Chapter 28
Tianna
I’m nervous. I don’t know why I’m nervous; it’s my daughter, but I’m still trembling on the inside.
I spent a few weeks in the hospital getting myself together and talking to a shrink. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. There were a lot of issues I needed to work on, and I still do, but I’m going in the right direction.
I realized killing myself was not an option. It should have never been an option, but at the time, I couldn’t see another way out. Now I do. I could have gone to Remy. I could have talked to him, explained to him how I felt, and we could have worked on things together, but I chose to take the easy way out like a coward. And I hate myself for it. I hate I let myself get that bad.
Remy grabs my hand and brings it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss.
“You’re gonna be fine.”
“She hasn’t seen me in so long. What if she doesn’t remember me?”
“She remembers you, Tianna. She would never forget you,” he tells me. I nod my head as he pulls the door open, and we step inside. Everyone cheers, welcoming me home, and I feel the tears ready to spill down my cheeks. This is the part of the club I took for granted. This was the part I overlooked the first time.
Remy pulls me inside as everyone welcomes me back when the room splits. That’s when I see Kiki holding Charlie. She’s talking to her and then turns her so she can see me. Charlie instantly smiles and wiggles to get down. Kiki sets her on her feet, and she immediately comes rushing toward me.
I squat down, and I’m ready when she slams into me, wrapping her arms around my neck.
“Mama!” She squeals, and my heart nearly leaps out of my chest. She remembers me. Sobs shake my body as I stand and cradle her to my chest. Remy wraps his arm around me and pulls us both into him.
“She didn’t forget me,” I sob as Remy wraps his arms around both of us.
“She could never forget you,” he tells me.
We stand like this for a long time, just being here in the moment together. Everything feels right. Everything feels like it’s the way it’s supposed to be. Then it hits me. What about Brad? What if he tries to come back now?
“Remy?”
“Yeah?”
“What if … what if he comes back?” Now Remy chuckles.
“He’s not comin’ back, baby. He’s never comin’ back.”
“Did you …” I trail off, wondering if I really want to know the answer to that.
“I handled it.” I nod my head, not willing to ask anything further. I’m afraid to know the answer, but I also know what Remy does, so I have no doubts it was taken care of.
“Let’s go to the room.” I nod my head as Remy leads us down the hall, but before we go, I stop and pull Kiki into a hug.
“Thank you for taking care of them.”
“It was my pleasure. You have an amazing daughter,” she says, hugging me back. When we pull apart, Remy ushers me down the hallway to the room. I don’t expect what I see when I walk in. Everything Kiki and I had ordered is here and set up for Charlie.
“Do you like it?”
“Did you do this?” Remy chuckles.
“No. Kiki and Locke did it all one night. Kiki was insistent she needed all this stuff,” he tells me, motioning to everything.
“It’s … a lot.”
“Yeah, it is, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. Even the clothes, look at all the clothes,” he says, walking to the dresser and pulling the drawers open. Okay, so maybe Kiki overdid it a little on the clothes. I laugh, and Remy turns his head quickly to look at me. His eyes are locked on mine, and I’m not sure why.
“What?”
“You laughed. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that laugh.” In seconds, he’s stalking toward me, wrapping his hand around the back of my head and pulling my lips to his. He kisses the hell out of me when suddenly he pulls back.
“Shit,” he hisses as he reaches for her face.
“What happened?”
“Charlie bit me again.” I snort a laugh as I look at Charlie and then at Remy’s cheek.
“What do you mean again?”
“I mean, this isn’t the first time she’s bit me.”
“Remy! You can’t let her bite people!”
“Babe, I didn’t let her do anything. That girl has a mind of her own, and besides, she only bites me,” he confesses, and laughter bubbles up my throat. I try to hold it back, but I can’t. I explode into laughter as Charlie does the same. She’s giggling, and it’s the best sound in the world.
“You two laughin’ at me now?” he asks, looking between us.
“She only bites you?”
“Yeah. She doesn’t try that with everyone.”
“She loves you, Remy.”
“That’s why she bites me? We bite the people we love now?” I laugh once more.
“Maybe she’s just trying to kiss you?”
“No. She isn’t. She can do that if she wants to. This is straight up bitin’.”
“We have to work on that. She can’t just bite people.” Charlie yawns and reaches for Remy. As much as I didn’t want to let her go, I let him take her from my arms. He snuggles her against his chest, and she lays her head down. Tears burn the back of my eyes as I watch him with her. This is how it always should have been. This is what our life should have been like.
“Don’t cry, Tianna. We’re all good now,” he tells me. “We have a system,” he says, nodding toward the bed. I watch him walk over and lay Charlie down before slipping his cut off and climbing in next to her. She rolls over, wraps her hand up in his t-shirt, and cuddles up next to him. I can’t stop the smile that forms on my lips.
“She loves you.”
“I love the both of you. Come on,” he says, patting the bed on the other side of Charlie. I slip off my shoes and walk over, climbing on the bed next to her. Remy reaches over her and rests his hand on my hip as Charlie falls asleep between us.
“This is perfect.”
“You think so?” I ask him.
“Yeah. I don’t think I could have wanted anything else but this, Tianna. My two girls,” he says as his eyes burn into mine.
“I love you, Remy. That never changed.”
“I know, baby. I love you, too. Now we’re all here, we’re all together. Nothin’ is gonna change this, Tianna. Nothin’.”