Epilogue
SIX MONTHS LATER
I smiled as Kairo walked inside the house. He had just returned from the store and had two bouquets in his hand. He walked toward me, kissing me on the forehead and handing me a bouquet.
“These are beautiful, baby,” I said.
“Just like you.”
I laughed. “You are so cheesy.”
“You like it.”
“Nah, I love it.” I placed a kiss to his lips and looked at the other bouquet of flowers.
“Your mother is going to love them. They are so pretty.”
He smiled. “Yeah, you know how she is about her flowers. My dad created a bad habit.”
“Says the son that picked up on those bad habits.” I winked.
“Ha-ha funny,” he said, walking toward the kitchen.
Today we were having dinner with Kairo’s mother and my brother. Kairo’s mother made it a habit to have dinner with us at least once a month. Lately she’d been spending a lot of time joining different clubs, such as gardening, pickleball, and water aerobics with the other ladies in town. She was enjoying herself and would call me at least once a week talking about the drama going on in the clubs. I didn’t mind it at all. I appreciated it because I knew if my mother was alive, her and I would be on the phone gossiping just like that. She filled the void of me missing the opportunity to enjoy my mother in my adulthood.
Kairo returned and sat next to me on the couch. I laid my head on his shoulder.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I don’t have no feelings about it. They are dead to me, so I’m not mourning.”
Two weeks ago, Kairo’s uncle was arrested for several crimes. His main charge was three counts of murder. They were able to trace his DNA back to an unsolved murder case from ten years ago. Kairo hadn’t spoken to anyone on that side, not even Mario. When his mama asked him about the news, Kairo advised her to stay away and that was what she did.
“You asking me how I’m feeling. How are you?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know how to feel. Everything happened so fast, I didn’t even have time to process it,” I said.
A month had passed since I received a collect call from prison. My father was in jail. He was charged with the murder of my mother. I was shocked. I wasn’t sure who had gone to the police with the information. After listening to my dad plead and apologize, I decided to block the jail number. I wasn’t sure what the update was, but all I knew was they had enough evidence to trace the murder back to him.
Two weeks after receiving the phone call, I got a call from Junior, who let me know he was the one who turned our father in to the police. At first, I was shocked. I didn’t know what to think, but after talking to Kairo about how I felt, I was able to conclude that I was proud of my brother. He stepped in and made sure that justice was served, regardless of how things played out. Today would be the first time I saw my brother in six months, and I couldn’t wait to hug and love on him. I wanted him to know and feel that I supported his choice one hundred percent.
“Take your time and figure out your feelings,” Kario said, placing a kiss on my cheek.
“Thank you, baby.”
I laid in Kairo’s arms comfortably, waiting for the time to pass before everyone arrived. We sat in silence before he asked a question.
“Junie?”
“Yes, bae?”
“What if I asked you to marry me… would you?”
I stiffened. Slowly, I sat up and stared at him. “Kairo, what are you talking about?”
“Just what I said. What if I asked you to marry me? Would you?”
“I-I would. But I’m sure you’re not thinking about that right now,” I said nervously.
He paused. “What if I am?”
My heart rate increased. I couldn’t stop myself from fidgeting.
“Are you?”
Kairo reached into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet ring box. He opened the top and a pear shaped three-carat diamond ring sat in the box. Tears immediately rushed to the surface. I couldn’t think straight nor form a sentence.
“Junie Russell, the day I laid eyes on you, you did a number on me and didn’t know or even mean to. You captivated me because of how different you were compared to others. You were strong and tough on the outside, but a sweet, innocent, sensitive woman on the inside. There is nothing from your past or present that I don’t love about you. I can’t see myself spending another day without you being Mrs. Kairo Woods. Junie baby…” He stood from the couch and got on one knee. “Marry me. Let’s do this forever, beautiful.”
I couldn’t control my tears. Somehow I found the strength to blurt out yes before leaping into Kairo’s arms, causing him to lose balance and fall backwards. I didn’t care that we were laid out on the floor like teenagers. My man had just asked me to marry him, and I was about to be Mrs. Kairo Woods.
“You don’t know how much you just made my night.”
He looked at the Rolex on his wrist. “Why don’t you show me? We got an hour ’til everyone arrives.”
I smirked at him. “All I need is ten minutes.”
“Show me what you got,” he said.
I kissed Kairo with so much fueled passion I became winded. I broke the kiss to remove my shirt but stopped and stared down at the handsome man below me.
“I know I say this often but thank you. Thank you for guarding not only me but my heart too. I love you so much, Kairo.”
“I love you too, Junebug.”