Page 42 of Where There's Smoke…
“Mmm, what can I say?” I shrug, turning to face her. “I love making you feel good and if it helps, imma work that shit to the best of my ability. You should know by now that I never half do any damn thing.”
“Yeah, I’m well aware,” she giggles. “Now, will you tell me where we’re going tonight and why you made me pack a swimsuit?”
“We’re going to spend the weekend in a luxury resort down in Miami. I splurged and got us a really nice room with a private balcony and 24/7 access to the spa. You know I had to do it big for your birthday,” I brag. “You only turn twenty-nine once, you know.”
“You only turn every age once,” she laughs. “I’m excited, though. I’ve never stayed at a luxury resort before.”
“Well,Sweets, there’s a first for everything,” I tell her. “I wanted this weekend to be special, and I planned a few things so that it would be. I’m very excited for you to experience it all.”
“NowI’mexcited!” she squeals before standing suddenly. I look up at her, eyebrows furrowed. “When do we leave?”
“Uh, well, our flight isn’t for about another four hours,” I inform her. She pouts playfully, but I stand up and pull her into my arms. “We can leave early if you want, baby. We might as well if we wanna beat the evening traffic going to New Orleans.”
Her face lights up again, and all I can do is laugh. She really was spoiled as hell, even if she didn’t want to admit it. I would move the world just so she could always smile, and she had plenty of others in her life who felt the same. The only difference between me and them was that she was the love of my life, and at the end of the day, I was the one she was coming home to. It made me feel so good.
Over the next hour, we finished getting our things together and then packed her car. She refused to let me drive, even after I complained about how small her car was. No, it’s notthatsmall, but I was tired of being escorted around and wanted to be the one to escort her. I couldn’t wait to be fully healed and drive my truck again. She was never gonna sit behind the wheel again if we were going somewhere together. Driving her around ismyjob.
After dropping Nori off at my sister’s house, we set out on the hour-long drive to New Orleans. On the way there, she asked me more about what I had planned for the weekend, and because I loved how excited she was, I told her the full itinerary instead of keeping it a secret.She couldn’t stop smiling and thanked me the entire time we waited for our flight and while we were in the air.
It only took a little over two hours to reach our destination, and soon we touched down in Miami. It wasn’t a place I frequented often, but she admitted that a few of the cruises she used to work on left out of Miami, so she’d been there plenty of times. I think I’ve only been about twice in my life, and that was for work conferences.
“Whoa, this is beautiful,” she says once we finally reach our room after hours of travel. I nod and take in the space we will call home for the next few days.
I’d booked a suite for us, so the bedroom was separate from the living room and kitchen. Everything was so modern and decorated beautifully. I watched as Angel twirled around the living room and hummed some songs. I crossed my arms and watched as she took in all the features. She gasped when she got to the balcony and motioned for me to come over.
“Look at this view, Phee,” she squeals as I walk up behind her. I rest my hands on her waist and pull her back into my arms. She relaxed against me as we stared into the distance, watching the sun set over the ocean. “Isn’t it so beautiful?”
“It is, but not as beautiful as you are, Sweets,” I whisper. She turns around to face me and uses her pointer finger to push her glasses up. “God, stop looking at me like that, Sweets. You know I’m always weak for you.
“Thank you, Phoenix,” she whispers, burying her face in my chest. I rub her back with my hand. “Thank you for bringing me here. I know we haven’t done anything yet, but you don’t understand how much I appreciate you. Just being in this hotel is enough for me.”
“Sweets, look at me, mamas,” I say, and she does. My hands cup her cheeks, and I kiss her softly. “You’ve been so damn amazing to me these last few months and the least I can do is spoil you for your birthday. I love taking care of you, and that you take care of me, too. You really mean the world to me, Angel.”
“And you mean the world to me, too, Phee,” she smiles.
“Now,” I say, leading her back into the suite. I close and lock the balcony door before turning back towards her. “How about we order some dinner and spend the rest of the night watching one of those shows you’ve been trying to convince me to give a try?”
“Oooh,Once Upon a Time?” she asks excitedly.
“Yeah, sure,” I chuckle.
She thanks me a million times as she pulls me down to smother my face in kisses. I just laugh and accept her love because why wouldn’t I? When she finally calms down, she puts on the show as I busy myself ordering us something to be delivered. I knew Angel would want Korean or soul food (they were favorites), but I asked anyway.
Ultimately, we settled on some bulgogi fried rice and japchae with a side of kimchi and an order of kalbi – in other words, what Angel always got at our favorite Korean spot in Tucker. I got her favorite flavor of Boba, but I opted for a beer instead. Believe it or not, I wasn’t the biggest fan of sweet drinks. There was just something about the artificial taste that always made my stomach hurt.
Once thefood arrived, we settled onto some cushions on the floor and had a small picnic in the living room. Angel was really into the show and, not gonna lie, it was pretty interesting once I finally realized that the show jumped from the past to the present. I mean, it was confusing as shit, but Angel was damn near an expert, admitting that she’d seen the show all the way through at least twenty times before. When I asked her why she rewatched it so much, she told me it was her comfort show.
“Respect,” I nod before returning to the show.
We watched through the first five episodes of season one before Angel began to doze off. We’d moved to the couch halfway through the fourth episode, and she was lying across the couch with her head on my lap. When I looked down at her, she snored lightly as a few braids fell over her face.
I spent a good ten minutes taking in her features as peace settled around me. She was so beautiful as she slept, and I didn’t want to wake her, but I knew sleeping here would be uncomfortable for her. So, I carefully helped her to the room where she let me undress her down to her panties. I slid on one of her nightgowns and pulled up her hair into her favorite pink satin bonnet before helping her into bed. She stirred a bit, but she was back to sleep in a matter of minutes.
I headed back out to clean up our mess and then returned to the room to change into a pair of pajama pants and a tank. I climbed into bed and pulled her into my arms. She snuggled up beside me, and I gently stroked her back as I felt my eyelids growing heavy as well. It was well after two in the morning, and I knew that I needed to go to sleep to be well-rested for tomorrow.
It was gonna be a great day.
16
