Page 42 of Nobody But You

“At this time, we will exchange rings,” Magistrate Smith said. My face deflated, and my chin dropped to my chest. I hadn’t thought this through thoroughly. We didn’t have any rings. My face was lifted by a finger underneath my chin. Three rings, his and her wedding set, lit up inside a royal blue box he held. It was a platinum solitaire princess-cut diamond, approximately three carats, with diamonds surrounding the setting. The band was a simple platinum that matched his. He took them and slid them on my finger, which fit perfectly, and I did the same to him. I’d never smiled so big in my life.

“You may now kiss the bride,” the magistrate said. Stephon leaned in and gave me a quick peck before diving in.

“Stephon, you could at least wait until you both get home to start on my grandchildren,” his mother laughed. He groaned and gave me one last peck before whispering in my ear.

“Every night.”

“Let’s have a reception lunch so I can get to know my daughter,” hismother said.

“Stop fiddling with that dress, Jourdan,” Stephon’s mother said as I sat at her barstool. I’d been trying to offer my help for the last twenty minutes. She was making Mofongo. She’d told me that back home, they’d make it with crunchy pork skin, but since being in the US, she’d started using grilled chicken. She had this aura that pulled you in. Stephon had the same one. He’d caught me in his web, and I wasn’t trying to escape it. I was falling deeper into it.

I smiled as she bounced around the kitchen. Her home, like Stephon’s, was enormous. I felt it was too large for her to be living alone. I could imagine that every man she’d encountered was pulled in because she was an angel. As I looked around, I didn’t see any evidence of her having one. I still didn’t know why she’d named her son that because he for damn sure wasn’t. I giggled at the thought. She brought me out of my reverie when she continued.

“I know you didn’t get my son’s attention wearing a nun’s uniform,” she said.

“It was close, though, Ma. She was wearing a thick wool coat. She was walking around looking all uncomfortable with it on. Then, ‘boom,’ she took it off, and there wasn’t anything underneath,” he said without a hint of humor.

“Stephon! Why are you all up in our conversation and lying?” I asked. He was sitting in the living room watching TV. At least, I thought he was until he chimed in on our conversation.

“OK, I’m lying. She had on a Cat Woman costume underneath,” he said before laughing. He tried to be funny and reference what I was doing the night he saw me at Porter’s.

“I am so glad you run a successful security firm; those jokes, Baby, unh unh,” I said, shaking my head. His mother laughed behind me.

“Speaking of work. Ma, I’ve got a security conference coming up this weekend. It’s in New York. I need to head out tomorrow. I’m going to take Jourdan with me. Devin said to let him know if you need anything, and he will slide through. If it’s an emergency, Ma, please call me, and we’ll come right back,” he said. I glanced over my shoulder to find him staring at me. He shook his head, telling me not to say anything else.

What’s the deal with that? Does his mother not know who he really is?

We continued talking about everything, including Stephon. Then I felt him enter the space. His presence overwhelmed my senses as he came up behind me and kissed the back of my shoulder. He sat down and scooted his stool as close to me as possible. Grabbing my thigh like he always did, he jumped in on the conversation. My feelings about this arrangement had rapidly changed. Just earlier, when my mind told me not to trust him, my body instinctively followed. I no longer had control. I’d already fallen.

CHAPTER 20

Stephon

Ilifted Jourdan’s garage and pulled in. I left the door open and the truck running because I didn’t expect to be here long. It was a little after ten. I entered, softly climbing the stairs, sure not to make a sound. The house was already dark, but I’d taken a mental inventory and memorized everything about Jourdan’s house. I even knew that the fifth step creaked, so I skipped it.

An hour ago, I had left my firm’s garage, where Trig, P, and I had cleaned up the basement. I showered and got into my empty bed, only to find myself throwing on a pair of basketball shorts and a tee and heading to get my wife.

My wife.

I couldn’t believe that she’d strong-armed the situation. I knew it was hard for her because it had been hard for me. The trust wasn’t quite there, but I would never give her any reason not to trust me. However, I wouldn’t want things to be any other way because I knew it would come eventually.

Once I reached the top of the stairs, I stood in the doorway. Jourdan was buried under the covers, her face illuminated only by the moonlight. I walked over to her and slid my hands underneath her knees and arms, lifting her covered body out of the bed bridal style.

The real reason why I longed for her to be beside me was that I had to touch her in some way. I hoped that my feelings about her flowed through the warmth of my hands or their caress. I wanted her to know, verbally and physically, that I couldn’t be without her even for one night. Every time I touched her, an electric current pulsed through my body that invigorated me, and it was addictive. I needed it; I needed her. As the bedding fell and before she reached my chest, her hand slipped under the pillow, grabbing her gun to point it at my chin. After realizing it was me, she dropped the weapon into her lap. I hadn’t even flinched.

“What are you doing, Stephon?”

“I’m taking you home where you belong, Baby. Did you really think I’d allow us to spend our first night married apart?”

“You can just sleep here,” she whispered.

“Shhhh. You're ruining the moment. I’m trying to be on some romantic kidnapping shit, and you’re talking about sleep here. Nah, I want you wrapped up in my sheets. I’ve been dreaming about it all day,” I said, kissing her forehead. She melted further into my arms.

“I thought only Rock did the kidnapping.”

“Yeah, I did that already, Baby. You see that big ass rock on your finger, don’t you? Kidnapping hearts and pussies. That’s whatthat shit represents. Her hand went back to her gun, where she wrapped her finger around the trigger and pressed it into my chest.

“Hearts and pussies?”

---