Epilogue
“Surprise!”
Adam jumped back against Janae’s door as he quickly scanned her living room. Party streamers, balloons, and a giant sign over her mantel that read, “Happy Birthday, Adam!”
He found his friends, family members, and some of his and Janae’s colleagues huddled together with excited grins and bright eyes all focused on him.
Equally overwhelmed and happy, he searched the room for the one face he wanted—no, needed—to see.
Janae.
The small crowd parted like a river and through the center emerged the woman he loved carrying a giant cake covered in candles as she slowly walked toward him singing “Happy Birthday.”
The gleam of the candles gave her smooth skin a fitting ethereal glow. He already saw her as his own personal goddess, but in this light, her appearance was almost celestial.
“Aren’t you going to blow out your candles?”
Her voice brought his attention momentarily to the cake before he gave her a faux glare.
“All these damn candles are a bit disrespectful, don’t you think?”
“Ah, feeling sensitive about your age, old man?”
He scowled at the slight, taking a dramatically deep breath, and extinguishing all the candles at once.
He leaned in, whispering in her ear, “I’ll show you what this old man can do when you get rid of all these people.”
“Promises, promises,” she mouthed before handing Vanessa the cake and pulling Adam into her embrace.
He pulled her to his side, loving the feel of her heat against him. His body was always thrilled when Janae was near him, touching him. Her touch was exciting, titillating, and at this moment … comforting.
Nine months had passed since he’d run into her in Vanessa’s office. He’d walked in to drop off tickets to Michael and had no idea he’d be walking into his future. Simply put, Janae Sanders had become his everything. She had become his peace.
He clung to her as they moved through the room greeting everyone. He’d finally made his way toward the kitchen where he found their motley crew.
Derrick sat at Janae’s table, bracketed by Cree and Vanessa.
“Where’s Mike?”
The three looked at one another before Derrick said, “He had to make a quick run.” Derrick leaned over the table, pulling Adam into a hug. “Happy birthday, man. Your woman really went all the way out for you. You better appreciate her.”
Adam slipped his arm over Janae’s shoulders and pulled her to him, kissing her gently.
“Trust,” he said to Derrick while his eyes took in Janae. “I realize how blessed I am to have her.”
Inside, his chest tightened and his throat was thick with emotion.
Standing here with his arm around this loving woman, surrounded by friends who’d been more loyal to him than his own blood, Adam couldn’t help but be grateful for all he had.
As far as he was concerned, life couldn’t get much better than this.
Janae’s heart was bursting. That was the only way she could describe how it almost hurt to breathe, while she was simultaneously experiencing so much joy.
Her house was full of people she loved and respected and she was in her element making sure everything was perfect for her man.
Her man.
Her wonderful, supportive, and caring man.
If someone had told her nine months ago that she was going to fall in love with a man who loved and was loved by her son, and he’d also have a good relationship with her ex-husband, she would’ve called them a bold-faced liar.
Looking at her life now, she was so glad she’d been wrong on that count.
“Hey, party people!” Janae and Adam turned around at the sound of Michael’s voice in the kitchen.
“Look who I found.”
Michael stepped aside, holding the door open as Dorothy-Mae and Grady Henderson walked through the kitchen door.
“Hey, y’all.” Michael deepened his tone, using what Adam called his sheriff’s voice. “Let’s give them some privacy.”
Her girls and Derrick followed Michael through the back door and out onto the deck, leaving Janae and Adam standing in the room with his parents.
Dorothy-Mae looked her usual kind self with the subtle elegance of a woman who was benefiting from the wisdom of her age. There was no worry, just a calm certainty that she was who and where she was supposed to be.
Grady was looking better than the last time she’d seen him in his hospital room.
She hadn’t seen him since she’d read him for filth as he tried to berate Adam from his hospital bed.
Janae was a compassionate person who also happened to have a petty streak that stretched longer than Main Street. Sue her, God wasn’t done with her yet.
