“So are you ready for this?” David asks breaking the awkward silence.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I say forcing a smile because I really don’t want to be a part of this conversation .
He gives me an are-you-really-sure smirk.
“David, despite how you may feel, I love Heath very much and he feels the same way about me,” I say shutting down any doubt he may have about my engagement.
“Alicia, we just got divorced at the end of March. How is it possible that you can meet someone, fall in love, and get engaged all within six months?” Is that jealousy I hear in his voice? Where is his Barfield arrogance?
“There is no specific time frame that one needs to wait to know whether or not they have found love. Life with Heath is easy, the only expectation he has for me is to love him. He doesn’t make me go to doctors, it’s not a requirement to give him babies, and most importantly, he supports my career.”
“So this has nothing to do with the fact that I showed up to London World with Lauren and Olivia and now I’m here with Lindzi?”
“Um no, and I think you’re a horrible person for what you’re doing to Lauren and Lindzi. You need to grow up and realize that the world doesn’t revolve around you, David. You have a daughter for Christ’s sake. How would you feel if when she is old enough to date or get married a man comes along and treats her the way you treat women?”
“That’s not going to happen because I’m going to protect my princess from anyone and anything that may hurt her,” he actually sounds like any concerned father.
“Yeah, that’s the same thing my dad thought, but he still gave me away to you. Grow up David. Cheating isn’t the “in thing” anymore. Choose someone and fall so deeply in love with her that nothing else in the world matters. That’s what Heath and I have done.” I’m tired of talking to him. “Take care David and enjoy the rest of the party.” I walk off not giving him a chance to get another word in.
Why do I always find myself explaining my relationship with Heath to David?
“Alicia, is everything alright?” Raymond asks seeing my apparent frustration.
“Yes, thank you,” I say forcing a smile. He smiles back and rejoins his conversation. I walk away finding the nearest chair to sit down in because my feet are killing me.
“I didn’t know she was going to bring him. I apologize.” Heath’s voice puts a smile on my face.
“Heath, I’m not worried about David being here. I’m actually glad he came so that he can see how I look when I’m genuinely happy.” I say rubbing my feet.
He places a chair down in front of me, grabs my foot, and then starts to massage it. I close my eyes giving in to his masterful hands. “I’m surprised that she brought him especially since I called and told her that he showed up at London World with Lauren. She doesn’t seem to care that he’s with another woman.”
“Maybe she has hidden self-esteem issues. Oh my God this feels so good.” I moan the last part.
“Oh get a room,” I hear a familiar voice say from behind me.
“Shut up Tamia, you’re just jealous because Marcus doesn’t rub your feet.” I think about it for a moment and then take my foot out of Heath’s hand and jump up. “Tamia!” I say when I turn around and see that not only Tamia, but Marcus and Heidi are here to join the party. Tears immediately begin to flood my eyes when I realize how much I’ve missed them all; my American family. I turn around and hug Heath as hard as I can. Just when I think I couldn’t be more in love with this man he goes and does something like this. I formally introduce Heath to Tamia and Marcus and reintroduce him to Heidi. As we are all talking I notice that Tamia’s left hand has a glare coming from it making me automatically grab it and investigate further. I look wide eyed between her and Marcus and without saying a word, I pull them into a three-way hug.
“He asked me last week,” Tamia says. “I was going to wait until you came home for Thanksgiving to tell you.”
“Oh my gosh, congratulations you guys,” I say happy that my friends have finally decided to tie the knot.
“Alicia, is that David over there?” Tamia asks sounding as confused as this situation is.
“Girl yes, he’s dating Heath’s cousin, but Lauren is somewhere up in a hotel room probably thinking he’s at a business dinner.”
“Heath’s cousin?” Marcus sounds as confused as Tamia. “How big is The United Kingdom?”
We all start laughing.
“If I could have everyone’s attention please.” Heath’s voice comes through the speakers. I didn’t notice that he’d walked away. Everyone turns to face the stage where he is standing. “I would like to thank you all for coming out this evening to celebrate with us. Alicia, darling, can you please come up here?” I walk up onto the stage, stand next to him and then he continues. “Tonight, I was going to ask this beautiful woman to make me the happiest man on Earth and accept my proposal, however, she made last night the single best night of my life by saying yes. Alicia, I want you to know that I love you more than anything and I won’t go to sleep at night until I know that you are safe and happy. Thank you for accepting my proposal and I can’t wait to make you Mrs. Heath St. James.” He pulls me into his embrace and starts to kiss me. I can hear cheering and applause from the party goers. My face is cold from the tears of joy running down my cheeks. “Alright everyone, eat, drink, and enjoy the rest of the party.” Heath hands the microphone to the DJ and we walk off the stage being congratulated by people as we pass by on our way back to where Tamia, Marcus and Heidi are standing and they congratulate me again.
“Heidi, why didn’t you bring Bryan?” I ask
“He’s on the road this week.” She answers in that southern accent I miss so much. I hug her tight.
“How long are you guys here for?” I ask.
“Our plane leaves on Wednesday,” Marcus answers.
