Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 112755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Melanie leaned in closer to her and said, “You look so pretty tonight, Desiree. It’s nice to see you again!”
“Thank you. It’s nice to see you, too! You also look pretty, as always.”
Melanie was the physical female version of Legend, as far as she was concerned. Same eye shape, though her eyes were a different color, same nose, same lips, but her hair was a lighter shade than Legend’s, and she bore no freckles. With model, exotic looks, tall and thin, Melanie dressed nicely, and wore strong perfume. She smelled a bit like weed, too, but that was okay. The woman was friendly. Funny. A little ratchet. Smart.
What she liked most about her though was her brash and silly personality—like her brother’s. She was surprised to find that she and English were close as could be. Their personalities seemed totally opposite, but sometimes, these friendships worked.
Melanie burst out laughing at a joke Axel told, a pretty sound bellowing from the gut. Legend had spoken enough of his sister and mother to make her feel as if she practically knew them already. Thankfully, after waiting for quite a while, the dinner entrées arrived. Legend got to his feet, which stupefied her, and helped the servers load everything onto the table.
“Let me help you, man. Yeah, I got this…”
As much as we’re payin’ for this food, he needs to sit his ass on down.
But she kept quiet and let her man do his thing. They were dome-covered plates, much to her surprise, positioned at each place setting. The food was being presented differently from the way it had looked online. In fact, Legend had gotten a special invitation to cook at this very restaurant, as part of his internship, a couple of weeks ago, and he’d said nothing about any such presentations for the Caribbean, Mexican, and seafood fare.
She reached for one of the steel cloches before her to take a peek, but Legend swatted her hand away.
“Ouch!” It stung like hell. At times, the man didn’t seem to know his own strength. Especially in bed… She was surprised she could even walk after the previous weekend’s session. He tore my ass up. And then she smiled as the seedy thoughts flooded her mind. The burning sensation in her hand, however, snatched her right back out of the perverted memories. She shook her limb, a bit unnerved, angry, and wanting to hit him back. Since they were in mixed company, she held back, but she definitely was going to bring this shit up to him later. After the wait staff left, Legend remained standing.
“I cooked some of the food y’all will be eating tonight. I hope you enjoy it.”
The room lit up with applause once again. Desiree slowly brought her hands together and clapped, though she was right confused.
But he ain’t leave my house early. In fact, we were eight minutes late. When would he have had time to cook today? This ain’t Red Lobster. This expensive shit is cooked to order, and it’s fresh. Why is Legend over here lyin’ to these people?! He has lost his mind tonight.
She sighed, crossed her arms, and refused to play along. A slight sheen of sweat accumulated along his hairline as he rearranged the dishes.
It ain’t even hot in here. I hope he put on deodorant. He not about to be stinkin’ like a wild boar, and folks think that shit is me!
“Here you go, baby,” he stated as he sat down. He placed four of the smaller domed plates in front of her, and everyone just sat there. Staring at her.
“Why aren’t y’all eating?” she asked.
“The first foods are in front of you. We’re sharing those. So, you uncover them, then pass each one along,” he explained.
That’s odd… but okay.
She reached for the first domed plate, on which sat a handful of beans.
“What the hell is this? I know we ain’t pay uh hundred dollars for some ninety-nine cent can of kidney beans, and it isn’t even the entire can!”
The table erupted in laughter, including Legend.
“Naw, baby. It’s a special appetizer.”
“We already had appetizers. This is supposed to be—” And then she stopped mid-sentence. “…the main dish. Hold on… It spells somethin’: ‘WILL’.” Her heart began to beat faster than it should. She snatched off the cover from the next plate. “YOU…” then the next, “MARRY…” Tears filled her eyes now. “ME! The beans say, ‘WILL YOU MARRY ME! Oh my God!!!”
Her vision blurred with tears and she could feel the room grow quiet and serious. She kept her hands on her face, refusing to look at anyone, as she felt Legend getting back up, then embracing her. A string of ‘Awwws’ ensued from the table’s occupants and their neighbors. She was shaken to her core. Shocked beyond belief.
“I love you, baby.” He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tight as she kept hiding from the world. “I want to make this official. But first, let me take care of one more thing.”