The truth was, I needed it too. I hovered like a storm warning, not because I didn’t trust my sisters, but because I didn’t trust people. Folks would mistake protection for control; it was really love refusing to be careless.
I set the backyard, simple but intentional. Patio lights glowed, towels folded, and the pool was like a dark mirror waiting for a new story. Inside, I lay out the swimsuit I bought her because she said she wanted to learn to swim, and I took that personally. Learning to float was learning to trust, and I wanted to be the man she could exhale around.
The doorbell hit right on time. I opened the door, and there she was—my lady, my constellation. Red silk draped on her like confidence, freckles bright as flare, eyes holding warmth and caution like she was softness with standards. The way she looked up at me, trying not to show how much she liked being here, turned my chest tender, and I stood there a beat too long before I finally welcomed her in.
“Come here,” I said, remembering that little syntax lesson, my voice low and warm. “You look . . . ridiculous in the best way, love.”
Her smile became shy, and my body answered it like a language I’d been waiting to learn. I teased gently and held out my hand. “Come on in, Connie.”
She slid her palm into mine, and I led her inside like a blessing I meant to keep. Her eyes lit up at the table, the candles, the food, with wonder moving over her face like sunrise.
“Rom—baby, this is so nice,” she complimented breathlessly, emotion thick. “Nobody’s ever done this for me. Thank you. I love it.”
I smiled at her, at the way she caught herself mid-name, but her words hit hard because I believed them.No one has ever . . .What kind of world let a woman like her go uncelebrated?
I kept my face calm while my spirit made promises.
“You’re welcome, Connie,” I said, soft on purpose. “You don’t have to earn special with me. You already are.”
I pulled out her chair and poured the sparkling rosé, and bubbles climbed the glass like joy finding its way up. She smiled wide, and mine came easy, like my composure sat down, and my happiness stood up.
We ate and talked, and when she took that first bite of steak, I had to remind myself to breathe. From the way her eyes softened, the way her shoulders finally dropped like the room had earned her trust, my discipline almost forgot its job.
I wanted her, yes, but it wasn’t just desire. It was devotion. Watching her unwind felt like a storm laying down its weapons, and a quiet oath rose in me: her peace is mine to protect, not with control, but with covenant. I didn’t just want her in my bed; I wanted her in her ease—fed, safe, laughed into softness, and cherished like the only theory worth studying.
We talked about her day with NanNan, and when swimming came up, a grin found me before I could stop it.
“Why you don’t know how to swim, Connie?” I asked, playful but earnest. “Your man a whole fish out here. You gotta learn. I got you.”
She laughed. “Growing up, my best friends were Amari and Mel. Amari begged me to swim, but I was terrified since I kept watching documentaries about that pool drain thing.”
Then she shook her head as if she could still feel it. “He coached me for five minutes. I slipped off the last step and went under like I was fighting for my life. Amari helped me up, so later, he thought I was ready, . . . and he threw me in the deep end. When I surfaced, I handled him. Mel and his cousin had to pull me off. After that, I swore I’d only get in my tub.”
I laughed from somewhere deep because baby was still mad, and it was adorable.
“Yeah,” I said, still smiling, but my eyes had shifted. “That’s exactly why I’m gonna teach you.”
I leaned in, voice low, more promise than play. “I don’t do deep-end surprises with people I care about. I don’t build fear and call it funny. I build trust and call it foundation.”
Her breath caught.
“I can teach you, Connie,” I said, steady and warm. “Private lessons. Here. We go slow, step by step. No tossing you in. And if it ever feels too deep, you grab me. That’s what I’m here for.”
Her cheeks warmed, freckles glowing like they were applauding her feelings. I watched her, my chest tightening with a mix of tenderness and hunger because she was so beautiful it almost hurt, and she was so soft inside it made me want to guard her with my life.
“You’re safe with me, love,” I said, quiet but absolute. “My hands on you the whole time, keeping you afloat when your breath gets shaky. I’m not letting you drown in this water.” I held her gaze. “Or in what I’m trying to build with you.”
Her eyes widened, like she didn’t know a man could speak that gently and mean it.
“What you say, my Constellation?” I asked, soft again. “You ready to swim with your man?”
She nodded, small but certain.
I tilted my head, letting a small smile pull at the corner of my mouth.
“Naw, love,” I murmured, voice low and patient, like I was coaching her spirit as much as her body. “I need the words. I need you choosing it on purpose.”
I stepped a little closer, not crowding her, just offering my presence like an open door.
