Your Love Is King

  He laughed. “Well, they don’t come with a manual. I ran my phone bill way up calling my mama when I first had to take care of Russ on my own.”

  “Well, my parents were right there with me the whole time, and for the most part, that was my biggest problem.”

  He frowned. “What do you mean?”

  I sighed. “My family puts the dys in dysfunctional. My parents divorced when I was, like, seven, and they still can’t stand each other. The only thing they can agree on is what a screw-up I am.”

  Chris cocked his head to the side and gave me a curious look. “Now, you don’t believe that, do you? They’re your parents. I know they love you.”

  “I guess they do love me in some twisted way, but all I’ve ever heard from them is how I should’ve done this or I could’ve done that. Never a word about how well I did manage to do. They just never got over my getting pregnant as a teenager and all that went along with that. I try not to dwell on how they feel about me, but it’s hard when your own family doesn’t accept you. I was depressed for years trying to deal with that stuff—suicidal, even.”

  He grasped my hand in his and gave it a little squeeze. “I’m sorry things were like that for you, baby, I really am. But what you have to remember is that God accepts you, and so do I. I love you, Marli.”

  “I know God does, and I know I would never have made it this far without His love and… what did you just say?”

  He smiled sweetly. “I said I love you.”

  “Um, I know you kind of hinted at that before, with the red rose, but are you serious? You love me?”

  He nodded. “I really do.”

  “Are you… are you sure?”

  “Very sure.”

  “Are you just trying to get me to stay here? I’ve already been considering it, so you don’t have to say that if you don’t mean it.”

  He leaned closer to me. “Now, I ain’t above lying to keep you here, but I mean it, baby. I love you. I wanted to tell you when I gave you the rose, but I got cold feet.”

  “Well, I’ve been thinking that I love you, too, but I don’t know. It seems too soon to be falling in love. Isn’t it?” I rambled.

  “I don’t think it’s too soon. I know what I feel for you, and I know it ain’t just like.”

  I looked into his eyes and shook my head. “I’ve gotta be honest with you. I’m afraid, Chris. I’m afraid this won’t work and I’m scared to death of being hurt again.”

  “I’m a little afraid, too. I’ve been hurt before, remember? I know how it feels. I promise not to hurt you. Give me your heart. You can trust me with it.”

  “Really?”

  “Have I given you any reason not to trust me?”

  I dropped my eyes. “No. It’s just that I’ve had my guard up for a long time. But you… you make me feel so… so—”

  He reached over and pulled my face toward his. “I know. You make me feel the same way. All I wanna do is love you. That’s it. No more, no less.”

  “I want you to love me. I wanna love you, too.”

  “Then go right ahead. I don’t mind.”

  He kissed me softly on the lips. I leaned against him and closed my eyes. “Chris, I need to tell you something.”

  He gently rubbed my back. “What is it, baby?”

  “It’s… it’s about my past. I hope it doesn’t change how you feel about me.”

  He backed away a little and gave me a concerned look. “Nothing could change the way I feel about you, Marli.”

  I nodded. “O… okay. I… uh… after my divorce, I was really upset and I didn’t really have anyone to talk to except for Carla, and I had a hard time coping. And I… I slept around a lot.”

  Chris raised an eyebrow. “Oh… well, I never said I was Saint Chris or nothing. I ain’t no virgin, Marli.”

  “Um, Chris, I did some crazy stuff. Tiff was just a little girl back then, and sometimes I would wait until she went to sleep and leave her home alone and meet men at hotels. Half the time I didn’t even know these men. I’d meet them in the grocery store or at the gas station and give them my number, and then we’d hook up.”

  Chris dropped his eyes and shook his head. “Damn…”

  “I know.”

  His eyes met mine. “Why? Why would you do that? You’re worth so much more than that.”

  “I don’t know, I mean, I put all I had into my marriage and it tore me up when it fell apart. I… I guess I thought it would be easier to sleep around than try to have a real relationship with someone. I just didn’t wanna get hurt again.”

  “What made you stop? I mean, you have stopped, right?”

  “Yes, I have. Um, early one morning I came home and Tiffany was standing in the middle of the living room crying. She’d woken up in the middle of the night and was scared when she realized I was gone. After that, I slowed down a lot. Before I came here, I was down to one guy I’d see a couple of times a week.”

  Chris leaned forward and fixed his eyes on the floor. “What happened to him?” he asked softly.

  “He was killed a few months ago. He was a drug dealer.”

  Chris glanced at me. “Man, that’s messed up.” He hesitated. “Um… Marli, have you been tested?”

  “Yes, and since I did have sense enough to use condoms, I’m disease free.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Good.”

  He reached for my hand and grasped it in his. “This is in your past, right? It’s over?”

