Page 53 of The Marriage Agreement (Agreement)

“Zen Zin, can you top the Ay-sei performance?” the MC asks. The group jumps on stage with dance moves, shouting to getthe crowd rising. The lead gets ready to start rapping. Before he can begin, the obnoxious guy shouts again, “Can I take Ay home without the Sei?”

“Dude!” the MC sounds upset. “She’s way out of your league, in case you didn’t notice. Someone already put a ring on it.” Everyone laughs at the guy.

“Damn! Anyway, her husband ain’t here, so…” he shouts in a sly tone.

“I’m right here,” I shout out loud, causing Dele and Osei to look in my direction. I step into the light with Bruce and his men. I see the moment my wife retreats into her shell. I don’t like it. The goal was to stay hidden tonight, but I couldn’t let the guy keep trash talking to my wife.

“Got something you want to say to me?” I say to the guy, who I can now see is a wannabe rapper mini-dude with no voice and no swag—just a small guy with a big mouth. He shakes his head.

The crowd erupts in a mix of laughs and cheers when I show up with Bruce and his men.

“Sit your boney ass down!” a lady shouts at the rude guy.

“Yeah!” the crowd shouts in agreement. I see some bouncers moving closer to the guy. He raises his hand in surrender. I bet they are telling him he’ll be kicked out soon.

“Let the battle continue!” the MC shouts, and the crowd claps. The Zen-Zin perform. It’s clear they’ve been thrown off their game, but they still give a good performance. I knew that dress was trouble. I bet there are a few silent ones who want to take my wife home as well, hidden in the crowd.

The Swag Ladies are out in this round. The next round begins. Dele locks eyes with me for a moment and says something to Osei, who shakes his head. The round begins with the champs, then Zen-Zin, but my wife fumbles through her words, and Ay-Sei loses the round. Osei turns a glare at me, and I respond with a shrug. They get off the stage and come towards me.

My brother is no doubt upset that I showed up and ruined their chances of making it to the next final round. Even the crowd isn’t happy they lost.

Bruce gives Osei a proud big-bro hug. I pull Dele into my arms before she can think about why I’m here. She relaxes in my arms. I hold her close and whisper, “You were amazing.” She chuckles. The moment we pull away from the hug, she shakes Bruce’s hand as he fangirls over how good she was. She’s all smiles until some guy out of nowhere grabs her, pulls her into a tight hug, his hands on her ass. Bruce and I react fast, pulling her from him. I fucking knew her dress would make me throw punches tonight.

With haste, she takes her place behind me, safe and secure with the bodyguards guarding her. Bruce has the crazy guy’s hand in a hold behind him; the guy can’t move. I turn to the asshole who touched her.

“The ring on her hand is not for show. It means she belongs to me. Touch her again and I’ll break your fucking fingers,” I growl at the guy who dared to put his hand on my wife. I was right to think a few silent admirers were here. I just didn’t think they would dare to show up and act like an idiot. He’s lucky we are in a crowded place.

“I’m sorry. Can I apologize to her?” he asks, his eyes ogling her. Motherfucker is testing me!

“Hell no!” I yell at him. “I should press charges for assault.” That gets his attention.

“I’m sorry,” he mutters.

“We got him,” the club bouncers say. Osei had gone to get them. They take the guy away. Bruce nods to his bodyguard, and one of them follows the bouncers. I turn a questioning look to Osei. He nods to me, acknowledging what we both know would have been a disaster if I wasn’t here. She’s not returning here. I put my hand out to her.

She races into my arms. I hold her tight as we head out of the club, not bothering to find out who won the battle.

Dele is quiet on the drive home. The fucking asshole triggered her. She’s not sleeping alone tonight. I’m bulldozing every brick wall between us tonight.

Chapter 36

DELE

I’m quiet on the drive, still a little shaken by the crazy guy grabbing me and pulling me into a strong hold. He squeezed my ass like he owned it, and I froze instead of fighting. I froze in the arms of my attacker. Why didn’t I fight him? He could have dragged me out of there without a fight from me, which would have been disastrous. I’m losing my grip on fighting. I’m glad Luke was there. Though he threw me off my game, a part of me knew he was going to be there tonight. I knew our dance around the imaginary wall was driving both of us crazy, but neither of us was ready to wave the flag.

Well, I’m waving the flag right now because I’m bound to have nightmares if he doesn’t hold me tonight. Jax bought me this dress last Christmas—it was her message to me that I should enjoy life, appreciate myself, and not give a fuck. I’m not sure I can live in a world where I don’t give a fuck.

Earlier tonight, when Osei and I stepped into the club, someone smacked my ass. I didn’t know who it was, but I knew itwas intentional, not an accident. I started to feel uncomfortable, and Osei said not to let them dim my light, that I looked great. I was happy to have the ring on, hoping a few would get the message that I’m unavailable, even if it’s on paper only. I started to relax and enjoy myself as we battled with the other rappers.

“You are not sleeping alone tonight.” Luke’s stern tone interrupts my thoughts. I turn to him and nod.

I don’t want to sleep alone. The week in Hawaii, sleeping in his arms, was the best, but I didn’t want to start believing we were possible. We have a contract, and the main reason I was picked was because I won’t change the contract. So, the sooner I detach from Hawaii, the better. What happened in Hawaii stayed in Hawaii.

He pulls into the garage. We both get out, and he takes my hands. I embrace the comfort of his hands keeping me steady. We ride in silence to our unit. As soon as we close the door,

“Are you hungry?” he asks.

“No,” I murmur. “I’m just going to shower and get in bed,” I say, an octave above a whisper.

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