“But I want another one.” I kissed her cheeks. “And another one. And—”
“And if you keep on talking, we’ll never get started.”
Now, all she had to do was say the word. I pulled the soft white quilt over both of our heads. I didn’t plan on coming up until morning. I opened her legs with mine and laid my goodness right between the warmth that came from between her legs. After I slid myself inside of her, she closed her eyes and so did I. I stroked her insides at a slow pace, thinking about how I wanted to feel like this for the rest of my life. I felt myself coming, giving her all I had and then some. I’d be damned if my baby wasn’t coming tonight.
Since I never finished up so quickly, I held her legs together with my hands and kissed down them. I felt her body wanting . . . needing me, and when I went back inside of her, I sucked her breasts that I’d missed so much. She held my head while rubbing her fingers through my curly hair.
“I love you,” she said tearfully. I could hear her heart racing, as mine raced right along with hers. “God knows I never stopped loving you for one minute.”
I looked up at her. “Even being married to Collins?”
“Yes, even then. That’s why we’re not married any—”
“Then marry me.”
“No, you marry me.” She laughed.
“How about we just marry each other?”
“How about that sounds like a wonderful idea. But you . . . you kind of taking your time with this baby tonight, aren’t you? At the rate we’re going, we’ll never make it.”
“I got all night, baby. The Cherry Popper ain’t even gotten started.”
“What in the hell is a Cherry Popper?”
“I’m ’bout to show you.”
“Then hurry it up, because your soon-to-be wife is anxious to get this show on the road.”
“Then let’s.”
Nokea and I made love on and off throughout the night. We both released our emotions because it had taken almost twelve years of our lives to get to this point. That was a long time to be with somebody, and even though we went through the things that we did, there really wasn’t any other way around it. The challenges we had, they were put there to make our relationship what it had become. We prevailed, together, and the only reason we did that is because not for one moment did we ever stop loving each other. That old saying, when you love somebody, all you have to do is set them free? Well, even though it hurt me like hell, I had to do just that. I was only able to do that because, deep in my heart, I knew my son and the love of my life would always come back to me. It’s just something you always know.
The following month, which was past the thirty days required for Nokea’s divorce to be finalized, we had a beautiful and quiet wedding ceremony on the beach. The only people who were there were Nanny B, LJ, the Nelsons, and of course, the priest. As usual, the wind kicked up a soothing breeze, the sky was a clear blue, and the waves were sounding off against the rocks. We stood barefooted in the sand, gazed deeply into each other’s eyes, and held our hands tightly together. We didn’t even care that we wore blue jean shorts, because it didn’t even matter. Our rings were made from yarn that Nanny B had intertwined together, and that didn’t matter either. All that mattered was Nokea was now the official Mrs. Jaylin Jerome Rogers, and she would forever be.
Happier than I’d been in my entire lifetime, I swung Nokea around, kissing her. Once the short ceremony was over, LJ, Nanny B, Nokea, and I went for a walk along the beach. I carried Nokea on my back, and she occasionally leaned down and kissed my cheek.
“I am so glad the two of you finally got it together,” Nanny B said.
“Did you have any doubts?” I asked.
“Yes. With all the ruckus you caused on your birthday, I thought you would die before she got here.”
“I was hurt, Nanny B. I was lost without her and LJ.”
“Well, you don’t have to be lost anymore,” Nokea said. “Thanks to Nanny B for calling to tell me how miserable you were. And at the same time, she knew how miserable I was. We owe you one, Nanny, and thanks for not giving up on us.”
Nanny B shook her head, and Nokea slid off my back. “I’ll race you,” she said.
I laughed. “Come on then.” I looked at Nanny B. “You too. You could use a little exercise too.”
She threw her hand back. “Chile, please. LJ and I gon’ go back to the house and exercise our lips on the barbecue I fixed for y’all.” She took LJ’s hand. “Hurry on back. Don’t be out here playing around all day long. The Nelsons planned a dinner party for y’all tonight.”
