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“You don’t have to tell me twice; I already know. I used to be the same way before him. Life has a way of shaping you due to your experiences. Pain changes you and makes you feel like you can’t trust anyone in this world. That’s why I never take offense to your cold demeanor. With everything that you’ve dealt with in the last few years, you have every right to have reservations.

"My only goal is to do my job to the best of my ability and one day to gain your trust. I won’t make a bunch of promises because we know, as humans, those can be easily broken. I believe that with time, we will get to a good space. Tonight proved that. You are an incredible performer, but more than anything, you’re a great man, Rule. I would say that your wife is lucky to have you, but from the stars that I see in your eyes when you talk about her, you both are blessed.” I appreciated her kind words and I made a promise to myself to try to be more open in the future.

Once I’d walked Reese to her room, I took the elevator right up to my suite. My palms were sweating as I opened the door to our room. I’d been gone for over an hour, so I assumed that she had fallen asleep by now. I tiptoed into the room, trying my best not to make too much noise. Nayeli loved to sleep with the TV on, but she was a light sleeper as well.

“Where did you go?” She asked. By the sound of her voice, I could tell she had just woken up.

“I walked to the deli across the street,” I told her, removing my clothes before setting them on the chair in the corner of the room.

“You went by yourself?” my head turned in her direction because I wasn’t used to her asking so many questions.

“I walked to the diner by myself, but Reese showed up a little while later.” There was no reason to hide it because I had done nothing wrong. I noticed her sitting up in the bed before she turned on the lamp on the nightstand.

“So, the two of you decided to meet up there?”

“No. I needed somewhere to go to clear my head. I hadn’t expected anyone I knew to be there. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who was having a rough night.” Nayeli scoffed in response to my explanation. My purpose for coming in the room was solely to make things right with her, but her attitude told me this wouldn’t be as easy as I thought it would.

“You expect me to believe that the two of you happened to run into each other, at the same deli, in the middle of the night?” Her insinuations offended me because I’ve never done anything to disrespect her, and she knew that.

“You know I don’t like to beat around the bush, so say what’s on your mind so we can talk about it. Walking around with your ass on your shoulders isn’t going to make things better for either of us.” Her eyes bulged in surprise. She wasn’t used to me taking this tone with her, and quite frankly, neither was I. Normally, I coddled and catered to her feelings above my own, but I couldn’t do it this time.

“Are you fucking her?” Her question threw me for a loop. I barely interacted with Reese, so I don’t even understand where she got this from.

“Are you being serious right now?”

“I mean, you act as if you can’t stand her, so I find it odd that the two of you somehow ended up at the same restaurant together.” I took a deep breath in order to calm myself down. Both of us were running off emotions, and I didn’t want to make this any bigger than it already was.

“No.”

“No? That’s all you’re going to say?” She shrieked, getting out of the bed to walk over to me. I took several steps back to create some space between the two of us. I’d never put my hands on my wife, but it was clear that she was upset, and I didn’t want things to escalate.

“Are you going to talk to me like an adult, or do you just want to pick a fight?” Even with the angry glare on her face, my wife was still the finest woman I’ve ever seen in my life. I hated fighting, and she knew this. It all seemed like wasted energy to me when we could just talk things out. I was a laid-back type of person, so yelling and screaming has never been my thing.

“I am being an adult; that’s why I’m asking you to be honest with me.” Her arms were folded in front of her.

“When have I ever been dishonest to you? You know more about me than anyone else in my life. I’m constantly sharing my location with you or telling you where I am. I’ve never given you a reason to think that I was unfaithful, so your question caught me off guard. I don’t have any issues with Reese, but that doesn’t mean I’m screwing her either. And if I was dumb enough to do some shit like that, why would I bring you on tour with me when I know she’s going to be here?” I attempted to reason with her. My mind was blown that we were even having this conversation.

“Talk to me, baby. What am I doing wrong? I came up here hoping that we could talk, and this is what I walked into. What am I not giving you that makes you think that I would cheat on you?” Her lips quivered as she stared at me. Tears formed in the corner of her eyes.

Nayeli has always been my weakness, and seeing her crying broke me down. As a man, it was my job to always make sure my wife felt secure, and it was clear I dropped the ball.

