Page 116 of Crash: Love in Scrubs
I ordered her Elote exactly how she wanted it, with a steak burrito. I ordered the same for myself, and we found a bench in the shade. The August heat wasn’t playing fair today, but the air was crisp, decent for eating outside.
“Oh my God,” she moaned after her first bite, eyes rolling back in pure bliss. “This is exactly what I needed.”
I watched Sametra attack that corn like it was the last meal on earth, getting cheese and chili powder on her chin, completely lost in the moment.
“What?” she asked, catching me staring.
“Nothing. Just taking in how beautiful you are,” I said watching her sprinkle Tajin on her food.
“Malik, I have food all over my face.”
“I know. Still beautiful.” I reached over with my napkin and wiped the corner of her mouth. “Most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
She blushed, looking down at her food. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Ridiculously in love with you, girl,” I said, pulling out the ultrasound pictures again.
“Sometimes I can’t believe this is real. That we’re really doing this. I’m starting all over at thirty-seven.”
“Any regrets?”
“No, never. It’s just a lot all at once, good things, but a lot. The engagement, the baby, and you opening your own practice. Six months ago, I couldn’t have imagined this life. It was the furthest thing from my mind.”
“And now?”
“Now I feel like everything finally makes sense.”
I reached over and grabbed her hand, bringing her knuckles to my lips. “That first night in the hospital, when I saw you unconscious in that bed, my entire world tilted on its axis. I feltsick, like my person was hurt. I felt like God saved you for me. That crash was so bad,” I shuddered, thinking about the photos and the conditions they came in. “I knew right then I wanted to be there for you. I wanted to be the first thing you saw when you opened your eyes.” I brushed a curl away from her face. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, Sametra. You and this baby we made. I can’t thank you enough for your love and giving me another chance..”
She leaned into my touch, her eyes getting glassy. “You really felt that? From the very beginning?”
“From the very beginning. I was gone before you even said a word to me.”
“Even when I was being difficult.”
“Especially when you were being difficult. I was checking boxes and shit. Like… she’s funny. Check. Beautiful, double check. Real corny shit.”
She leaned into my touch, laughing, tears threatening to spill over. “Don’t make me cry in public, Malik Jerome.”
“Too late,” I said, wiping away a tear that had escaped. “You might hear those words again. I gotta add them to my vows.”
“Come here,” she whispered, pulling me in for a kiss, right there on the bench, not caring who was watching. When we broke apart, she rested her forehead on my shoulder.
“I love you, Malik.”
“I love you too, beautiful.”
She pulled out her phone to take a picture with the ultrasound photos, adjusting the angle the way women do until it was perfect. As I watched her concentrate on capturing this moment, I realized this was what happiness looked like. I wouldn’t trade this for anything.
PRESSURE POINTS GRAND OPENING
The ribbon stretched across the front entrance of Pressure Points, red and gold to match the holiday season. I stood back, adjusting my tie for the third time, watching as the last of the catering staff arranged the refreshment tables in the main lobby. Four months ago, this had been just an empty building. Now it was everything I’d dreamed of, state-of-the-art equipment, eight treatment rooms, a children’s area painted in bright, welcoming colors, and my name on the door.
“Dr. Malik Holloway, Owner and Director” gleamed in gold lettering on the glass entrance.
“You keep messin’ with that tie, you gon’ choke your damn self,” Sametra said, sliding up beside me with that little smirk I’d been in love with since day one. “Stop fidgeting.”
She looked fine as hell. Five months pregnant and finally showing, with that perfect lil’ curve I couldn’t keep my hands off if I tried. The red dress she wore hugged every new angle just right. Glowing, confident, fine in that effortless way that made it hard to breathe around her. If she wasn’t already carrying my baby I’d be plotting how to make that happen tonight. Her titties were sittin’ pretty too, perched up like the main event.
