Page 88 of The Devoted Husband

“Yes, I’m ready.”

She opened her mouth slightly, laughing when cheers erupted as he fed her the blue cupcake. He waited until she swallowed to give her a kiss that Sade happily accepted.

“This has been perfect,” she said after wiping her mouth. “Thank you to Veronica and Jessica for planning this. Thank you, Grandma and Mama Olivia, for the assist. And thank you all so much for coming to celebrate me and Dante’s little one. We truly appreciate you more than you’ll ever know.”

Her heart was light as she sat down and prepared to open the gifts everyone had brought. At the beginning of her pregnancy, Sade was sure she’d spend it stressed and upset. Now, she couldfinally enjoy her pregnancy, and she was looking forward to her little one entering the world even more.

Two Weeks Later

As Sade soaked her feet in water, she beamed over Simone’s good news. Nico’s parents surprised her by agreeing to give her full custody of Carmen once she had a job and a stable living environment. Sade couldn’t have been happier for Simone. After they made plans to see each other that weekend, Sade ended the call and dried her feet. It was Dante’s and her date night, which happened to be her favorite night of the week.

She didn’t know what he had in store, but he told her she could dress casually. After slipping into a sweatsuit, Sade made her way down the hall slower than usual. Being in her final trimester had been bittersweet. She was excited it was almost over, but the extra weight and less energy made her days longer.

The breath she released gained Dante’s attention. His head lifted from his phone, and he smiled.

“You all right, mama?”

“Just a little tired, but that’s nothing new.”

“Normally, I’d ask if you want to stay home, but...”

“Oh no. I want to leave the house. I love our date nights.”

“Okay, good, because I think you’re going to really, really enjoy this.”

“Well, I really enjoyed the last surprise. That’s gonna be hard to top.”

“Hmm...We’ll see.” He gave her a soft kiss that caused goose bumps to cover her arms. “You ready?”

“I am.”

When they were seated in the car, Dante asked, “What’s your fondest memory of me?”

It didn’t take Sade long to think about it. Her eyes misted at the memory. “How you reacted to my parents dying. As soon as I called, you came over. You spent two weeks with me until Grandpa put you out.” Sade chuckled and took his hand into hers. “I don’t think I would have made it through that without you. Imani was out with her girls, avoiding it. My grandparents were...too jarred and busy with funeral preparations and getting adjusted to having us with them to really focus on me. But you did. You gave me space to grieve, but you didn’t let it consume me. You’d always been my best friend, but after that...That’s when I decided I was never going to let you go no matter what anyone said.”

Dante lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it as he often did.

“I was glad I could be there for you. It was like second nature. You’ve always been my heart. When things aren’t right with you, they aren’t right with me. I love you more than anything and anyone else in this world, Smiley.”

“Ugh, you’re about to make me cry.”

“You do that a lot lately.”

They shared a soft laugh as she wiped her eyes. “These darn hormones. I was never this much of a crybaby.”

“Hmm . . . Now, I don’t know about that, Day.”

“I wasn’t! . . . Was I?”

Dante laughed. “I mean, I guess you have average emotions. I don’t have anyone to compare you to. Your sister didn’t emote like a normal person, so I can’t use her.”

“She’s getting better. What about Mama Olivia?”

“Nah, Mama was always emotional. She believes tears cleanse the soul and express joy, so there’s always a reason to cry to her. You’re like that now, but you weren’t before you got pregnant.”

Sade chuckled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

They continued to talk until they pulled into the parking lot of an event venue. At first, Sade thought their date night would be a party or concert, but no cars were parked there.

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