“Mom, Dad, I’m glad you came.”
His mother opened her arms and like the good son he was, Adam walked into them, leaning down and kissing the top of her head.
His greeting to his father was a lot cooler when he extended his hand, giving it a strong shake.
Adam loved his dad, and Janae would never begrudge him that love.
But Adam also loved her, and he told his father until he’d apologized to Janae for his ugly words, Adam would only be around to help them out when needed.
She hadn’t asked that of him. She also hadn’t encouraged it. As a parent, she would hope if there came a time where she and her son didn’t see eye to eye, his partner would encourage him to mend the rift.
While she had no intention of being around Grady, she always let Adam know that she wanted him to mend things with his dad.
“Come here, Janae, and let me hug your neck.”
Janae shooed Adam out of the way and eagerly wrapped her arms around Dorothy-Mae. Janae’s relationship with her own mother might still be a work in progress, but the wonderful grand dame in her arms dulled that ache just a little.
Dorothy-Mae pulled back and gifted her with a wide smile. “You take such good care of my baby. Thank you for that.” She spun her finger around in the air. “Thank you for all this. It’s so sweet you’d get everyone together to celebrate him.”
“Mrs. Henderson, it’s my absolute pleasure.” Janae instantly went into hostess mode. “You want me to fix you a plate? There should be some ribs coming off the grill any minute.”
The elder woman waved Janae away. “I’ll find my way out there. Are your mama and your daddy here? I can catch up with them for a few moments. I believe Grady has something he’d like to say to the two of you. Don’t you, Grady?”
Shockingly, when Janae took in Grady’s face, she found contrition resting in the lines around his eyes and mouth. She looked at Adam to reassure her of what she thought she saw. The acknowledgment in his eyes grounded her and she regarded Grady once again.
“Yes, ma’am. Mama and Daddy are in the backyard too.” Dorothy-Mae nodded and found her way to the back door. As soon as the back door clicked closed, Grady stepped toward them.
“I’m not gonna prolong this, Janae. I owe you the biggest apology. You went out of your way to help me on more than one occasion when it came to my health, and I turned around and gave you my behind to kiss. Wasn’t right. I don’t have an excuse either. Point-blank, you deserved better.”
“Mr. Henderson, thank you for that apology.”
She wasn’t sure what else to say. His eyes seemed sincere and from his awkward tapping of his cane by his foot, she could tell he was really trying to right the wrong.
“Spending these last months only getting to watch my son’s life from the sidelines, it brought a lot of things to bear.”
His shoulders drooped, making him look both smaller and older than he was.
“Dad, you need to sit down? Your leg okay?”
“Son, I only ever wanted you to have a life I could never give you. I’m sorry I ever made you feel like you weren’t enough. You were … you are more than enough, and I hope you can forgive me for the harm I caused to you and your young lady.”
And there it was, that crotchety old man had found the way to forgiveness in Janae’s heart when she looked over at Adam and saw his Adam’s apple bobbing like he had something lodged in his throat he was desperately trying to move.
Grady might’ve pissed her off that night, but the lingering hurt that remained was all for the way he’d wounded Adam.
“Dad, of all the things I expected today, you apologizing wasn’t on the list.”
“Son, hearing from your mama how you’ve grown, all that you’ve accomplished, it made me realize I was missing out on your happiness, and I didn’t want to do that anymore.
It was bad enough when you were all the way in New York.
Having you home and still not being part of your life, it’s tearing me up something terrible.
I’m ashamed of the way I treated you both, and even if you don’t want me around after today, I knew I owed you both an apology in person. ”
Adam moved first, pulling his father into his embrace.
The sight of Adam getting his father back reminded her of her own son’s reunion with Marq and her own reconciliation with her mother.
She’d thought both of those relationships were irreparable.
Time and love had proved her wrong and she was so glad about it.
