Page 46 of The Best is Yet to Cum

“What’s the problem? She doesn’t want to move in with you?” August asked.

“I wouldn’t say she doesn’t want to, but she signed a lease and—”

“Nigga, get outta here. You can buy that lease out in a heartbeat,” he said, interrupting me.

“I know, but I don’t want to force her to do something she doesn’t want to do. That nigga did a number on her, so she wants to take her time with everything.”

“She didn’t take her time letting you raw dog it,” Evander mumbled, but loud enough for us to hear.

“Take it from us. We’re used to dealing with headstrong, stubborn women. It’s all an act, at least where we’re concerned. They want you to take charge and tell them what to do,” Juelz offered.

“Maybe I’ll bring it up again and see if she’s changed her mind.”

“And if she hasn’t, send some movers to her place while she’s at work and pretend like she was robbed,” August suggested.

“You wild as hell for that,” I told him while Juelz and Evander choked on their cigars from laughing.

“I might be, but I bet it’ll work.”

I wasn’t sure if I’d be taking their advice, but I appreciated it, nonetheless. We stayed at the lounge for a few more hours, smoking and sipping. By the time I got to Mona’s apartment, she was fast asleep. After a quick shower, I cuddled up behind her and joined her in dreamland.

18

Mona

My mother’s words had been on replay in my head since our party.When’s the wedding?The thought of Clinton proposing was terrifying, and I didn’t want my mother, or anyone else, to put the idea in his head. We hadn’t discussed marriage, and it was a topic I would avoid like the plague.

When I pulled my mother to the side, she had to calm me down, because I was on the verge of panicking. I didn’t go into much detail, but I briefly shared my fears with her. She said all the right things, reassuring me that my feelings were understandable and valid, but suggested I talk to my therapist about it.

I’d decreased my therapy visits to biweekly, and I hadn’t discussed my fears about marriage with her. Dr. Varner knew everything I knew about Clinton, but our conversations remained in the past and present, never the future. However, today would be the day.

“Is the baby still treating you well?” Dr. Varner asked as we got settled, her in a sofa chair and me on the couch.

“This baby is a gem. I have no complaints about this pregnancy at all.”

“That’s wonderful. I pray it continues as these weeks fly by. Besides the baby, how have the last two weeks been?”

“Oh God, so much has happened. I told you that Clinton and I planned a joint birthday party, right?”

“Yes, how did that go?”

“Overall, it was great. We were able to introduce each other to our families and announce my pregnancy at the same time.”

“That’s great, but I’m guessing something happened you want to talk about.”

I nodded. “My mother asked when Clinton planned to make an honest woman out of me. I was so embarrassed.”

“Well, from a parental standpoint, it’s a valid question.”

“It is, but…”

“But what?”

“I don’t want to get married again.”

Dr. Varner tilted her head to the side. “And why is that?”

“To me, marriage is a one-time thing. The plan was to do it once and make it last forever. Obviously, it didn’t work as I planned, and when my divorce was finalized, I vowed never to marry again.”

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