He chuckled. “Can you tell?”
I laughed and pinched my thumb and index finger together. “Just a bit.”
ONE WEEK LATER
I wasinterested in how our transition to life after Sorrel and Vegas would work. Neither of us had been around each other in Cherokee Springs. There, she had her family, her friends, and her floral shop.
When I was at home, I spent most of my time alone. I was a bit of a recluse, and I was okay with that. Dove had always been a social butterfly, and I wasn’t sure that she would be okay with the way that I lived life.
Outside of fighting for EFC, I mostly traveled alone or with my siblings and played video games at home and sometimes with Noah whenever he’d drop by. I wasn’t a fan of a lot of peoplebecause people hadn’t been kind to me. They had been cruel for most of my life, and I refused to open myself to further damage. Dove was a bright ray that attracted beautiful people wherever she went, despite her past relationship with Neal.
She had been working at her floral shop again, and I had been stopping by every day to take her little trinkets like breakfast, lunch, jewelry, gift baskets with her favorite snacks and books, and other little things to make her day go by.
Today was our first actual date. We had spent a lot of time together over the last couple of months, but I had never taken her out on an official date, and I was nervous. Not just about going out in public, which wasn’t something I was comfortable with, but I was nervous about impressing her. I wanted this first date to be one that she would never forget.
I rang the doorbell, and she snatched it open within seconds. I chuckled. “Damn, girl. You sitting by the door waiting for a nigga to show up?”
She giggled as she stepped out of the loft apartment and closed and locked her door. “Something like that.”
I smacked her on her fat ass and made her booty jiggle.
“Stooop,” she whined, smiling at me over her shoulder.
“So, were you waiting for me?”
“I said something like that.”
“Something?” I asked, taking her oversized bag from her hand. I had told her to pack grooming supplies only and to leave her clothes behind for our date.
“True confession? I was sitting there watching the Ring camera.”
I chuckled as I took her hand and led her out of the building to my BMW. “You wild, you know that?”
“Yep. Wild about you,” she replied with a twinkle. “So, where are we going?”
“I told you it’s a surprise.”
“Oh, okay. I see how you’re gonna be.” She smirked at me as I opened the door for her.
When she sat inside the car, I reached over and buckled her in before I headed to the other side of the car.
“Did I dress appropriately?” She wore leggings, a formfitting T-shirt, and gym shoes.
“Girl, you could’ve come out the house naked, and I would have thought it was appropriate for me.”
She giggled, and I pulled out and turned the radio on. We sang Chris Perry songs and rapped to Chablis’s latest CD as we rode.
When we pulled up to the drop zone at the local municipal airport, Dove leaned forward, gripped my arm, and shrieked. “Reigh! You for real?”
I chuckled. “You told me this is one of your favorite pastimes.”
“I know. I didn’t think you’d do it with me, though.”
“I’ve done it a time or two.”
“You never told me that!”
“Girl, why are you screaming?” I couldn’t help but chuckle at her excitement. She reached for the door, and I pulled her hand away. “I know you’re excited, but don’t forget who your man is.”
