Ashley
Ipicked Tyrell up at his mother’s house, just like I used to do in high school. He could never pick me up when we were teenagers because my parents did not approve. It had been easier for me to go to his house. Plus, I loved his mother.
I knocked on the door wearing the same jeans and blouse I had worn to work. Thankfully, nobody had peed on me or spilled juice all over me. It was a banner day.
Mrs. Harris hollered through the window. “Come on in, Ashley. It’s open.”
I let myself in and went straight for a hug from Mrs. Harris, who sat in her favorite chair. She was positioned in front of the television with her leg propped up, a sandwich on a stool next to her.
“Do you want us to bring something back for you? Or we could order in and stay here.” I mentally began thinking of who delivered nearby.
She waved me off. “No, no, darlin’. You two go and have fun. I’m just gonna sit here and catch up on my shows that I can’t watch with little eyes nearby.” She looked me up and down. “I don’t need big eyes, either.”
I giggled at the thought of her watching something racy. “Mrs. H., what are you watching these days?”
She wrinkled her nose at me. “Never you mind. How about you refill my tea real quick? I don’t know what’s keeping that boy.”
Her glass of tea sat nearly empty, so I took it to the kitchen and refilled it. When I set it down next to her, Tyrell came out from a back room.
“You didn’t tell me you were here.” He kissed my temple.
Glancing at the clock, I chuckled. “It’s just now 5:30. I was here to see your mom first.”
Again, Mrs. Harris waved me off. “Both of you, go on. I have a date with Netflix. I’m fine.”
We bade her goodbye and exited the house. In the car, I laughed. “I never thought your mother would force us on a date.”
“She tried so hard to convince me to try to get you back. She has always known.” He shook his head. “Well, I’ve always known, but she was willing to say it.” With that, he leaned over and kissed me.
Since we were both casually dressed, I took us downtown to the more touristy area of the city. I loved playing tourist from time to time. There were cheesy gift stores and chocolate shops and restaurants galore, all with the water nearby. It made for a relaxing date night.
As we strolled along, I took Tyrell’s hand. “I’m glad you figured out where Sabra went. That had to worry you.”
He nodded, his face grim. “It did. Not for my sake, but for the girls. They knew she was going to get them, and she didn’t show up. So, she let them down. Again. I don’t want to call it child abandonment, especially if she comes back in a few days, but what else could it be?”
I shrugged. “We were taught, as teachers, to look for signs of abuse. But we’re taught to look for physical signs. Things like this just aren’t covered. At least, they have you for stability.”
A shop filled with children’s toys seemed to beckon to me, and I pulled Tyrell inside. We spent fifteen minutes playing with toys and laughing. I picked out two little princess wands and bought them. Green for Saffi and pink for Sami. At least I could color-code them to know who was who.
Taking my hands in his, Tyrell looked at me with a serious expression. “You don’t have to buy them gifts. They like you just fine.”
I nodded, knowing what he was trying to really say. “I’m not trying to buy their affection. Or yours. I just want to do something nice for them. Gifts are my love language.”
A grim smile crossed his face as he looked away from me. “I can’t give you all those gifts, Ash.”
We exited the store, and I stopped him on the sidewalk. “It’s not about money, and you know it. You could grab my favorite candy bar at the store. Or I can get the girls cheap, plastic wands or give you something small. It’s just something that shows the giver was thinking about the receiver. That’s all. It’s not about diamonds or expensive perfumes or anything else. It’s a simple thing.”
He jammed his hands in his pockets. “Are you sure?”
I tilted my head. “Have I ever lied to you?”
“No.”
“Okay, then. And since I don’t lie, I’m starving, and I want shrimp.”
One of my favorite places was a block down, so we went there and sat on the same side of the booth, cuddled up and eating bottomless plates of shrimp and fries.
As we left, I asked Tyrell one of my favorite questions. “What’s your five-year plan?”
“You still ask people that?” The laughter made his words nearly indecipherable.
It was true—I had loved to ask that question my whole life. I had learned it from my father. “Of course, I do. How else will I know what their five-year plan is?”
We linked arms and moved away from the crowd that always inhabited the area. A comfortable silence came over us, and I allowed him time to think.
It took a moment before he finally began to speak. “Before you showed back up, I had just hoped to keep the pace—watch the girls grow, take care of Mom, do good at work. I wondered about moving up the ladder at the station, but there’s not much else for me without moving. And you know I can’t leave my family.”
“What about finding love?”
He shrugged. “If it had suddenly happened, maybe. But I wasn’t looking. At least, not looking hard. Between Mom, Sami, and Saffi, I had enough women around me.”
He was not wrong there. There were plenty of women in his life. I stopped walking and faced him. “How about now that we have reconnected?”
The grin on his face told me enough, but I wanted to hear it. “Now? In the next five years, I want to get married to a gorgeous brunette, maybe find a bigger house for everyone. I would love to add to the family, if that’s in the cards, but if not, I’m content.”
Of course, he wanted more children. Why wouldn’t he? I shook my head. “Tyrell, you know…”
He put a finger to my lips. “We can adopt. We can look into whatever you would like. But I know you, and I know you would love to raise a child from day one. As long as we’re together, Ashley.” He closed the gap between us and hugged me tight.
The scent of bergamot and cinnamon filled the air as I breathed him in. “Are you sure?”
“You listen to me, Dream Girl. I will never be rich enough or come from old money. Does that matter?” He pulled back and looked me in the eyes.
“Of course not.”
Then he grabbed me by the shoulders. “You will never give birth to a child, and that does not matter to me. You are still perfect.”
I cried. The big, ugly cry that you see in movies. Ten years’ worth of tears.
“I love you.”
He cradled my head in his hands. “I love you, too.”