Page 45 of Where There's Smoke…
He hesitates for a bit but nods and then lists off some of the most popular items. When Phoenix asked him which was his favorite, he recommended the teriyaki chicken bowl with sweet pineapple fried rice. My mouth watered just thinking about it, and I told her that’s what I wanted. She ordered the dish, along with a few other things, and then a few drinks. After that, he was on his way, and we were alone again. She turns to me with a smile, and I shake my head.
“You need to be stopped,” I say as I playfully push her away. “I can’t believe you did that to me in this restaurant.”
“Sweets, I ain’t do shit yet,” she chuckles, leaning back in her seat. She lightly tugs at my crop top. “You look so good, and all I wanna do is get on my knees for you. You know I have a sweet tooth, mamas, and all I’m ever craving is you.”
“Phoenix, please,” I say, my cheeks heating up. My heart was beating hard against my chest as I averted my eyes to stare at the ocean a few feet away. I could hear her laughter carry over before she pulled me back into her arms. My eyes squeezed shut as I tried to calm my heart.
“Sweets, open your eyes, baby,” she says, and I do so.
She says nothing as we sit there gazing into each other’s eyes. I felt a sense of comfort wash over me, and I hugged her around the waist, resting my head against her shoulder. She stroked my hair lightly as I melted into her embrace. I loved this woman with all my heart, and I knew I never wanted to stop feeling this way.
She started to talk about some of the other stuff she had planned for us that day, but I wasn’t fully present. I let the breeze wash over me as my gaze drifted back to the beach. There was what seemed to be a small ceremony being held further down the coast. I wasn’t sure, but it looked like a wedding, and suddenly a feeling of want washed over me.
I imagined walking down the aisle in a beautiful dress as Phoenix watched me from the altar. I could picture her now dressed in the cleanest tux ever, her locs styled in her signature half-up, half-down style. I could picture our friends and family smiling up at us as we exchanged vows and promised to be there for each other.
Fuck…I really wanted to marry this woman.
“Sweets, did you hear me?” She asks, bringing me back to the present. I turn to face her, shaking my head. She chuckles and motions to the food. “I said that the food was here. What were you thinking about so hard?”
I sigh before pointing out the ceremony. She looks and nods before turning her attention back to me. “I just…was thinking about…us?” I finally reply.
“Tell me what you want, baby,” she says, looking at me as if I were the only person in the world. “Would you like us to get married on the beach one day?”
“Yes!” I say excitedly. I clap my hands together as a smile stretches across my face. “With flowers. Lots of flowers. Or wait, no to the flower because that might get a bit too messy, but we can still make it really cute. Like the most beautiful garden and a fairy-themed wedding. No, but then it would make more sense to have it in an actual garden, right? Oooh, or maybe at a cottage! Oh, your cabin! What do you think?”
“I think you’re really fucking cute,” she chuckles, taking my hand in hers. She leans in to kiss me softly before using her free hand to stroke my cheek. “I love how excited you are, and I want nothing more than to give you everything you've ever wanted, no matter how whimsical it is. As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”
“I can’t wait to be your wife one day,” I say as I lean into her.
“The feeling is mutual, Sweets. Now,” she says, and pulls the plates closer to us. “How about we eat so we can enjoy the rest of our day? Then, when we get back to the room tonight, I wanna spend some time between your legs. What do you say?”
“I say I like the way you think,” I giggle and turn my attention to the food.
After finishing our food, we spent the rest of the day exploring the city and experiencing new things we’d never tried before. A bit of shopping and sightseeing was done. I even talked her into taking a paint-and-sip class advertised at a local coffee shop, and although she struggled a bit at first, I could tell that she was having fun by the time we were done I couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride when she bragged about how nice her painting turned out.
We then moved on to the beach, and she had a tough time keeping her hands off me once I pulled off my crop top and shorts to reveal the swimsuit she’d been excited to see on me since we left Tucker. It was a mint green two-piece that had all of my curves on display. I knew I looked good as fuck and by the way she was grabbing on my ass and kissing me on the neck, I knew that she thought the same. However, she wasn’t the only one who was having a hard time, because as soon as I saw her in those swim trunks and tank that showed off all of her muscles, I was about five seconds away from losing my shit too.
Our time on the beach only lasted about thirty minutes because both of us had difficulty controlling ourselves, so we decided to head back to our room. As soon as we crossed the threshold, clothes were coming off, and she pushed me up against the wall. I gave in to the feeling, and we spent the rest of the night deep in each other’s pleasure. If you ask me, it was the perfect way to end my birthday.
17
Where There’s Rings...
Phoenix“Phee”Preston-October 11th, 2025
“Well, well, well, look who finally decided to come back to work,” Jed says as soon as I walk through the door. I shake my head as I walk towards the office to clock in. “You’ve been gone for a whole week. The bakery has been closed for a whole week. You and Angel must’ve been having a grand ‘ole time down there in Miami.”
I don’t reply, but I can’t stop the smile from spreading across my face. He was right. We were down there having the time of our lives. We decided last minute that we wanted to extend our stay for the week, so we did just that. Of course, we moved into a more affordable hotel, but we still had a great time.
I wasn’t ashamed to admit that this woman had me wrapped around her finger. If she told me to jump, I’d be in the air before she finished the sentence. If she told me to run away with her and never look back, I’d already have our bags packed and the car gassed up. I knew she’dnever suggest anything like that because Tucker was our home, but you know what I mean.
Spending the week with her gave me plenty of time to think about our future together. Yes, I was going to marry her, and I was so anxious to buy the ring and propose, but I wanted it to be special. She deserved that and more.
Were we moving too fast? Maybe, but every day for the last month, all I’ve thought about is how much I wanted her to be my wife. I wanted to wake up beside her. I wanted to hold her as we drifted off to sleep together. I wanted to make her breakfast in bed and be the first to taste whatever new recipes she came up with. I wanted to spend nights in the back of my pickup truck holding her hand as we gazed up at the stars and talked about how we wanted to redecorate the house.
I wanted it all.
“Not you zoning out,” he laughs as I pull myself back to reality. I quickly clock in before heading to change into my uniform. When I finish, he’s still standing in the hall waiting for me to talk. I sigh. “No, don’t act like you’re annoyed. What were you and Angel’s fine ass doing all weekend.”
