Page 134 of Milo

Taking off in my heels, I headed for the door, hoping I didn’t bust my behind on the way down the stairs. Milo was right behind me, adding pressure. Thankfully, I made it to the truck safely without incident.

Milo held the door open for me as I climbed inside. Still the ultimate gentleman, he waited until I was inside and settled before closing the door behind me. When he made his way to the driver’s side, I watched his lanky frame from the front windshield.

God, did you have to make him so Black and so beautiful?

“Ready to roll?”

“Yes.”

The night lights of Berkeley shined against our skin as we traveled south toward the restaurant of Milo’s choosing. He’d planned our day down to a science. I was instructed to enjoy the day and worry about nothing. I’d been doing just that.

The diamonds on my finger, wrist, and neck glistened in the dark, matching the pieces on Milo’s neck and wrists. Unlike mine, his ring finger was empty, creating a void within me that I couldn’t wait to fill. As the thought occurred, so did the urge to spend the next few weeks searching for the perfect piece to represent my love for him and the future we planned to spend together.

“What’s on your mind, pretty girl?” he asked, lowering the volume of the music.

“How empty your ring finger is.”

“What about it?”

“I don’t like it.”

“You trying to put a ring on it?” he toyed.

“In fact, I am.”

“Nah, for real? You ready to take that leap?”

“Milo, I’ve been ready since I was sixteen years old. If you’d asked me then, I promise I would’ve said yes without hesitation.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes,” I assured him with a nod.

“So, what about tonight?”

“What do you mean, what about tonight?”

“If I asked you to be my wife right here, right now, would your answer be the same?”

“Yes.”

As soon as the word left my mouth, the truck swerved.

Scrrrrrrrr!

The smell of burned rubber seeped through the vents. My brows centered on my face as my heart rate increased. I watched as Milo’s chest rose and fell as he stared straight ahead, contemplating and scaring me simultaneously.

“Baby, what are you doing?”

“Nay, this is not a birthday dinner that we’re on the way to.”

“It’s not?”

“No. It’s an engagement party I set up with the help of your mother. Our friends and family are waiting to hear good news. All day long, all fucking day long, I’ve been trying to find the words, trying to come up with the perfect combination and the most sentimental way to ask you to be my wife, but I have come up with nothing. Nothing feels good enough, no moment has felt perfect up until now. So, I’m telling you, I don’t have anything over the top to say or any clever ass speech. All I have is my heart, baby, and I’m wondering if that’s enough to get you to rock with a nigga for the rest of ’em. The rest of our lives. The rest of our good days. The rest of our bad days. All of that shit?”

He dug into his pocket, removing a band that nearly made me orgasm at the sight of it. My heart galloped, pounding against my chest to be freed.

“Milo.”

---