Page 34 of Breaking the Rules

TWENTY-EIGHT

“Look what I got!” Savanhi excitedly shared, holding papers in front of the camera.

Noble was in Emerald City until tomorrow, leaving Savanhi to go back to her normal activities three weeks after their engagement.

She’d been running dance rehearsals from her chair.

Meeting with the interior designers to get the house together, even assisting Noble and Carl with the new line of protein-packed desserts that didn’t taste like chalk.

Her business schedule helped eased the ache of missing him.

This would be her life until Noble decided to retire, and she would lean into the newness of it and accept what it was.

She was marrying a baseball player. One of the biggest in the league.

To maintain her peace and to keep his, she made a life for herself and Areli that wasn’t imbedded in everything Noble.

Noble paused what he was doing to squint at the paper his fiancée waved excitedly in front of the camera. “Do I need glasses? I can’t see shit?”

“Oh sorry,” Savanhi giggled. “I’ll read it to you. Savanhi Day has been cleared to resume normal activity. Your baby is on track, hitting all the markers and I can finally wear nothing but my ring when you get home.”

“Ahh shit now,” Noble laughed before looking over his shoulder at his teammates laughing a cracking a few jokes. Kendrick as the leader.

“The only blue you got on now is your jersey!”

Savanhi covered her mouth. “I thought I was on your Air Pod!”

“It just died. Don’t pay them niggas no mind. They not talking about shit for real,” Noble shared, sitting down in his assigned wall locker for the evening. “So that means you’ll be up when I get home?”

“You know how to wake me up.”

Noble licked his lips and pulled a towel over his head, blocking his grin from his teammates but on full display for his lady. “I sure as hell do. You got to cut it out.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m so excited to dance again. All the dances,” Savanhi said with a wink and a giggle. “The Family Day , Yandi has planned to the tee, and we are having a double Dutch competition.”

“You ain’t doin’ it,” Noble spat. “Uh uh.”

“Baby, I can double Dutch,” Savanhi argued.

“You will not jump my baby out,” he dramatically responded.

Savanhi rolled her eyes and pushed her coils out of her face. “I will do what I want to do. Who’s going to stop me?”

“You keep talkin’ like that I will be home tonight,” Noble threatened.

“Do not threaten me with a good time.”

“Here you go.”

“No here you go. Baby, I leap, spin, and twirl half th-” Savanhi stopped covering her mouth.

“I knew it. I knew your fast ass couldn’t help yourself. I knew it! No, baby I’m in a chair. No, baby I’m sitting down,” Noble mocked her voice.

“Deucey.”

He scoffed softly. “ Deucey huh?”

“Yes. My handsome, valiant knight. I was in the chair ninety-five percent of the time. I swear.”

“Uh uh, I don’t believe you now. My little dancer is a little liar,” Noble joked. “You got one time to go on bed rest, and I’m going to hire you a nanny.”

She rolled her eyes again. “I swear you are the drama.”

“Clock it,” Noble said making Savanhi laugh. “Where you headed now?”

“Home to get Areli. We don’t have any classes today. You know she has a whole list of things for me to do.”

“Let me guess, manicures are on the top of her list?”

“Hair appointment, actually. She needs a deep condition and refuses to let me do it without theatrics, so I’m strapping her to a chair,” Savanhi said with a giggle.

“She’s been acting like she got some damn sense. The temper tantrum she threw before I left was unreal.”

“Deuce, she misses her mother. No matter how much we occupy her and love her she still wants her mother. We’re going to have moments like that, and instead of getting beside ourselves, we’ll lean in and love her more.”

Noble stared at the screen before a smirk pierced his cheek. “You’re going to be great at this.”

“You are too. Go finish getting ready. I’ll see you soon,” Savanhi coached, blowing kisses toward the screen. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

The call ended, and Savanhi quickly headed home. Bursting into the garage door, Savanhi spotted the bags staged by the door. “Everyone ready?”

“Yep! Off to surprise Unc-Unc,” Areli said with a jig and a wiggle.

“And what are you going to say to your uncle when you see him?” Remi asked, rounding the corner.

“Sowwy,” Areli started, earning a raised brow from Savanhi. “Sorry, Deucey, for kicking you because I was mad. I made him a card too. I covered it in pink glitter.”

Lawryn came in from the dining room dusting the residue glitter off of her. “Oh, he’s going to love that. I’ve been vacuuming all morning and still haven’t gotten it all up. How was the appointment?”

Savanhi thrusted her barely there baby bump in the air. “Cleared. I’ll be in the double Dutch competition.”

