Page 45 of Verse Two
As I gazed into his eyes, I accepted that last fact. I would never stop loving this man.
By the time he delivered the last lines of a poem I knew all too well—the first one ever written for me—my face was soaked with tears. He started toward me, and I held my breath, anticipating his next move. His expression hadn’t changed, but his eyes and his actions let me know that he wasn’t trying to stop loving me either.
Once he was only inches away from me, he spoke again.
“Doll,” he said in a low tone. “I promise I didn’t kiss that damn girl. She kissed me, and my dumb ass didn’t move away fast enough. That’s on me, and I’m so fuckin’ sorry about it. I could give you a lotta excuses about why I was there and what my intentions were, but the only thing important right now is how it made you feel. My only concern in this moment is making sure you feel the sincerity of my apology and my love for you.”
My tears blurred my vision, and I looked past him as he continued.
“I’ve been sick since you left, Dy. Sick because I miss you and because I realize my actions hurt you. You gotta believe that I’on wanna do nothin’ in this world more than I wanna make you smile. I love you, baby. I’m in love with you, and I need you bad as hell.”
I was still looking away from him, so I didn’t miss when Marcellus appeared from behind the crêpe truck with one hand folded behind his back and the other holding a small velvet box.
I frowned and looked back at Brick for clarification on what was happening, but he was too busy lowering himself to one knee. Marcellus approached, handed Brick the box, then kissed my cheek.
“Wassup, Doll?” he whispered in my ear before disappearing behind me.
Brick grasped my hand, prompting me to look down at him.
“In the last few weeks, you’ve made me the happiest man on Earth, and you gotta give me the rest of your life to return the favor.” He opened the box and finished with, “Marry me, baby.”
Fifteen
Brick
Dy covered her mouth with her free hand.
It took her a minute, but eventually, she whispered, “Brick.” She wiped her tears. “Are you sure you want that? Like, . . . you want to marryme?”
I could hear the astonishment in her voice and see the shock in her eyes. I chuckled. “Hell yeah, I’m sure.”
She bit her lip. “But how do you know you’re sure? What if you wake up a month from now and regret asking me to marry you? What if this is too soon?”
I observed her silently for a minute, and her gaze didn’t waver. It was nervous but persistent, and as I continued to study her, I realized what her apprehension was about.
Although she was throwing the fact out there that this proposal was happening soon, she didn’t want me to confirm that for her. Shewantedme to be certain. She wanted to know that I was locked in and that this was the real deal. It was, so she had nothing to worry about there.
“What about my job?” she continued. “I’m supposed to be here for another six months.”
I shook my head.
“Ain’t nothin’ about this too soon. This proposal was twelve years in the makin’, Doll. You were the one for me back then, and you’re the one for me now.
“This second chance we have to love each other better is like the second verse of our never-ending love song. We got forever to write it, baby.”
I kissed the back of her hand.
“And fuck that job. If you want to live in Paris, we can do that without your boss, baby. You’re home for me, and I wanna be that for you. The world is yours, so stop stressing about all the variables and focus on what you feel. Focus on what you want. Then answer my question.”
More tears ran down her face, and her lip quivered as she surprised me by dropping to her knees and wrapping her arms around my neck. She pressed her soft, wet lips against mine, and I gripped her waist, bringing both of us to our feet as I deepened the kiss.
I had missed her lips, her scent, and her presence for the last week, and as much as I wanted to spend the rest of the night getting reacquainted with all those things, I needed my answer first. So I broke our kiss.
“You tryin’ me right now, Doll.”
That made her laugh, but she finally killed the suspense by nodding her head.
“Yes, I’ll marry you, Brick.”
