Rafael had wished for alcohol, but when it came to his partaking in peaceful slumber, he’d chosen prayer instead. Princess had suggested that they could spend the night cuddling, but knowing the permanent hard-on that would cause, Rafael had opted for the pull-out sofa in the suite’s living room. The last time he looked at the clock it was 4:45.
Princess’s night had been harrowing at best. Sleep was elusive. Dreams were not. In one of them, she and Kelvin were back on the campus of UCLA, walking from one of the buildings to his car. They were holding hands and kissing, in between waving at people they knew. Suddenly, this woman named Fawn, a real-life nemesis who for three years convinced Kelvin that he was the father of her son until a DNA test proved otherwise, roared up in a candy red convertible.
“Get in!” she’d said, as Kelvin and Princess neared her vehicle.
“Forget you, girl,” Kelvin huffed, reaching for Princess’s hand and turning them to walk behind the car.
“You can never forget me!” Fawn screamed, holding up a newborn baby girl. “You won’t be able to deny this one! I gave him the daughter you aborted, bitch!”
Princess had sat straight up out of that nightmare, her heart beating faster than it had at the church. She’d shaken her head to try and clear the cobwebs of that horrible subconscious state. She realized that the content of this dream was the result of the subconscious guilt she continued to carry, remorse about the pregnancy she’d terminated even though she felt forgiven. “It was a boy,” she’d whispered into the darkness, although the dream caused her to speculate that she and Kelvin’s child could have indeed been a girl. That’s when the tears had come, and she’d tiptoed into the bathroom and turned on the water so that Rafael couldn’t hear her cry.
“Baby, are you awake?” Rafael sauntered to the doorway of the bedroom and now leaned against the doorjamb, looking fondly at the lump in the bed that was his soon-to-be wife.
Princess nestled deeper into the covers. “Barely. What time is it?”
“Time for us to get up and get moving. Cleavon is expecting us at the courthouse at eleven and our flight leaves at three, so we can’t be late.” He walked into the room and sat on the bed. “Did you sleep okay?”
“It took me a while to fall asleep, but once I did, it was okay. I probably got around five hours of sleep.”
Rafael smiled. He felt good knowing that Princess’s night had been similar to his, physically wanting something that was so close, yet so far away. “Well, you get around ten minutes more sleep while I take a shower. Or better yet, why don’t you order us some room service so we can have a quick bite before we leave?”
“Okay.” Princess threw back the covers and sat up on the side of the bed. Because he was behind her, she didn’t see the raw desire that blazed in Rafael’s eyes as he looked at the satin-clad woman who made his blood boil and his bone hard. “But let me use the bathroom real quick.”
The ride to the courthouse was a quiet one, as had been the breakfast that they’d shared in the room. Rafael had been amorous, barely able to keep his hands off Princess, wanting to continually bury his tongue deep inside her mouth. Princess had complied a time or two, but the more he pressed for physical affection, the tighter the knot in her stomach had become. She’d already resigned herself to the fact that there was nothing she could do. Rafael had been more than patient; she had to see this through. The proverbial horse was well out of the barn and there was no bringing it back. If you have any reservations, Princess, any doubts at all about your being able to stay in this marriage for the long term . . . then you’d be doing Rafael a disservice by saying “I do.” For the past twenty-four hours, the words of the conversations with her mother had been on a continuous loop inside her head. In her alone
Princess’s night had been harrowing at best. Sleep was elusive. Dreams were not. In one of them, she and Kelvin were back on the campus of UCLA, walking from one of the buildings to his car. They were holding hands and kissing, in between waving at people they knew. Suddenly, this woman named Fawn, a real-life nemesis who for three years convinced Kelvin that he was the father of her son until a DNA test proved otherwise, roared up in a candy red convertible.
“Get in!” she’d said, as Kelvin and Princess neared her vehicle.
“Forget you, girl,” Kelvin huffed, reaching for Princess’s hand and turning them to walk behind the car.
“You can never forget me!” Fawn screamed, holding up a newborn baby girl. “You won’t be able to deny this one! I gave him the daughter you aborted, bitch!”
Princess had sat straight up out of that nightmare, her heart beating faster than it had at the church. She’d shaken her head to try and clear the cobwebs of that horrible subconscious state. She realized that the content of this dream was the result of the subconscious guilt she continued to carry, remorse about the pregnancy she’d terminated even though she felt forgiven. “It was a boy,” she’d whispered into the darkness, although the dream caused her to speculate that she and Kelvin’s child could have indeed been a girl. That’s when the tears had come, and she’d tiptoed into the bathroom and turned on the water so that Rafael couldn’t hear her cry.
“Baby, are you awake?” Rafael sauntered to the doorway of the bedroom and now leaned against the doorjamb, looking fondly at the lump in the bed that was his soon-to-be wife.
Princess nestled deeper into the covers. “Barely. What time is it?”
“Time for us to get up and get moving. Cleavon is expecting us at the courthouse at eleven and our flight leaves at three, so we can’t be late.” He walked into the room and sat on the bed. “Did you sleep okay?”
“It took me a while to fall asleep, but once I did, it was okay. I probably got around five hours of sleep.”
Rafael smiled. He felt good knowing that Princess’s night had been similar to his, physically wanting something that was so close, yet so far away. “Well, you get around ten minutes more sleep while I take a shower. Or better yet, why don’t you order us some room service so we can have a quick bite before we leave?”
“Okay.” Princess threw back the covers and sat up on the side of the bed. Because he was behind her, she didn’t see the raw desire that blazed in Rafael’s eyes as he looked at the satin-clad woman who made his blood boil and his bone hard. “But let me use the bathroom real quick.”
The ride to the courthouse was a quiet one, as had been the breakfast that they’d shared in the room. Rafael had been amorous, barely able to keep his hands off Princess, wanting to continually bury his tongue deep inside her mouth. Princess had complied a time or two, but the more he pressed for physical affection, the tighter the knot in her stomach had become. She’d already resigned herself to the fact that there was nothing she could do. Rafael had been more than patient; she had to see this through. The proverbial horse was well out of the barn and there was no bringing it back. If you have any reservations, Princess, any doubts at all about your being able to stay in this marriage for the long term . . . then you’d be doing Rafael a disservice by saying “I do.” For the past twenty-four hours, the words of the conversations with her mother had been on a continuous loop inside her head. In her alone
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