“I don’t know. Everything just feels so different, and we’ve been so disconnected lately. If we’re not working, then we’re talking about work. We barely get to spend any time together, and when we do, it’s usually surrounded by other people or our kids. It feels like we are roommates more than anything.” She basically said all the things that Reese had told me earlier.

“We’re supposed to be partners; why wouldn’t you tell me how you were feeling?” I’ve prided myself on creating a safe space for Nayeli to tell me anything. If she even thought for one second that she wasn’t a priority, there’s no way she should’ve held it in this long. Granted, as Reese said, it’s my job to pay attention to things like this. I had opened the door for doubt and everything else, by not making time for her in my world. Our world.

“You’re always so busy. You never seem to have time for me anymore. At first, I felt like maybe I was being ungrateful, considering the fact that you take such good care of us, but it’s been months, and nothing has changed. I don’t want to stand in the way of you following your dreams, but I don’t want to be forgotten either.” Her revelation tore me apart. I thought having us all on tour together would equate to spending more time with one another. However, I hadn’t considered my wife’s feelings. She agreed because she wanted to support my dreams and also be there to support Reign. Now, I’m realizing my mistake in all of this.

“Come’re,” I reached my hands out for her. She hesitated for a moment before grabbing ahold of them.

“You’re my partner and my best friend. I never want you to feel as if I don’t care about you. I’m not perfect and I apologize for not realizing how this was affecting you. As my partner, I need you to keep me in line. If I’m not loving you properly and not giving you the attention that you need, tell me. A lot of times, just having you near me is enough for me, so I don’t think twice about us not going anywhere.

"I forgot that part of making our marriage work means doing those things I did to make you mine in the first place. You’re the sexiest woman I’ve met in my life, so of course, I want to show you off at all times. I’ve just gotten so distracted with my schedule that I forgot to take care of home first. I’m sorry. I wasn’t the partner you needed, and I apologize for that. Now, tell me how I can make it up to you.” She wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her face into my chest.

I wanted to kick myself in the ass for missing the signs. Clearly, I needed to take a few days off to focus on what was most important. Family. We were down to our last few days of the tour anyway, so a vacation might be just what we needed.

Ciyani and Justice’s wedding was coming up in just a few weeks, so I hadn’t planned anything outside of that. I made up in my mind that I would reach out to our travel agent tomorrow morning to plan a couple’s getaway for us. Hopefully, I could get my mom to watch the kids for a couple of days.

Picking Nayeli up in my arms, I headed into the bathroom. I sat her down on the counter, as I started our bath. We had one of those Jacuzzi tubs, so I decided to put it to use. Whenever we traveled, I always made sure she had bath bombs and bubbles, so I walked out to grab a couple from my bag. Once I made sure the water temperature was hot enough for her and cool enough for me, I threw in the bath bombs.

Nayeli didn’t say much as she watched me move around the bathroom. I remembered that I packed my Bluetooth speaker, so I walked back into the room to retrieve it along with my phone. Charity had made me a lovemaking playlist because she was into that type of thing. I hadn’t used it, but I figured this would be a good time to try it. Dirty by Tank crooned through the Bluetooth speaker.

Once I acquired everything we needed, I turned my attention back to my wife.

“Take those clothes off,” I demanded. I wasn’t in the business of repeating myself. She slid off the counter then pulled her shirt over her head. Next. she stepped out of her pajama pants. The curve of her hips left me temporarily mesmerized. Damn. Nayeli's smooth, chocolate skin looked good enough to eat, and I planned to devour every inch of her. Her posture seemed uncomfortable as she stood there with her hands covering her stomach. Sauntering over to my beautiful Queen, I wondered how I’d gotten so lucky to have such an incredible woman in my life. Even when things weren’t the best, her love made it all worth it. Tilting her chin up, I gazed into her alluring brown eyes.

“Move your hands,” I urged. Nayeli hesitated for a moment, which alerted me to another issue we needed to address.

