Page 45 of Mister Fireman

Saturday, we went to Mali Tyson’s botanic garden before taking a gondola ride to the artsy side of The Hills, where we spent some time at Cre8, which was a small studio where we were able to create our own candles, bouquets, and clay molds of our hands together. Our night ended at a cigar lounge and The Tipsy Grill for drinks.

This morning, we had a lazy start. When we finally did roll out of bed, I took her to the designer mall and outlet where I allowed her to shop until she got tired. The trunk was completely full by the time we headed to The View for lunch. After that, we went back to our suite to chill before our last activity of the day. And naturally, that was the one I was most nervous about.

I knew she’d say yes to the marriage because of Robin… but I questioned if she’d want to stay married to me. There was no point in me overthinking it because I’d find out soon enough. Once I got the text from Laguna that everything was ready, I headed into the bedroom area to check on Enjell. She looked beautiful, as always, dressed in a red floral sundress that made her cocoa brown skin look more edible than usual. Her natural hair was back under a sew-in, styled in loose wavy curls. Light makeup covered her face, and my eyes kept zeroing in on her juicy lips for a kiss.

“You ready to go, love?” I checked, walking over to her. “You look absolutely beautiful.”

“Thank you, handsome, and yes, I’m ready. I just need to spray my perfume and slip into my shoes, and I’ll be good to go.”

“Aight, cool. I’ll be waiting at the door.”

“All right, bae.”

It didn’t take Enjell long to join me, and soon, we were off. I was quieter than usual because of my nervousness, and I was glad the music kept her occupied enough to not notice or acknowledge it. When we made it to The Park, she followed me to the center of the space that was usually used for outdoor movies and events. I told her we were grabbing something to eat, but I wasn’t more specific with the details, so when she looked up and saw the picnic that Laguna had put together, she gasped and clapped with a smile.

Laguna had customized the picnic using Enjell’s favorite color, yellow, along with white and gold. There were balloons, flowers, and a canvas painting set up along with the wicker basket filled with wine and food.

“Aww, bae, this is beautiful! Thank you!” She gave me a kiss before quickly pulling her phone out to take pictures.

As we ate, we talked and enjoyed each other’s company. Once Laguna came to collect the food, she gave us the supplies we’d need to paint. At that point, Audré came out to serenade us, and I think that was the moment Enjell realized this was more than just an ordinary date. Her smile fell and eyes watered as she looked from me to Audré, but she didn’t ask any questions. She released a shaky breath before returning to her canvas.

Her picture was a couple. Enjell thought I had the same thing to paint, but I was actually painting a question. When we were done, Audré began to sing “Why I Love You” by MAJOR.

“All right, let me see yours first,” I said, already holding back my laughter because Enjell couldn’t paint or draw for shit, but she loved doing both. As I suspected, the painting looked a mess, but she was happy and proud, so I hyped my woman up.

When it was my turn, I pulled in a deep breath and flipped the canvas over. Her hand instantly covered her mouth as she read, Will You Marry Me? With a giggle, she crawled over to me and gave me a kiss.

“Of course I’ll marry you, Dejvi. You know that.”

“Nah.” Setting her on my lap, I pulled the ring out of my pocket. “I mean for real.”

Her smile wavered slightly and eyes teared up. “For real?” she whispered, cupping my cheek. “Past your birthday?”

“Yeah.” I chuckled, pulling her even closer. “I’m thinking past forever and into the next lifetime.” I kissed her left hand. “Will you marry me, Enjell? For real?”

Sniffling, she nodded. “Yes,” she whispered before giggling and tugging her bottom lip into her mouth. “Yes!” I lifted her hand and slid the ring onto it, laughing heartily when she almost tackled me with her hug. “Mm… I love your ass, girl. So fucking much.”

“I love you too,” she almost moaned before connecting her lips with mine.

And in that moment, I didn’t give a damn about Audré or anyone else in the park. All I cared about was the woman on my lips and in my arms.

Back in Memphis

I was shocked by what Robin’s mother said to me. I’d stopped by to tell Robin about my engagement, only to learn she was no longer staying with her parents. Apparently, I wasn’t the only person she’d been acting weird with. Her attitude had gotten her kicked out of their home. Amusement filled me as I left, but I couldn’t help but be a little concerned. There was clearly something going on with my girl… my… ex-girl, and if we were still in a good space, I would have tried to figure out what was going on.

Cheryl told me that Robin was staying at River Inn, so I headed downtown to meet her there. I texted her and asked her what she was doing but didn’t tell her I’d be pulling up. When I arrived, I told her to meet me at Paulette’s. It took a few minutes, but she eventually made her way across the street to the restaurant. I motioned for her to sit on the opposite side of the two-person table. The comfortable smile on her face would soon be fading away—that I was sure of.

“Here to tell me you’ve come to your senses?” she asked, picking up the menu as if we’d be here for a while.

“Actually, I came to let you know I will be married by my birthday.”

Her eyes shot up to me. She released a bark of laughter as her brows wrinkled before she frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Yesterday, I asked Enjell to marry me, and she said yes.”

Scoffing, she shook her head. “Wow. So you’d rather marry a random woman than keep your promise to me?”

“She isn’t just a random woman, Robin. I’ve been obsessed with her since the moment I laid eyes on Enjell. She took full control of my heart and soul and hasn’t released either yet. My feelings for her are very real, and if you would have taken the time to check in with me sincerely, you would have known that.” Her expression softened as I continued. “I actually want to thank you for doing this because it pushed me to marry her sooner, and becoming one with her will be the best decision I will ever make.”

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