STONE'S DIARY

Chapter 51.)

        "Babe," Renae called to King as she read through the rough draft of her book.

"Love," He answered and she smiled.

"Can we wait until maybe next year to do the vow renewal?"

Turning slowly, King stopped stirring the oatmeal and rose his left brow.

"I mean... I know this is a big milestone for us, but there's a lot going on right now," she clarified.

"You wanna wait another year?" She could see that he was against it but they had important things to sort out.

"Don't you feel like we should?" She asked, leaning against the kitchen island.

"Why do you want to?"

"The kids are away, we're still trying to figure out who is out to get us. My father created a child with his son's girlfriend mother... your mom just beat ca—"

"Excuses and fear... that's all I'm hearing. Doesn't my presence alone make you feel safe?" His brows dipped in wonderment.

Staring at him briefly, she nodded.

"I just don't want anything crazy to happen," she admitted.

"Stop thinking about tha' negative and think about what's good. We're breathing, got a roof over our heads, tha' kids are fine... just chill," he told her.

"You're right... I do— I don't know why I acted like that,"

"Yeah, me either," he cut his eyes at her before going back to stirring the oatmeal.

Sitting down, she returned to going through her book. The kids were in school, Karen was out with Fatima again, Yanna was taking care of business as was Kwan. Dajon was enjoying his fatherly duties and Ary was at work.

After eating, King made a quick protein shake and drank that before working out. Renae busied herself with emails and her book until he finished.

The sun was trying to outshine the gray skies but the clouds had a mind of their own. It was awfully quiet in the world, that was unusual, especially for a nice day in Virginia.

The trees were full of leaves, the grass was as green as envy and Renae found herself sitting by the window admiring King. Maybe she was watching him, but it felt like moral admiration to her.

The sun has certainly become a companion of his. His once light toffee hue was now a tint darker and glistened effortlessly in daylight and held a captivating glow under the moon's reflection.

It was hard to spot the love bites if you weren't the one to put them there but Renae could discover them with ease. Strategically, she placed her mark known only between the two, and even then, King was still unclear where each imprint was located.

He fell from heaven and landed into the palm of her hands. He was indeed heaven-sent, the savior that she needed in her time of distress. His laugh was infectious. His eyes held so much life, including hers.

Within a blink of the eye, her heart belonged to him and not once has she asked for it back. It was his to keep and he's done nothing but take perfect care of it.

She spent countless times trying to unravel why it was her that he chose, not understanding that it was her soul that cried for his. Her spirit wanted to be devoted to him long before she knew to verbalize it.

It was a dream come true, but it was her dream.

Feeling eyes on him and already knowing who they belonged to, King smirked softly as he turned his head towards her and she flashed her innocent smile.