Page 18 of Love Me Now: Adrian & Kwamé
Mommy, will you marry Adrian already?
My eyes flew up from the card and landed on Adrian’s smiling face. No one understood what was going on until this man took a knee in front of me. Shouts of approval and excitement went around as my vision blurred. Mouth agape, I peered down at Adrian, completely caught by surprise.
“I love you, Kwamé,” he announced. “Every chance I get, I do my best to show you that.” He lifted my left hand and tapped the ring that was already on my ring finger. “I gave you this a few weeks ago,” he said. “While it was fun while it lasted, we’re meant to be more than a courtship. I’ve waited long enough to be truly tied to you, Kwamé, and that’s on me. I’m ready to give you and our daughter my last name. Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” everyone practically shouted for me.
Although tears streamed from my eyes, I laughed and shouted, “Yes!” Bringing him close for a kiss, I declared, “I love you!”
With a smile, Adrian removed the ring he’d given me mere weeks ago and replaced it with the most brilliant princess cut diamond. In awe, I stared down at it and balked.
“Before the summer is over, I want to be able to call you Mrs. Bell. Is that okay wit’ you?” he asked.
I nodded and covered my face to hide the ugly crying I was doing. He leaned up, removed my hands, and planted kisses everywhere my tears touched. This was likely moving too fast insomeone’s eyes. In my eyes, I wouldn’t have changed this for the world.
After several rounds of congratulations and well wishes, Jessie’s party continued well into early evening. She smashed her first cake, ate off nearly everyone’s plate, cried a little when the bouncy house got a little too bouncy, and played with the wrapping paper instead of the actual toys that were wrapped in it. Jessie played with her cousins, fussed at Russ for telling her to be careful, and even attempted to give some of her toys away. My baby had a sharing spirit, but all in all, her birthday party was perfect. She wore herself out, and after a bath, she went straight to sleep.
Exhausted, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and slowly trudged through my face routine. Any time I moved my hand, the sparkle of the diamonds in my ring sent butterflies through my stomach. I still couldn’t believe that Adrian pulled the announcement off the way he did. He told me that everyone would know, and he meant that.
Adrian walked into the bathroom, took one look at me, and chuckled. He took over scrubbing my face, then had me lean down to rinse the cleanser off. Next, he picked me up and sat me on the counter where he applied the rest of my facial products. Impressed that he got the order correctly, I grinned.
“Thanks, baby,” I said.
His lips briefly met mine, then he said, “Let me get you cleaned up, so we can hop in bed.”
Adrian’s house was my second home. Whenever I came here, a part of his environment sealed itself to me. He was generous and opened his house to my parents, who were likely fast asleep on the other side of the large mansion. Ari took another one of the guest bedrooms.
Despite still not hearing from her parents or Carli, Ari had a blast today. She was the first to hug and cry with me after Adrianproposed. Knowing what she was going through, a part of me prayed she would one day feel the love of a man. Every so often, I noticed how Russ tended to her today. I thought it was cute because Russ was such a hard man. I wondered if had a thing for my best friend, and if he did, I prayed one day he decided to act on it.
Inside the shower, Adrian cleansed my body, then his. If I wasn’t so exhausted, I would’ve gladly let him bend me over. He was exhausted, too, though and dried us, dressed us, then carried me to bed where we climbed under the covers. Adrian cut the lamp off, then turned the television up. It was on the news.
“…Breaking news tonight. CEO of Niceville Shores News Station and Company, Katrelle High, has been reported missing. Her loved ones grew concerned after Miss High never returned home from work last night. Their concern grew as morning came with no sign of the news station’s owner. The High family plans to issue a public statement tomorrow regarding the disappearance of Miss High. Authorities are urging anyone with information to please contact the Niceville Shores Police Department.”
Shocked, I glanced at Adrian, who simply flipped the television to a streaming platform to put on a movie we could fall asleep to. Just this tiny gesture of how deeply he knew me almost distracted me from the news at hand.
“Isn’t that crazy to you?” I asked him. Knowing Katrelle’s history with my brother and Bianca, I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Naw, it’s not. What you wanna watch?” he questioned.
His nonchalance spoke loud and clear. I needed to drop whatever the hell it was surrounding Katrelle. What she had going on wasn’t my business. Plus, I knew who the hell she’d crossed. If Antonias felt threatened, he wouldn’t waste any time removing the threat.
CHAPTER 8
KWAMÉ
Ariwantedtocancelher baby shower. However, I was determined to let it go on. At the last minute, Adrian banded the family together to give Ari a great shower. Minnie and Adrian’s aunts handled the food. The men handled the decorations while the older kids helped.
To accommodate those who received invitations for Ari’s baby shower and still wanted to attend despite the shower being held in another city, we chose to have her shower at a park in downtown Niceville Shores. Belmont Park was the most scenic park in the city. Several large tents were erected near the water,decorations ranging from balloon features to backdrops for picture-taking. There was plenty of space for everyone to enjoy themselves.
As attendees started to show, something inside me felt relief. Another part of me hoped her parents and sister showed. Although, I was still pissed at them for leaving her in jail, ruining her special day would’ve just been all kinds of fucked up. There was plenty of Bell security here to keep people in check if need be. I just wanted Ari to enjoy herself.
“Hi, Russ!” Ari spoke cheerily, drawing my attention away from those straddling over from the parking lot. Many of them came bearing gifts, which made my heart smile.
“‘Sup, Arielle?” Russ spoke back.
“Nothing much,” Ari replied. Either I was tripping, or Ari blushed hard as hell. Maybe being out in this sun had me seeing shit. “Thank you for everything you’ve done to pull this off for me.”
Russ simply smirked, then shook his head. Either I was tripping again, or this behemoth of a man wore a slight blush himself. He moved off to handle something else while I pointedly peered at Ari.
