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  She quickly turned to me with her eyebrows bunched together.

  “Who’s else would it be?” she said with a generous helping of sass.

  “I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m just prefacing my next statement,” I shot back.

  “Well, it sure as shit sounded like a question. When would I have time to fuck around with someone else, El? Hm? I’m magical but I can’t split myself in two. That’s the only way that shit would ever happen! On top of the fact that I am not a whore! I don’t sleep around! I am committed to one man, you!”

  “First of all, calm all the way down! Watch the words that you use with me. I don’t curse at you so don’t curse at me. That’s the last time I am going to say that to you. Second, I didn’t accuse you of anything! And don’t try to start an argument to get us off on another conversation. You knew that you were pregnant and you kept it from me, why?”

  She didn’t immediately respond. I was finding it incredibly difficult to contain the anger that was coursing through me. I was about to demand an answer and then she spoke while looking out the window.

  “I didn’t tell you because I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep it.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Tears started running down her face. My instinct was to go to her and comfort her, but I was too angry and needed too many answers. I stayed seated.

  She wiped her face and continued, “What if I am carrying a beautiful baby boy? A boy that’s handsome like you, smart, driven and destined to change the world? All people will ever see is his dark skin. They will treat him different because he is a black man. They will never take out the time to get to know his heart only the color of his skin. Most people won’t see him for the beautiful creature that you and I created. Then someone who can’t see his beauty comes along and takes him from us…from me? Maybe they drive by the yard and see him playing with his toy in his own yard and shoot him? What if he is accused of stealing something from a local store and is gunned down in the street like a wild dog? What if he is walking home in his own neighborhood and someone fears the color of his skin and shoots him because they are standing their ground? What if he driving one day, gets pulled over and gets murdered because he is reaching for his ID? What if they burst into our home and take him because they think he committed a murder? What if he is jailed because he was in the vicinity of a murder but didn’t commit it? What if they accuse him of selling drugs after someone plants drugs in his house? All of those things have happened! The last three happened in his direct bloodline! I don’t want to create someone so beautiful and have him taken away from me.”

  She put her face in her hands and cried. I moved from the chair and sat next to her on the bench. I held her close to me.

  “Vee, all of those concerns are valid. We can’t stop the racism, hate, profiling or any other thing that this country is founded on, but we also can’t live our lives in fear. My son is going to have my looks and your brain. He will literally be unstoppable. We’ve created a superhuman. All we can do is train him up and teach him right from wrong. We know how to fight the system and beat it. That’s not a concern.

  No, we can’t stop some frightened, undertrained, racist cop from hurting him but we can try our best to keep him out of those situations. If…if we lose him then we would never shut up about it. People all over the world would know his name, do you understand? All those responsible would be punished by us, not by the court system. Please don’t take my baby away from me. Our baby is worth fighting for. He’s worth loving even if we don’t get a full lifetime. We made him in love. Our love is the most spectacular thing I’ve ever experienced so our child will be the most spectacular thing this world has ever seen. Please give me a chance to see him grow.”

  “You want me to keep him?”

  “Hell yeah! I knocked over your tote bag in the closet. When I was putting everything back in, I found this paper. When I first read it, I was excited as hell, then I got mad because I felt like you were trying to keep something from me.”

  “I did keep it from you, and I am sorry, but I am seriously afraid. I’ve never been so afraid in my life. As soon as the doctor told me I was pregnant, I fell in love with this little person, but I love him enough not to expose him to this cruel world.”

  “I understand how you feel. I will make you this promise. You protect him while he’s in there,” I pointed to her stomach, “Then when he comes out, I will make take on the responsibility of keeping him safe. I won’t bubble wrap him and isolate him, but I will make sure that he understands life. Can we make that deal?”

  “Yes,” she finally smiled, “We are going to be parents?”

  “It certainly looks like we are.”

  I stood and pulled her into my arms then gently kissed her.

  “I’m very happy, Vee.”

  “You are?”

  “Yes. I fought to get back for us and for him,” I said while touching her stomach. “I love you both.”

  “We love you, too!”

  I lifted her shirt over her head tossing it behind her. I got down on my knees and kissed her stomach while unzipping her skirt. I let it pool around her feet while I helped her out of her underwear.

  “Sex is okay, right?” I asked after standing and working to remove her bra.

  “Yes,” she replied while unbuttoning my shirt. After removing my shirt she pushed my pants down. “I’m sorry for not telling you immediately.”

  “There isn’t anything that we can’t work out together, understand?”

  “I understand,” she said.

  “When are you due?”

  Averie and I laid in the bed after making love. Neither of us wanted to move so I rested my head on her stomach while we talked.

  “I’m two months now. So, seven more months. You will be sharing a birthday month with our kid. I also asked about the drinking I’d done recently, and she said that the baby will be fine. Lots of women drink before finding out they are pregnant.”

  “Good to know. I thought you took your birth control religiously.”

  “Religion is a funny thing,” she chuckled. “I was faithful to getting that implant put back in my arms every few years, but those pills were another story. I forgot those things on the regular, and while you were in the hospital, I missed that whole pack.”

