I Do

She smiled and bit her lip.

“Okay…but I don’t need you to get rid of your place. I mean, you obviously like the place or you wouldn’t have bought it.”

He looked at her and shrugged.

“I do like it but I don’t love it.”

She exhaled loudly and looked outside her window.

“Okay. Let’s go to your place,” she said and he grinned. “But I hope you realize that a black woman’s hair products take over the bathroom. So, be prepared for that.”

“Really?” he asked and she nodded.

“Yeah really.”

“Just how many products are we talking about?”

“Well, two shampoos, three different conditioners, a couple of bottles of moisturizer…oh yeah, the deep conditioning stuff, oils, gels….” She smiled when she saw the lost look on his face. “And I have not even put a dent in that list.”

“I have always admired black hair but I did not realize it took that many products to maintain.”

“Yeah. And time,” Josie pointed out. “And you will also have to learn how to do something called twisting.”

He raised an eyebrow over the other.

“What would I be twisting?” he asked and she shrugged.

“Hair.”

“I would like to ask why but a part of me feels like that is a much longer conversation.”

She giggled.

“It is a longer conversation indeed but the short version of it is, sometimes we wear our hair in twists and braids. Those are referred to as protective styles…and sometimes we do the twists in order to achieve another style known as a twist out. You know, how sometimes my curls are just from not trying and then there are days they are all perfectly defined?” she asked and he nodded reluctantly. “Maybe you should watch a YouTube tutorial or something.”

Ethan nodded.

“Yeah, I’m beginning to think that I should.”

She interlaced her fingers with his.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll get you there.”

Ethan let out a long, low exhale and leaned back on the headrest. He could not wait to get home with his woman. He was excited for the next chapter of his life. When they got to his place, he gave her a quick tour of the property, explaining why he got such a big house in the first place.

“My brother and my nephews are the only family I have and we have such a strong bond,” he explained. “There are two bedrooms for my brother and the boys. The boys share one which also doubles up as their playroom when they are here. We get our shot at the other three. They are all en-suite and they all have a view.”

Josie leaned against the railing at the top of the stairs. Ethan was looking at her with his hands in his pocket.

“May I ask you something?” she asked and he nodded.

“Anything.”

“How long have you stayed here?” she asked and he shook his head.

“Well, I have had the house for about four years. I mostly stayed at my place in New York or Connecticut when I wanted to get away.”

“So, you didn’t spend a lot of time here?” she asked and Ethan raised an eyebrow at her.

“Where are you going with this, Josie?” he asked and she shrugged.

“Have you ever had one of your girlfriends here? In this house?” she asked and he exhaled loudly.

“Yes, I have. One woman. Ann Montgomery.”

“Okay… Did she live here with you?” Josie asked and he shook his head.

“No. She did visit though. Maybe every other weekend.”

Josie bit her lower lip.

“Is that a deal-breaker as far as the house is concerned?” he asked and she shook her head.

“No, but the bed is. And the bed linen,” she said, smiling.

“I’ll get a new a new one and some new lines brought over from Bed, Bath & Beyond.”

She giggled and shook her head.

“I was actually thinking that we would move to another bedroom but that works too.”

He slowly walked towards her and took her hand in his.

“Well, since I finally know what this is all about, I can comfortably tell you that she never picked out anything in the house or even weighed in on how the house looks. That was the realtor…and me.”

She nodded.

“Okay.”

“But I was serious about the offer. We can get another place. You can even pick it out.”

Josie shook her head.

“The fact that you have opened up your place to me means a whole lot,” she said before she leaned in to kiss him. “Now if you will allow me, I need to go get ready for the party. I will be meeting Angie Harmon, you know.”

Ethan smiled.

“Yes, I know. You have only mentioned it a million times.”

“I also need to talk to my roommate now that she is no longer my roommate,” she said and he nodded.

“I understand. Maybe it is about time I met her too.”

She smiled at him.

“That sounds like a great idea,” she said in a soft voice.

                                                            *****

Given Dani’s tight schedule, Josie knew that it would be much better to inform her in a text message rather than try to meet with her. Josie had barely put the phone down when Dani called back.

“This is the fastest you’ve ever called me back,” Josie said when she answered the call.

“Can you blame me? You just gave me the biggest news!”

“I’m sorry, it just sort of happened.”

“I don’t care how it happened. I’m just happy that it did!” Dani shrieked.

“Great. So, I was thinking that my best person should meet my other best person.”

“Of course!” Josie could almost see Dani’s excitement.

“So, dinner? Tomorrow?” Josie asked. “You can pick the restaurant.”

“Of course! Tomorrow evening it is.”

Josie smiled.

“Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”

“Sure, roomie. I’m so happy for you, sweetie.”

“Thanks, Dani.”

Josie hung up and put on her shoes, a wide smile on her face. She had just finished getting ready for the company party and her dress code was all Christmas themed. She had on a maroon skater dress and a pair of nude-colored peep-toe heels. She had straightened out her curls and the silky straight tresses had been styled in a French braid which was falling over her shoulder. She took a long, deep breaths and sighed. She was ready to face the world.

                                                            *****

When Ethan saw Josie walking into the office party, he felt like, for a second, the whole world stood completely still. She looked so beautiful in her simplicity. He made his way to where she was and kissed her cheek.

“You look amazing,” he said and she smiled.

“Thanks. You look quite sleek yourself.”