Page 56 of Embrace

Ron’s eyebrows knitted together. “What you mean?”

“She’s afraid of commitment. She runs when the topic of settling down is even hinted at.”

I looked at my brother with raised brows.How did he know she was afraid of commitment?

“Women only fear what they aren’t used to. I’m a nigga who gets what he wants.”

“With consent, I hope. I’d hate to have to jump you behind my sister-in-law.” I crossed my arms.

Ron laughed and inhaled from the joint between his fingers. “I don’t want no smoke, for real. I ain’t no creepy ass nigga who doesn’t know how to take rejection.”

“Good. If you feeling her, shoot your shot.” I took a swig of the beer.

“I might.”

The back door opened. “Hey! We’re about to play some games. Y’all hurry up and finish the little bro-fest y’all having.”

We all shook our heads at Suvi’s corny jokes. I stood up and met her in the frame of the door. I pecked her lips and smacked her butt. She gave a soft yelp before she giggled and interlocked our fingers.

“We’re going to finally be able to host real family events. We won’t volunteer for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but I would love to host Easter or the Fourth of July one year.”

“We will.” I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her to me. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

THE GIFT

“You got a nigga feelin’ butterflies and shit, Su. Where are you taking me, baby?” Blaze asked as he fidgeted in the passenger seat.

“You have to sit back and be my passenger prince for a few more minutes, baby.” I rubbed his thigh and giggled.

Blaze smacked his lips. “You havin’ too much fun, huh?”

“I’m having the best time,” I admitted.

We’d been doing great for months. We had a successful move-in day and each month seemed to bring new blessings. My business was booming. I’d had an influx of orders lately which kept me busy. Blaze had been taking care of all of the finances, so I saved my money over the last four months to get him something he’d been hinting at for a while. Every few days, he’d mention how he needed more space in the shop because of the growth his company has garnered since I’d given them a new logo, new promo flyers, and new graphics to post on their social media sites.

When I’d emailed him the files, he came home forlunchwhich consisted of him eating me until my soul touched the clouds. Because of howgeneroushe was when he was gifted things, I anticipated how great the sex would be when he saw what I’d done for him.

“We’re here! I’ll come around and open your door.” I parked the car and got out. I opened Blaze’s door and helped him climb out. With a few guided steps, I placed him in position stepped back.

“Can I remove the blindfold now?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He fumbled with the blindfold for a few seconds. He rubbed his eyes to help adjust to the light and then his jaw dropped at the sight in front of him.

Snow’s Car Centerdisplayed on the sign in front of the large auto body shop. The location was much larger than the original shop, so I hoped he enjoyed the gift I’d given him.

“Suvi… W-what’s this?” Blaze mumbled as he stared in disbelief.

“You take care of me in more ways than I could ever repay you, so I decided to get you an anniversary gift to help bring even more blessings into our union,” I explained.

What a lot of people didn’t realize was that marriage was more than a couple of I dos at the altar. Marriage was a financial commitment, a legal commitment, and a spiritual commitment. Marriage was more than being in love with someone. Marriage was taking every part of them: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Their debts became your debts. Their wins became your wins.

Blaze allowed me the comfort of never having to touch a bill, so I repaid him by elevating the business he used to keep us in a comfortable spot financially.

“Since we exchanged vows, you made it so I would never have to pay a bill out of pocket again. You made me feel secure, comfortable, and safe. As a token of my gratitude for what you’ve done… I used a portion of the money I’ve saved over the last five months to buy the property.”

---