  “Good, now you have to marry me.”

  She wiggled her ring finger in my face.

  “I thought that’s what this meant?”

  “No, that’s an engagement ring. I mean I want us to be married before junior is born.”

  “Junior? We’ve already settled on a name?”

  “Samuel is a great name.”

  “It is but there should only be one in the family. I had an idea about a name if it’s a boy. Hear me out before you shoot it down. I actually thought of this before I got pregnant. You were still in the coma when this came to me.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Okay one day when we were in the hospital, Vivian told me that Samuel meant asked of God. She said she prayed and plotted to get you, in so many words. Then she said that Samuel in the Bible was a powerful man because he was the Kingmaker. He was sent by God to appoint the rulers of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah. So, since you are the kingmaker, I think we should name him, if he is a boy, King. Then because Samuel searched through all the prominent men to find a small sheepherder whom a lot of people probably underestimated, but he became one of the greatest kings of all time, I think his middle name should be David. King David Valentine.”

  “King Valentine…KD Valentine…I love that. What if it’s a girl?”

  “If it’s a girl, you get to decide,” she said.

  “I like Queen. She will be a Queen so let’s call her that from the beginning.”

  “What will Queen’s middle name be?”

  “Queen Elle Valentine.”

  “I love that!” Averie beamed.

  “So back to my original statement, now you have to marry me before our child is
born. I want my child born from a Valentine as a Valentine.”

  “Samuel, I already told you that I don’t want to rain on Ken’s parade. I don’t want Mommy trying to plan two weddings at once. That’s not fair to anyone.”

  “Then, marry me now, and we will have the wedding later.”

  “Samuel…”

  “What? I don’t see what’s so hard about my request. I want all of this legal. I want King or Queen born to my wife, not my fiancé.”

  “Okay, what if we do this and hold off on announcing it until after the wedding is over?”

  “I will call my judge friend tomorrow. You can choose a date between now and seven days from now. That’s all you get!”

  “Fine! Will you have a shotgun too?”

  “Will I need one?”

  “Shut up, El!”

  Averie

  “I just want this morning sickness to stop!” I said while Samuel pressed a cold towel on the back of my neck.

  I just completed my morning ritual of throwing up some disgusting green phlegm before starting my day. My breasts were sore, and I was sleepy all the time.

  “The doctor said this shouldn’t last much longer, right?”

  I had every intention of telling Samuel as soon as I found out I was pregnant but thinking about the state of the world and how hard it is for a black man to survive, I got scared. I seriously considered abortion and went as far as calling a clinic to find out about the procedure. I’d known plenty of women who’d had abortions and were just fine afterward, but after speaking with the nurse at the clinic, I wasn’t sure if abortion was something I could go through. I was glad Samuel found my “Now That You’re Pregnant” pamphlet. His words gave me a ton of peace. Now, I am looking forward to being King or Queen’s mommy.

  “Yeah, she said after the first trimester the sickness stops. As long as I can throw up first thing, the rest of my day is fine.”

  “Are you ready for today?” Samuel asked.

  I’d chosen three days after being given the ultimatum of marriage to have the ceremony.

  “I am. Our mothers are going to kill us. What if our son just skips out and gets married. How would you feel?”

  “If my son told me that after an exhaustive search, he’d finally found the woman that challenged him, cheered him on, corrected him, stood beside him and loved him. If he told me he’d found that one woman that made his heart beat, I would tell him not to waste time. Marry her immediately.”

  “Baby,” I said while turning to wrap my arms around his waist.

  “Then I would say, but that’s not what I did. I married your momma because I got her pregnant.”

  “Samuel!” I laughed while hitting his arm.

  “I’m just kidding,” he said after kissing my forehead. Anyway, our parents can’t stay mad for too long. We will have their grandchild.”

  “That’s true.”

  Samuel stood facing me in his dark blue suit, his light blue shirt with the monogrammed cuffs that I’d purchased for him and a lilac tie. I wore a floral embroidered, tea length, long sleeved lilac dress with dark purple shoes. We looked each other in the eyes as we recited our vows in Judge Porter’s chambers. Although I knew that we would hear about this from our families, I had no second thoughts about our courthouse ceremony. I was standing in front of a man that I loved with my whole heart, and I knew that he loved me. There was no other person that I wanted to share my life with, and he felt the same way about me. I was glad that he convinced me to do this.

  “In sickness and in health. Until death do us part,” I finished.

  “By the power vested in me by the State of Missouri, I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Valentine. You may kiss your bride.”

  Samuel leaned down and kissed me. Raymond and his wife, Savannah, who were our witnesses clapped.

  “Congratulations, Samuel,” Judge Porter said.

  “Thank you, Sir,” Samuel replied.

  Savannah and Raymond hugged us both and gave their congratulations.

  “Welcome to the club,” Ray said to Samuel. “You made a great choice.”

  “I did.”

  Samuel

  “Samuel, why have we been riding so long?”

  “We are almost there, be patient.”

