wife for not going about this the right way and asking your permission first.”
“It’s only been two weeks, son. Are you sure about this?” Mr. Fuller asked.
“Matters of the heart ain’t something I play with. I’m in love with your daughter, and if you’ll give us your blessing, I want to marry her on New Year’s Eve.”
“That soon?” he questioned.
“This is definitely unexpected,” Semaj commented.
“It’s not soon enough if you ask me, but I realize she’ll need time to plan.”
Mr. Fuller looked at me long enough to make me uncomfortable before finally responding.
“I wanted to propose to my wife the day I met her, but I didn’t want to scare her away.
I waited a few months and was relieved when she agreed.
We got married the following week at the courthouse, and the only thing I regret is not asking her the day we met.
I admire you for leading with your heart, but that’s my baby girl.
She’s been hurt by one knucklehead already.
If you’re here just to play with her heart and mind, keep it moving. ”
“Sir, I assure you that’s not what I’m about.
In a matter of days, I found myself feeling things for your daughter that I’d never felt for another woman, .
. . not even my ex-wife. I’m not here to break her heart.
I’m here to shower her with love, honor and respect her, give her understanding and support—”
“All right, nigga. We get it. You love Eva. Congratulations, my boy,” Semaj said, pulling me into a hug and slapping the shit out of my back.
“I appreciate that, bruh, but it’s not your blessing I need.”
“You have my blessing,” Mr. Fuller finally said as we exchanged a one-armed hug.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Mine too,” Mrs. Fuller said.
Mrs. Fuller was waiting with open arms, and she embraced me like I was the son she never had, no offense to Semaj. Maybe it felt that way because it had been a long time since I’d had a hug like that from somebody’s mama.
“Umm, I don’t think I heard anyone congratulate us, except Semaj,” Eva said, pretending to have an attitude.
“Congratulations!” they chimed simultaneously.
“Wedding planning starts tomorrow,” Elaine announced.
“That’s right. We don’t have much time,” Mrs. Fuller added.
“I don’t have any clients until Thursday. Y’all can come to my house around ten, and we can get started,” Eva offered.
The ladies continued discussing their plans, and I sent Michael a text to let him know we were ready. It had been a long day, and I was ready to get settled for the evening. Twenty minutes later, Eva and I were in the back of the Escalade.
“Where to, sir?” Michael asked.
“My house.”
“Your house?” Eva questioned.
“Aren’t you coming home with me?”
“Oh, umm, I hadn’t planned to. I told my mom and sister to come over tomorrow morning.”
“They can come to my house. I’ll have Michael pick them up.”
“Okay. Are you sure?”
“I’m sure I don’t want to sleep without you by my side unless it can’t be avoided. Do you need to stop by your place for anything?”
“I’d like to check on it and grab some clothes that are more appropriate for the season. All I have are the things I took to Barbados and what you bought for me.”
“Michael, we need to make another stop. Baby, give him your address.”
She rambled off her address, and we resumed our conversation.
“I’m actually glad we got that over with,” she said.
“Why? Were you nervous?”
“No, but now that my immediate family knows, we can make it Flikstagram official.”
“Flikstagram official. That’s really a thing?”
“It’s as much of a thing as we make it, I guess. With you being a celebrity and all, maybe I should hold off on that.”
“It’s too late for that, baby. I guess you could say I already did a soft launch.”
“What are you talking about?”
I took my phone out and went to my Flikstagram page. I’d been snapping pictures of Eva, some candid, some not, during the whole trip, but a few days ago, I took several of her while she was sleeping. Her hair was all over her head, covering most of her face, but I thought she looked beautiful.
I’d actually made a few posts with pictures of just Eva and some with us together, but her whole face couldn’t be seen in any of them. As she said, I was somewhat of a celebrity, and I didn’t want to put her out there to be scrutinized without preparing her.
I gave her my phone, and she looked through the pictures I’d posted, including reading the comments, which was something I never did after posting on social media. I didn’t care what others had to say about me or anything I posted.
“This is definitely a soft launch, but thank you for not tagging me. There’s no telling how many notifications and DMs I’d have.”
“Let me know when you’re ready to be officially Flikstagram official,” I teased.
“The internet is full of wannabe detectives. We should do it sooner rather than later because your biggest fan will connect the dots soon enough. The last thing we need is for someone else to control the narrative.”