  “Yes. I haven’t done anything like that since I’ve been here. Haven’t wanted to, either.”

  He smiled. “I got something to do with that?”

  “You have everything to do with it.”

  He leaned in and kissed me softly. “That’s good to know. Look, the past is the past. And as long as I live, I plan to make your future much better than you could ever dream, baby. I love you, Marli. I really do. You don’t ever have to wonder about that.”

  He hugged me and I relaxed in his embrace. “I love you, too, Chris.”

  Fifteen

  “No Ordinary Love”

  It was an odd off day for me in that I actually felt full of energy and was more than ready to get out and hit the streets of St. Louis with Chris. I didn’t even let it bother me that Carla had slipped out of the apartment before dawn without a word.

  I hopped out of bed, showered and dressed, and waited for Chris to call me just as he did every day. But as the day wore on, my phone didn’t ring even once. I sat there in the living room and stared at it for the better part of the day and still no call. That afternoon, I finally called him—no answer, straight to voicemail. Now I was getting worried. Since we’d been seeing each other, he had never missed calling me.

  And then a sinking feeling began to overtake me and with it, a rush of gloomy thoughts. Maybe, it’s over. He was bound to get sick of me. Who was I fooling, thinking he really loved me? I knew I shouldn’t have gotten involved with him. It would’ve never worked, anyway. I knew it was too good to be true.

  I’d been wound up so tightly all day that I hadn’t eaten a bite since nibbling on a piece of toast that morning. So I ordered a pizza and poured myself a soda to drown my sorrows in while I waited for my dinner to be delivered.

  Thirty minutes later, I heard a knock at the door. I checked the peep hole expecting to see someone in a pizza uniform. Instead, I saw Chris King wearing a tuxedo. I stood there for a moment and debated whether or not to open the door. But then curiosity got the best of me. I needed to know why he was at my door at seven in the evening dressed like he was ready for a prom. And I also wanted to cuss him out for ignoring my call.

  I opened the door and walked back into the apartment without bothering to greet him.

  He trailed me into the living room. I plopped down on the sofa and crossed my arms at my chest.

  He took a seat next to me. “You got a nice dress you can change into?”

  “Why?” I asked angrily.

  “Cause we got somewhere to be in an
hour.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you, Chris.”

  He frowned. “Why?”

  My mouth fell open. “Why? Where have you been? Why didn’t you call me? Why didn’t you answer when I called you?”

  A smile slowly spread across his face. “You’re mad at me? You are so cute when you’re mad.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Answer me, Chris.”

  “I was very busy today. I have a surprise for you. Can you go put on a dress for me?”

  “Busy with what?”

  “You’ll see.”

  I continued to sit there. I wanted to stay mad at him, but I honestly couldn’t. The man looked and smelled like heaven. But nevertheless, I sat there with my arms crossed and fought back the relieved smile that threatened to reveal itself.

  “I’m sorry for neglecting you, but I promise to make up for it.” He leaned close to me and kissed my cheek. “Please forgive me,” he whispered in my ear. He planted another, feather-light kiss on my neck. “Pretty please.” He moved the collar of my shirt and gently kissed my shoulder. “Pretty, pretty please, Mean Marli.”

  If I sat there any longer, I was either going to melt or explode or both. So I stood to my feet. “Fine. Give me a few minutes to change and everything.”

  He grinned up at me. “Thank you, baby.”

  I took a quick shower, made up my face, picked out my hair, and pulled on a red dress that I’d never worn before. I wasn’t even sure why I’d brought it with me until that moment. As I inspected myself in the mirror, I had to admit that I looked nice. Not as nice or formal as Chris in his tux, but my look complemented his fairly well.

  I slipped on a pair of black pumps, and as I stepped back into the living room, Chris stood to his feet and clutched his chest over his heart. “Dang, baby. You just took my breath away. You look gorgeous.”

  I walked over to him and he pulled me into his arms. “No, I don’t look half as gorgeous as you do,” I said.

  He looked into my eyes. “You’ll be the most beautiful woman in the place.”

  “What place?”

  “Like I said, it’s a surprise.”

  I glanced at the coffee table and noticed a pizza box. “I see my dinner arrived.”

  “Yeah, but what I have in mind will beat pizza any day.”

  "Mm-hmm,” I said as I followed him out of my apartment. “We’ll see.”

  A few minutes later, we were riding through the streets of St. Louis on our way to Chris’s surprise. I felt stupid for being angry with him, for believing he had ignored me. It was becoming more and more evident to me just how much my past experiences had screwed up my mind. Chris had never given me any reason to believe he was anything but a stand-up guy. My little meltdown earlier had been more about me than him.

