Epilogue
Two years later . . .
Twisting to the side, I tried sucking in my stomach to hide the little pudge there, but of course, it didn’t work. No matter what I did, it wouldn’t go away. There was no running away from what was to come in a few short months.
I glanced up when I felt Ketai sliding his hands around my waist. He placed a sweet kiss on my cheek that brought a grin to my face. “You nervous?” he questioned me in a concerned tone.
I nodded quickly. “Yes.” I stomped my foot before crossing my arms over my chest. “Oh my God, everybody’s going to know you be hunching me now.
” I mean, I was a grown woman and very married, but there was still something so embarrassing about everyone being able to tell I was out here doing the nasty with my man.
Ketai tossed his head back as he laughed heartily. “I be hunching you?”
I nodded adamantly. “Yes, of course. You know I’m a pillow princess.”
The sexiest smirk appeared on his face, reminding me exactly how I ended up in this situation in the first place.
“A damn good one at that.” He placed his hands on my belly and began to softly caress it.
I giggled when his breath tickled my ear.
“I can’t wait to tell everybody about how you just laid there and let me put a baby in you. ”
My mouth popped open before I spun around and pushed him away from me. He laughed, trying to grab me, but I moved out of his way. “You’re annoying. Let’s go.”
I snatched my purse from the dresser and walked toward the door.
Ketai rushed forward to open the door for me.
When I walked by him, he smacked me on the ass so hard that I hissed.
A satisfied smile was on his face when I glanced at him.
He took my hand in his and began walking us toward the elevators.
After one year of traveling together became two, we were finally ready to return home.
We debated for a while on where we should call home, but once my mother said she would move back to the States to be close to her grandchild, it was the obvious choice.
So far, she was the only family member who knew because we were in La Promesse when we found out I was pregnant.
Today, Tai’s family would find out when we got to his family reunion.
When we got outside, Miles waited for us beside our black Eskimo. I rushed toward him with my arms out. “Miles! I missed you,” I said genuinely.
He smiled and opened his arms to receive me. His eyes bulged when he saw my belly. “I missed you too, Free. I see y’all were doing a little more than traveling the world,” he joked.
I turned to look at Ketai. “Omg, see,” I complained. Shaking my head, I climbed inside the truck, throwing my back against the seat.
Ketai slid in beside me after dapping up Miles. “Fix your face before I fix it for you,” he threatened me.
I rolled my eyes and my neck. “And how you think you’re going to do that?”
Ketai leaned forward when Miles got in. “Put the partition up for me.”
I squirmed in my seat when Ketai turned to look at me.
I could tell what was on his mind by the smile he sported.
I shook my head and backed as far away from him as I could, but my space was limited.
He nodded, closing the distance between us.
When he went to push my legs open, I smacked his hand away.
“Now who’s the scary one?” he teased me. “Will jump off a fucking cliff but scared to get your pussy ate.”
I crossed my legs as my mama taught me when I was a little girl. “Miles already knows we be hunching. There’s no way I’m about to let him hear you doing that to me.”
“Just be quiet.”
I frowned at him. “You know I don’t know how to be quiet. Your mouth does things to me.” My body became warm, and I was just thinking about it. If I weren’t so embarrassed, I would let Tai do whatever he wanted with his mouth. It was how he got the nickname Stanley in the first place.
He looked so satisfied with himself, sitting across from me. “Oh, I know. All you ever need is a little straightening.”
“And all you need to do is leave me alone,” I mumbled childishly. He moved like he was coming closer, and I distracted him by saying, “Oh, look. We’re here.”
The Kingston family reunion was being held at a bar downtown, so it was only a few minutes away from where we were staying.
We hadn’t had the chance to start looking for our home, but it was one of our tasks for the week.
Since Tai was plugged into the real estate scene in Solaire, I had no doubt that he would find us something quicker than others.
We’d been discussing which features we considered to be nonnegotiable and more.
We even decided to have our home built if the perfect property didn’t already exist.
Ketai chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m going to get you later. We got all night, baby.” His voice was low and seductive, making me tingle in excitement. “Look at you, smiling like the little slut you are. I knew you wanted it.”
I didn’t confirm or deny what he was saying.
Thankfully, Miles tossed the truck into park and was opening my door within seconds.
I slid out quickly with Ketai right on my heels.
Our hands found each other as we made the short walk inside to the back area where everyone was.
I could feel the thump of the speaker system before we stepped out on the patio area.
Ketai’s family was spread about, doing various things, but almost everybody had a drink in their hands.
I jumped when I heard someone scream. I looked up in time to see Katana racing toward us.
Of course, her eyes were on my belly. “I know you’re lying!
Y’all been keeping secrets!” she yelled at us when she was close enough.
Her loud voice had made everyone’s attention turn to us.
I squeezed Ketai’s hand for support. He instantly went into action, pushing everyone back so they weren’t crowding us anymore.
“Can y’all back the fuck up? My wife is not on display.
Act like y’all seen a pregnant woman before,” he fussed at them all, becoming annoyed with each word.
“Thank you,” I whispered when they backed away a little. Some went back to whatever they were doing previously, but Katana stayed right in place.
Ketai winked. “You know I got you, baby.” I heard him suck his teeth and turned to see what had his attention. His aunt Pam was headed our way with his mother. “Man, you better not let Pam touch your stomach. She not about to curse my baby with her hateful ass spirit.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “You know I’m team Paulette all day. She ain’t getting close at all.”
He tossed an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into him. “This why I love you.”
Before I could respond, his mama was up on us with her arms out.
“My baby is finally back home,” she said cheerily.
She kissed his cheek, and he allowed her.
She slowly turned to look at me and smiled.
“I knew there was something special about you. It was the way the two of you watched each other all night. It was like the whole world disappeared.”
I glanced at Ketai, only to find him already watching me. “Yeah, it was only us,” I replied. He palmed my face with a grin that grounded me to this realm. I leaned into his touch, feeling whole and thankful for the man next to me.
There was no me without Ketai, and vice versa.
Getting my heart broken was the best thing to ever happen to me, but I remembered feeling the opposite in the moment.
Sometimes, things in life happened that you couldn’t explain, but I learned it was best to lean into the chaos because what was on the other side would be worth it.
I think the test was seeing if you’d fight through the pain, the depression, the heartache, and disappointments to get what you always wanted.
Maybe because only then could you truly appreciate the gift that life was.
The End