Page 94 of Surrender to Love

“Sit, love. I’ll tell you while I pack up so we can leave.”

She stares at me until I sit on her small sofa then she steps behind her desk. As she straightens it and gets her things, she tells me, “He just showed up. Because of our divorce settlement, I still get monthly payments from him. He wants me to ask the courts to stop it.”

I can’t lie I don’t like hearing that she’s getting anything from that nigga.

“You don’t need his money. Anything you need, I got it. You can stop that shit right now.”

“Shiro, I don’t even spend it on myself. I spend most of it on my mom’s house and bills and invest the rest. His money has actually made me money.”

“How much is it?”

“Shiro,” she exclaims. “It stops six months after I remarry anyway. September is the last payment. He just wants me to stop it now.”

“Nah, I’m dead ass. How much is it?”

“Five thousand two hundred a month.”

“Then I’ll give you thirty grand and you can stop the payments tomorrow. I don’t want you getting another penny from that nigga,” I grit and she looks up.

“You’re serious.”

“Very,” I admit. Had I known she’s been getting money from him I would have been deaded that shit.

Without breaking eye contact, she stands and walks over to me. After sitting on my lap, she caresses the side of my face and rakes her fingers through my beard.

“Okay. I’ll contact my lawyer and have him file the paperwork to stop it. And you can keep the money. In a few days, what’s yours is mine anyway.”

“It’s been yours,” I tell her, meaning that shit.

“Then smile. You’re still looking serious and we don’t have that much time left together for you to be serious. I want our last hours together to be fun.”

“Ay. Quit saying last like that.”

“You know what I mean. We have tonight then our break. I want to have fun.”

“Trust me; we are,” I say, then kiss her pretty ass. “Let’s go. I got a surprise for you.”

TWENTY-THREE

“Wait, what now?” Alex exclaims as she rushes into the living room, buttoning the top of her pajamas.

“If you were on time like the invite stated, you wouldn’t have missed the juicy story,” Giselle scoffs.

“Don’t do that. It wasn’t intentional. Royals business ran over but I’m here. I have my pajamas on and I’m ready to catch up. Now, who was dragging who?” she says and I just laugh.

Tonight is my last night as an unmarried woman and Giselle has planned the perfect send off. Since I’m marrying the man of my dreams in his family’s cabin in less than twenty-four hours, my bestie rented a cabin three doors down for my bridal/bachelorette party. It’s an exquisite, three-level, wood crafted cabin situated in the midst of ginormous trees and filled with my three besties, Lexie, Sade, Alami, my mom, Shuga, and a sleeping Niya. She’s on the top floor, away from our shenanigans.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by two sexy, chocolate men dressed in black silk pajama pants and nothing else and champagne glasses filled with bubbly and strawberries. Giselle presented everyone with an engraved lavender duffel bag for the night. Inside were lavender silk pajamas and robes for them—white for me—personalized matching bonnets and eye masks, fluffy slippers, a can of Velvet Buzz, a hangover kit, and a game packet for the fun stuff.

There’s a buffet of all my favorite foods in a large kitchen with a wrapping bar area and a variety of decadent mini desserts in the perfectly placed dining room that opens to the lovely living room we occupy. Everything is just gorgeous, especially the stone gas fireplace with a theater size TV positioned above it. The best part is that our food and drinks are all served by more fine ass, shirtless, Black men.

I honestly didn’t expect anything less from Giselle.

“Get a drink and I’ll start over,” I tell Alex.

“Do I have to get up or will his fine ass come to me?” she asks.

“Tell the bride-to-be to ring her bell,” Giselle says and I dramatically pull out the crystal bell included in my duffle bag.