  The car pulled to a stop at our destination. An opportunity fell into my lap, and I couldn’t pass it up. It provided me with the perfect wedding/baby gift for my wife. I wanted it to be a surprise, so I blindfolded her halfway here and had Brick make some unnecessary turns to throw her off the trail.

  “The car stopped. Are we there?” Averie asked.

  “Yes, sweetheart, we are here.”

  “Can I take this off now?”

  “No, I will take it off, and you bet not be peeking.”

  “I can’t see anything.”

  “Alright, hold tight. Brick is going to help you out then I will come around and meet you. I gotta watch you to make sure you don’t peek.”

  “Smart,” she chuckled.

  Brick helped Averie out of the car then I got out and rounded the car to take her hand.

  “Brick, where are we?” I heard Averie try to whisper not knowing I had already made my way to her.

  “Exactly where we are supposed to be,” Brick chuckled.

  “Whatever, Brick,” Averie laughed.

  “Mr. Valentine,” Jack, the salesman spoke as he approached us.

  “Jack, good to see you again. This is my wife, Averie.”

  Averie extended her hand.

  “I would say nice to meet you, but you know the blindfold and all. Samuel, where are we?”

  I led her by the hand to the spot in front of her gift then removed the blindfold.

  “This is your wedding/baby gift.”

  The look of shock registered on her face then confusion settled in. She bent down. Then looked behind her.

  “Are we going on a trip?”

  “No,” I responded.

  “What do I have to say? Pilot move that plane? Is it behind the plane? I can’t see it.”

  “Vee, this is your gift,” I pointed to the newly painted Embraer Phenom 100 jet.

  “What’s my gift?” She turned to me with one eyebrow raised.

  “This jet.”

  She turned and looked at the jet then looked at Jack.

  “Jack, has my husband pulled you in on some weird joke?”

  “No, ma’am. Look at the tail.”

  She whipped her head to the tail of the jet and saw her Patterson Law logo prominently displayed. I guess it finally registered because she put her hand to her mouth and stood silently looking at her own personal jet.

  I was in the market to upgrade the jet that I already had. When I talked to Jack, he told me that I could get the upgrade to my jet and purchase a smaller one and stay within my prescribed budget. I agreed to the deal only if he could have the smaller jet upgraded for Averie in a set amount of time. He got it done before the deadline that I’d set.

  “Samuel,” Averie turned to me with eyes full of water, “Are you serious?”

  “I can’t have you going through the hassle of an airport with our child. Now you can go where you want when you want.”

  “Baby…I…I am speechless,” she said with tears running down her face.

  Jack passed me some Kleenex and I stepped in front of her to dry her tears.

  “What happened to that whole speech about not being surprised when you get things?”

  “Babe, don’t do that. This is a jet. This is a whole other level.”

  I didn’t expect her reaction. I thought she would shrug like she did with the house in Charlotte. Her excitement was an added bonus.

  “Would you like a tour of your jet, Mrs. Valentine?”

  Averie nodded her head then followed Jack onto the plane. I’d already seen it and approved of all the changes I’d requested, but I was still extremely impressed with the six off-white, or champagne as Jack called it, colored seats with PLF embossed in the headrests
. I had them add the seats that reclined all the way back into beds even though for far distances, we would take my jet because it was larger and could travel further without stopping. Averie hung onto Jack’s every word as he described all the amenities the jet had. She only looked away to smile at me. I was happy because she was happy. I knew that bringing her out here could have gone another way. She could have been back on her I don’t need a savior kick and completely rejected this gift, but she didn’t. I believed that we both had learned the importance of give and take in this relationship. I wanted her and our child to have the best of everything.

  “So that’s it. I’ve shown you the entire jet. What do you think?” Jack said.

  “I adore it!” Averie smiled.

  “I am pleased that you like it. Like I told you, we will give you a list of the best private pilots and they will all come with stellar recommendations. Then you will be ready to travel without the hassle of the TSA and all those angry passengers,” Jack finished.

  “I can’t wait. Thank you for showing me all the bells and whistles,” Averie said while extending her hand to shake his.

  “My pleasure, Mrs. Valentine. Congratulations on the new things happening in your life. I will leave you both to it.”

  Jack and I shook hands before he exited the jet.

  “Samuel,” Averie purred causing an immediate erection, while wrapping her arms around my waist, “This is amazing.”

  “I just want you to have nice things.”

  “So, could we still be considered part of the mile-high club if the plane is still on the ground?”

  “We can start our own club.”

  “I’m down for that.”

  Averie

  “Oh, a new pair of UGGs. Remember how ugly I thought these were until I got a pair? Now I can’t live without them. Thank you Keeva,” Mommy gushed after opening Keeva’s present.

  The family was together celebrating my mother’s birthday. It was in a few more days, but she would not be in town. My father was taking her on a trip to Philadelphia to go to a concert with a ton of old school acts. They were going to DC to the African American Museum of History and Culture; then down to Virginia Beach to visit some friends. Mommy opened her present from Kenzie and Travis. They purchased her a large bottle of her favorite perfume, Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue.