When sparks fly... [a Roman Reigns story]

33 Patience and willpower

Amali POV

Humming, I went and put away the fresh laundry and at the same time picked out the outfits I wanted to pack for our short trip. Ro hadn't told me exactly what he had planned, but since we had already talked about the possibility of going to the mountains, I thought that was probably the most likely thing.

All he told me was that I should pack comfortable clothes and something a little more fancy. And that's exactly what I did. Even though, as always, I found it hard to decide.

After a few minutes, Jojo joined me in the closet. She grinned at me before sitting down on the floor.

"Can I help you? The boys are watching some boring documentary about dinosaurs." she said.

"Sure, sweetheart. Tell me... did you get anything out of your dad?" I asked.

She was just as nosey as I was and so she was keen to help me coax a detail or two out of Ro. She was my little spy and I knew she enjoyed it a lot.

"No... He knew immediately what I was up to. Even when he was distracted, he didn't let anything slip." she replied, making a face.

"Dang it... Oh well. I'll have to be really patient then. Where were we? Where's the Cashmere sweater? I could have sworn I picked it up from the dry cleaners..." I said as I returned to the task of packing.

"Which one do you mean?" Jojo wanted to know as she stood up and came over to help me find it.

"The cream-colored one, you know, the one I wore for Christmas. It must be here," I replied as I looked for it.

"Oh um... Amali?" she suddenly stuttered and played with her fingers.

"What's wrong, honey?" I asked, because her tone made me wonder.

"Can you promise me you won't get mad?" she wanted to know.

"I'll try my best. Now tell me what's going on." I replied calmly, but I now had an idea of what was going on.

"Well... the thing is... I borrowed your sweater because it's so pretty... but well... I accidentally spilled something and made a stain. I tried to wash it, but... I guess I did it wrong because.... it shrunk. I'm so sorry. I know it was wrong and I should have asked." she gushed.

"Okay, take a deep breath. Yes, you should have asked before you took something that wasn't yours, but it's not the end of the world. I'm not angry, just a little disappointed. But you have to promise me from now on to ask before you take something. It's okay to make a mistake, we all do. However, I'm proud of you for admitting it", I replied and pulled the girl into my arms to calm her down a little.

"I'm really sorry." she whispered.

"I know, honey. You've learned your lesson." I said quietly.

"Do we have to tell Dad or can we keep it between us?" Jojo asked.

"I guess if it's just the one time we can keep it between us. But you really have to promise me it won't happen again," I replied.

"I promise. I'll always ask permission." she said seriously.

"See... it wasn't such a big deal. What do you say we go to the mall? I need a new sweater now and we can find one for you while we're there." I suggested.

"Really?" she asked.

"Sure! It can be a Valentine's gift for you. Let's ask your dad if it's okay if we go shopping," I replied.

*****

The next morning I woke up because I could feel Roman playing with my fingers. I couldn't help but smile as I rolled onto my back and opened my eyes to look at him.

But my eyes weren't even half open when he suddenly and without warning lifted my arms above my head and held them against the headboard of the bed. I stared at him, a little startled. But he immediately distracted me with a passionate kiss.

I lay there breathless while Roman's lips slowly worked their way down my neck.

"Good morning, baby." he said softly as he played with my fingers again.

"Good morning, Ro... What are you doing to me?" I asked, panting.

"Oh you know... just a nice wake-up call." he replied as he more or less lay on top of me.

However, he didn't look me in the eye and his tone seemed strange to me. Almost like his daughter's yesterday.

"Well, it certainly is. But I'd really like to touch you too," I said and tried to free my hands.

As I moved my fingers, I noticed that I could feel something on them. I frowned and tried again. There was definitely something on my hand that wasn't normally there.

"What's that?" I asked, looking up.

"Oh no, no, no! Don't look!" Roman suddenly exclaimed, almost in a panic.

He then pulled me into a sitting position and held my hands between us so I couldn't see them.

"What the fuck is going on here?" I asked and started to fidget, because his behavior made no sense.

"Nothing!" he said defensively.

But his wide eyes spoke a different language. I looked at him suspiciously and then I looked at our hands. Then at him again. Suddenly it struck me what was going on and why he didn't want me to see my fingers.

"Oh my God!" I shrieked.

"What?" Ro asked breathlessly.

"Is it possible that I have something on my finger that affects our future?" I wanted to know as my eyes widened.

"Possibly... I just wanted to make sure that it really fits. And now stop asking questions. I'll remove the little something and you wait for your surprise, okay? We'll pretend this never happened." he said.

I couldn't help but giggle like a little kid as I simply nodded my head.

"Great. Now close your eyes, baby girl." Ro chuckled softly and I could feel the relief in him.

I did as he said and closed my eyes. It took a lot of willpower to keep my eyes closed while he pulled it off my finger. Then he let go of me and I felt the bed move. I half-opened one eye and saw him lying on his stomach, letting it disappear into the drawer of his bedside table.

Squealing, I threw myself onto his back and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Eeek! I'm so happy!" I squealed because I just couldn't control myself.

"I can see that! I hope you're just as excited when it actually happens, baby girl." he replied.