“I don’t know. I thought it was funny.”
“Simple ass.” I grumbled and exhaled, my smile slowly leaving my face. “You know I noticed you didn’t answer me, right? About what King and your family want from me?”
“They know I love you.”
“Oh word?” I licked my lips.
“Yeah. I told them as much.”
“For real?” My eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
I knew he’d told me that he’d told his family that we were messing around and hoped to keep doing it after his marriage was official but I hadn’t known that he’d told anyone that he loved me.
Bishop nodded. “I wanted them to know you the way that I know you.”
“And what do they think?”
“They think you’re amazing just like I think you’re amazing.”
“I doubt them niggas used the word amazing when they described me.”
“It was implied,” he deadpanned.
I grinned. “Yeah, so, the angle isn’t trying to get me to leave you alone or what? Because you know a nigga like me can’t be bought or threatened into doing anything I don’t want to do.”
“I know.” Bishop smiled.
“If I have to fight your family for you, I will. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I know. It won’t come to that though.” Bishop opened his arms to me. “Come here.”
I shifted so that I was leaning against his chest. I focused on the sound of his heartbeat. He let his hand lightly trace my arm.
I put my hand on his sides and his finger paused.
I loved that. I loved seeing the way we grounded each other. It was reassuring. I liked knowing that the same way he centered me, I did that for him sometimes.
Bishop looked down at me and I looked up and met his gaze. He exhaled.
“Marrying into my family isn’t an honor, Asante. It’s a full time job. Half of the relationship is making it look good to people who don’t even know us for real and the other half is balancing having a real relationship between your spouse and making sure the family business stays afloat throughout whatever gets thrown at us. It’s a lot of bullshit, late nights and dead bodies. It’s not all meetings and passport distribution,” Bishop said after a beat.
I lifted an eyebrow. “You think I don’t know that?”
“It makes me feel better to know that I laid it out to you though.”
“So, is that supposed to make me feel better about your upcoming wedding?” I smirked. “Bishop, I’m not jumping for joy or buying you no fucking wedding gift but I know what it is and I’ve always known. You’ve always been real with me. I’m nottucking tail and I’m not jealous. Shit go work or it’s not, but I’m not folding without trying.”
“That’s your final answer?” he asked.
I knew he was doing his best to make his voice aloof. He didn’t want the hope he was feeling to leak into his voice, but I felt it. I wanted Bishop to want this life, to want to be in it with me.
I didn’t know if I’d ever wanted anything more.
My hands went from his side to his face and I stared at him. My eyes bounced around his features, from his nose to his lips and back to his eyes.
“Did you think it would change?” I asked seriously but didn’t wait for an answer. “It won’t. I knew what was expected of you and your family before I inserted myself in this shit. Don’t doubt me, Bishop. Ever.”
“I just want to make sure you have all the information you might want about my family. I mean, because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life loving you and building a life with you, a real life where we can do whatever we want and go wherever we want.” He didn’t pause. You deserve more than I can ever give you, Asante, but I want you to know that I’ll give you everything that I have and am every day for the rest of my life.”
