Page 60 of Platinum Pressure

“Perfect.”

He held my hand as we walked into the living room. The curtains were closed, and only the soft light of the corner lamps illuminated the room. The TV was on a pause screen while candles sat atop the TV stand, coffee table, and kitchen island.

“You went all out tonight, huh?”

I nodded.

“I wanted to do something special for you. Prioritize you. Show you how appreciative of everything you’ve done and continue to do for me.” I led him to the couch. He sat and propped his recovering knee up on a pile of warm pillows. Then I went into the kitchen to retrieve his plate from the oven.

“Tonight, we’re having seafood pot pies.”

“It smells delicious.”

“When I ate mine, I damn near wanted to eat yours too.”

“I bet.”

I held the plate out for him and sat beside him as I watched him eat his meal. He’d gotten in three full bites and was working on the third when he finally said, “Damn, Dow. You threw down, bae.”

“Thanks! I’m glad you like it.”

“I love it.”

“I’m going to go get the office chair so I can massage your leg and ease some of the tension in your knee while we watch a special presentation I made for you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Did I miss an anniversary or something?”

“No.”

“You just feeling generous tonight?”

I nodded. “Something like that.”

I went and got the comfortable office chair and set it up beside Porter as he finished his pot pie. He gulped down a bottle of water and relaxed into the couch as I placed his leg in my lap and massaged him thoroughly.

The presentation started.

It opened to a baby picture of Porter. The audio started, and the nerves returned as my voice came through the surround sound speakers.

“Twenty-eight years ago, Porter Jones entered the world with no clue of who he would be or the impact he would make in the world.”

The slideshow began of his childhood and growing up, the moments he shared with his family and friends, and the start of his career as a professional football player. I put a clip of his injury and the start of his recovery.

“Neither one of us knew this injury would be the start of an unforgettable love story. Platinum Jones became my world without even trying.”

The film continued with pictures and videos I got from Seddrick with our workouts, checkups, and progress—videos I was sure he didn’t even know existed.

My heart thumped as I massaged Porter’s knee and bent and stretched the muscles as firm and gentle as I could. He focused his eyes on the video. A small smile permanently stretched across his face as he watched.

The video cut to me. I sat cross-legged in a chair with the ring light illuminating my skin.

“Hi, my love.”

“Hey, beautiful.” Porter jokingly responded to the recording.

“I want you to know these last few months with you have been some of the best moments of my life. You made me fall in love, you poured into my dreams, and you made me feel seen. Tonight, I wanted to take the time to do the same for you before I tell you something I’ve been holding in for a few weeks . . .”

The video cut to a black screen with the sound of our baby’s heartbeat playing. The screen read: Get ready to tackle our next adventure . . .