“We won’t be long,” I said, and then pecked Nanny B on the cheek. I picked up LJ and kissed him as well, then ran to catch up with Nokea, who had already taken off.
As I got close to her, she turned around and laughed. When I reached her, she collapsed to the sand and fell backward. She took deep breaths while on her back, looking up at the sky. I kneeled in front of her and interrupted her thoughts with a kiss.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked.
“I wished that every woman in the world could feel what I feel when I’m with you—that’s without all of the drama. Love is such a beautiful thing. If they don’t feel what I do, then they’re in the wrong place. Many will say that we shouldn’t even be together, but no man is perfect, and neither was I. Thank you, Jaylin Jerome Rogers, for making me one of the happiest women in the world. I always knew you could.”
I continuously kissed my wife on the lips and cuddled her in my arms for hours on the beach. Afterward, we hurried back to the house and spent the rest of the evening with the Nelsons, a few other neighbors, and of course, Nanny B and LJ. Even Ebay stopped in to give his congrats.
That night, Nokea and I held each other in bed while “Suddenly” by Billy Ocean played on the radio. Holding Nokea in my arms had become my new way of making love to her, and she didn’t mind one bit; for we had the rest of our lives together, and that’s all that mattered to both of us.
It was almost nine months later, and there I was acting a complete fool at the hospital. I paced back and forth, and Nokea yelled for me to hold her hand. Waiting for what seemed to be a lifetime for this moment, I couldn’t even stand the sight. I closed my eyes, as my stomach got weak, and listened to the doctors tell Nokea to push. She screamed, and feeling her pain, I squeezed her hand tightly and leaned down to kiss her.
All of the commotion brought about a baby girl. She was my first child that I’d seen come into this world, and I’ll be damned, I thought, did it take all that? I couldn’t stop kissing Nokea, and when the doctors handed my baby girl over to me, I was full of emotions. She was beautiful. She had curly hair like her daddy, and my gray eyes to go with her. She looked more like LJ than anybody, but she did have Nokea’s lips. Nokea yelled to take a look at her, but I selfishly turned my back, holding my baby girl in my arms. This was my moment, and it was a moment that nobody could ever take away from me.
Nokea cursed at me, so I knew I’d better hand our daughter over to her. I pulled up a chair close to Nokea.
“So, what are we going to name her?” she asked. “How about after your mother or Nanny B?”
“Naw, that’s not gon’ work. If you don’t have a problem with it, I’d like for her middle name to be Jasmine, like my daughter I haven’t seen in years. I could hurt her mother Simone for taking her and leaving without saying good-bye, and you know the private detective I hired never found out what happened to her.”
Nokea rubbed the side of my face, comforting me as she knew how to do so well. “It’s okay, baby. Keep looking. You’ll find her. I think Jasmine is a beautiful name, and whatever you decide is fine with me.”
A few days later, we left the hospital with Jaylene Jamiah Rogers. I’d changed my mind because I felt as if Simone and Jasmine were a part of my past. I’d come to grips with the fact that there was a possibility she’d never know me as her father. Either way, I was a proud daddy and couldn’t understand how so many men never even had t
he desire to be a part of their own children’s lives. It simply didn’t make much sense to me. Throughout my life, having a father very well could have made the difference. Who knows?
When we got back home, there was too much excitement for me. Even Nokea’s parents had come to offer their support, which was quite a surprise for her and me. Her father had even given his approval, and told me that he knew all along I was the only man who could make his daughter one hundred percent happy.
Once things settled down that night, I needed some time for myself. Being in my new home allowed me that, so I grabbed a magazine and lay outside on my hammock. I placed my hands behind my head and thought about how far I’d come. A loving nanny, my wealth, two . . . four beautiful kids and a wife who loved me to death. What more could any man ask for? Nothing, I guessed, but only time would tell if a man like me would ever desire to have more.
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Naughty 3: It’s Juicy, No Matter How You Slice It copyright © 2009 Brenda Hampton
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