Page 40 of Same Girl
TRULY MADLY DEEPLY
TWO MONTHS LATER
“This is so beautiful.Chosen, I know that you did this, didn’t you?” I asked as the two men held my hand and led me down the beach.
Rose petals were scattered all over the sand, but there was also a table set up with candles, a wine bottle, and glasses. Off in the distance, a woman sat on a chair in the sand, playing a violin. She wore a lavender, gauzy dress with lavender flowers in her braided hair.
“You never give a nigga the benefit of the doubt, do you?” Fyve asked.
I laughed and replied, “Whenever you show me your romantic side, I’ll believe it.”
“In all fairness to him, baby, he did say that he wanted to do something special for you this weekend. He said that he knew you loved the beach, and while he wasn’t sure what it was that you would want, he knew that you would enjoy something romantic done by the two of us with candlelight and being close to the ocean.”
“So you came up with the idea for the dinner and the violinist?” I asked Chosen, staring into his hypnotic eyes.
“I did. But it was his idea to do the after-dinner surprise,” Chosen shared.
I tipped up on my toes, cupped Fyve’s face, and declared, “I’m so damn proud of you and so lucky to have you in my life. You don’t have to have a romantic bone in your body, baby, and I will still love you just the same. You’re amazing as you are. You’re my protector, my defender, my fortress, and my strength. Being loved by someone like you is a once-in-a-lifetime gift. Being loved by you both is something that never happens. I don’t know what I did to deserve this gift.”
I kissed Fyve and then turned to Chosen and did the same. He wrapped an arm around me and replied. “We don’t know what we did for you to choose both of us, but I’m glad that you did, beautiful baby.”
They led me further down the beach, close to the water. I wore an ankle-length white gauzy dress and no shoes. Chosen had given me a daisy to place in my hair, which I wore pulled up into a messy ponytail that I fashioned.
Fyve pulled out a chair for me and helped me sit down while both men took seats on either side of me.
“So what’s so special about this weekend?” I asked.
They had flown me to Sorrel Island for a weekend escape.
“We wanted to have a discussion with you about the elephant in the room,” Chosen stated.
“I know that you accepted Chosen’s marriage proposal, and for a while, that had been a point of contention between us. I don’t want you to hold back on what you promised my guy from the beginning. The reality is that I know that you can’t legally marry us both. If we could have it that way, then we would. I don’t expect ever to lose your love, but if one of us can have you on paper, then I’d rather it be him than me,” Fyve explained.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Nothing’s going on, baby girl,” Chosen answered. “I visited my attorney a couple of weeks ago, and he visited his last week. We both have a lot of property, investments, and our businesses. We want to make sure that if anything should happen to either of us, our assets are properly allocated. I want them to go to you, and so does Fyve. What we don’t want is for anyone to try and contest the will later, in the event something should happen. We had the paperwork drawn up, but Fyve mentioned the marriage to me.”
I turned and looked at Fyve, who wore a sentimental smile, something I wasn’t used to seeing on his face. “I’ve been thinking long and hard about it, and I’ve made my peace with it. That man asked for your hand in marriage, and you told him yes. You’re a woman of honor, and I want you to honor your commitment to him. I don’t expect that I’ll lose you, but I do want you to carry one of our last names legally. We want to make sure that you’re protected on every side, baby.”
Tears spilled from my eyes, and Fyve leaned forward and kissed my lips.
“You’re so sweet.” I cried.
“I just want my baby to have the best. I know that what we have is unconventional, but I’m willing to sacrifice what Ineed to so that you can be protected,” Fyve explained as Chosen signaled the waiter, who had been standing a few feet away from us.
I wiped the tears that flowed from my eyes as we were served our meal of lobster, shrimp primavera, roasted potatoes, salad, cheddar biscuits, and wine.
“So what does this mean?” I asked, taking a sip of my wine after the waiter poured it and stepped back.
“It means that you need to start planning a wedding to that man,” Fyve stated with a low chuckle.
“Are you sure, baby?”
“I’m definitely sure.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about something else,” I stated as I forked a shrimp. I hesitated briefly before I popped it into my mouth and chewed.
“Don’t you hate it when she does that?” Fyve asked.
