Page 24 of A Don & His Doll

“Tomorrow,” Sienna answered, slightly biting her bottom lip.

“Okay. How long will we be there?”

“Maybe to visit, but we can worry about that once we settle in. Is that alright?”

“Sounds good to me,” Monae answered, then continued to eat her food.

To Monae, it was just a change in location, but for Sienna it was stepping back into a chapter of her life she thought had been closed forever. Just thinking about it made her soul tremble.

“You wanna find something to watch on Netflix?” Sienna asked, hoping she’d say yes.

“Yes, but can I pick the show?” Monae asked.

“Yes, you can choose,” Sienna agreed with a raised brow.

Once they finished up their stew, they made their way to the living room. Sienna had way too much on her mind to pay attention to the show Monae had chosen to watch. All she really wanted to do was snuggle up and cuddle with her girl. It was something so sacred about the love between a mother and her daughter. Sienna cherished every moment she got to spend with Monae. They were all each other had, and somehow Sienna had found contentment with the life she was forced to live with her daughter.

About an hour later, Sienna looked down and noticed that Monae had drifted off to sleep. She grabbed the plush throw blanket that rested on the back of the couch, then eased up slowly, laying Monae down on one of the decorative pillows. Careful not to wake her, Sienna pulled the blanket gently over her daughter’s shoulders, then smoothed the fabric softly before walking away to pack their clothes.

Leaning against the doorframe of her bedroom, Sienna took a deep breath and held it thirty seconds before exhaling. She repeated the same action three times as she walked to her California King bed, each step she took felt heavier than the last. Sitting on the edge of the bed, one hand covered her heart, the weight of the burden and secret she’d held for over a decade felt insurmountable, and suddenly the tears that slipped down her beautiful face were unstoppable.

She wept for the decisions she’d been forced to make. She wept for the love she’d held on to as long as she could without the promise of experiencing it ever again. Sienna wept because the day she’d begged God for had arrived, but the blessing was weighted, complicated, and conditional. Something the love she and Monroe had never been. Sienna hated Macie for the way she’d taken the pureness of the love she and Monroe shared, and turned it into manipulation and ultimatums.

Struggling to pull herself together, Sienna refused to allow Macie to weaken her any further. Slowly, she stood and made her way to her vanity, her reflection revealing a woman who had survived things many people would never understand, and still managed to remain soft where life had tried to harden her. She needed to look at the picture of Monroe that was taken on his birthday, two years after Sienna’s fake death. If there was ever a man that could make a white Polo t-shirt, jeans, and Timbs look better than a Tom Ford tux, it was Monroe Black. Confidence radiated from him effortlessly, like breathing was all he needed to remind the world who he was. His presence was power and pressure at the same time. His iced-out diamond Patek gleamed beneath the light, complemented by a flawless VVS Cuban Link chain with a bold M pendant resting against his chest. Two rings gleamed on his fingers, every detail reminding the world that Monroe didn’t just touch money. Money answered to him.

Sienna had never given a damn about Monroe’s jewelry, money, or who he was in the streets. When it came to her heart, none of that would never outweigh what mattered most to her.

The way he loved.

The way he protected.

The way he made her feel seen in ways no one else ever could was top-tier.

Sienna lifted her hand, gently smoothing her fingertips across the glass like somehow she could reach through time and distance to touch him. Get yourself together, Sienna. Go get your man back, you’re worthy of his love. He loves you, and he will love his daughter. She deserves to be in her father’s life. She deserves to feel his love, and not just be told about it,” Sienna thought to herself, gathering the strength she’d need to fight for the love she believed was hers.

“I’m coming back to you, baby,” Sienna whispered. “Love like what we have was never built to be replaced.”

It’s been said that all good things come to an end, but the deepest part of Promises’ soul begged to differ. There were some good… no, amazing things in life that she simply wasn’t coming off of. Monroe wasn’t a thing, he was her person, and there was no objection in her spirit that confirmed that he wasn’t hers. Exhaustion had clung to her bones when she got off of work, but she’d promised Monroe she’d spend the night with him.

From the time she’d walked through his front door, Monroe had been catering to her nonstop. His personal chef had prepared their dinner, he’d given her a full body massage, ate her pussy slow from the back, and now Promise lay securely in the softest place on his chest… just above his calm heart. Jumping The Broom had been the movie Promise chose for them to watch until then drifted off to sleep. She’d loved this movie since 2011 when it first released. The message was real and raw in this movie, and Promise walked away with an understanding that love didn’t always come without a fight. Sometimes hard decisions had to be made. Sometimes the sacrifices made cost everything, but love always made it all worth it. People always were going to have their opinions and feelings, but Promise realized that when the love was real, only the ones in love with each other mattered.

“You have to leave your mother and father and cleave to your wife… Genesis 2:24, KJV”

“What you think about that?” Monroe asked, referencing the comment T.D. Jakes made in the movie. “You agree or disagree?”

Promise lifted her head from his chest to peer in his eyes. “Yea, I agree,” she paused, then continued. “I agree because I feel that marriage is about sacrifice, commitment… Pure love, and transparency. Family will always be family. I get that, but when it gets down to the nitty–gritty… It’s about the vows man and woman make before God, to each other,” She spoke honestly as her gaze settled into his soul, unwavering. “For instance, if you and I get married… I’m not going to compete with your mother or any other woman for what’s mine.”

Monroe chuckled. “You won’t ever have to. You da queen, Doll,” his smooth baritone assured her, leaving no room for doubt.

“That’s a mu’fuckin’ fact, baby,” Promise said, humor laced in her tone.

Monroe shook his head, amused.

“Your mother loves you, and she’s hella territorial–”

“She respects you,” Monroe cut in, deafening his mother, but shielding Promises’ feelings as well. “She don’t trust people easily because of the life we live, but don’t take none of that shit personally,” he stated, referring to the day they met in St. Tropez. “Just know when it come down to it, ya man don’t give a fuck who it is. You gon’ forever be mine, and ain’t nobody gone ever stand in the way of our happiness,” Monroe stated with so much conviction, Promise trembled.

“It was just an observation, but you know me. I’m ten toes down when it comes to you.