“I’m sorry to interrupt, sir, but your arrangements are ready,” he said, smiling.
I had been working closely with them for the last couple of days to make sure everything was set up just as I wanted it, and I could tell we were all anxious about pulling it off. It was crazy to me because I’d never been nervous or anxious in my life, but in the moment, I was both. But it wasn’t a bad kind of nervous. It was that feeling you get before you know your entire life is about to change for the better.
“No problem, we’re ready,” I said, standing and grabbing Kenedi’s hand as I led her down to the beach area.
As we got closer, her eyes lit up at the sight before us. I made myself a mental note to ensure I left them all a much bigger tip because the sight before me was a lot better than anything I could’ve imagined or possibly done without their help.
“Will this be all, sir?” The waiter asked.
“Yeah, we’re good.”
As I helped her sit down, I admired how good she looked in her dress. I was definitely going to enjoy taking it off her later. But, before we did that, I needed to have a conversation with her and ask her probably the most important question I’d ever asked any woman in my life.
“I brought you out here because I wanted to talk to you about something. Something that God willing, won’t change what we’re building. But I know that it could have that impact.” I could see the worry instantly take over her face, and I hated that she felt that way. But I still needed to proceed with what I had to say to her.
“Is it something bad? Do you have a secret kid or something out there? Please don’t tell me you’ve been cheating on me. What is it, Sincere?”
“Hell no! It’s nothing even remotely close to that. I told you already, I belong to you, and only you. Don’t ever think no shit like that again.”
“Okay, well, is it something bad? I can’t handle bad right now,” she said, fidgeting.
“No, it’s not bad. Well, for damn sure not like you’re thinking anyway.”
“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Lay it on me.”
I hesitated for a few seconds because I had really been going back and forth with myself about whether or not I wanted to tell her what I needed to. As much as I wanted to shield her from that side of me, I knew that it wouldn’t be fair to ask my next question without everything being laid out on the table. If she decided that she couldn’t handle it, then I would have to be a man and accept it and adjust accordingly. Either way, losing her was never going to be an option for me.
“So, I told you a little about my past, and how I got to where I am now, and while I never said it, I did let you believe that a lot of that life was behind me. And while some of that life is behind me, a lot of it is still in me. And I’m still pretty active in that life.”
“Oh, so what are you, like a drug dealer or something?”
“If you mean standing on a corner, no. But most of the product that moves through the city comes through me. I wanted to tell you this because I don’t want us to continue our journey together without you knowing everything about me.”
“Wow. I always felt like there was more to you, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.”
“I would say it’s a part of me that I’m not proud of, but that would be lying. I worked hard to get where I am in every area of my life, and I’m proud of the man that it made me into today.”
“So, I guess you want to know if I still want to be with you after this?” She asked, searching my eyes for answers. I could see all the wheels running in her head, and I knew that I couldn’t force her into an answer. She had to make the right decision for herself on her own.
“Something like that.”
“As much as I don’t like it, I can’t let you go, either. I love you, Sincere. And I guess that means loving the parts of you that aren’t so pretty. However, I will say that I can’t be with you if your plan is to do this forever. I’m willing to work with you for now, but if we’re going to be in this for the long run, then you have to be making plans to get out of that life. I don’t want you to have to look over your shoulders forever.”
“I’m already working on it,” I said, honestly.
I never thought that getting out of the game was something that I would consider, especially not with where I was in my life. However, when I made the decision that I wanted to see a future with Kenedi, I knew that it was a sacrifice that I would have to make. I couldn’t see myself still being in the streets with her and our future children potentially getting caught up in any bullshit that I had going on. So, in order to give her the life that I knew she wanted and deserved, I knew that getting out was going to have to start being part of my life’s plan.
“Good. Anything else you need to tell me?” She asked, breathing a huge sigh of relief.
I could tell from her reaction that she thought I was going to tell her that I had a baby or something on the way. But that wasn’t something that she would ever have to worry about when it came to me. I didn’t do fuck nigga shit. And that was for sure some fuck nigga shit.
“Tell you, no. Ask, yes,” I said, reaching in my pocket and helping her stand again.
When she realized what was going on, tears started falling from her eyes, smudging her makeup. She was still beautiful as hell to me, though.
“When you barged into my office, you caught my attention. At the time, I thought I just loved that fighter in you. I know a hustler when I see one. However, I had no idea that I would come to love everything else about you. When I see my future, I see you and only you. Everything I want to make happen, I want you right there by my side. Everything that you want to make happen, I want to be right by your side for. I want to give you the world, no matter what it takes. So, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
“Yes! Yes!” She screamed, jumping up and down and making it hard as hell for me to slip the ring onto her finger. I finally had to grab her and make her stand still so I could get it on.