“No, you not!” the trio chimed, hands on hips, face screwed up and peering at Savanhi.

“My cousin baby is not going to drop out on the ground!” Areli protested, prompting Remi and Lawryn to chime in.

“Mmmhmm, yeah. She’s right when she’s right,” Remi buzzed.

Lawryn added. “Areli got a point.”

Savanhi rolled her eyes. “Noble got y’all in a group chat?”

“And what if he does?” Areli asked.

“You can’t even read,” the women fired off and falling into a fit of laughter.

“Come on y’all, the JoyRide will be here in ten minutes,” Savanhi stated, but no one moved.

“Did you tinkle, Sassy?” Areli quizzed.

“Did you?” Savanhi sassed back.

“I wasn’t the one smoochin’ and got a baby,” Areli shot back.

“You got a point,” Savanhi said, heading down the hall to the half bath.

Within an hour the group of women was landing in Emerald City dressed for the game and ready to cheer for Noble.

This game kicked off the Family Day celebration leading into the weekend.

When Noble ran out of the dugout, he wasn’t expecting to see Areli standing in his spot with a new hairdo, nails, and his bedazzled number on her jersey.

Noble ran to her and scooped her up while Savanhi watched from the sidelines. “Babygirl!”

“Miss me Unc-Unc?” Areli asked, showing all her teeth and squeezing his neck.

“You know I do. Where is Sassy?” he quizzed, looking around the crowd, finding Savanhi glowing in a crop top jersey, her growing belly on display in a pair of cargo jeans. “Found her.”

Savanh waved and blew a kiss and mouthed, “out of the park, baby. Out of the park.”

“What was all that shit you were talking?” Noble questioned from his seated position on the bed. Savanhi rented a JoyBed for the weekend so Areli could run freely.

Savanhi exited the bathroom, placing an earring in her ear. The only thing she wore was her oval-cut diamond engagement ring with the rubies and diamonds alternating around the band and her underwear.

She glanced at him, finding him ogling over her expanding body. “I thought you said we had reservations. You’re not dressed. You know you got to be back here by ten so you’re ready for tomorrow.”

“I’m not going nowhere,” Noble mused. “You ain’t either.”

Savanhi studied his tattooed body clad only in his branded boxers. “Deuce. You said you were feeding me.”

He smirked. “I am. Twice. The girls have a reservation. The Rain Forrest Eatery. There’s enough happening there that Areli will be well entertained and knocked out before she gets back. I have a chef downstairs making dinner for you. What’d you say you wanted?”

Savanhi bit her lip and roamed over to him, stopping to stand between his parted thighs. Her hands rubbed his shoulders. “I don’t know, I’ve had a lot of cravings. Refresh my memory fiancé.”

Noble rumbled with laughter and placed his hands on her hips. “Chicken broth bowl.”

“Ohh yessss,” Savanhi cheered softly and wiggled under his touch. “I did mention I wanted something else.”

He smiled, hands moving to her flesh-toned thong and tearing it from her body.

“Those were new.”

“I’ll buy you more. Your side of the closet went from sad and lonely to I can’t even get to my shit.” He laughed. “I love it.”

He lifted her thigh and placed her foot on the other side of him, his finger dancing over her juicy lower lips. His touch was gentle and caring. Every touch, rotation of his thumb over her clit, and push of his fingers inside of her wetness was intentional.

Savanhi kissed his face, moaned softly in his ear, and muttered, “I love you. I’ve missed you.”

He pulled his fingers out of her and sucked her juices from them. A moan when her sweetness saturated his tongue sounded like music. “I’ve missed you.”

Noble stood, cupping her face. He swiped his tongue over her lips, slipping into her mouth.

The sweet hum of Savanhi savoring herself preceded the hitch of her breathing as he picked her up.

Depositing her onto the bed, Noble made it a point to kiss, lick, and suck every inch of her body before pushing her thighs up and sliding in.

Savanhi’s gasp was weighted with glee. “Ohh yesss.”

“Don’t have me beat that chef’s ass because he can hear you,” Noble groaned, falling under Savanhi’s spell.

She grabbed his chains and pulled his face down so their mouths could fuse. “It’s been six weeks, baby, I don’t give a damn who hears me.”

That made him slip deeper into her depths. So what, dinner was almost done, taking his time with her was imperative.

“You stroking me like you love me,” she teased, swirling her hips to match his motion.

“I do. Shit, you know I do. You should’ve known I was going to be crazy behind you that first night you had me breaking rules.”

“Put you right to sleep,” she moaned. “Shut up and do me the way I like, lover boy.”