OAKLAND's GREATEST

V.3; Part 17

V.3; Part 17: Temperature Rises.

Izzy.

"Giovanni. You. Know. I love you! To ask something like that is asinine!" I argued as he spazzed, "is it?! You hid that fucking ring from me and never told me it was from him! I know yall history and love story is a crazy one that yall both seem to let go but Ill play fool for nobody!"

"You arent playing fool! I love you. I chose you. I am with you. I am carrying your babies" Izzy spazzed.

"And if your had a fucking watch to correct time would you be carrying Rome's twins and wearing his last name!? You have yet to open your fucking mouth and give me that answer." Gino snapped as tears rolled down my face as I came up to my feet and snapped, "Yes! Is that what you wanna hear..if time worked out for Rome and I you damn right I would be with him. Rocking his last name and having his babies because when I love I love hard. However, time is moving constantly.We get no rewinds, pauses, or fast forwards. Life happened and I will forever have a place in my heart for Rome, but am I secretly pining for us to be together..HELL NO. I walked down that aisle and looked the man I love in his eyes and said I do, because I see forever with you. You have to let your insecurities with Rome go! Because he will always be in our lives and if you cant handle that, thats a you problem. You knew what it was before you married me. He may have showed me what love was, but I am experiencing it with you. You have shit to be mad at you have me. You want the truth well there it goes for you. You happy?!"

It went silent as we stared at each other with the temperature rising and the tension matching. Suddenly, a sharp pain hit my side I grabbed at it and screamed out in pain as Gino rushed over towards me and grabbed me.

"Is everything okay?"

"I dont think so. We need to get to the hospital now--FUCKKKK" I said as another pain hit me at an astronomical level.

***

"You are experiencing Braxton Hicks. You are wee bit too early so I am instructing you to bed rest via the request of your Doctor, Doctor Barr. She also wants me to tell you dont you dare have her end her trip to Cacun early. To lay down and rest. Ill have the nurse bring by your discharge papers." Doctor Simone told me as I smiled as she walked out and I stared over at Gino who has not said much since he rushed me here. His hands was holding tight to the bedrail. I laid my hand on top of both of his and whispered, "Hey" he looked towards me and I stated, "they are okay. We are okay. Get out of your head."

He looked my way and a tear fell from his face on to my bed sheets as he spoke, "The whole drive here my heart was in overdrive. If I had been the reason to put you in premature labor and something happened to"

"Giovanni, we are all good. However, that argument made something obvious and is that we BOTH put a bandaid on a Rome inflicted bullet wound expecting things to just happen naturally. Look at me my husband" I said to him as I slid up in the bed and continued, "I wake up to the man I want to spend the rest of my life with everyday. If you know anything about me is I cant fake. If this was 25 year old me I woild have jumped at trying it again with Rome--especially seeing how close he and Cairo are getting now. But I am a grown ass man and will not spend my days with you if I didnt want you. You arent a second prize. You are my true love. He was my first love, yes he left a mark. However, this true love we share is cosmet. You know me better than I know myself and I can finish your sentences. I love when your forehead wrinkle when you are surprise and that annoying ass laugh you have once you drink. If these last few months have taught me anything is that we better enjoy our time and I want to enjoy said time with you because thats the ONLY thing us on Earth can do. Enjoy time with the ones we love we cant live in the fantasy world where time can be changed, altered, and erased. It has made us who we are today. You ran from your family and time brought you back into that fold. I ran from my feeling for Rome all those years ago when I was with Gregg and time brought me right back here to deal with it all. You told me in your vows that you wanna be 99 with your hand in mine and I want that too. Only thing I wish is that I go a day before you, so I can have had forever with you...sorry Im selfish like that. When we get home I want you to go into my bookshelf in the living room and get the small blue book"