We all finished with our nails, then went to lunch. Tonight was going to be so special for Maggie. I couldn’t wait.
V-Day Movie . . .
Instead of the normal Valentine’s Day dinner, Travis came up with a different plan that would include everyone. His plan was a movie night under the stars. It was a beautiful night for it. When Travis came to me and Shan for our help, he told us that he had been saving for this for a while. After he told us his vision, we knew that he would still need some help.
We were able to work it out within his budget, or at least he thought so. Of course, Shan and I put our own little twist on it since we scaled it up for more people to be there than he thought of. Since the movie would take place during dinnertime, I figured that we would still want to eat, so I hired food trucks to be there for the movie night. Mega wanted to fuss, but he also wanted this experience to be everything for our baby girl.
Since they didn’t want Maggie to know what the plan was, Croy and Fiona offered up their open field for the festivities. They had more than enough land for the imploded invitee list. That was a little bit of my fault, but I wanted everyone to see the wonderfulness that would happen tonight.
A large movie screen and projector was a lot less than I thought it would be, and I felt it was a good investment. The original plan was to do the blankets on the ground thing, but the men shut that down. I told Mega that the seating arrangements were his responsibility. Well, color me not surprised when Fiona called me on video to show people in her backyard opening packages that held boneless chaise couches. When I asked what we were going to do with those couches after tonight, hesuggested that we put them in a controlled temperature storage for the next time or donate them.
“Baby girl, you did your thing on that jersey. I know you and Kellie are going to have everyone wanting one.” Mega spoke to her as he looked at her in the rearview mirror.
Maggie wanted to do a big reveal for her new jersey. With her brothers as her hype men, they introduced her. Mega and I were mesmerized by the bedazzled baseball jersey that her and Kellie created. Of course, it was Travis’s jersey number. Her braids were in a bun on the top of her head, and she matched the outfit with a pair of dark denim jeans and Vans.
Maggie’s cheeks turned rosy. “Thank you, Daddy. You really think people will like it?”
Matthew sucked his teeth. “Man, they gonna buy it, Sis. I know I’m gonna let it be known to the chicks if they don’t have a customized Manfield jersey fromGrace Under Glitter, then I can’t take their like of me serious. If you can’t support the fam, then I can’t be bothered.”
My entire body turned toward the back seat. “Excuse me? Lil boy, you are too young to be worried about some lil girls.”
The smirk on Mega’s face didn’t escape me. When we made eye contact, he shrugged. “I mean, we gotta make sure the people around us are locked in. I don’t see anything wrong with it.”
In a quiet tone, I said, “I’m not going to do this with you, Megatron. Let’s enjoy the night.”
When we got to Fiona and Croy’s house, there were cars everywhere. I saw the confusion on Maggie’s face as we got out of the SUV. There were signs that told everyone where to go to get to the back.
Maggie’s loud gasp from behind me when we got to the backyard made me smile. “Mama, this is so amazing! Wow!”
Before she could say anything else, Travis stood in front of us. “Hi, Mags. You look beautiful.”
Mega grumbled about his nickname for her. He acted like Maggie wasn’t a nickname itself. “Come on, Ruth. Let’s get our seat.”
I wanted to stay to get his reaction to her jersey. My eyes stayed on them as Mega ushered me to our seat. Based on Travis’s smile and my daughter’s blushing cheeks, I didn’t have to hear the words. He appreciated and liked her creation.
“We’re right here, baby.” Mega’s voice pulled me out of my nosiness. I looked down at the double chaise couch, then smiled. “You like it, baby?”
I took a moment to look around at the setup. They were all identical with pillows, blankets, and side tables. What made my heart swoon was the custom picture collage sign that hung on the couches with our names on it. There were also beautiful flowers on each setup. From what I could see, the flowers were customized to the woman’s preference.
My body turned into Mega’s, and my arms went around his neck. “I absolutely love it. I see you men all had something up your sleeves. I love it when you have something up your sleeve.”
His hands went to my ass, and his tongue welcomed itself to my mouth.There will be a lot of touching under the blanket tonight. After we finished with our public display of affection, I noticed everyone who was here. My cheeks rose at the sight of Travis’s parents, Tristian and Annie. They were on the road so much that we barely saw them.
Something caught my eye. “Shan! Shan! Look!”
Shan’s eyes followed where my finger pointed. The same miss crushing on money girl sat cozily next to Warrior. “They look so cute together.”
“The fuck they do,” Ned blurted. “Shan, I don’t know why y’all women think this shit is cute. I’m not going to say anything, though, because Corleone will handle that shit later.”
I rolled my eyes. I started to speak but was interrupted by Mega. “Ruth, mind your business. Don’t stretch my patience for other people’s business. It took all of Big G, His disciples, and a few other honorable mentions to get me to agree to this.”
Fiona’s voice on the microphone caught everyone’s attention. She gave instructions for everyone to get food from one of the two available food trucks or the concession stand. We hired a few people to help with the popcorn, candy, and all the other stuff that you would find at a concession stand in a movie theater. She told everyone that the movie would start in twenty minutes.
Mega let me know that he would be back after he got a drink from the bar.Yes, there is a bar too.I walked over to where the women had congregated. “This is so nice. The men did this,” I said.
They all agreed. “Oh, I love the separate movie night in the theater in the house for the younger ones with nanny supervision,” Mekole added. “I made sure I gave the nanny that melatonin that my mama found. It puts Lil TJ right out.”
Taelyn stepped forward with a raised finger. “See, nope! Don’t be a gatekeeper, Mekole. I need to know the brand of that melatonin. Where can I get it from? Oh, and does that shit come in bulk?”