“Please tell me that you are staying here. I’ve missed all three of you so much and I want to spend as much time as I can with you until you go.”
“Heath said that we could stay here,” Heidi says. “This place is beautiful.”
I introduce Tamia, Marcus and Heidi to Heath’s family and they instantly hit it off. We enjoy the rest of the night talking, drinking and celebrating Heath’s and my newly engaged status. David kept looking over in our direction probably because he wanted to say something to Marcus. He knew better than to even think about walking over because Tamia would have chewed his ass up and spit him out.
When all the guests leave, we all retreat to the house and continue our night of fun telling stories and laughing at one another. This makes me happy because my family is meeting my new family and we can all be happy together. Finally, at about a quarter till three we all decide that it’s late and that we are going to bed.
“Heath, why did you buy a glass house where anyone can look and see what’s going on inside?” Tamia’s curiosity gets the best of her as she walks upstairs behind Heath who is showing them their rooms.
I’ve been wondering the same thing.
“I purchased this house because it’s different. You can see out but no one can see in here,” Heath answers simply. He shows everyone their room and then we walk down the hall to ours.
“Tonight was perfect Heath, thank you for everything,” I say as I take off my clothes and look in my suitcase for a night gown.
“You’re very welcome darling. What are you looking for?” He asks.
“Something to sleep in.”
“You don’t need any clothes, I’ll keep you warm.” He walks over to where I am and unbuckles my bra strap freeing my breasts before scooping me up into his arms making me squeal. He lays me down on the bed and I grab my finger to take off my engagement ring. “Leave it on. It’s the only thing I want you to wear in bed tonight.” His words radiate from my ears all the way down to the apex of my thighs, waking up my little lady who immediately starts to swell.
He grabs my thong and slides it slowly down my thighs, down
my legs, around my feet then tosses them to the side. He takes off his clothes throwing them in the same direction as he did my underwear. He climbs onto the bed and spreads my legs so that he can kneel between them. I’m looking up into the face of this handsome chocolate man, my fiancée. His pectorals are so hard and bulging and I want to touch them. His abs are so tight and sculpted I want to lick them. His erection, oh his erection is so long and hard I want to suck it until he comes in my mouth over and over again. I immediately start to salivate at the thought of my mouth sliding up and down his length. I pull myself up so that I am on my knees face to face with him and we start to kiss; a combination of rough and loving that makes my little lady start to liquefy. My body is so confused. I don’t know if I want to suck him up or let him inside of me. I push him back on the bed and attempt to put my mouth on him and he stops me.
“Darling, tonight is about you. Let me please you,” He says lovingly and then instructs me to lie back down on the bed. He repositions himself between my legs and then bends down to kiss me on my lips before he starts to trail his tongue down my neck then to my breasts sucking both of my nipples and leaving extra saliva on them making them harden and pull when the cool air of the room hits them. He leans back up then takes both of my nipples between his forefingers and thumbs and starts to squeeze them tight. I want to cry out but I immediately remember that we have guests in the house so I have to take this sensual torture. He bends down and continues his journey down my body with his tongue still rolling my nipples between his fingers.
He kisses the inside of both of my thighs making me squirm. My body is wound up and I’m feeling hot all over. The aching I was feeling in my little lady has returned and the pain is more excruciating this time. Heath is what I want. He is what I need. I want to plead with him to take this aching feeling away so that my body can relax again. I put my hand on my little lady and start to rub my clitoris in an effort to alleviate some of this pressure. Heath lets go of my nipples and then sits back on his heels watching me for a moment as I attempt to take my own body to ecstasy. I start to moan because it feels so good and the fact that he is watching me masturbate is so fucking hot. I throw my head back and start to roll my hips as my body starts to climb. He grabs my hand stopping me. My heartbeat is out of control, my breathing is erratic and I’m mildly upset that he’s stopped me because all I want to do is have an orgasm.
“Darling, there is no need to rush, we have the rest of our lives to make love,” Heath says kissing the inside of one of my thighs, and then the other.
I close my eyes and let out a frustrated moan pleading with him to take me out of my misery and not even a moment later, I feel the tip of his tongue brush across my slick wet little lady. I grab the pillow next to me and put it on my face as he begins his journey to take me back to the top. He inserts two fingers in my opening and then positions his tongue on my clitoris and starts to work his magic, moving his fingers in and out while flicking his tongue across the most sensitive part of me. This feels beyond amazing. My body is wound up hot and tight like dynamite and I feel like at any second I’m going to blow. Then suddenly everything stops. I move the pillow from my face and search the darkness for his eyes so that he can see the pain on my face.
“Not yet,” he says. “I want you to come on me.” He positions himself so that he is sitting up with his back against the headboard. “Ride it.” He commands, and with those words I climb on top of him and slowly ease down as he inserts his long hard erection into me. Once I’ve taken all that I can, I start to move bouncing up and down with Heath holding my hips in assistance. It doesn’t take long for me to start feeling that aching pain I was experiencing moments ago; this only makes me bounce harder on him in hopes that it will go away. This feels so good. I grab Heath’s forearm to hold myself steady as my body starts to wind up again, this time I’m not letting him stop it. “Come with me darling,” he says, digging his nails in my skin. My body responds to his command, and I start to feel like I’m spinning out of control. “Don’t stop darling, I’m almost there,” he says as he grips me tighter and then stills.
