Page 20

CHAPTER 19

Jourdan

I walked past Stephon’s front desk to find it missing Talia. The place was empty.

“Stephon, where is everyone?”

“Lunch,” he answered plainly.

“Oh my gosh, Stephon, you had me up in there performing for that girl, and you knew her ass wasn’t out here,” I said as I punched him in his bicep.

“Were you, though? Performing? Because it didn’t feel like it when you were gushing down your leg,” he said, smirking.

“Shut up, you knew what I meant.”

“And keep your hands to yourself. I have about thirty desks around this office, and I don’t have any problem disrespecting every one of my employee’s personal spaces to teach your ass a lesson.” I gasped.

“You wouldn't do that, Steph.” He laughed .

“You want to find out?” he said, laughing again. We’d made it to his truck, and he stopped at the passenger door to help me climb in. Once I was secured, he rounded the front and hopped inside.

“So, where’s this appointment?”

“Cypress City courthouse, we have an hour before our appointment. I know you like to be early,” I said. He glanced at his watch and pulled out the lot. Instead of taking a right to take us to the courthouse, he took a left.

“Where are you going? The courthouse is that way,”

“If we’re doing this right now, I have to go home to grab my birth certificate, social, and a piece of mail.”

“No, you don’t. It’s right here,” I said, pulling the folder from my purse that I’d placed in his truck before I walked inside. He looked over at me, showing all thirty-two and those sexy ass dimples. I loved it when he gave me his smile. It made me melt inside.

“So that’s what your sneaky ass was doing at the house today. I'm glad to see my plan worked. Holding out brought your ass right into my office in a damn white wedding dress,” he said, laughing.

“Since you have it all figured out, who will be our witness then?”

“I figured we could pay some random off the street to come in and do that.”

“Baby, you must be out of your mind if you think I’m about to let some motherfucker I don’t even know put their name on my very legal and real ass documents. I’ll just call my mother,” he said.

“Stephon, no…” I looked over to find the phone to his ear. He’d already dialed and had her on the line .

“Hey, Ma. What you doing?” He said as he looked over at me, winking. I was desperately trying to get him to hang up the phone.

“Ok, so you’re already downtown. That’s perfect. Can you meet me at the courthouse? No, Ma. I’m not in any trouble. You know me better than that. Alright, I’ll see you when you get there. Love you, Mamá,” he said before he hung up the phone.

“Stephon, I can’t meet your mother like this. I’m wet. I smell like sex, and I’m not wearing any underwear.” He glanced at me like he would take me in his truck just because I reminded him.

“You should have thought about that before your ass came to my job, strong-arming me over my dick,” he said and laughed.

“It’s not just because of your dick, Stephon,” I said and rolled my eyes.

“Yeah, Ok. What’s my favorite color then?” he asked. I wanted to say black. I knew it was black. However, I couldn’t tell him I knew everything about him because I’d studied him as if he were one of my targets. I was also falling fast and quick and wasn’t about to tell him that either, so I followed his lead.

“Ok, it was the dick. Now take me home real quick so I can change.”

“Hell no. We’ll be late. You’re completely covered, and you look beautiful.”

“What about your cum that’s running out of me? You want me to meet your mother like that?”

“You are worried about the wrong shit. And hold that shit in because that’s where it belongs. Besides, my mother did not have X-ray vision the last time I checked. I don’t think,” he laughed as if he’d thought of a time when she maybe knew something she shouldn’t have.

“The only person who knows you aren’t wearing any is me and you, right?” He’d sobered the jovial tone to a serious one.

“Yes, Stephon,” I said with a stoic face and raised eyebrows.

“We good then,” he said nonchalantly as he pulled into the parking deck. I thought about everything in my life that was about to change as we drove higher and higher around the deck until he finally found us a spot. Once he helped me out, I freshened up the best I could while he took off his holster. He entered a code into his lockbox behind the driver’s seat. He meticulously placed his guns inside and put his suit jacket back on. He wore a black Tom Ford suit with a white button-down. Ironically enough, we looked like we’d planned this impromptu marriage.

I reached back and grabbed the folder before shutting the door. He walked in front of me, leading the way. When he felt I was too far behind, he reached his hand back for mine and dragged me to his side. We entered the elevator and pressed the button for the courthouse lobby. When the doors opened, he pushed me inside, backing me into the corner.

“I know you don’t trust me fully, but my mother is going to love you, so relax,” he said, pecking my lips. I nodded. He turned as the elevator stopped, alerting us of our arrival. The doors opened, and we walked into the grand entrance of the courthouse. They all seemed to be the same everywhere. Marble floors and colosseum-style columns, which extended up to the ceiling, were placed sporadically throughout .