“Don’t hide yourself from me. When I tell you I love you, that means all of you. I’m not sure how we’ve gotten so disconnected, but I’m going to fix this. You are gorgeous, and this body of yours turns a nigga on without even trying. Do you understand me? You’re perfect the way you are, and there isn’t a soul out there who can ever hold a candle to you. When you hold back from me, it makes me feel like I’m slipping on my job as your husband. I need you to know you’re the shit whether you’re in my presence or not.” Tears cascade down her cheeks. Using the pads of my thumbs, I brushed them away then pressed my lips into hers.

She moaned once I lifted her back onto the countertop. This time, her back pressed up against the mirror while I spread her legs apart. Her lips were lightly parted, and I could see the anticipation in her eyes. She needed reassurance and passion, but more importantly, she needed the man I promised her I’d be. Her freshly waxed pussy called out to me the longer I held her legs open. She’d gotten the strip in the middle just the way I liked it.

The slickness gathering between her folds caused my manhood to expand down my leg. Bending down, I pressed my face into her sex. Her natural scent made my mouth water whenever she was in my presence. I flicked my tongue across her clit and watched her come undone. The faster I swirled my tongue across her bud, the louder she screamed. That shit only motivated me to go further. Her juices were running down her lower lips, so I dragged my tongue from the bottom all the back to her bud.

“Ooh! Unh! Baby! I-shit!” Nayeli’s legs shook while her hands gripped my locs that were falling in front of my face. I loved watching my woman squirm from the pleasure only I could bring her.

“Wet my face up, dove.” Holding her legs up in the air, I devoured her pussy until she came for a second time. My nose and chin were soaked in her nectar, by the time I finished. It wasn’t until then that I realized I’d never turned the water off from the tub. Luckily, the water ran slowly, so I shut it off at the perfect time.

Glancing back at Nayeli, I smirked, seeing her sitting on the counter in a daze. I lifted her up and then carried her over to the bath. She dipped her foot in to make sure the temperature worked for her. Once she gave me the nod of approval, I gently placed her inside.

I removed the rest of my clothes then joined her in the tub. Reaching over, I lifted her body then placed her in my lap. We were face-to-face in the jacuzzi.

“Come sit on it, dove. I’ve been missing your pretty ass for too long,” Nayeli fed me her tongue with her arms draped around my neck. When her warmth slid down my length, I groaned. Nayeli possessed more power over me than she realized. I’ve dabbled in my fair share of pussy, but none could compare to my wife’s. Inside her womb was where I found some of my greatest inspirations when it came to my music. She laughed when I first told her, until one night, she witnessed me writing an entire song after making love to her. Her love opened up my mind and fueled my creativity.

“Ahhh!” Nayeli’s head fell back while she rode my dick in the water. Leaning forward, I took her right nipple into my mouth. I switched from one to the other, watching Nayeli bounce on me. The more I sucked, the more her muscles contracted. Her hands squeezed my shoulder, and she screamed out in ecstasy. We made love until the water turned cold, and our bodies began to wrinkle.

After we got out of the tub, I dried her off then rubbed her body down. She moaned loudly when I applied lotion to her back, so I gave her a massage to help her relax. For the rest of the night, I catered to my wife’s needs. I emailed my assistant about booking our vacation the minute this tour ended. My wife’s happiness meant more to me than my own, and she deserved a few days of relaxation with no interruptions. Relationships took real work. A lot of people think you’re supposed to be happy all of the time, but it’s unrealistic.

Nayeli and I know the ins and outs of one another, and we still have moments when we don’t understand each other. Communication breaks barriers when it’s done the right way. Contrary to what people believe, when a person loves you, they will change for you. You won’t have to repeat your needs to them because they heard you the first time. Nayeli and I have disagreements like any other couple, but when she voices a concern in our marriage, I go out of my way to fix the issue. I might not get it right all of time, but I was damn sure going to try.

She reciprocated the same with me as well. Anything I need from her, she makes sure to give it to me. We aren’t perfect by any means, but we’re perfect for each other. When I think about what we’ve been through to be together, no one can convince me we weren’t made for each other. No one in this would fit my life the way she does, and I’d spend the rest of my life showing her just how irreplaceable she was.

My mind started reeling with ideas for a new song and if I didn’t write it down, I feared I would forget it. When I looked over Nayeli, she was sound asleep, so I decided to slip out of the bed to put my ideas on paper.

