Page 145 of 10,000 Hours With A Rich Menace

“Damn, baby, you gonna keep bringing it up?”

She snatched away from me, turned in a direction that I was not in and pointed her finger. I held my laugh in as she swayed her head and cussed me out. “So, yes, I am going to continue to bring it up.”

I came behind her and kissed her neck, feeling her fold into my arms. “I’m sorry for getting you arrested, Wonder. You make me fucking crazy and waking up with you gone had me lose my shit. It made me see how much I not only need you, but I alsowant you, too. I love you, baby, and I’m sorry if I made you feel like I don’t consider your feelings.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”

I kissed her lips, and she allowed me to before she finally kissed me back. “I handled that, too. You told me what makes you uncomfortable and my only job is to make you comfortable. I was a bozo not taking my wife’s feelings into consideration over an ex-bitch.”

“Oh, she’s a bitch now?”

“Any woman I fucked with in the past is a bitch. You the standard, the wife, my one and only… your name on all those papers.”

“And I have two islands.”

“And you have two islands,” I kissed her lips. “I’m sorry, Wonder… I want you home where you belong and not in the damn club.”

“Can I tell you something?”

“Anything.”

“I don’t plan on going to a club again... not my scene. I used to love it, but I was annoyed the whole time.”

I could see it in her face that she didn’t want to be there. I’ve never been into the club and the only reason I found myself there was because my wife was there.

“We don’t have to go to another club.”

“Mavie, we might not be allowed with the way you head butted that man. Are you alright?” It was hard not to laugh with her still being blindfolded.

“Always good. I wanted to give you something to show you that I hear you, I love you, and I’m going to do better. I’m not always going to get it right, but when it comes to you, I am damn sure going to try, Wonder.”

I softly removed the blindfold, and she searched my eyes. The only person I allowed to truly look into my eyes that way.

“This was supposed to be a business agreement, and we found love with each other. All I want is for you to try, and I don’t need you to be perfect. Just be you, Maverick. I want to know that I matter, because to me you matter. This wasn’t about her. It was about you putting her before my feelings. I’m your wife, so I needed you to see that I can and will walk away from this. Your money, the islands… okay, the islands do mean something. But I will start my life on that island newly divorced.”

I kissed her lips as she spoke because I missed her. Since she had been gone, I ain’t even been home because I couldn’t sleep under that roof knowing she wasn’t there. Wonder made it a home and without her, it was just the same place it was before she existed in my world.

“I love you, Wanda.”

“Mitchell, I love you so much. You don’t even know the half of how I feel about you.” It was like she was saying something without saying something. “Why are we in the cold on this street?”

I turned around and pulled her back some so she could see what I was showing her. “I remember everything that you tell me, Wonder. Everything about you interests me and I love learning you, boo.”

She was choked up and trying to put her words together. I held her and kissed her neck, as she spun around in my arms and looked at me. “Maverick,” she choked out.

“I want you to have all the things that your heart desires and this is one of those things. Stevie, I was put on this earth to make all your dreams come true, and that’s what I plan on doing ‘cause you breathing the same air as me makes my dreams come true.”

She kissed my lips, and I tasted her tears as she held onto me. “The Messy Muse,” she cried, and hugged me tightly.

Every time she spoke, I listened because I thought she was the most interesting person I had ever met. Conversations wouldusually bore me quickly, but not with her. I could listen to her talk for hours and never get tired.

Except during quiet hour.

What I loved about my wife was that she never stopped dreaming. Even though when I met her, she was nowhere close to having her dreams, she still spoke them into existence and never gave up on them. I watched all of her little fake vlog videos when we were in Paris and watched how she spoke to herself and how she was so determined to have what she wanted.

Stevie always spoke about feeling lost and never knowing what was next, but she wasn’t lost at all. She knew what she wanted and where she wanted to go. Life was just hard for her, and I was sent to make it easier for her.

Quiet her mind when she needed it.

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