“You did actually. Like a million times already.” I giggled.
His thumb brushed my knuckles as he stared directly into my eyes.“Remember that day your car battery died, and we sat on the couch talking ‘til roadside assistance came? You mentioned how much you loved saxophonist covers. So, I had my assistant find the best saxophonist in the city. Hired him and his band to play for us during dinner tonight.”
“I’m surprised you remembered that..” I said, turning to look away from him. I felt my eyes start to water. I quickly blinked the tears away.
“Don’t start crying, Bless. I just wanted to show you that I listen when you talk.” He said, chuckling.
“Hey! I’m Sug. I’ll be your waitress for the night. Can I get you two with drinks?” The waitress greeted us, placing a basket of bread and butter on the table, along with two glasses of water.
“I’ll have a glass of Hennessy on the rocks, and she’ll have a blueberry lemon drop.”
“Great, have you had a chance to look over the menu?” She asked, writing our drink orders on her notepad.
“Can I order for you?” Saint questioned. I nodded. “Alright, for me, I’ll take the 12-ounce ribeye, cooked medium with the garlic and herb lobster tail. For the sides, I’ll have the seafood mac and broccolini. For her, she’ll have the Parmesan-crusted salmon, wild rice, and the broccolini. Matter fact, get her a side of the seafood mac too.”
“Got it. I’m going to grab your drinks from the bar, and your meals will be out shortly.” She responded before leaving.
I swayed in my seat, dancing to the music the band was playing. “All that sounds so good. How’d you know what to order for me?” I said, reaching across the table, grabbing a piece of bread. I moaned as I took a bite of it. It was so warm and sweet.
“I come here all the time with my mother and Serenity. I usually get the salmon. I know how much you like parmesan crusted food, so.” He shrugged.
I snickered, “You think you know me?”
“I do. Blessing Nicole Carter, 25, born March 18th. Favorite colors are orange and baby blue. You love Criminal Minds and The Parkers. Your toes are always white. You love pasta and lemon pepper wings.”
“I guess you know a little something.. You’re so attentive. Why the hell are you even single?” I asked. The waitress returned with our drinks, assuring us that our meals would be out soon.
He shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. “Some women don’t know a good man when they have one. My last two relationships just didn’t work out.”
“Who were you with before Mariah?”
“I was with my ex, Kynnedi, for almost 3 years. We broke up right after I got drafted. She was the one I thought I’d be with for the rest of my life, but I guess I wasn’t what she wanted. I’d planned on proposing to her. One day, she came to me and told me she couldn’t be with me anymore cause she didn’t love me the way I loved her. Shit broke my heart because I was ready to give her the world. A few weeks later, she popped out pregnant and engaged.”
“I should beat her ass for hurting you. Some bitches are so ungrateful. At least she left before you proposed.”
“Yeah, shit, it was her loss. She reached out to me after I got injured, but I never responded to her.”
The waitress came back, placing our meals on the table. She made sure we didn’t need anything else before leaving us to ourselves.
“Is Sage’s father the only relationship you’ve been in?” Saint asked as he cut into his steak.
“Nope. Before him, I dated this local scammer named Tae. We had a pretty good relationship before he got locked up. I don’t do the whole “holding it down” thing, so we broke up, and I eventually dated Seven. Messiah did not want me fucking with him. Mainly because of our age difference, and he thought he’d distract me from school. He did, but I still graduated from college with honors.”
“You got a thing for street niggas, huh?” He said, chuckling.
I laughed, rolling my eyes. “My daddy was a street nigga. I wanted a man just like him. I couldn’t help it. I watched how he loved on my mama and wanted the same for myself. He was one romantic ass hood nigga. Straight out of an urban romance novel.”
“I get it. I be forgetting you’re Big P’s daughter. You were close to your pops?”
“Mhmm. We all were. Me and Journey were his princesses. He spoiled the hell out of us. Anything we wanted, we got it. I was driving a brand-new BMW my senior year of high school. He started my obsession with jewelry. My daddy set the standards for me when it came to men. I fucked around and had a baby by the wrong man, but I learned from that.”
“Do I meet the standards?”
“Mmmm yeah.. You remind me of him. The way you come running anytime something’s wrong. Like that night, Sage was teething and giving me a hard time. You came right to the rescue. You remember the little things. I showed you this damn Cartier love bracelet, and now it’s on my wrist.” I scooped a spoonful of mac and cheese into my mouth, smiling.
“You like to be spoiled, and I like to spend money.”
I rubbed my stomach, leaning back in my seat. “That meal was sooo good. I have to bring these leftovers home.”