“Where are you going?” I heard the sleepiness in her voice.

“I’m going into the living room to write this new song down.” Whenever I traveled, a notebook and pens were a required part of my luggage. Sometimes, I’d use the note feature on my phone, but there’s something about putting my words down on paper that hits differently for me.

“This pussy has you writing love songs,” she giggled. The melody in her laughter pierced the deepest parts of my soul. It was a sound I wanted to hear for the rest of my life.

“Damn, right, that pussy has power. One of these days, you’re going to realize how influential you are in my life. I wouldn’t be able to sing about love if you hadn’t come into my life.” She got up from the bed, sliding her feet into her slippers.

The two of us sat on the couch while I worked. She rolled my blunt for me because she knew I smoked to set the mood for my creativity. I normally smoked outside, but I paid extra to smoke in the hotels, depending on the weather. It was too cold in Chicago to be standing outside, so I opted to stay in the room. We vibed together with her head resting on my shoulder.

“I’m sorry for blowing up on you earlier. I know you aren’t sleeping with Reese or anyone else, for that matter. I’ve been in my own head for the last few months, and I’ve been feeling insecure about our relationship.” I sat my notepad on my lap to give her my full attention.

“There’s nothing for you to be insecure about in our relationship. I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. We’re in this thing for life, dove.” I assured her.

“You’re constantly surrounded by women with these perfect bodies, and here I am-”

“Sexy as hell? Perfect in every way? I’m assuming that’s what you were getting ready to say.” I cut her off because she was trying to play my wife, and I wasn’t feeling it.

“My body looks nothing like it did when we first got together or even when we got married. I tried to get back in shape after Reason, and I felt like I was almost where I wanted to be, and then-” She paused for a moment.

“And then what?” I wanted her to finish her statement to understand her a little better. Instead of answering, Dove got up from her seat and then walked into the room. I finished up the chorus to this new song while I waited for her to come back. When she re-entered the room, no words were spoken as she sat a box on my lap.

“What’s this?” I questioned.

“Open it,” Her face was unreadable, confusing me even more. I went ahead and lifted the top of the box to see the contents inside. Moving the tissue paper out of the way, I noticed a little microphone, but the item under the mic caught my attention right away.

“Oh, shit. Are you serious?” I held up the little onesie that read: Oops, we did it again. Party of 5 coming soon. There were a plethora of questions running through my mind when I picked up the positive pregnancy test. Clearly, I’d neglected my woman more than I thought because I completely missed this. When she got pregnant with Reason, I noticed the changes in her body right away. Even her sensitivity to smells.

“Why didn’t tell me?” Dove wiped the tears from her eyes. This explained her being so emotional. Nayeli rarely cried, and I should have picked up on it right away.

“I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about it. We weren’t trying, and you have a lot planned for next year. Then we-,” Nayeli continued to ramble until I interrupted her.

“I’m your husband, right? If you’re pregnant, then we’re having another baby. Simple as that. How could I be upset about creating life with my soulmate? Furthermore, I nut in that pussy every chance I get, so I shouldn’t be too surprised. Regardless of how big our family becomes; we’ll make it work. You shouldn’t be stressing about a thing because I’m here. You’re not alone,” I affirmed. If I had it my way, we would have five or six children. However, I wanted Nayeli to be comfortable.

We were both making sacrifices, but I refused to allow all of the burden to fall on her when it came to parenting. Whether I’m on the road or not, I try my best to alleviate her responsibilities whenever I can. Plus, we’re blessed to have a village that doesn’t mind lending a helping hand.

“So, you’re happy?” Instead of replying, I moved her in front of me, lifted her shirt, and kissed all over her nonexistent belly. She giggled, running her hands through my locs.

“I love you, Rule Graham. You are one incredible human being, and I’m so lucky to have you.”

“One of these days, you’re going to understand this love is a sure thing. Now come sit your pretty ass down so I can finish this song, then put you to bed,” I kissed the top of her head, then went back to writing. Love is more than a feeling; it takes effort, compromise, and communication. I have flaws like anyone else, but when it comes to my wife, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure our love lasts. Ain’t no Rule without his Dove.