Epilogue
SIX MONTHS LATER…
“Girl, it’s so fucking hot out here! How do you deal?” Mi asked.
“First of all, this is Miami. Florida has a different kind of heat that I don’t even like. But… it’s not too far from what I’m used to in Lafayette,” I responded as Mulan, Tiana, and my mama agreed with head nods.
We were in Miami, having the time of our lives. Deontray had a show later tonight, and we were shopping. We’d already been to the beach, and I felt like my skin was on fire. I didn’t know why I didn’t think to pack sunscreen. As long as I didn’t get in the water, I was fine. However, the minute I did, the sun boiled that shit on me. I was a shade darker and burnt the fuck up. Thankfully, I wore a visor, so my face was okay. Nowhere else was safe though.
The fun but not-so-fun part was last night, after I bathed, Tray rubbed me down with cocoa butter. He rubbed me down again this morning then indulged in the treasure between my legs. He couldn’t get enough of me, and I surely couldn’t get enough of him. We went everywhere with each other, and the media couldn’t get enough of it.
The speculation about the nature of our relationship had died down, and they’d started embracing the love we shared. It was visible to anyone in our presence. We had to always touch in some way, even if we were just holding hands. When the Grammys rolled around about three months ago, we had the red carpet sizzling with racy poses and sweet kisses. By the time we got inside, I had to go refresh my lipstick. Tray had eaten all that shit off with the way he sucked my lips.
I believed it was then that everyone started accepting how in love we were. If we didn’t have a show, we stayed in our own bubble with our family, enjoying each other’s company. I knew that man as if I’d grown up with him in the same household. I could look at him and know what he needed before he said a word and vice versa. He was my confidant when I needed to talk, my encourager when I was doubting myself, and my lover when I wanted to feel extra womanly. Deontray was my best friend, and my girls understood everything about that.
After we paid for our things, we got in the car and made our way back to the hotel to rest and prepare for the turnup tonight. I was so proud of Deontray. His latest album had gone triple platinum. He’d also won two Grammys this year with a promise of winning more next year. He’d installed a glass trophy case at his house to house them.
“Mari, what are you wearing tonight?” my mama asked. “I don’t want to be overdressed. I need to look like one of the girls and not a mother.”
I rolled my eyes as I giggled. My mama was fire, and she knew it. It didn’t matter what she wore. She would still draw attention. That was why Daddy and Jayden refused to let us come to Miami without him. He said, “Ain’t nobody gon’ be trying to get a piece of my cake.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his playfully insecure comments. I told him to just say he wanted to go with us to Miami, instead of making it seem like he was being forced to be here. He couldn’t help but laugh at himself too. They were out and about, taking in the sights with Deontray and a few of his security guys. We were meeting back at the resort for lunch, then we would chill out until it was time to head to the arena.
“Mama, I’m probably wearing next to nothing. You feel this heat?”
She giggled then pulled a bikini top from her bag. “I guess I will be too. Yo’ daddy gon’ have a whole fit, but it’ll pay off later.”
I fake gagged then smiled. My parents were a trip, but I loved it. They didn’t play about each other. I knew Deontray and I would be the same.
“Yeah, sha!” Tiana yelled. “Gon’ give Mister Caleb a heart attack, yeah.”
We all laughed hard. Tiana only used Southwest Louisiana dialect when she was talking to my mama or trying to be funny. It worked though, because it was funny as hell. She would get my mama all worked up, and it was no different this time.
“That man gon’ die happy, sha!” my mama said.
I slowly shook my head, waiting to get to my man and away from their foolishness. They continued to clown around and laugh as I did the same, enjoying the sisterhood we all shared… the sisterhood Mi deserved. After everything she suffered, she was proving daily that it was only a moment of tribulation that didn’t define who she was as a woman.
FAAFO was a free man after what he did to her, and so was his manager, but karma would find them swiftly. What they thought they’d gotten away with would resurface in their lives in other ways that would take them down completely. Mi didn’t care to speak about either of them, and whenever we were in the same places, she treated FAAFO as if he were a stranger, not giving him a second look. She was just happy that she didn’t have to bear raising a child as a result.
I was grateful that Tray was able to restrain himself whenever they crossed paths. The first time he saw him after the incident, I was grateful Mi and I were there to talk some sense into him and calm the anger that was raging inside of him. We’d had to do that three or four times, but thankfully, it got easier each time we saw him.
Their dad had even tried to call them to seek their forgiveness, but neither of them were ready for that. Tray seemed to think he was simply trying to save face and get in their good graces only to fuck up again. Mi was simply following her brother’s lead, trusting that he knew what was best. I just hoped that eventually they would be able to heal from it all.
