Page 54 of Widow Mayker

Lewis’s gentle rumble of laughter soothed the butterflies fighting inside my stomach. He settled them. The once chaotic fluttering was now a light buzz that made it to my nervous system and subdued her, too.

“You might need to come pick me up off the floor, baby. Ya voice just uppercut me.”

I couldn’t contain a laugh that bubbled out of me. “I’m about to hang up on you.”

“Nah, don’t do that,” he cajoled. “You answered at the right time, baby. I just pulled into the city to come celebrate ya birthday with you.”

“What?” I exclaimed, then mumbled, “Sorry,” to the lady working on my feet.

“I wanted to surprise you. The hours ain’t movin’ fast enough for me,” he said.

Meanwhile, my heart galloped in my chest. He was here!

“Lewis…”

“Yes, wifey. You lookin’ forward to seeing me?”

“I-I. Uh…” I’d never stammered so much.

He chuckled lowly. “It’s okay, love. I’ma be a nervous wreck when I lay eyes on you. Be prepared to catch me if I fall, aight?”

I giggled, then caught myself. “You think you’re funny, huh? What makes you think I want to meet you?”

“Hm. I’ll see you tonight, baby. I’ll do my best to be on my best behavior. Later.”

I stared at the phone for several minutes after Lewis hung up.

Hours later, I strutted inside Black Dream. Anxiety was all over me. A part of me was excited to be a year older, but that wasn’t what caused my heart to race as I neared the section where my family waited for me. Thankfully, all the faces were familiar as I approached.

“Happy birthday!” everyone sang as I entered the section.

I hugged everyone and released some of the anxiousness bottled up inside. Lewis wasn’t here. Maybe he played me, I thought. Thinking that was the case, I almost got irritated. It was too simple for Lewis to have lied. I was stupid enough to believe that he’d traveled all the way from Atlanta to come see me for my birthday.

Wishful thinking, girl. Life is not a fairytale wrapped in sweet nothings.

Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted, jarring me out of my thoughts.. There was that buzzing in the pit of my stomach and the awakening of my nervous system. The feeling was so strong, I had to scan my surroundings and find the source. That was when my eyes collided with his.

I wasn’t one to deny the beauty of a man. I didn’t deny his rich, dark skin, strong nose, or impeccable lips. His facial hair was nicely groomed, and so was the Caeser cut he wore. He was dressed in designer jeans, a black T-shirt, and sneakers. I knew diamonds well, and the diamonds on him sparkled brightly. In his hands were a plethora of gift bags.

His eyes connected with mine, and when he smiled, the entire club lit up. He was talking to Von and from the pictures I’d seen online, I knew he was Lewis. He was a hair taller than Von and possessed powerful gray eyes that looked too dangerous to continue to stare into.

Breaking my gaze away, I took a deep breath to keep from passing out and turned my back in hopes that Lewis wouldn’t see how smitten I was by him. I chuckled at myself. I thought I’d prepared myself to lay eyes on him.

“He actually came,” Maja mumbled.

I glared at her. “This was your idea?”

She shook her head. “It was his idea. Von and I just made sure he had the location.” Maja’s sentence trailed off. For a second, I wondered what snagged her attention.

Then, I smelled him. He was closer now. So close that, like a magnet, the hair on my skin gravitated toward him. Before I could glance over my shoulder, I felt his lips on the nape of my neck. It shocked, enthralled, and stimulated me into a daze.

With an easy smile, he turned me around and requested, “Gimme a hug.” Of course, he didn’t wait for me to oblige. He took me into his arms. “You ready to catch me?” he whispered in my ear.

Face pressed against Lewis’s chest, it was crazy to think that his chest felt like my pillow. His arms felt like home, and his heart sounded like the only music I wanted to listen to for the rest of my life.

Crazily, it felt like I was being embraced by my husband.

“Come talk to me,” he requested, took my hand, and led me to a spot inside section that gave us a little privacy. He didn’t order a drink and instead opted for water. I had a drink, though. It was supposed to help calm me, but the more Lewis stared at me, the more frazzled my nerves behaved.