Mehar
Life was taking its twists and turns, but things were finally settling down. The war was over. My body was healing as was my soul. And someday my daughter would be leaving the hospital.
While I waited on Quest to come home, I texted Serenity.
Serenity: Xander and his girlfriend broke up!
Me: Why?
Serenity: She had a drinking problem. He told me at lunch after the court hearing.
Me: Sooooo… he’s your man now? Lol
Serenity: No! But we kissed. Idk. I just need to focus on my baby, I think.
Me: Do what makes you happy and what feels right.
Serenity: I’ll be back in town tomorrow. I’ll bring Sarai to meet you. I can’t wait to see Aziza.
Me: Me too! Kiss her for me. Quest just got home, I’ll hit you back.
Quest walked in and I knew something was wrong before he even closed the door. His shoulders were carrying something that wasn’t there when he left this morning. His steps were heavier. Whatever he went to handle today had cost him something he wasn’t ready to talk about.
I didn’t ask. I’d learned a long time ago that pushing Quest when he was like this only made him retreat further. He’d tell me when he was ready. Or he wouldn’t. Either way, it wasn’t my job to pry it out of him. It was my job to be here when the weight got too heavy for one person.
I got up and poured him a glass of Banks Reserve. He took it without a word, took a long sip, and sat on the edge of the bed. His free hand found mine and he pulled me down next to him. We sat like that for a minute. Just breathing. Just being still together.
“How was she today?” he asked.
“Good. Better than yesterday. The nurse said she’s gaining weight. Almost five pounds now.” I squeezed his hand. “She opened her eyes while I was talking to her. Just for a second, but she looked right at me.”
Something in his jaw softened. He lived for those updates. Every ounce she gained, every tube they removed, every small step closer to bringing her home. Those were the only numbers that mattered to him right now. Not quarterly reports, not revenue, not stock prices. Just ounces.
“Oh, and something came for you today.” I reached over to the nightstand and picked up the envelope. It was from the lab, the one processing the sibling DNA test. I’d been staring at it since three o’clock trying to decide if I should open it or wait. I waited. This wasn’t mine to open alone.
Quest looked at the envelope and set his glass down.
He took it from me and turned it over in his hands.
I could see him bracing for whatever was inside.
This man had stared down cartel leaders without flinching, but a piece of paper from a genetics lab had him sitting still on the edge of a hotel bed holding his breath.
“You want me to open it?” I asked.
“Nah. I got it.”
He tore the seal and pulled out the results. I watched his eyes move across the page. He read it once, then again, then a third time like he needed to make sure the words weren’t going to rearrange themselves.
“We’re full siblings,” he said. His voice was quiet. “Me, Justice, and Prime. We’re full biological siblings. Alexander Banks is my fuckin’ father.”
I exhaled. I didn’t even realize I’d been holding my breath too.
“That’s good, baby. That’s really good.”
“That bitch made me doubt that it was him,” His grip tightened on the paper. “She had me sitting up at night wondering if my father was really my father. And for what?” He shook his head. “Alexander was my father the whole time. She just wanted me to suffer with the question.”
I rubbed my thumb across his knuckles. That was that bitch Vivica. She just like to sow seeds of discord. She was exactly like Satan—completely untrustworthy. He lived with the pain that Alex wasn’t his father only to find out he always was.
“She can’t hurt you anymore,” I said.
“I know.” He set the paper on the nightstand and pulled me into him.
His arms wrapped around my waist. He pressed his face into my neck and just held me.
I felt the tension leave his body in slow waves.
Whatever he’d been carrying when he walked through that door, he was letting some of it go.
Not all of it. I could tell there were things I’d never know about.
I’d made peace with that a long time ago.
I loved a complicated man. A man who did things in the dark so his family could live in the light.
I didn’t need to know every detail. I just needed him to come home.
“Our daughter is getting stronger every day,” I whispered. “Your father is your father. Your brothers are your brothers. We’re okay, Quest.”
He didn’t say anything for a long time. Just held me tighter. I could feel his heartbeat against my chest, slow and steady. I closed my eyes and let it be enough.