Page 22 of Finding My Bodyguard

“They do?” I teased.

“Yes, nice. I wish I had someone in my corner like that.”

“You do,” I replied as I stared into her eyes. I could see our whole future together. It was crazy. Monroe was too damaged, though, and she needed to experience life on her own accord.

“Are you ready, beautiful?” I took her hand in mine.

“As ready as I’m going to be. I guess.” She fidgeted. She was nervous. I was too.

“Relax, Chocolate, we’re just two friends celebrating your freedom.” I grabbed her hand and escorted her down the path to the car that awaited us.

“We’re here.” I slid from the car and walked around to let her out.

“Where are we?” She grabbed onto my hand, allowing me to pull her out of the car.

“At our destination.” I shut the door behind her. The way she twisted her lips and pouted as we walked down the paved road made the anticipation of her reaction to what I had planned that much better.

“Oh my! This is definitely a date!” Monroe squealed as the candlelit beach came into view. I smirked as she dropped my hand and wandered joyously toward the ocean where the wooden raft I’d had decorated with flowers and candles awaited us. The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon making the view beautiful just as I had planned.

“How’d I do?” I questioned, coming up behind her. The tears that rimmed her eyes told me I’d done good.

“This is beautiful… I don’t even have the words.” She looked between me and the raft.

“I’m glad you like it. After you, beautiful.” I extended my hand to help her on the raft.

“You sure this thing is fat people approved?” She hesitated. I didn’t like the dig she’d taken at herself.

“Chocolate, the only thing fat on you is that ass. I can see that motherfucker poking out of that dress.” I pulled her onto the raft slowly, making sure she got seated safely. The beautiful view of the sun setting over the horizon provided the perfect romantic atmosphere as our boatman pushed us into the lagoon.

“Would you believe I’ve never been on a boat before?” Monore’s voice sailed over the sound of the waves and the soft music playing in the background. I smirked.

“What else haven’t you done?” I wanted to know all the things she’d been deprived of so I could make them a reality. Her body language changed as she gazed out into the sunset.

“I’ve never roller skated or rode a roller coaster. I don’t know how to ride a bike, oh um… I’ve never had red fingernail polish.” She tapped her fingers on her chin as if she was thinking. “Ooh, I’ve never chewed bubble gum.”

“Hold up, you’ve never chewed bubble gum?” I slanted my head at her in confusion.

“My father said it was unladylike.” The more I heard about Monroe’s father, the more I wanted to ring his neck. Slowly, I reached over and placed my hand on her thigh. Her head turned toward me. The orange and red hues of the sunset radiated her skin and gave her brown eyes a beautiful glow.

“Those unladylike parts of you are the best parts.” I hoped my words landed somewhere in her spirit. She needed it. I removed the food from the basket. We both hadn’t eaten since breakfast, so I didn’t want to waste any time eating dinner. Aunt Vanessa had prepared dinner for us. I had no clue what she liked, so I had her cover a few bases.

“There's steak, shrimp, salad, and fried chicken.” I laid all the food on the small lap table that set in between us on the raft.

“This is a lot of food.”

“I ain’t know what type of girl you were when it came to your food.” I shrugged, making her laugh.

“The type that’s going to gain more weight if you keep feeding me like this. Lord knows I don’t need to gain any weight.”

She was taking another dig at herself. It pissed me off, but I understood it. Her ex-fiancé and father hadn’t exactly made her feel the best about her figure. It was going to take more than me complimenting her to erase the damage they’d done, but I was going to try.

“Make that the last time you negatively mention your weight or size. You are what you tell yourself you are.” I affirmed her.

Monroe dropped her head. “Bad habit, I guess.”

“Bad habits can be changed.” I reassured her.

She smiled, and we settled into a comfortable silence as we ate. It was the perfect vibe. Monroe was perfect. I didn’t care that she had a lot of healing to do. I wanted to be there with her through it all. Helping her heal, whether it was me she ended up with at the end of it all or not. Monroe deserved to find true happiness. The kind you couldn’t find being controlled by others. I stole glances at her as we ate. Seeing her so at peace was giving me peace. I was so caught up in admiring her that I almost forgot the other half of our date. Pushing my food to the side, I pulled another basket closer and removed its contents.

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