Page 17 of Saved By the Game

“Um, of course,” she responded while looking at the bodyguard for approval. The bodyguard nodded his head in agreement. “There you go there’s the autograph.” She quickly posed for the picture and smiled. The bell hop was satisfied. “Thank you, I’ll never forget this day.”

“We got to go.” Adonis rushed back for a second trip to take the bags to the car. “Is everything okay? Why are y’all just standing there?”

“Oh, I just signed an autograph for a fan. I hope it was okay.” Bella replied with unease. Usually, her ex-boyfriend became enraged from jealousy when she signed autographs for her fans.

“Of course it’s okay, sweetheart. I want people to enjoy meeting you. As much as I adore you, there are plenty of other people who love you. You need a reminder on how special you are. It seems like you forgot you’re a superstar.” He kissed her on the forehead and held her hand to walk out of the hotel. Bella released a sigh of relief after leaving the hotel.

“Are you ready to start a new chapter of your life with me?” Adonis looked Bella straight in her brown eyes and asked.

“Yes. Of course I’m ready. I have no choice because we’re about to board our plane.” Her stomach was uneasy, and she felt nauseated from anxiousness. She was so anxious that her handswere shaking. Adonis noticed and he began to rub her hands softly.

The driver pulled into a private landing strip where a personal jet was waiting. The sunset peeked through the clouds, painting the sky in blue and orange hues. It was picture perfect. Outside the jet was a large red carpet with ropes alongside the red carpet. The driver got out to open Bella’s door. “Right this way,” The driver said as he guided her toward the private jet. She noticed the outside of the jet displayed the name,Ferguson Airlines.Adonis followed her with a smile on his face. Bella looked toward him, being cautiously optimistic. He extended his hand to advise her to go ahead and enter the jet.

As soon as Bella stepped onto the jet her mouth dropped. Goosebumps slid down the back of her neck at the sight before her. The plane was filled with over thirty bouquets of red roses. Bella sat her brown Birkin bag down on the white leather seat. Adonis was right behind her. “Do you like our jet baby? I thought you would like to ride in style back to Texas.”

Bella grabbed Adonis by the back of his neck and kissed him passionately on the lips. “I love how you spoil me. Everything is beautiful! I can forget about the plane ride and focus on all the beautiful roses on the jet. You really know how to make memories. I was anxious before but not anymore.” Bella replied as the flight attendant handed her a glass of champagne. She took a sip and smiled. It was too early to drink champagne, but she didn’t mind partaking in a drink of bubbly. As she took a seat on the jet another flight attendant sat a plate of cheese eggs, bacon, toast, and fruit beside her. Since they left the hotel without eating breakfast she smiled at the sight of the plate. Her stomach growling signifying the plate came at the right time.

“Hmm, someone’s hungry. I heard your stomach growl.” Adonis said and they both laughed. “Let’s watch a good movie. My favorite movie is Coming to America. I can go ahead and put the TV on the movie.” Bella nodded her head in agreeance as she ate a piece of fruit. The tv was incased in white leather to match the white leather seats.

Adonis took charge of things with Bella since she was usually quiet with him and agreeable. Their chemistry was like a magnetic pull. They were both comfortable and excited to be around one another. Her seat was reclined. Adonis noticed she wasn’t comfortable. He tilted her chair with the seat remote. “Is that better?” Adonis stared at Bella until she answered.

Breaking their eye contact, Bella shrugged her shoulders. “Game, you don’t have to put all your focus on me. I know you want to make me happy, but you should put your seat belt on. See, the flight attendant is about to make the announcement. Plus, I don’t think I could ever get uncomfortable on this jet. She said looking around at its beautiful interior. “I’ve been on many planes before, but your jet is by far the best I’ve been on.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. Then she made sure her carry-on bag was secured above her seat.

“Oh, don’t worry, all your bags are onboard. You have many expensive things to take back home. I couldn’t risk all those nice clothes getting lost or stolen on a commercial plane. Although, I only use my jet when flying out of the country. I can’t trust any other pilot but my own. Just like my bodyguards, my pilot, Anthony Shakur, has been with me for ten years. Loyalty is especially important to me.”

“Hmm, I see. You’re a wise man, my King.” She said with a smile and kissed his lips. Every day Adonis was making her fall deeper in love with him by his actions. She began to envisionlife with him daily. In her heart, he was royalty, her king, and with the short memories of his kindness, she longed to shower him with love as rich and radiant as the way he made her feel. He deserved king treatment, and in her mind, she was always planning a way to give him top-notch treatment.

“Let’s pray before the plane takes off,” Adonis said as he grabbed Bella’s hand. She gazed at him with a gentle expression. “Since, you always lead the prayer, I’ll pray this time.” She interjected. “Okay, that’s fine with me, babe.”Adonis responded.

