Chapter 18
Luke
2016
"I have to go, baby." I smile as I pull away from Lucy's lips.
"No. Stay. They can wait another hour." She pulls me back to her in my bed back in L.A.
"LuLu," I let out a short chuckle. "Girl, I promised to meet your dad, brother, uncles, and cousins almost thirty minutes ago. I can't be anymore late. Plus they're blowing up my phone."
LuLu grabs my phone and puts it on Do Not Disturb. "Not blowing up anymore," She reaches for my face and pulls me close. "I'm more entertaining anyway."
"I do need male companionship." I give her one final kiss before she starts to pout.
"Fine," she sits back against the headboard. She crosses her arms and pouts. "Go ahead and leave."
"I'll be back later, baby girl," I pull on some clothes as I talk. "I don't like leaving you either— I miss you too much."
She continues to pout silently with her cute self. "I'll be back before you can even miss me. Then we can go out for something sweet."
She looks up with big eyes. "Promise?"
"I promise," I kiss her hand after grabbing my phone, wallet, and keys. "I hate when you're on your cycle. You become the biggest baby ever."
"But I'm your big baby." Lucy smiles.
"Yeah. My big baby." I smile back before leaving to meet up with the guys.
This was arranged so that I could have some guy thoughts on marriage and how to go about proposing to Lucy. It couldn't be something predictable or overdone. It had to be special. I have to take her by surprise. And it has to be slick because my LuLu would love something smooth. The guys closest to her would know what to do. Or at least they'll help me voice my thoughts.
I drive to Jacque and Mike's house where we're all meeting up. Several cars are parked outside when I arrive. Being almost an hour late, everyone was probably already eating and drinking and having a good time for this Guys' Day.
I knock on the door and wait for someone to open it. Q opens the door with a smile. "It's Luke!" He shouts over his shoulder and I hear the ribbing (or roasting as everyone else in the country says) beginning in the living room. "Come on in, man."
Q let's me in then closes the door. We walk into the living room that's full of an assortment of snacks and a variety of drinks.
"What the hell took you so long?" Woody asks, throwing a pillow my way. I catch it and throw it onto the sofa.
"I know there wasn't any traffic." Will says with a drink in hand. "But with yo bad drivin' ass, you probably made some."
They all laugh.
"He was," Elijah bangs his hand against the table, increasing the tempo quickly. "With Lucy."
"Aye," Ronnie snaps. "That's still our niece."
I just smile as I sit down next to Algee and Bryshere. "She's on her menstrual cycle and is being a big baby. She wouldn't let me leave."
"Oh God," Ralph shakes his head. "As much of a tough, strong-headed girl my princess Lucy is, she becomes the biggest baby on her period. I used to keep her locked in whatever room she was in with snacks and movies."
"Steph's the same way now." Johnny sighs.
"Mom is the worst. Then she does this quivering lip thing that makes you feel horrible. Like you have to do whatever she wants to stop the pain." Tre shivers. He takes a long sip of his nonalcoholic drink. He and Bobby have been refraining from liquor together.
"I can't complain. I like taking care of her." I smile as I pick up an alcoholic drink.
"And I assume that's why we all are meeting up?" Bobby asks. The room quickly becomes serious.
"Jacque told me some things but I wanted to hear it from you." Mike says. The other guys sit up.
"What's happening, Luke?" Keith asks.
"Well, when we were in Boston, I talked to Jacque, Steph, and Cassie about my relationship with LuLu and, well," I pause as I smile. "I want to marry her."
It gets real quiet before they all smile and start talking at once. Wally quiets the room. "Uncle Rizz, what do you think?"
We all look at Ralph who has a big smile on his face. "I married Cassie when I was twenty-one years old. We had Rizz when I was twenty-two and Cee Cee was twenty-three. Not one day have I regretted marrying the love of my life. Most people would say we were too young or that it was too quick but it has been worth every minute."
"Hell, the one you should be talking to is Johnny. He married Steph after a few weeks." Ricky says and everyone chuckles softly.
"It was a few months. Shut up." Johnny smiles.
"Well, JG, what advice do you have for me?" I ask.
"There's nothing I can tell you. What do you feel?" Johnny replies and I just smile.
