After she handed me the bowl, she started hers. I sat there with my unblinking eyes as she piled on pecans, boba, gummy bears, chocolate chips, and sprinkles. There was a sparkle in her eyes. I wasn’t about to say shit to her about her diabetic bowl ice cream. She sat back on the couch, pulled her feet up, and clicked them together. Now I laughed because her ass was too overjoyed.
She ignored my laughter as she ate her ice cream. When my laughing died down, she finally answered my question. “When I was a little girl, my parents had a sundae night every week. The days varied, but no matter what, they had it. Every once in a while, they would add an extra night so that I could be involved. I promised myself when I was a teenager that I would have a sundae night when I met the man of my dreams.”
My spoon brought some ice cream to my mouth. There was silence for a moment. “So I’m the man of your dreams, huh? Is that what you’re telling me?”
Her body turned toward me. I loved how her cheeks brightened when she blushed. “I guess I am telling you that. There was a time that I didn’t sleep much. Now I do just so I can have you in my reality and my dreams.”
She jumped slightly from the feeling of my cold hand that cupped her face. My face came close to hers. With our lips close together, I said, “You are so corny, but I love that shit.”
Her giggles came out as we kissed. When we pulled away, my heart told me it was time. “Blake, I love being the man in your life and of your dreams. Is it cool if I be your husband too?”
You could hear a cloud form. “You want to marry me?”
My ear dropped toward my shoulder to the doubt in her tone. That shouldn’t have been there. I put my bowl of ice cream back on the tray on the table in front of us. The ring was in the drawer of the side table closest to me where I put it while she was in the kitchen, getting the sweets needed for tonight. The gasp that came from her when she noticed what was in my hand made me chuckle.
With an opened ring box and one knee on the ground, I responded to her question. “Yes, I want to marry you. Is that cool with you? Your pop thought it was a good idea.”
It was important to Blake that I asked her father for her hand, and I knew that. My woman was a romantic. She placed her ice cream bowl on the seat next to her, then leaned forward and kissed my lips. The kiss was deep and passionate.
When it ended, the corners of Blake’s eyes were wet. Now her hands cupped my face. “I will be your wife on one condition.” A pregnant pause took up space. “I will be your wife as long as you promise to be the best father to our baby that you can be.”
Spit got caught in my throat. I coughed a little bit. She giggled as she patted my back. I took a moment to get my shit together after I took a sip from my cup of water on the side table. “Are you talking about our future children when I get you pregnant, or are you pregnant now?”
With a bright smile, she said, “I’m pregnant now.”
Without a thought, I jumped up then lifted her from her seat. She wrapped her arms and legs around me as she laughed. “Fuck yeah!”
This was more than I could have ever asked for. Life had a way of lifing in a good way. When I moved to Charlotte, it was to improve the foundation of a business that had fallen off. I succeeded in the goals that Derrick, Seneca, and I agreed upon. In the mix of all of that, I met Blake. That was all that was neededfor me to know she would be my forever. Now she was . . . frisbee halo and all.
Over a Year Later . . .
“Happy birthday to Halo! Happy birthday to you!” the partygoers sang joyously to the little girl who sat in her highchair with high cheeks and a wide smile.
Halo Collin McLeod was the light of everyone’s existence, especially her parents, Scotty and Blake. Six months after Blake announced to Scotty that she was pregnant, they were married in an intimate wedding, surrounded by their family and friends. There was no way that he would let his child come into the world without her mother being his wife.
“Blow out your candles, baby girl.” Scotty egged on his daughter. He imitated a person blowing so Halo could follow his lead. At one year old, she was in a copycat stage.
Halo got all her mother’s attributes and all her father’s freckles. When Blake was pregnant, everyone wondered what color Halo’s eyes would be because of her father’s grayish eye color. Her mother, on the other hand, had the most gorgeous brown eyes that enchanted many. God decided that Halo’s eyes would be the same enchanting brown as her mother’s.
One thing that no one counted on was that Halo’s beautiful toffee, freckled skin would be complemented by natural ginger hair. Scotty’s hair had a hint of ginger, but the mix of Lashonda dulled it to a point. The proudest person in the family about Halo’s ginger hair trait was her grandfather, Killian. He too was a full ginger head. He thanked God that He saw fit to add a little of him into his granddaughter.
Halo leaned toward her smash cake to mimic her father, then blew. Blake was thankful that it was her smash cake because spit accompanied the air in her lungs that came out when she blew. It wasn’t enough wind to blow out the single candle, but that was alright. That was what daddies were for . . . to do the things for their daughters that they couldn’t do for themselves.
When the candle extinguished, Halo’s little hands fanned the smoke. “Hot! Hot! Hot!”
She was taught that where there was smoke, there was fire, which was hot. Scotty chuckled before he took the candle out of the cake. “Daddy’s got it.”
That was all that she needed to hear to grip both sides of the cake with her hands. When her hands pulled away, she had cake in them to offer her mommy and daddy. Without reservation for the germs that could be in her hands, they happily ate the cake from her hand.
Next, Halo stuck her hand out to her grandma. Marla’s face turned up. “Now, Haico, you know grandma loves you, but I’m not eating cake out of your nasty hands. I’ll cut me a piece.”
Halo thought her grandma was so funny. She laughed at the antics. Marla was the only one that called Halo by the nickname Haico, which was a mixture of her first and middle name.
Kids waited for their slice of cake to be cut while Blake cleaned her baby girl’s hands. After she was done, she lifted her from the highchair and cradled Halo on her hip. This was the baby that she prayed for.
Scotty’s lips warmed her cheek where he kissed. His arms wrapped around her middle, and his hand rubbed her protruding belly. “My son treating you right today?”
Blake’s head tilted back so that she could put eyes on her husband. “Just like you, your son is giving me happiness and a tiny bit of hell. I wouldn’t have it any other way, though.”
