Page 66 of Spending Forever With You

There was a pregnant pause as sniffles filled the empty space between us.

Is she crying?

No, it has to be her allergies.

When I heard the low whimpers, I knew better. I walked closer to console her. I didn’t mean to make her cry. How we got on such a heavy ass topic from the dates I would never understand.

I went to wrap my arms around her when Hollis bent down, preventing me. I followed her motions to see what she was going for, then I saw it. It was a wood carving of our initials in a heart with the number four and the word ever underneath.

“The same reason you didn’t call and contest the divorce and signed the papers the first day you got them. Our forever had a limited time and it was clear we’d reached it.”

“Naw, baby, our forever is still going. Hollis, I didn’t call because I thought I was giving you what you wanted. You wanting to leave me came out of nowhere. I didn’t know if it was someone else or⁠—"

“What? No. It was the four-five months out a year I got with you, and even then it was limited. And again, I’m not tripping over your career. I wanted you to have it. It was me crying myself to sleep from missing you. I figured if I was alone in a marriage, I should just be alone and single, and let you live without worrying about a wife back home constantly saying I just miss you and I wish you were here. You deserved that. I know I was fucking your head up each time you had to tell me stop crying and you would fly home soon. Luke, I just wanted you to be happy without the baggage of me.”

I turned Hollis to face me, immediately wiping her face of the tears, catching the ones that slipped out next, then kissing her lips gently.

“Hershey, baby, you’re not baggage. You’re my wife, my right hand, my glove that I still carry with me.” I grabbed her hand, placing it over my chest, on my heart.

“Do you feel that? This muthafucka is yours and I swear up until a few months ago it stopped working the moment I got those papers. I apologize for even making you feel that back then. I don’t think we both understood how much the distance and time away from each other would do to us, but I promise, loving you is still all I know how…no, fuck that, still want to do. Hollis, I’ma love you as my wife until the day I die.”

“What are you saying, Luke?” Hollis asked in a whisper, as if she was afraid of the truth.

“I told you ain’t no leaving me this go ’round. It’s Hollis and Luke forever. Ain’t no other way I see us but together, baby.” I didn’t even give her a time to respond before my mouth was on hers, praying I silenced any doubts or fears she might have about us. There was no way I was letting my wife leave me again.

CHAPTER 15

Hollis

“Luke, we’re on an expiration date. What are you talking about right now?” I said lowly after we broke the kiss that made me dizzy as hell.

“Fuck that six months shit. Do you want to be with me? No, better question, do you love me?”

“I—umm...” I shook my head first, then shrugged before I nodded.

“I need a yes or no answer, Hollis. It’s us or nothing for me, baby. I need you to be sure of the same thing.”

“Luke, it’s been a few months and some change of us even being on speaking terms. Do you know how crazy you sound right now? Or how insane I would be to admit to feeling the same out loud.”

“Crazy for my love and insane for all the muthafucking right reasons. I knew back then how I felt about you, you doubting me now? I keep telling you, ain’t shit changed between us but the years and time we wasted apart. So am I the only person checking myself into the looney bin or do I have my right hand with me?” The passion in his eyes had my heart pumping hard as hell and butterflies hitting the pit of my stomach.

Hollis, you know you want to be with him too, so what’s the problem?

I’m scared.

“Yes, but⁠—"

“But nothing, Hershey. On some real live shit, I don’t even know why it sounds as if I’m giving you an option like you can leave. I keep telling you, that shit ain’t happening. Not again. For real, it’s either for life or forever over this way for us. Love, we can figure the rest out. The way I see it, we got ten years to make up and forever to do the rest. And we can take it as slow as we need to, Hershey, this our shit, ’member? Nobody in it but us and I’m choosing to spend forever with you.”

“And I’m choosing to spend forever with you too. I love you, Deke.” I blushed, covering my face, completely outdone that I had just said that out loud.

“I love you too, Hershey.”

Luke picking me up had me yelping as he walked us backwards, laying me down on the full size bed.

“Uht uht, not on these sheets will you have me. Lawd knows when the last time they met soap and water was.” I protested, but Luke ignored me as he stripped me down.

“Shhh… and the things I’m about to do to this pussy gon’ be dirtier, they gon’ be okay.” My pants were down and my legs were spread as Luke’s face got lost between my thighs and his mouth found my lower lips.