Page 33 of Her Noble Protector
Once I heard the car door close, I went into the empty room and opened the closet with all the decorations I’d bought. There were balloons, streamers, and a blown-up image of the ultrasound I’d taken a few days ago when I told him I was going to get a pedicure. I hated lying to my man, but I needed to make sure everything was okay in my womb. I also wanted nothing to ruin the surprise.
“I need some music to make this go faster,” I said aloud as I jogged across the hall to grab the Bluetooth speaker. After I connected my phone, I blasted my music on shuffle. I propped my phone up in the corner of the room to record the process.
I pinned the balloons, hung the streamers, and placed the poster board against the wall. Then I pulled the wooden basket into the center of the room that had both pregnancy tests, a smaller copy of the ultrasound, and a fitted white T-shirt that said “Protector. Lover. Father.” in bold black lettering.
A smile tugged at my lips as I admired my work.
“Bae, I’m back.”
“Here I come!” I closed the door to the room and skipped down the stairs. The smell of the wings had my mouth watering with excitement.
Noble had set up the living room with our orders and turned on a movie as I sat down. We said grace and dug into the food. I damn near nutted as the delicious sauce touched my tastebuds.
“Would you still love me if I was a chicken wing?” I asked as I dipped the flat into the ranch.
Noble looked at me with a frown on his face. “What?”
“Would you still love me if I was a chicken wing?” I repeated.
“Are you a full wing, a flat, or a drum?” he replied.
“Boy, fuck you. It shouldn’t matter what piece I am. You’re supposed to just say yes.”
“Nah. If you’re a chicken wing, I need to make sure you come with the flat, drum, and tip attached. What am I supposed todo with just a wing? I’m a big guy. I need you to be the whole chicken.”
“Noble, you’re finna piss me off.” I rolled my eyes.
“You’re mad because I’m playing along.”
“I’m not mad at all, noodle head.”
“Good.” He had the nerve to smirk.
While a comfortable silence filled the air, I finished my food and gulped down my Sprite. I stood and gathered our trash to throw away. When I got back to the living room, my nerves got the best of me.
What if Noble didn’t actually want kids? It was one thing to play about it during sex. It was another thing to actually have the opportunity come around. Would he love me and our baby unconditionally?
“What’s on your mind?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around my waist.
My gaze lifted to his soft brown eyes. “I have something to show you, but I got nervous.”
“Don’t be nervous. There’s nothing you can show me that will change how I feel about you. I promise.”
His words reassured me. My lips pulled into a small smile as I pulled him up the stairs to the room where the setup was.
“Behind this door is something that will change our dynamic forever,” I prefaced. I held my phone in my hand and pressed the record button as he pushed open the door and looked inside. He squatted in front of the basket and pulled out the pregnancy tests first. He was silent for a long moment.
“Sunni . . .” His tone was breathless as he turned to look at me with a grin that rivaled the stars in the sky.
“Yeah.”
“I knew it. I fucking knew it. We’re having a baby. You’re having my baby.” He continued to repeat his words as he pulledme close and kissed my stomach. I stopped recording and put my phone in the pocket of my robe.
“I found out the day you came back. I didn’t want to add to your stress until you healed. Plus, I didn’t want to tell you until I had my first checkup so I could answer your questions. I haven’t told anybody yet. I kind of just been holding it in. Although Giselle suspects I’m pregnant. She’s the reason I put two and two together. We were really out here just?—”
“Bae, you’re rambling.” Noble stood up and pulled me into a gentle kiss. He pecked my lips repeatedly.
“You’re excited?” I inquired.
