RELIVING

◖ 45 ◗

               The doorbell rang as she transferred the noodles from the pot to the baby blue bowl. "If that's all, Dad, I gotta go."

               "Alright, I'm just checking on you." he said and Anicia hung up soon after before she footed to the front door and opened it.

               A smile curled wide on her lips when she laid eyes on Toby. She hugged him tight and close before allowing him inside and shutting the door. "It's quiet in hea'," he commented.

               She leads him to the kitchen. "My sister left and Lolo on-campus."

               "What made ha' leave?" he wondered as she stirred her noodles.

               "Because I sent her home to deal with her marital issues." She let him know, pulling over the glass storage canister filled with Oreos. "I cannot be stressing right now about no one else's situation. I'm actually following my doctors rules and focusing on what's going on here."

               "You got every right," he shrugged. "Ain't my business tho'. Why you got Oreos, peanut butter, and spicy chicken noodles?"

               "Cause I'm craving the whole spicy and sweet combination."

               Toby laughed softly. "Now this why you women be having morning sickness. You see what y'all just be putting together."

               Anicia swallowed her food. "You'll love this though. Try it, here."

               Toby watched her twirl the long noodles around the fork and grabbed a Oreo. She started to dip it in the peanut butter when he says, "Na' you kno' ion fuck wit peanut butter."

               Anicia sucked her teeth. "That's gonna mess up the whole tasting."

               "Not my tastebuds." he leaned forward and he accepted the noodles topped with the Oreo in his mouth, chewing on the mixture of spice and sweet.

               "So. . ?"

               "It's good," he shrugged. "I wouldn't eat it er'day but it's sumn."

               "You messed it up without the peanut butter." She rolled her eyes making him chuckle, with her continuing to eat her craving combination.

               "Seem to me you comin' to mo' grasp bout the pregnancy."

               "You know what," She smiled softly. "I think I kinda am. I'm actual following orders and staying out of stressful situations. Ariana Grande's album is finished so I'm taking a break from songwriting to put my main focus on Lolo and becoming a mother again. And of course, us."

               "Speaking of us..." he smirked, standing beside her and trailing kisses down her face until he kissed her lips, "When you marryin' me?"

               Her brows furrowed slightly. "What, marriage? You're ready to get married?"

               "I'm thirty-eight; of course I'm ready. We lost two decades without each otha'. Don't you see this our second chance?" he smiled at her, "I'm down for making you my wife now or later. I just wanna know wit us comin' back, is it leadin' to somethin'? I kno' you ain't wanna marry ya boy."

               "I didn't want to marry him because I wasn't in love with him."

               "And he wasn't me." he smirked cockily, "You can admit it."

               Anicia nudged him playfully. "Shut up, cocky-ass."

               "I'll accept that as a yes." he kissed her temple, "Yes or no to marryin' me?"

               She looked up at him. "Are you proposing?"

               "Com' on now!" Toby laughed, "Y'know good fuckin' well I'm never gon' tell you when I'm gon' propose. It's gon' just happen. I just gotta kno' if I do, will I look like a goofy or will I be fuckin' the shit out my fiancée that night?"

               "You cannot talk like that to somebody with pregnancy hormones, sounding all sexy." Anicia chuckled lightly, "But if you propose to me, any day, yes, I will accept because I'm in love with you. I want you and I'm not wasting anymore time. You won't look like a goofy if you ever propose to me."

               Toby nodded as Anicia proceeded to eat on her food. He could only watch her with a soft smile and admired her naturally glowing features. He was in love with the woman beside him and he definitely had a proposal in motion.

               Toby licked over his lips as he pushed off the island. "Com' on, I'm finna devour you."

               "Oop," Anicia raised the bowl to her lips, drinking the noodle juice, and tossing one last Oreo in her mouth before dragging him behind her. "You know I love that talk."

               She squealed as Toby unexpectedly picked her up and carried her the rest of the way.

             

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This book's about to end.