All I could hear were my heels clicking on the floors. Then, it started to feel like I was alone in the hollow-sounding room. The last time I’d been inside a courthouse was when the judge had sentenced my mother’s murderer. I tensed as I walked further inside. All the unwanted memories came flooding back. I stopped and rooted in place. Stephon’s forward movement jerked him backward. He placed his hands on the side of my head, letting his thumb caress my cheek.

“Baby, look at me. We don’t have to do this,” he said, his face written with worry and concern.

“No, it’s not that; I just don’t like courthouses. The last time I was in one was when…”

“Your mother,” he said.

“I understand, Baby. If it’s too much, we can leave and do this the traditional way,” he continued.

“No, I want to do it,” I said, trying to convey that nothing would stop me from doing this today. He nodded, then pecked my lips again. Stephon was so attentive. Within the hour, he would be legally mine.

Mine!

We walked inside, and he quickly located his mother. She’d already gone through security and was standing in the courthouse lobby. I was scared shitless. That anxiety was raised when we were asked to place all our belongings inside the bins and walk through the metal detectors.

“Stephon Angel,” his mother said as she wrapped him in her arms .

Tsk. Angel?

If she only knew her son was akin to a demon, the way he just had me pinned to that desk. He’d just ravished my body and stood in front of his mother like his dick didn’t crawl inside of me and take possession.

I’m probably going to need an exorcism. Damn. Well, at least I didn’t lie because it was definitely the dick. Do not get wet again, JoJo!

“Who is this beautiful young woman? Oh, and I love this dress. Where did you get it?” She asked, spinning me around in a circle.

“Hell, nah, Ma. This dress ain’t for you. This is Jourdan, my…”

“Girlfriend, I’m Stephon’s girlfriend,” I blurted out. Stephon grimaced and turned to his mother, who now looked confused.

Shit why did I say that? Now she’s going to think I’m a few screws loose.

“Ma, this is Jourdan, my fiancée and soon-to-be wife. And Jourdan, this is my mother, Adriana. We called you here today to be a witness so that we can have a civil wedding,” he said to his mother. The confusion that had previously existed was replaced with excitement.

“Call me Adri until you feel comfortable enough to call me Ma. Stephon Angel, you do not run me! If Mama wants the dress, Mama will get it,” she said sternly, effectively shutting Stephon down. I laughed because of his look. It said she would get this dress if he pushed hard enough.

“I know that’s right, Mama!” I said, raising my hand to high-five her, which was swiftly returned .

“I like her! Oh, Nene, why didn’t you tell me you were dating when I asked you weeks ago? This is awesome. Now I get to have my grandchildren.”

“Ma, let us get married first,” Stephon groaned.

“Yes, yes, of course,” she said and clapped. She spoke with a heavy Puerto Rican accent that wasn’t present in Stephon’s voice. He spoke like he was straight up from New York, and it did things to me. Stephon’s mother was beautiful. There was no way that she had a thirty-nine-year-old. She didn’t look a day over it herself. She wore her hair in its natural curly state. It was a luscious, thick, and rich black, the same as Stephon’s, and hung down her back. To me, and I’m sure to others, she favored Jennifer Lopez; her complexion, however, was deeper. As I continued to study my fine, soon-to-be husband and his very fine mother, we were directed by the bailiff to the cashier’s office. There, we paid our ceremony fee and got a marriage license. Then we headed to the magistrate.

I glanced over at Stephon; he was calm, as if he had no qualms about the lifetime commitment we were about to enter. We were told to sit on the nearest bench and wait for our names to be called. The hallway was quiet. It was so quiet that my dark thoughts started to filter in. They began to fill the space in the hall just as the dust particles filled the air by the windows where the sunlight was pouring in. The sadness started to overtake me because I should be sharing this moment with my mother. My father should be walking me down the aisle to meet the man I knew he’d be proud to have me marry. My leg began to bounce, and my heel taps on the marble floors resonated through the hallway .

Brice and Tayla are going to kill me when they find out I’m doing this without them.

A hand on my leg stopped my movement. Calmness flew through my body and overtook me. I looked down at my leg, where the sunlight met it, expecting to find Stephon’s hand. However, it wasn’t; it was his mother’s. I looked back up to see that Stephon had stepped down the hallway to take a call. I hadn’t even realized that he’d left my side.

“Jourdan, the look in your eyes is one that I’ve experienced many times. It’s the look of a child experiencing a monumental moment and wishing to share it with her parents. My parents died when I was a teenager. Same as with Stephon’s father. I can’t replace them, but I can be a stand-in and be here for whatever you need. I may never know why you two are rushing to get married, but Stephon is happy and has brought you into our family. I want you to be the same. I intend to make you feel nothing but welcome. He’s not trusting, so if he loves you, so will I.” She smiled, and a tear rolled down my cheek at the gravity of her statement. I quickly wiped my tears before Stephon saw me and nodded to his mother.

“Thank you,” I said, leaning in to hug her, relishing the feeling of a mother’s touch that I hadn’t felt in years. I breathed in deeply, accepting that this man was made for me.

