Micki stood at the dresser putting her jewelry away. Vincent was behind her in bed reading a Faithful Sister Magazine. Micki was surprised to see him reading the magazine, reason being, it had a small religious concept. It was her magazine that she had left out in the open. Just as she turned around to ask if he was enjoying the magazine, her attention was halted. At the foot of the bed was the tiger print shoe box. The only time they broke them out was when they were going to get intimate. Vincent had a foot fetish indeed.
"Um, Vincent," she pointed at the box. "Why do you have that box out? You know we're not doing anything until our honeymoon, remember?" She placed a hand on her hip and moved one foot forward.
He slowly lowered the magazine until only his eyes showed. "Yeah, I know. I just want to see you in them tonight." He closed the magazine, placing it by the lamp next to the digital picture frame.
"Vincent, I'm going to bed. I'm not messing with your butt tonight, and plus. . ." She paused, folded her arms and frowned. She remembered that he was going to get her back for throwing the pillow at him. Sure they were grown, but their little games were a part of their love. She knew he was up to something. She could see it in his eyes.
"Are you going to put them on or not?" He did his best to keep a serious face.
"No, I'm not." She unfolded her arms, walking toward the bed. "We're going to bed, Vincent." She picked up the shoe box. "So you might as well. . ." Her words trailed off as she looked at the box curiously.
"This box is empty. It's too light." She shook the box and heard a faint rattle. "Okay, I know you're up to something." She moved the shoe box to cradle it in her arm. She took the top off. No shoes, just the white paper that lined the shoe box. When she moved, something slid in the box under the bunched up paper. She looked at him suspiciously.
"What?" he grinned. "Why are you looking at me all crazy?"
"Where are my shoes and what's in the box?"
Vincent reached for the remote. First he dimmed the lights to a real low setting, then filled the bedroom with some music. Maxwell's "Fortunate" filled their ears.
"Vincent," she reached inside the box. "Don't make me act a fool up in here so-"
She gasped, dropping the shoe box. In her hands was a small, black, Tiffany box. She stood motionless with a shocked look on her face. The Tiffany box was clutched against her heart.
Vincent propped up on the pillow. "Open it, baby." "Wha. . .what is this?" She was still in shock.
"Open the box and find out." She shook her head side to side. "Open the box, Micki,"
Again, she shook her head. Vincent didn't have his glasses on, and plus the lighting was low and red. He squinted briefly and saw that she had tears sliding down her beautiful face. She was shaken up. This was not the reaction he had expected. Again, he told her to open the box and again she shook her head. He started to get out of the bed, but then she moved. She crawled in the bed, clutching the box with a tight grip. He sat up hugging and rocking her slowly. She cried softly. Slowly he pried her grip from the box. She was hugging him tightly as she watched him open the box.
"I love you, Micki," he said intimately. "I'm fortunate to have you in my life." Through tears, she watched him remove the two carat rhombus diamond set in a platinum band. Her sobs turned heavy as he slid the engagement ring on her left hand.
"You're all the woman I need, baby," he spoke softly against her ear. "There's no me without you, Micki."
She cried into his chest, clinging to him. "It's beautiful, Vincent. It's. . ."
"Yours, baby." He ran his fingers through her hair.
"I love you," she sobbed, wiping her tear streaked face on his chest.
There was a brief two seconds of silence when the song ended. Next, Jodeci's, "Cry For You" began to play. Caught up in the moment, Vincent looked into Micki's eyes and could tell what was on her mind; what she wanted to happen next.
"But what about waiting?" he asked her.
She thought for a moment and then replied, "We'll start tomorrow."
Micki was leaving for New York today. Her trip would be the longest she would be away from Vincent since moving in with him. She managed to hold her tears when she left on the first class flight to New York. She was missing him before the plane even left the airport.
Without her knowing, Vincent had slipped three scented handwritten love letters into her tote bag. She would open one for each night that she was away. Each day he was learning he was good at a new subject. . .loving his woman and not just making love to her.
Vincent's weekend was filled with work. Two hours after leaving Micki at the airport, he was on I-95 North with Celisha. He had a mini book tour at a bookstore in West Palm Beach where he patiently signed sixty-eight copies of his book. After leaving the bookstore, they headed for a trip to Tallahassee. He was scheduled for a book signing at two black owned bookstores that would take up much of the day.
Vincent drove nonstop, only stopping for gas. Reaching Tallahassee, they checked into their reserved rooms at the Hilton. Vincent ordered a pizza and shared it with Celisha in her room. She made sure he knew what time he needed to get up the next day and urged him to go to his room to get some sleep. It wasn't even nine o'clock when Vincent had taken a shower then crashed out on the bed.
Saturday came too quickly for Vincent. Proving her worth, Celisha had him dressed and alert at the first book signing near the campus of Florida State University. The majority of his supporters that showed up were young, college women. He stopped counting after signing the sixtieth copy of his latest novel.
The second book signing ranged from supporters young to old. Pictures were taken and hugs were given, but most importantly, books were sold.
By 10:40 p.m., Vincent was back home. Celisha informed him that the visit to Shana's church was all set. She planned to go as well, bringing along her aunt and Aaron, who she invited as a make-up gesture. Vincent assured her that he would be up and ready. He'd promised the little girl, and this was a promise he planned to keep.
His crib felt empty without Micki's presence. Even with Rex and Rocky D, he still felt alone. He was unable to fall asleep after restlessly tossing and turning. For the last couple of times he'd tried to enter the bathroom while Micki was in there, he'd found the door locked. Although he didn't make a big deal about it, for some reason he now couldn't get it off of his mind. Micki's funny actions of locking the bathroom door had him feeling uneasy.
Jumping from the bed, he later found himself in the lit bathroom. He avoided looking into the mirror at himself. He felt stupid for what he was about to do. For what he was about to look for. Micki is not on drugs, he told himself. That thought held no weight when he started searching through her cosmetics. He went through everything with guilt pressing down on him. He found nothing. No drugs, no pills, no type of drug paraphernalia. He was wrong. For the first time in his life, he was glad to be wrong. He felt bad about going through Micki's things, but reasoned that his actions proved that he cared about her?
While putting things back in place under the sink, he knocked a pack of toilet paper over. Behind it, tucked in the corner, was a leather Bible. He pulled it out. It belonged to his Aunt Diane. She had come to visit him last year for a week, with her nine year old son. Vincent recalled how his little cousin fell in love with Rex and Rocky D. It came second to how he enjoyed hiding things that didn't belong to him. The missing Bible was a big issue before his aunt had left. Now it was found. He would have to remember to call or email her tomorrow to inform her of the discovery.
The next morning, Vincent was up before sunrise. He managed to shower, eat and get dressed an hour before Celisha showed up to pick him up for church. Once she did arrive, she stood at his door wearing what he sensed was a forced smile. Once they made it outside, he spoke briefly to Aaron, thanking him for feeding his dogs while he was on the road.
He'd decided that morning that he'd just follow Celisha to Shana's in his Benz CL600 since she had map quested the directions. He wanted to make sure there was plenty of room for all to ride in just the two cars, and more importantly, he knew riding in his own car would avoid an interrogation by Celisha's aunt. . .for now anyway.