“Oh, fuck you, Saint. I didn’t even realize that’s your middle name.” She lied, rolling her eyes. “Why does it even matter? You have a child too.. Are you with her mother?”
“That’s my wife.”
“There’s no ring on your finger.”
“Mind your business, bruh. Worry about teaching that lil nigga to keep his mouth to himself.” I snapped, opening the driver’s door to slide inside.
A few hours later
“With the way production is going, give or take, everything should be up and running in six to eight weeks.” The contractor, Eddie, said, wiping his dusty hands on his overalls.
“That’s perfect. ADT is coming by tomorrow to upgrade the security systems, and the sign should be getting delivered within the next couple of days.” Blessing unlocked the front door, ushering everyone out. Sage was asleep in my arms.
“I’m so proud of you, baby. This shit looks amazing. Designed all this shit on your own. When are you starting the hiring process?”
“Soon. I’ve posted job listings on LinkedIn. I got a couple of applicants already.”
I nodded and pulled her into me. I placed soft pecks on her lips and gazed down at her. “You’re so beautiful, you know that?”
She smirked and nodded. “How could I forget? You tell me a million times a day.”
She said her goodbyes to the contractors before we left the building. I opened the passenger door for her after she secured Sage in her car seat.
“Where we goin’?” She asked, putting her seat belt on as I got into the driver’s seat.
“You’ll see,” I responded, starting the truck.
My palms became sweaty as we rode in silence. Things are better between us, but there’s still a conversation that needs to be had. So, I wasn’t sure how she would react to my surprise.
She turned and squinted at me as we entered Lily Cove, a small city only fifteen minutes away from Oasis Cove. The city had been recently developed like Willow Creek. Last year, I bought some land and started building my dream home. Right now, the shell of the house is complete, and the rest of the house should be finished before the holidays.
“Whose house is this?” Blessing asked, looking out the window.
“Ours,” I responded, getting out of the truck. “Come on, let me show you something.”
“Saint… Ours? You bought us a house?”
I removed a sleeping Sage from her car seat and carried her to the door with Blessing following behind us. I used my thumbprint to unlock the front door and lead her inside.
“I bought this plot of land last year. Didn’t tell a soul about it because I wasn’t sure what I had in mind for it. Eventually, I reached out to an architect and started designing my dream home. Blessing, I love you. I love Sage and Journey like they’re my blood, and I want y’all in my life forever. This home is ours, and I can’t imagine living here with anyone else. I know we got a lot of shit to work through, but I want this shit forever, Bless.” I reached into my pocket and pulled a marker from my pocket.
Blessing snickered and wiped the tears that were about to fall. “Papa, I thought you were about to pull a ring out of your damn pocket.” She took the marker from me and scribbled our initials on one of the wooden panels.
“Don’t trip. It’s coming.” I quickly pecked her lips before snapping a picture of us. “I have one more surprise for you.”
“What is it?”
“We’re going to Turks & Caicos.”
She squealed and wrapped her arms around me, causing Sage to jump from her sleep. “Sorry, princess.” She whispered.
I ran my hand across Blessing’s thigh and slightly gripped it as I drove towards my house. My stomach was touching my back, and if I didn’t eat something soon, I was going to pass the fuck out.
“You hungry?” I asked Blessing, glancing over at her.
“Yes! I’m in the mood for a juicy ass burger.” She rubbed her stomach as she scrolled through her phone.
“You wanna stop somewhere, or you want me to throw some on the grill when we get home?”