Her son had his father, and Janae was getting to know and love her mother in a way she never thought was possible.
After experiencing how honesty and love could change things, as upset as she was with Grady for his past actions, she couldn’t deny him this opportunity with his son.
To do it would hurt him, but most of all it would hurt Adam. She loved him too much for that.
The two men separated, and the older man extended his hand to Janae. She took it, and he enclosed it with his other hand.
“I don’t deserve it. And considering how you told me about myself the last time we saw each other, I know it might not be easy for you to accept my apology and forgive me.”
She shrugged playfully, letting the corner of her mouth lift in a grin.
“I have been known to hold a grudge or two.”
The elder man responded with a genuine smile that lit up his brown eyes and warmth spread through her. This wasn’t an act. Somehow knowing that, witnessing it with her own eyes, it soothed whatever tension that rested inside of her where Adam’s father was concerned.
“Mr. Henderson, I love Adam. You’re his family. If you’re sincere, then can we put all this behind us and start over?”
Adam turned to her with disbelief raising his brows and widening his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, and she lifted her finger.
“Shut it.” Janae’s edict had Adam snapping his jaw with a resounding click. “Your dad and I are having a moment here. Don’t ruin it.”
The three of them fell into a fit of laughter that was still going on when Derrick walked in with Cree on his heels.
“Everything okay in here?”
Ever the peacemaker, Derrick looked among the three of them, regarding each carefully before he relaxed his pinched brow.
“It’s all good,” Adam replied.
“I’mma go’n outside and find your mama, make sure she saved me some of them ribs Janae was talking about.”
His father ambled out onto the deck with Derrick and Cree following behind him, leaving Adam and Janae alone in the kitchen.
The sounds of their guests in the living room and outside on the deck cocooned them, an inviting beat in the rhythm of this new life they were building together.
“You make everything better in my life, Janae.”
“I know.”
He was holding her front to back now and she could feel his laughter enveloping her. This was her life now, love and laughter with this man and their families and friends.
“I love you too, Adam. I’m so glad you finally saw me and I you.”
He kissed the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder, and she shivered. She moaned, snuggling her body against his as he continued to kiss a path from her neck to her ear.
“I love that our people came out to show love like this. But a brotha could really use some alone time with you.”
“You can have that once the guests are gone and Marq takes James back to his place.”
“Marq is taking big man tonight? It really is my birthday, huh?”
She stepped out of his embrace, keeping their fingers entwined as she pulled him toward the back door.
Both their gazes were drawn to Cree and Derrick by the grill.
Cree was dangling a piece of fruit over Derrick’s open mouth like a Yo-Yo, letting it dip just out of his reach before she pulled it away again.
Then Derrick grabbed her hand and pulled her close until Cree’s body was flush against Derrick’s and suddenly things turned from playful to intense.
Since those two were the practical jokers of their crew, that friction was something new and … intriguing.
Adam and Janae took in the entire scene, looking at each other to make sure they both saw what they thought they’d seen.
When their eyes locked, there was no denying it.
They’d just witnessed a shift between their longtime friends.
If Cree and Derrick were lucky, hopefully they’d find their way to something special in the long run.
Janae looked up to Adam and found a hint of amusement on his face.
“Who’s gonna tell ’em?”
Adam’s question made her chuckle as she looked at the cozy picture Cree and Derrick made.
“Certainly not me,” Janae replied. “It took me too long to figure out our situation. I ain’t even trying to get grown folks to see what’s right under their noses. Nope,” she continued, “don’t have the energy.”
“Agreed.” He snickered as he continued to watch Cree and Derrick. “Besides, we’ve got better things to do with that energy you’re conserving.”
He waggled his eyebrows, and she rolled her eyes. Being around their friends always seemed to turn him into the high school version of himself.
She didn’t mind, though. It gave her the chance to love on the boy she’d let slip away and the man who returned and found her when she didn’t realize she was lost.