She averted her gaze again. “Trick said he would do some really terrible things to my dad before he killed him. I just want my father to be safe. My mom seems to be siding with Trick, so I don’t think there’s much I can do to keep her safe, but I do want her to be okay too.”
“Consider it done. What else?” Gideon asked.
“I want to see my dad.” She tried it again. She gave him a small smile, which let him know she was only half serious. Something told him that she didn’t really want to go against her father’s wishes. He admired that about her. She respected the people she loved, despite her own desires.
“You gonna make this hard on me, ain’t you?” Gideon asked.
She shrugged, some playfulness coming back to her. “I’ve already agreed to be your wife, and we don’t even know each other. I don’t think I can make things any easier on you.”
He laughed. His laugh caused Glimmer to laugh. It was the first time he’d heard it, and it was at that moment he felt like he was in a free fall, and he wasn’t even mad about it.
“True. How ’bout this? Let’s spend the night talkin’ and gettin’ to know each other. I promise to tell you my deepest, darkest secrets so you don’t feel like you’re marrying a stranger. I’ll also make sure you’ll get to see your pops. That’s my first vow to you.”
Glimmer looked at him with sadness written all over her face. His heart broke at the sight.
“You promise nothing will happen to him? Trick said?—”
“To be honest, I really don’t give a fuck about what another nigga said, baby. I need you to focus on what I said, because what I say goes. I don’t expect you to understand that becauseyou’re new around here, but I do want to ask that you trust me, you know, as your future husband and all.”
Glimmer nodded slowly and expelled a long breath. “Okay,” she whispered.
They sat in silence for a moment while Gideon continued to rub her feet. “Have you eaten?”
It was late afternoon, and he suspected he already knew the answer to her question. The club members downstairs said they hadn’t seen Glimmer at all, which meant she hadn’t eaten.
“No.” She shook her head.
“How about I run you a bath? Deja and Kyomi got you hella clothes. While you do that, I’ll get us some food. We can hang out the rest of the day. Whatever I can do to put that pretty mind to rest.”
Glimmer smiled weakly. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”
Gideon fought the urge to lean over and kiss her pretty lips. Instead, he gave her foot one last gentle squeeze and stood. “I’ll give you some privacy. Are there any foods you’re allergic to or don’t like?”
“Avocado and mushrooms.” Her cute bunny nose wrinkled when she spoke.
He chuckled. “Allergic or just don’t like?”
“Don’t like. I don’t have any allergies.”
“Cool. Is there anything you want specifically?” She shook her head. “Aight, I got you.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me, love. It’s my job to take care of you now, ain’t it? Besides, you need your strength for the wedding tomorrow.”
Gideon turned to go toward the bathroom to run her bath, excited to spend the rest of the day with his soon-to-be-wife.
“Don’t thank me,love. It’s my job to take care of you now, ain’t it? Besides, you need your strength for the wedding tomorrow.”
Glimmer watched him disappear into the bathroom with her eyes bucked out of her head.
Tomorrow?
She knew she agreed to marry Gideon, but she didn’t realize it would come so soon. Her heard swarmed with uneasy thoughts, and before she knew it, the scent of lavender wafted through the bedroom.
Gideon walked out and said, “You’re good to go, love. You need anything else before I get our food?”
“No, thank you, Gideon. Really, for everything.”
