Page 22 of Mr. Right Now
“I’m going to dance with my woman. You should do the same.”
On the heels of his departure, Dante’s mother approached. He bent to kiss her cheek. “You look beautiful, as always, Mom.” The elegant long-sleeved, pale gold gown draped elegantly over her trim figure and made her look like a queen.
“Thank you, honey. You outdid yourself with this event, both events, and I’m so proud of you. Your dad would be too.”
“That means a lot, so thank you,” he said around the lump in his throat.
“Jayana is such a wonderful young woman.”
“She is.”
“There are a lot of women who are eager to stand at your side.” She glanced up at him. “Like Danielle. But none of them have ever been trulyonyour side. Not like Jayana. So many people never get to experience real love, the kind I had with your father,” she added with a wistful smile. “Don’t be one of them, son. You’ve been blessed with another chance, so grab hold of it.”
“I hear you, Mom. And if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to do just that.” Dante kissed her cheek and went to claim his woman. Jayana saw him, excused herself and met him halfway.
“Ooh, you look so good tonight in this tux that I want to drag you into a closet somewhere…right now.”
He chuckled. She took every opportunity to throw that phrase in his face, but he wasn’t mad. Each time, it ended with them naked and him buried deep inside her. “How about we settle for a dance, then I’ll see what I can do about the rest later because I definitely want to slowly strip that dress off you and taste every inch of your beautiful body.”
“Works for me, but if you keep talking like that, we aren’t going to make it to the dance floor. So, come on. One of us has to behave.”
Laughing, Dante led her onto the floor where the band was playing a slow, jazzy number and gathered her in his embrace. She rested her head against his shoulder as they started a slow sway. He could stand here holding her in just this way for the rest of his life. “Have I told you how much I love you?” he whispered close to her ear.
“You may have mentioned it once or twice,” she said, lifting her head. “But feel free to tell me again.”
“I love you, baby.” Without thinking, he lowered his head and covered her mouth in a passionate kiss, swirling his tongue around hers, and letting her sweetness seep into his soul. He got so lost in her taste that it took a moment for the applause to register. Dante broke off the kiss and saw that he and Jayana were the only two people on the dance floor, while everyone around them clapped and whistled.
“Well, if anybody didn’t know we’re dating, they know now,” Jayana said, direct as usual.
And he didn’t have one problem with it. In fact, he wanted to shout it to the world.
* * *
“Everybody not on the bus in the next ten minutes is going to be left behind,” Dante called out to the excited teenagers. He did a few field trips during the summer—some educational, some for fun. Today’s trip to the beach would be strictly fun. The twenty-five students rushed over, all clamoring to get on first.
“Nothing like a good you’re-gonna-get-left speech to get them moving,” Jayana said as she passed him carrying a box. “They’d better not hold me up from getting to my beloved sand and ocean.”
He smiled. His baby loved the beach and with the warm July temperatures, they made a trip there at least once a week, sometimes two. The last three months with her had been amazing and he’d do anything to keep her happy. Dante had worked through his issues with a therapist and it had been the best thing for him and their relationship. Mental health at the center had always been a priority, but now he planned to work harder to help erase the stigma tied to Black men and therapy. He wanted the young men at the center to know that seeking help when needed didn’t make them weak.
Minutes later, after checking and double-checking that everyone was onboard and accounted for, the bus pulled off. The teens spent the twenty-minute drive to Santa Monica Pier singing, laughing and telling jokes. When they arrived, Dante stood to give some instructions. “You’ll need to remain with your group and your chaperone at all times. They are in charge. You are not. Anyone who’s caught violating the rules will return to the bus until it’s time to leave.” He peeked at his watch. “It’s eleven-thirty now, and we’ll meet back here at the bus for lunch at one-thirty. Any questions?” No one spoke. “Okay, let’s go have some fun.” Because they had more chaperones than needed, it freed him up to check on all the groups and be available for any mishaps.
The kids walked along the pier, splashed in the water and chased each other in the sand. Dante smiled at Jayana sitting in the sand with three of the younger teens building a sand castle. “Are you having fun?” he asked her.
“We are. You should join us.”
He couldn’t recall the last time he’d played in the sand, but he joined the group as they used the buckets and shovels the center provided to dig paths, create walls and carve out windows in the wet sand.
“Mr. Powell, I want to come to this center forever,” one twelve-year-old girl stated.
“You know we only go up to age eighteen. After that, you’ll be going to college. Do you know what you want to study?”
She nodded excitedly. “I want to be an engineer like you.”
That she wanted to follow in his footsteps filled him with pride. He and Jayana shared a smile. “I’m honored, and I’m going to do all I can to help your achieve that goal.” He had already started working on ways to offer summer internships to juniors and seniors in high school at InstaGenix, and had reached out to a couple of buddies who headed Black-owned companies to do the same.
After a short while longer, Dante left to check on the other groups. He had to step in to resolve a mild disagreement between two students, but found no other fires to put out.
A few minutes before lunch, he sent a text to Ryan, asking him to meet at the bus so they could begin the preparations. They planned to take their picnic down to the beach and he had already asked Erika and another parent to save the spot. The two women laid out enough blankets for everyone to have room without being crowded.