  Chris parked his car and led me to the doors of a place that was very familiar to me—Charmaine’s. I smiled as I followed him inside, but as we entered the club, I found it to be uncharacteristically empty.

  Puzzled, I leaned close to Chris as we navigated our way through the empty space. “Are we the first ones here?” I whispered.

  He grinned down at me. “You could say that.”

  We sat at the same table my friends and I had shared the first time I ever laid eyes on Chris King. We ordered drinks and engaged in light conversation. We’d been there about fifteen minutes when the MC took the stage. We were still the only patrons in the club.

  “Good evening, lady and gentleman. Tonight we have a special treat for you. A St. Louis favorite! Presenting, all The St. Louis Kingsmen!”

  I glanced around the room and lightly clapped my hands as the band began to take the stage. “Be back in a bit,” Chris said and then joined the band.

  I was confused and happy at the same time. I loved listening to the band and watching them perform, but what was going on? Where was everyone else?

  I watched as Chris grabbed the microphone, his eyes fixed on me. “Marli Meadows, this show is for you. I love you, baby. Enjoy.”

  And so I sat there with a permanent smile on my face as Chris King and The St. Louis Kingsmen serenaded me. They sounded wonderful, giving little old me the full effects of their talents. They held nothing back as Quinton Farver blessed me with his voice and Chris and the other bandmates backed him up.

  I felt special—no, I felt loved as Chris played his trumpet with his eyes glued to mine. And I felt nothing but love for him in return.

  When the band began to play “Your Love Is King,” I closed my eyes and swayed in my chair. About halfway through the song, I felt someone place their hand gently on my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see that Chris had abandoned his post on stage and was standing next to me. He offered me his hand and said, “May I have this dance, lovely lady?”

  The band continued to play an absolutely beautiful version of the song as I took his hand and we stepped onto the spotless dance floor. Chris smiled down at me. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

  I returned his smile. I don’t think I’d ever smiled that much in such a short amount of time. “Absolutely.”

  “More than you would’ve enjoyed that pizza?”

  I giggled. “Yes, much more. I’m sorry for the attitude I gave you earlier. If I’d known this was what you were up to all day…”

  “Then it wouldn’t have been a surprise.” He pulled me closer to him.

  I breathed in his scent and sighed. “Thank you, Chris. No one has ever, ever done anything like this for me before.”

  “Well, then you been keeping the wrong company, baby. You deserve this and more. And if you let me, I’ma give it to you.”

  I closed my eyes, still wearing a smile that someone would have to break my face to remove. “Hmm, I look forward to it.”

  Chris relaxed his hold on me and when I opened his eyes, I found his gaze fixed on my face. He leaned in close enough for our lips to barely touch. “I love you, baby,” he said, huskily.

  “I love you, too, Chris.”

  Then his lips met mine. He held my face in his hands and kissed me through the end of the song and the beginning of another. And then he embraced me and we danced until we’d danced the night away. I never wanted that night to end.

  ~*~

  I kissed Chris on the cheek then left the living room of my apartment and headed to my bedroom to get ready for work. I’d finished my three months and was beginning a new, six-month contract with the hospital. Carla had opted to stay for another three months, leaving her kids with her ex back in Arkansas. Her behavior had become so erratic that when he wasn’t out of town with the band, Chris took me to work. It was the only way I knew I’d get there on time.

  As I undressed and headed out of the room to the shower, my cell phone began to ring. I was surprised to see Tiffany’s number pop up on the screen. Except for the occasional text message, I’d barely heard from her in the past three months.

  I plopped down on the side of the bed. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Mama!” Tiffany chirped.

  I smiled. “Well, hello, Ms. Meadows. Long time no hear.”

  She laughed. “I’m sorry, but I’ve really been busy. There’s always something to do here, and I’ve made so many friends.”

  “That’s good. I’m glad you’ve adjusted so well. I knew you’d love it.”

  “I do! So how are you? How’s St. Louis?”

  “St. Louis is good—no, great. Oh, and if you wanna see me for the holidays, you’ll have to come to St. Louis. I’m staying a while longer.”

  “Really? You must really like it there. Have you made any new friends?”

  My smile widened. “Well, yeah, I have. Um, there’s one in particular that I’d like for you to meet. His name’s Chris.”

  “Is this Chris the reason for your extended stay in St. Louis?”

  “Well, he definitely has something to do with it. He’s a great person. I think you’ll like him.”

  “I’m happy for you, Mama. I’ve always wished you could find some real happiness. You know?
I can hear how happy you are. It’s all in your voice.”

  “I am happy, Tiff. I’m actually thinking about moving here permanently.”

  “I think you should.”

  “Really, Tiff?”

  “Yeah. There’s nothing back home but bad memories. If you’re happy there, why not stay?”