“You’re welcome, Mija. Now let’s get you married so I can have those grandbabies,” she said. I laughed, but she appeared very serious.

“Stop, Ma, I heard Stephon say, who had now knelt before me. He gently wiped my face where my tears had fallen. I wasn’t sure how he’d known, but he did. I nodded to him and smiled, and he showed me his dimples.

Those damn dimples will be the death of me!

“Rockwell,” the magistrate called out. We all stood and headed inside. We walked into the small office, which looked like a tiny courtroom, to find him with his head down, signing documents. When he lifted his head, he peered in recognition.

“Stephon, the Stephon Rockwell?” He said.

“Oh shit, what’s good, Kenny,” Stephon said as he dapped him up.

“Long time no see. I see somebody finally tied you down. I thought you would run through women forever.”

“How many women, Stephon?” I cut into the conversation.

“Kenny, my nigga,” Stephon’s voice lowered, signaling for Kenny to shut his damn mouth.

“Let me introduce you to my wife and mother. This is Jourdan, and my mother, Adriana. This is Kenny Smith. We went to college together. Now let’s hurry up and get this over with before she rips up that marriage license fooling with your ass,” they both laughed.

“Let’s get to it then. Please turn toward each other and hold hands. Repeat after me: I, Stephon Angel Rockwell, take you, Jourdan Nichelle Washington, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, to love and to cherish, from this day forward." Stephon repeated the vowels and patiently waited for me to recite mine .

"I, Jourdan Nichelle Washington, take you, Stephon Angel Rockwell, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, to love and to cherish, from this day forward,” I spoke.

“At this time, we will exchange rings,” Magistrate Smith said. My face deflated, and my chin dropped to my chest. I hadn’t thought this through thoroughly. We didn’t have any rings. My face was lifted by a finger underneath my chin. Three rings, his and her wedding set, lit up inside a royal blue box he held. It was a platinum solitaire princess-cut diamond, approximately three carats, with diamonds surrounding the setting. The band was a simple platinum that matched his. He took them and slid them on my finger, which fit perfectly, and I did the same to him. I’d never smiled so big in my life.

“You may now kiss the bride,” the magistrate said. Stephon leaned in and gave me a quick peck before diving in.

“Stephon, you could at least wait until you both get home to start on my grandchildren,” his mother laughed. He groaned and gave me one last peck before whispering in my ear.

“Every night.”

“Let’s have a reception lunch so I can get to know my daughter,” his mother said.

“Stop fiddling with that dress, Jourdan,” Stephon’s mother said as I sat at her barstool. I’d been trying to offer my help for the last twenty minutes. She was making Mofongo. She’d told me that back home, they’d make it with crunchy pork skin, but since being in the US, she’d started using grilled chicken. She had this aura that pulled you in. Stephon had the same one. He’d caught me in his web, and I wasn’t trying to escape it. I was falling deeper into it.

I smiled as she bounced around the kitchen. Her home, like Stephon’s, was enormous. I felt it was too large for her to be living alone. I could imagine that every man she’d encountered was pulled in because she was an angel. As I looked around, I didn’t see any evidence of her having one. I still didn’t know why she’d named her son that because he for damn sure wasn’t. I giggled at the thought. She brought me out of my reverie when she continued.

“I know you didn’t get my son’s attention wearing a nun’s uniform,” she said.

“It was close, though, Ma. She was wearing a thick wool coat. She was walking around looking all uncomfortable with it on. Then, ‘boom,’ she took it off, and there wasn’t anything underneath,” he said without a hint of humor.

“Stephon! Why are you all up in our conversation and lying?” I asked. He was sitting in the living room watching TV. At least, I thought he was until he chimed in on our conversation.

“OK, I’m lying. She had on a Cat Woman costume underneath,” he said before laughing. He tried to be funny and reference what I was doing the night he saw me at Porter’s .

“I am so glad you run a successful security firm; those jokes, Baby, unh unh,” I said, shaking my head. His mother laughed behind me.

“Speaking of work. Ma, I’ve got a security conference coming up this weekend. It’s in New York. I need to head out tomorrow. I’m going to take Jourdan with me. Devin said to let him know if you need anything, and he will slide through. If it’s an emergency, Ma, please call me, and we’ll come right back,” he said. I glanced over my shoulder to find him staring at me. He shook his head, telling me not to say anything else.

What’s the deal with that? Does his mother not know who he really is?

We continued talking about everything, including Stephon. Then I felt him enter the space. His presence overwhelmed my senses as he came up behind me and kissed the back of my shoulder. He sat down and scooted his stool as close to me as possible. Grabbing my thigh like he always did, he jumped in on the conversation. My feelings about this arrangement had rapidly changed. Just earlier, when my mind told me not to trust him, my body instinctively followed. I no longer had control. I’d already fallen.