“Father God, thank you for sending me someone already healed. My heart has been through so much. For once, I feel true love. Lord, I thank you. You showed me I had to let go of what was no longer good for me to find what you had just for me. Lord, watch over and protect us as we travel for ten hours. Protect us from hurt, harm, and danger. Cover the pilot as he flies the plane. This we ask in Jesus’s name, Amen.”

“Amen!” Adonis replied, opening his eyes. Thank you for the beautiful words you prayed to our heavenly father.” Adonis held on tight to the armrest and closed his eyes tightly like he was on a roller coaster. Bella looked at him and became alarmed by his actions. Since her seatbelt was fastened tight, she couldn’t get up to console him.

“Are you okay, Game?” “What’s wrong? Does your stomach hurt?” She asked while noticing Adonis had his left hand holding his stomach. The pilot announced the plane was taking off and for them to remain seated. The take-off caused some turbulence, causing Adonis to throw up to the side of him.

The flight attendant placed soft washcloths along all the seats and within easy reach, just in case. He knew flying made his stomach uneasy. He sat across from Bella, not because he wanted distance, but because he knew the nausea would come,and he didn’t want to get vomit on her clothes. After he stopped throwing up, he took a washcloth that was beside him and wiped his face. “I’ve flown hundreds of times in my life, yet flying is still not my favorite thing to do. If I could drive to all my destinations, I would. My stomach is in knots, and I feel woozy. I always think about how Kobe Bryant lost his life, and it scares me. It’ll be alright since I have you on the plane with me. You make everything better for me. I didn’t sit next to you because I knew I would throw up. It happens every plane ride. I tried taking Dramamine for the nausea, but it makes me sick to my stomach. Which is why I have my towels and a bucket near me.”

“Aw, baby you relate plane rides to the traumatic experience of Kobe Bryant’s death. Don’t let worry weigh you down, just remember, prayer moves mountains, and God is already working things out in ways you can’t see. We’ll get home safely. Think about the cakes I’ll make for you once we get to your house. If you replace a negative with a positive it changes your perspective.”

Adonis closed his eyes. “Okay, I’m taking your advice and envisioning you in the kitchen baking cakes with just an apron on. Ah, I love the vision.” He said with a naughty smile stretched across his face.

With a soft smile playing on his lips, she could see how sweet the vision was to him. “If the vision brings you peace, even for a moment, I wouldn’t dare take it away. I want to be a part of whatever makes your heart quiet and content.” She replied with a smile. She steered her attention to the movie while Adonis continued to have his visions. The movie was on the scene where Eddie Murphy asked his arranged bride to bark like a dog. Bella began to giggle at the scene as the actress obeyed every command of the actor. Although the scene made Bella laugh,Adonis made her want to do everything he asked. Adonis treated her with tenderness and respect. The idea of her feeling like she had to obey his every command would have unsettled him, He wanted a partner, not someone bound by duty, but someone free, choosing him with love. Every moment they were together Adonis went out his way to create happiness for her. He wanted to know what she wanted to do. Especially since he learned about her cancer diagnosis. He’d been waiting on her hand and foot. Adonis opened his eyes. “Have you set your doctor’s appointment for your first cancer treatment in Dallas?”

“Yes, my appointment is in a few days. I didn’t want you to miss practice for my daytime treatments. I plan to ask my mother and sister to join me. They wanted to spend some time with me, so I just told them to accompany me on my doctor visit. Oddly, they didn’t ask any questions. I just don’t want to go through it alone. Plus, it’ll give me a chance to break the news with them about my cancer diagnosis. It’s not something I can share with them over the phone.” Bella threw her hands up.

“I’m not letting you go without me. I need to know everything about what I can do to help you during the treatment. It’ll also give me the opportunity to meet your family.”

Bella put her hand over her heart and shook her head. “Wow, you never cease to amaze me. I didn’t expect you to want to accompany me to my doctor’s appointment. I’m used to going through problems on my own.”

“You’re with a real man now, baby. I’ll never let you go through anything alone. I do have practice, but I’ll let the coach know I can’t make it. He’ll understand. We have many more practices this season. I won’t let my career come between my love for you.”

Bella’s mouth dropped. Her brain was racing. She was thinking of how she wanted to respond to Adonis, but the words wouldn’t formulate. What he said made her speechless. She took a sip of her champagne as she stared in his brown eyes. If she hadn’t been strapped down in her seat, she would’ve been all over him. Adonis followed her lead and took a sip of his champagne. His response increased her confidence in him. She had faith that what Adonis was saying was real. He’d shown her in a brief amount of time that he was a man of his word. “Do you think that I can beat cancer?”

“I know you can. I’ve been praying fervently to God for Him to heal you. I know he will.”

“But you never know, right? Just like Kobe was in a tragic accident, my cancer diagnosis can be bad.”

“No, baby girl. It won’t. I rebuke that thought and your statement. We’re speaking great things about your life. It’s not our will, its God’s will. He rewards his faithful servants. God got it.”

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