He slides down so that he is now laying on the pillow and I fall over laying my head on his chest. We fall asleep with him still inside of me.
***
Heath and I both jump at the sound of a loud banging on his room door.
“Heath St. James you open this door this instant.” I hear Himaya saying on the other side of the door.
“Lady, I told you they were still asleep. What in the hell is your problem?” I hear Tamia say.
Heath and I jump up and throw on some clothes when we hear that Tamia is out there because she will be nowhere near as cordial to Himaya as I have been.
“I can’t believe you’re marrying that gold-digging bitch.” Himaya sounds as upset as I thought she’d be.
“Bitch?” Tamia says. “Lady who are you calling a bitch?”
Heath pulls the door open and I walk up behind him.
“Mother, what is your problem? Why are you here?” Heath sounds utterly annoyed.
“What is this?” Himaya asks as she shoves a newspaper in Heath’s face.
Heath takes it from her, turns around and then shows the paper to me. “Oh look darling, we made the front page,” he says sarcastically. “It’s in ‘The Sun’ so it must be true,” he says with a laugh. “Darling, show my mother your ring.”
I hold my hand out showing off the beautiful rock her son so graciously purchased for me and she rolls her eyes.
“You two will marry over my dead body,” Himaya says.
“Mother, I’m not waiting for you to die,” Heath says then he turns to look at me. “I’m not waiting past next summer.”
I nod in agreement and then look over at Tamia who is staring at Himaya waiting on her to say one more disrespectful thing to me.
“Why do you hate Alicia so much?” Tamia asks Himaya.
“Who are you?” Himaya asks arrogantly.
“I’m Tamia. Alicia’s best friend. I ask you again, why do you hate Alicia so much?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but Heath already has a future wife. She’s a model.”
“You can’t choose who Heath marries. He happens to be in love with my friend, so why can’t you just be happy for them?” Tamia sounds a lot calmer than she really is.
“Tamia it’s okay,” Heath interjects. “Mother, I told you two nights ago that if you can’t accept Alicia and my love for her, then I don’t want you around. I’m going to marry her and we’re going to have a family and we’re going to be happy.”
“Are you going to adopt this family? Because according to her ex-husband, he divorced her because she couldn’t have children,” Himaya says.
“Mother, you need to leave right now,” he says with no nonsense.
“Do what you must, but if you marry her I won’t be attending your wedding,” Himaya says then turns on her heels and storms out of the house.
I can’t believe David. Just to think, this asshole came here to celebrate my engagement to Heath and badmouthed me to the reporters behind by back. The part that hurts the most is that he claims to still love me, yet he does things like this to intentionally hurt me in an effort to win me back. He’s not going to let go. He’s going to do every twisted thing he can think of to ruin my relationship with Heath and what’s more messed up, is that even though he knows that Heath and Lindzi are related, he’s going to end up hurting her in the process.
“Heath,” Tamia says. “No disrespect to you or your mother, but she can’t keep treating Alicia like that. I’ve told you time and time again that I’m the only family she has and I can’t tolerate someone mistreating her the way your mom is doing.”
“I agree with you but you’re wrong. I’m her family, too, and my mother is just going to have to learn to live with the fact that Alicia and I are in love and we’re going to be a family,” Heath says pulling me to his side and kissing me on the top of my head.
“
I knew there was a reason I liked you,” Tamia says with a wink. “You guys come downstairs, Marcus and I are cooking breakfast.”
I slip on my bedroom shoes and follow Heath to the bathroom so that I can wash my face and brush my teeth. I can see the worry on his face that he is trying so hard to hide. I know he loves his mother and he wants her to accept his decision, but she is a stubborn woman which only makes things more difficult for Heath. I sit down on the edge of the tub and watch him as he finishes freshening up.
“Are you ok?” I ask, concerned about him.
“What do you mean? Of course I’m okay,” He answers attempting to reassure me.
“You don’t have to hide your feelings from me, I’m going to be your wife soon. I know how much you love your mother, so the fact that she’s not willing to accept our engagement has to hurt a little.”
He turns to face me. “Yes, it’s true. I do love my mother, but I love you in a different way and that overrides everything. You are who I’ve chosen to spend my future with and if she can’t accept that, then it’s her loss. You’re a great person and she’s the only one that doesn’t see it.”
I smile at him.
“Come on, let’s go see what Tamia has cooked up for us. I’ll have to see if it’s anything as good as your cooking.” He grabs my hand and we walk downstairs.
Marcus, Heidi, Raymond, Chauncey, and Ada are sitting around the living room talking and laughing as if their conversation from last night never ended, while Tamia and Benjamin put the finishing touches on the food.
“Oh look who decided to join us,” Heidi says jokingly. ‘’I didn’t think you two were going to come up for air.”
My cheeks heat out of embarrassment and I smile at her.
“Mum is upset with us for not telling her about the engagement,” Ada says to Heath.
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