Page 6 of Passion

I chuckled. “Yeah. I like Starburst Jellybeans. They have six colors. When I eat them, I choose one of each color to eat at once. If I can’t get one of each color, it slightly irritates me.”

She displayed a playful frown. “That is indeed quirky.”

I chuckled. “It’s imperative to experience the perfect mix of flavors.”

She laughed as she slowly shook her head. “If you say so, Gentry.” She chuckled once more and continued. “What are your love languages, and how do you prefer receiving love? Physical touch and words of affirmation. I feel like those are every man’s love languages. Honestly, I’ll take it any way she’s comfortable, except gifts. I don’t mind occasional gifts, but if it happens too often, it may piss me off. I have no desire to be a ‘kept man’.”

She nodded repeatedly then went on to the next item of discussion. “How much time do you ideally like to spend with your partner versus alone? I need at least an hour of alone time. I think it’s simply because I’m around people and animals all day long. It’s the people that make me need alone time though. I could be around animals all day, every day. The right woman may eliminate my need for that though. I may just wanna be around her all the time.”

She closed her eyes after reading my response and smiled. “The last question on the questionnaire. What three adjectives would you use to describe your ideal partner? You said soft, kind, loving, and a couple of bonus items… somewhat stubborn, like stated above, freaky, and spiritual.”

She glanced up and asked, “What do you mean by soft?”

“I don’t need her to be hard. That’s my job. I should be rough around the edges, especially in a protective stance. I can understand her being that way from time to time when it concerns kids, but primarily, that’s my role. Let me be the man in our relationship. As far as the spiritual part goes, I don’t mean a holy roller. I just want a woman that loves me enough to pray for me. I need prayer daily. I’m in the throes of personal progress. If she’s nasty and spiritual, she’ll have me eating out the palms of her hands.”

I chuckled. “Every man wants a freak between the sheets and a lady in the streets. I need a woman that will respect me and the sanctity of our relationship. She will consider my feelings about things before she engages in them… even when it comes to what she wears. I’m going to do the same, so I just want her to reciprocate.”

She nodded and made some notes then looked up at me and smiled. “Honestly, you should expect a call soon. I already know who she is.” She closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. “This is so perfect. Just remember what I said. Between me and you, she’s so perfect for you I couldn’t hide it. We will be in touch soon, so get ready.”

“I’m beyond ready. You can tell me to go get a tux today.”

She chuckled. “Good. It’s been a pleasure, Gentry. See you at the wedding.”

“Thanks, Kerri.”

I shook her hand and left the office. When I got to my car, I got inside and just sat there. This was really happening. I pulled my phone from my pocket and as soon as I powered it on, I saw a message from my mother. Well, how did it go?

There were a couple of messages about the interview process before that one that I chose not to address. There was also a voicemail from the clinic. Instead of returning the call, I would just head there. I would need to get them ready for the upcoming weeks. There was no way I would miss taking my bride on a honeymoon. Hopefully, she had a passport. That was probably a question I should have asked. I would just send the information for them to book the honeymoon for Hawaii if I couldn’t find out before then.

Going to my mother’s contact, I called her back, since she’d called before she sent the text messages and before the interview actually started. I knew she would rather talk than text anyway. She didn’t say hello when she answered. “Well? How was it?”

I chuckled as I pulled off the parking lot. “It was perfect. I’m going to be married soon, so you and Dad need to be shopping for something to wear.”

She giggled, and I could hear the excitement in it. I was about to meet my forever at the altar. I couldn’t wait to learn more about the plans.

“Ms. King, he’s the perfect match. I can’t give you any information, because you’ll try to look him up. Trust the process. It definitely works. We have a ninety-seven percent success rate. I promise if you really want this, you won’t be in that three percent.”

“Yes, ma’am. You’re right. I trust the process.”

“Okay. I need your wedding colors, your date, and preferred music. You can email everything to me. I prefer you to do that as soon as possible. He is being notified as we speak about your pending nuptials. Will you have a maid or matron of honor?”

I closed my eyes. I hadn’t disclosed anything to my family. I told them I would be taking a trip to go to a week-long conference for my job. The only person that knew what was going on was Yunique, my boss. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll have a maid of honor. That’s all.”

“O-okay. I’ll get started on your plans as soon as I get the email. I will also email you the information about the venue.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course. Have a great day.”

“You too.”

When I ended the call, I wanted to scream. It had only been three days since my interview. They’d already found a match for me. This was crazy, but I was so damn excited. Despite that excitement, I couldn’t stop the anxiety from creeping in, hoping I was making the right decision. I wasn’t one to waste my money, and I had paid a pretty penny for these services. If I didn’t go through with it, it would be a huge waste.

I closed my eyes briefly then went to the website on my laptop. I always knew what I wanted as far as a wedding went. I had the shit planned to the T, but those plans had included my family. I hated that I was doing this behind their backs, but again, I knew I needed to, if I didn’t want them to try to talk me out of it.

I sent her the colors of cream, beige, brown, and seafoam green. I didn’t particularly care about other songs, but I knew I wanted to walk in to “Risk It All” by H.E.R. and Usher. For the date, I wanted to do this as soon as possible, so I decided on next weekend. Today was Friday, so that would give me a week to prepare. I already had a dress, but it would also give Yunique time to prepare as well.

I wondered if the groom would have family and friends present. If he did, I was more than sure there would be a reception of some kind. In the email, I also made her aware that I didn’t eat red meat. Chicken, turkey, or fish would be fine for me. I loved seafood. Every now and then, I could eat a steak, but for health reasons, I chose to stay away from it. My dad had high blood pressure, and I didn’t want to ignite my genes in that manner.

---