"It feels right. I've only known LuLu for a little over two months but every minute has been like Heaven— even when she hated me. Being around her makes me happy. I love every part of her and hate everything at the same time. She makes me laugh and cry and angry and happy. She's everything I've dreamed of. I can see myself with her sitting on a porch somewhere with grey hair and children surrounding us. Even if that's corny as hell. I can see that— I want that. She's all that I need and more." I try to put my thoughts and feelings into words. And they still seem to fall short of what I feel on the inside.
"Wow," Ben blinks. "You really love her. I think you love her more than Chance loves JJ."
"Love knows no time." Algee sits back. We all nod in agreement.
"Time doesn't matter. It's all about who makes the most impact on your life. Everything has its time and season. The girls' favorite Bible verse is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Look it up," Ronnie says. "In the Word, season is said over thirty times. It's a great piece of scripture to remember for when times are hard or you need a reminder of certain things."
"Uncle Ronnie, why did you hang out with these guys? They're stupid and you're so smart." Q asks and we all laugh.
"When we young, we were all stupid." Bobby says and leaves it at that.
"How are you thinking about proposing?" Bryshere asks me, changing the subject.
"I don't know. We all know Lucy isn't a big romantic but wouldn't mind romance. It can't be something corny or overdone. It has to be tailored to her, for her. Something different and special." I say.
Everyone stops to think.
"Have you gotten a ring?" Wally asks.
I shake my head. "No. I don't even know what to get for her," I run my hand down my face. "I haven't even gotten that far, to be honest."
Another pause to think.
"How about the last day of filming?" RJ suggests. "It'll be a great day. It's scheduled to the BET Silver Anniversary performance. We get Chris and a few other crew members in on it and you surprise her by dropping to one knee."
"Say some super slick shit that will make her call you Boyd." Woody smiles.
"And pop open that box with the bomb ass ring." Tre nods.
"And boom!" Elijah shouts. "She's yours."
"All y'all niggas stupid. It needs more thought and preparation," Ricky says. "But it could work."
"Take Ralph and two of those idiots with you to look for rings. Or even better take Steph, Ralph, and two of those idiots," Mike says. "Leave the actual planning of the proposal to me and Jacque. We'll make sure Chris and certain crew members have a heads up so it can be even more special."
"Are you sure you want to marry her? Before we all put into this?" RJ asks.
"I've never been more sure about anything in my life." I say and they nod.
We spend hours talking, giving each other advice on life and careers, and just enjoying our time together. By the time we're all tired of each other, LuLu starts blowing up my phone.
"Well, this is my cue." I stand with a stretch and a sigh.
"The future Mrs is calling," Ralph says with a smile. He stands and walks with me to the door. "I can't wait to call you my son."
"Does this mean that I have your blessing?" I ask.
"You've had my blessing since I met you, Luke." He pats my shoulder before I leave the house for my home.
"Boyd?" LuLu calls out from the bedroom. "Is that you?"
"Yes, baby girl. It's me," I smile and walk to the bedroom. I stand in the door and hold up a bag. "I got ice cream, cookies, candy, and chips."
"Awww," she jumps up and hugs me. "You're the best."
"Yeah I know," I lean down to kiss her and she smiles at me for a long time. "What?"
"Nothing. I just love you. Like a lot." She hugs me tighter.
"Oh yeah? How much is a lot?" I pick her up in my arms and carry my baby into the kitchen where I dish out the ice cream into coffee mugs.
She stops to think after I put her down. "I want to spend forever with you. I wouldn't mind that."
"Forever like marriage?" I ask slyly.
"Yeah. But later. Maybe another year or two. We're still young. It's only been a little over a month that we've been dating." She shrugs.
I just nod before handing Lucy the mug of Bunny Tracks ice cream. "Let's watch a movie."
She grabs the other snacks and walks into the living room. I stand in the kitchen for a little longer to think about what she said.
She wants to wait to get married. I don't know if I can wait any longer. I know being engaged doesn't mean a wedding will follow in the next few months. There's nothing wrong with a long engagement but, God, I need to marry her now.
But what's the rush? She'll marry me when it's right for her. As long as we're engaged, I'm sure she'll marry me.
"Luke! Come on!" Lucy shouts and I walk into the living room to watch the movie.
******
"Give it you're all, Luke. Really sing into the mic." Chris tells me as Algee and I film the scenes in which Ralph and Johnny become cool after Johnny joins the group.
"Alright." I nod as the playback for Boys to Men starts playing. I sing my ass off like Johnny always told me to do whenever I have to sing as him.