“Y’all having a good time with me, Miami?”
“Yeah!” the crowd yelled.
“I asked, are y’all having a good time with me?”
“Yeah!” they yelled louder.
“That’s good, because I’m having a good time with y’all. I want to take it up a notch but slow it down at the same time. Y’all ready for that?”
“Yeah!”
He glanced at me backstage as the bass line started. This time, I walked out onto the stage slowly with my guitar across my back. My hair was pulled up, and I wore a studded bikini top and a short denim skirt. My open-toed, studded, high-heeled cowgirl boots were becoming a thing, and I was happy about the line I created. They were constantly selling out. The crowd was going crazy at the sight of me, and I couldn’t help but smile. It was hard not to these days. I was so happy.
When I got to him, he kissed me slowly and sensually, setting the stage on fire. What shocked the crowd was that he strummed the guitar while it was across my back, playing the melody of the song. We’d worked hard on that, but he got it down and wouldn’t stop until he perfected it.
He stopped and slowly pulled away from me as the bass line continued to play. I spun the guitar around and picked up where he left off, and he grabbed the mic and began singing. I inserted my hums where they belonged through the mic attached to my clothing. I glanced out at the crowd to see them swaying to the beat, and couples were holding each other. It was such a romantic moment.
As the song was winding up, Tray made his way to me and stood behind me. He slid the mic in his pocket and wrapped his arms around me, strumming the guitar with me, then used the mic attached to me to amplify his words.
“I want the crowd to know just how much you mean to me, Kamari. You are the piece I was missing. To have a love like yours is overwhelming at times, and I used to wonder how and why God chose to bless me with such an angel. Despite what my past looked like, you saw my heart and the man I’d hidden from the world. You are who I was meant to do life with. You bring out the best in me, and I can be a better man because of your love.”
He released me as the crowd swooned. I closed my eyes and continued to play, letting my spirit soak up the words he spoke to me like a sponge. His testament about what I meant to him always put me in a softer and sensitive space. I loved the feeling it gave me, knowing that I meant as much to him as he meant to me… that my love was reciprocated in this relationship.
When the crowd started screaming and applauding, I couldn’t help but open my eyes to see what was going on. When I did, I saw Tray on his knee with a ring. My heart rate quickened, and my breathing pattern changed drastically. I continued to strum, although I could barely breathe. The tears had begun falling down my cheeks, and my entire body was trembling.
When I saw the tears falling from his eyes, I lost it. I quickly pulled my guitar off, letting it drop to the floor, and went to my knees with him. I gently wiped his tears as he did the same to me. “Damn, girl. I love you so much. You got me shedding tears in front of thousands, and I don’t even fucking care. None of this shit has meaning anymore without you. I wanna make it official… make us official. Will you do me the honor of being my?—”
“Yes!” I yelled, cutting him off.
The crowd roared with applause as I kissed him passionately. When I released him, he said, “Wife?”
I laughed loudly as he took the ring from the box it was in and slid the beautiful diamond on my finger. All the platinum and diamonds were blinding me under the stage lights. He stood, then helped me to my feet and kissed me all over again. Dropping the mic to the floor with my guitar, he scooped me up and walked right off stage.
The crowd was going insane, but all I could truly concentrate on was the fact that I now had a whole fiancé. We stared at one another the entire time he walked to the dressing room. In my peripheral, I could see all the people smiling at us, including our family. No words were spoken, and the moment was truly intense.
Once inside, he lowered me to my feet and closed and locked the door. Turning back to me, he picked me up again and brought me to the vanity and set me on it. I watched him unbutton and unzip his pants then pull out his dick in record time. Roughly pulling me to the edge of the vanity, he reached between my legs and tore the seat of my panties.
Within seconds, his dick had graced my insides. I fell back against the mirror as he filled me repeatedly, taking what I was freely giving in such a spiritually emotional way. His lips crashed on mine as he fucked my damn spine up. When he released my lips from the passion leaking from his lips, he said, “Thank you. Fucking thank you. You rescued me from myself and the destructive behavior that had infiltrated me. You’re my saving grace, baby. Fuck!”
“Thank you for proving to me that being with you was more than worth it. We will make beautiful music… Our chemistry and love will create harmonies that will sustain our union. I… love… you… Deontray… fuck!”
I came all over him as he released inside of me. My eyes rolled to the back of my head. Our beautiful harmonies had just begun, and the possibility of seeing it in the flesh was great since I wasn’t on birth control, and he wasn’t wearing a condom.
When he pulled out of me, he said, “Beautiful music, huh? I like that. Grammy nominated shit. These harmonies gon’ be timeless, baby. Beautifully timeless harmonies.”
The End
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