"Wake up every mornin' I pray
I done came a real long way (long way)
Every other city I go (I go)
I ain't ever gotta tell 'em my name (my name)
If you hatin' I just wanna say, "Thank you"
Know you doin' something right when they hate you
Runnin' 'round tellin' people how they made you
Only reason why they mad, 'cause they ain't you."
Dave East "Thank You"
Dave
I took a swig from my water bottle and cleared my throat, giving Angela Yee my undivided attention.
"So, we've talked about how it was growing up, the success of your sophomore album, and the world tour you just completed. We're going to switch over to a topic that people always mention and it's how private you keep your love life."
"Here you go. I knew this was coming." I laughed.
"Come on Dave. We want to know." Envy added.
"Is there anyone special in your life? Are you dating or crushing on somebody?"
"I have someone I'm very much in love with and that's all I'm going to say."
"Nah, you got to give us a little something." Charlamagne egged me on.
"You don't have to tell us her name or anything." I sat up in my chair. Let me settle this once and for all.
"I'll tell you this. She's been riding with me since I had nothing. Just as I would do for my Momma, I would give her my lung, my blood, my kidney and even my heart just to see her live because she helped me believe in myself and get closer to God. She gave some of the most priceless gifts in life and I'll forever love her for that."
"Wow, I think you're one of the first guests to come on here and speak so highly of someone they were with."
"I'm just being honest. I know she's listening right here and I want you to know that I love you baby."
"This woman has to be an angel because the way love is written all over your face, she can't be from this earth. She had to be sent from heaven. Are you following her on instagram?" I watched Angela pull out her phone.
"Angela is trying to see what she looks like."
"I know all your female fans want to know too. I bet you just broke a bunch of hearts right now."
"Ladies, you know you hold a special place in my heart because of the way y'all support me but you're each going to find a man or woman who will love and cherish you like the queen you are."
"Dave, I swear you have the sweetest tongue in the world." Envy shook his head.
"That's exactly what I was thinking. I see why these girls are crazy about you and how you got your girl to fall for you."
"That's his amazing writing ability right there."
"What can I say? It's a God given talent."
"Right, but you still didn't answer my question."
"No, I'm not following her on any of my social media."
"Why not?"
"I know some of my die hard fans track who I'm following. I'm not trying to get her attacked or anything. I do be liking her pictures, but it'll be hard to find her because I like a lot of my fans' pictures."
"Oh, they're going to try."
"Are you two thinking about marriage anyone soon?"
"You'll have to see."
"Man. Well, we hope you have a great show later on today. We know you're going to kill it."
"Thanks. I appreciate it." We wrapped up the interview and I said my goodbyes. I walked out of the building with security and joined Ali who was already in the car.
"I can't believe you actually talked about her in the interview."
"I was tired of avoiding the question." He nodded. The driver drove us to the Rolling Loud venue.
We're in New York and I'm performing today. It's honestly a dream come true. I finally finished my tour through North America and Europe to promote my sophomore album that I released earlier this year. Summer Jam was lit and I don't expect anything less here.
New York has become a second home for me. It's convenient because the label is also here. I still spend some time in Toronto because that's where my roots are. Ric, Keyshia, and my Momma still live over there. Ace sometimes visits me over his breaks.
Eva lives over here now with my son. She has her own office set up and is doing what she loves. Eva and I have been coparenting our son since he was born. Noah turned one two weeks ago.
Dating other people for the both of us has not been easy. She tried dating one athlete, but it didn't work out. It had nothing to do with me, I swear. I wasn't really looking for anybody, but one night I was trying to get down with this model. Unfortunately, I couldn't get it up until I thought about Eva.
She's got a hold on me. I'm convinced we're made for each other. We started having sex again when our baby boy was around four months. That sh*t was so passionate, but we acted like nothing happened the next day. Then, we began going out on dates with just the two of us and we realized that the chemistry was still there. I never out of love with her, I just needed time to get myself together. For the past five months, we've been officially back together. It's like we never missed a beat.
I performed all of my fans' favorite songs during my set with appearances from Jim and Nas. I just finished playing that new track I released yesterday. It's something different. It's more playful and fast paced, but I love how it came out.
"Give it up one more time for my boys Bobby and Rowdy. Make sure y'all go get that new joint we just dropped." I dapped them up before grabbing a towel to wipe my face. The crowd screamed as they walked off stage. "So, I wanted to close my set with something special. How do y'all feel about that?" They replied with clapping and screams.
"I'm going to call to the stage someone I care about a lot. Eva, please come on out." I turned to the back to see her looking like a deer in headlights and shaking her head. I know she's going to mad at me for putting her on the spot, but I'm doing it for a good cause. "She might need some help y'all."
The audience started chanting her name before she finally agreed to come out onto the stage. Eva walked up to me, shielding her face.
"What are you doing?" She asked me.
"You'll see in a minute." I saw Noah start to fuss in Ali's arms. "You can let him go." Ali put him onto his feet and he happily ran over to us with his little earmuffs and grabbed my legs. The crowd cooed at his presence. I picked him up and kissed his forehead.
"I want to introduce y'all to my little family. This is the love of my love Eva and our som Noah. This is the first time my fans are seeing them. I wasn't hiding them from the world. I was hiding the world from them." Everybody was shocked.
"Eva and I have been through so much together and I want you to know how much I love you and I want you to know that I'm really ready this time to make you my wife." I put Noah down and took out the same ring I kept from the baby shower. I upgraded it since then because she deserves it. "Will you marry me?" Eva covered her mouth in disbelief. I smiled as she got emotional. This is real baby girl. Yes chants exploded throughout the field.
"Yes." She cried. I slid the ring on her finger and when I say I didn't think it could get any louder, it did. I stood up and she immediately grabbed my face, kissing me. I held in her my arms as the DJ dropped the Perfect record. My boy Breezy came out. I performed that last song, holding Noah and never taking my eyes off of Eva.
"I love y'all. Thank you for rocking with me, rocking with us. Stay blessed." I took my family off the stage after taking some pictures with the fans, signing some things, and touching their hands.
"Congratulations!" The whole crew was here, including Eva's friends and parents, and my folks and friends.
"I can't believe all of you are here." She hugged them.
"We had to come see David put a ring on it. You're going to be a wife!"
"I hope y'all are prepared to be sick of me because I'm going to flash this ring in your face every chance I get." We all laughed.
"Go ahead. It is absolutely beautiful. I'm so happy and proud of you two. You've come a long way." Keyshia grinned.
"I know. I know see why you did everything to get me to come here today."
"I was tired of playing games. We're meant to be."
"Thank you for giving me a new outlook on love and raising our son with me."
"Thank you for loving me and growing with me. It's you, me, and Noah against the world." I kissed her so lovingly. We do need to practice for our wedding day.
Thank God for everything. There were many changes to my plans that came my way after I got out of prison. I found love, made new friends, and made mistakes. I learned and grew from them. I'm living my dream and taking care of my family.
I still have a lot to accomplish. I'm going to be taking a small break. Maybe I'll go back to school, maybe I'll join a basketball team for a short time like Cole did. The possibilities are endless. I'm just thankful for today.
I can't wait for what awaits me tomorrow.
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And it's a wrap! I have to admit, I was skeptical of writing this book but I took the chance and the support has been overwhelming. Thank you all for reading, voting, and commenting. You helped it grow tremendously as I completed it. I really enjoyed writing this book. Be sure to share it and check out my other stories. More are coming soon!
~Elle