"Great. Take five and we'll pick it up at the conversation of the scene." Chris says.
"Have you talked to JJ and Kim?" Algee asks me as we take our break. We sit in the corner and look over the script quickly.
"Not yet. I wanted to talk to them during filming later. You know the scene where we are performing You're Not My Kind of Girl? I thought I could get them to help in someway. To keep LuLu oblivious." I answer.
"Man, this better be the best proposal of all time." Algee whispers and I smile.
"Best for LuLu," my smile dies a little. "She doesn't want to get married for a few years."
"That doesn't mean she doesn't want to marry you. She might want a long engagement. You have to understand that everyone in her family does these fast relationships and marriages. Sure, they are the perfect relationships but they are still quick." He says.
I've never thought of it that way. "I just assumed she was accustomed to it. That that's what she expects in her life."
"Children can grow up in the same household and raised by the same parents yet end up differently." Algee shrugs as Chris calls everyone back to set.
We finish the scene, break for lunch, then Algee and I go to hair and makeup with the others. "This is one of my favorite scenes!" Kim smiles as she gets her hair done.
"Too bad no one wants to see you sing and dance it, KeKe." Keith teases Kim.
"Please, KeKe, I can do it better than every single one of y'all with a hoarse voice and a bum leg." Kim rolls her eyes.
"Alright. Bet," Woody says. "We talk to Chris and get him to let y'all dance to this song before we go. Then we compare the footage."
"We'll need two more so it's even," JJ says and texts someone on her phone. "My mom and Auntie Cassie will do it. Auntie Steph is talking to Chris now."
"I'm up for this. Y'all can't handle my spin." Elijah says as his makeup gets done. He hops up and does the smooth spin he perfected for this scene.
"That's why he's playing Slick Rick." Bryshere daps Elijah.
"Don't worry, LuLu, baby. I'll go easy on you." I walk over to Lucy and kiss her hand. She yanks it away and rolls her eyes.
Lucy just looks in the mirror one last time before strutting out. I watch her hips swing as she leaves.
"Lord, I can't wait to marry her." I smile.
"You want to marry Lucy?" Kim asks. I look at her and JJ. They have the biggest smiles on their faces.
"I mean," I let out a nervous chuckle. "I wouldn't mind giving her my last name, living with her, traveling and working together, spending every minute together until we die. So yeah."
"Have you gotten a ring?" JJ asks.
"Not yet. I was hoping to go in a few days with Steph, Ralph, and you two. Maybe the guys." I smile.
We're all called to set. "We'll talk more later." Woody says.
We go onstage where Chris is setting up Lucy, Cassie, and Jacque to perform. Once he sees JJ and Kim, he has them get in place. "Lucy will be Johnny, Cassie will be Ricky, JJ your father, Kim your father, and Jacque will be Ronnie. Cool? Great. Let's get rolling!"
"Sorry ladies. But we can't seem to make that love connection." JJ says as the playback starts. She's as suave as her dad.
With almost no preparation or practice, the girls sing and dance their asses off. They make NE look like amateurs, BGT like children, and us like babies. They dance as if it's their original song.
"Alright, fellas. Come on and try to up them." Chris calls cut after the applause from the crew and cast.
Algee, Elijah, Keith, Bryshere, and I walk onstage almost reluctantly. We had no idea what we signed up for. We ran through the song almost ten times before we could compare the two different takes.
"They killed y'all asses." Shamari Devoe, Ronnie's wife, laughs as she stands next to her husband.
"Come on, bae," Ronnie laughs. "You didn't have to tell them that— they already know."
Everyone laughs and makes jokes before we do the scene again then move into the scene outside with Bryshere and JJ as Mike and Jacque meeting Boyz II Men. There isn't much for the rest of us to say or do in the scene, so I talk to Kim while we wait for more to film.
"Marriage, huh? That's a big step. You ready?" Kim whispers to me.
"Yeah. I am. I want to go looking for a ring soon. I was hoping you, JJ, Ralph, Steph, and Wally could come with me. For opinions. Y'all know her better so y'all would know what she likes." I smile.
"Just tell me when and I'll have food ready for after we look." Kim smiles widely.
I can't help but laugh. "You always have food ready." She and I laugh together causing Chris to stop the scene.
"Luke and Kim! You ruined the shot!" Chris shouts.
"Sorry!" We say together than laugh.
After a long day of filming, Lucy drives us back to my house where we sit up watching Netflix.