I quickly forgot about her behavior and pulled Kira in closer to me.
“I can’t wait to be your wife,” she whispered through a sob. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this.”
*****
I lie in bed watching my fiancé of about four hours as she disappeared in the bathroom off from our Master suite. She was naked and flawless from my point of view. When she returned after freshening up, she lay in my arms, basking in the afterglow of the first time we’d made love as an engaged couple.
She squeezed my hand where it hung over her shoulder and smiled up at the ceiling.
“What is it?” I asked, yawning.
Kira shrugged. “I’m just so…excited! We have so much to plan, so much to do, so much to –“
“Buy?” I interjected with a laugh.
Kira smacked me on my side playfully. “That part is a given.”
I shook my head with a smile and let my eyes drift closed, thinking this was the end of the conversation.
“What colors do you wanna do?” She chirped.
Naturally, I shrugged – that’s not exactly guy stuff. “Whatever you want.”
“And we need to settle on a date. We’re gonna shoot for next year, right? Two years would be weird and I don’t –“
“Next year’s fine,” I assured her.
When I felt her eyes on me, I glanced down at her through my half-closed lids. “What is it, small person who’s keeping me up way past my bedtime?”
She didn’t smile like I expected her to do. Her finger trailed along the side of my neck and my eyes opened completely.
“What’re we gonna do about this?” She asked, tracing my tattoo. “I’ve been tight-lipped about it up until now, but…there’s no way in hell I’m walking down the aisle with you with some other girls’ name written on your neck. Can you cover it?” She asked.
I cringed at the thought of having some tacky blob of a tattoo plastered on the side of my neck just to cover Sam’s name. “I could, but I’ll just look into getting it removed.” That seemed like a better option.
Kira nodded, but her stare still persisted.
“What else?” I inquired groggily.
“Do you ever think about her? Sam?” Kira asked. There wasn’t an ounce of accusation or judgment in her tone, just pure curiosity. “You guys were pretty hot and heavy for a while.”
Now I was wide awake. Before answering, I shrugged. “She crosses my mind every now and again. I may wonder what she’s doing in her life, but…that’s about the extent of it. We were kids.” There was a lull in conversation while I did briefly think of Sam, but only because Kira mentioned her. “Does that bother you?”
She thought for a few seconds. “No, not really. If I thought there were still feelings there, maybe it would, but I know you’re in this 100%.” She smiled a little before craning her neck so that she could kiss my chin. “How do you feel about seeing her next weekend, though? That has to make you feel a little awkward, right?”
I gave Kira’s question some honest thought. “Awkward is the wrong word. I definitely didn’t anticipate being face to face with her again, which I realize was na?ve considering the fact that we both somehow ended up staying tight with Terrell, Maisha, and Dee when we broke up. I should’ve realized that a birthday celebration, wedding, the birth of a child, would somehow bring us back into one another’s presence one day. But it shouldn’t be awkward. She’s with someone.” I kissed Kira’s hand. “I’m with you. Things just worked out,” I added.
Kira was thoughtful for a moment. “I’ll bet she regrets leaving.”
I sighed and laughed a little.