Epilogue
A year and some change
Samari looked around the building and her chest felt tight.
Everything was perfect. Black Diamonds had been transformed to fit the look required for the album release party happening tonight.
Whereas her first one almost two years ago had been designed in all white, this one was the same but the color scheme was all black which blended better with the club.
Sheer material extended from the ceiling, sweeping the floor in certain areas. Near the DJ booth was a hanging video monitor that extended damn near to the ceiling, displaying an image of the couple.
Asao stood behind Samari with his arm loosely draped around her neck. They were in all black and she had her head tilted, looking up at him while his head was lowered so his eyes were on her. It was one of those rare moments where the essence of who they were was captured perfectly.
Samari and Asao existing in their own world…
Which was why the team had voted unanimously for that to be the cover of their album.
“I’m nervous.”
“Why?” Sheree asked, sending the video she’d taken of the décor to Cantor. He would be arriving later, closer to the time of the release party since Sheree wanted to be here early to have a moment with her girl before everything got crazy later.
“Because this is big.”
Sheree rolled her eyes. “This isn’t your first album release, Mari. Why are you stressing?”
It wasn’t. Unbound had done numbers. Six of the twelve songs reached number one on the charts and eight of twelve reached the top ten. Almost two years later, the songs were still in heavy rotation and had great streaming numbers, but this was different.
“I know but it’s not just me, it’s us,” she said, admitting her thoughts out loud.
“That doesn’t explain why you’re nervous.”
“This is me and Sao, together. I feel like when you put stuff out there like that it’s begging the universe to tear it down.”
“Or it’s giving the universe permission to bless what can’t be broken, and like it or not boo, what you two have is already out there.
” Sheree placed a hand on Samari’s small round belly.
It was exposed thanks to the spandex top she wore and the way her sweats sat low on her hips.
Ju’rae hadn’t arrived with her clothes for the night so at the moment Samari was chilling.
“We’re just us though. We’re not making a statement.” Samari’s hand moved to her stomach and she smiled because the baby girl growing there was her whole heart.
She thought loving Asao was a love that couldn’t be compared to anything greater, but now that they were having a daughter, she could truly say she’d never known a love like this.
There were times when she put herself in her mother’s shoes, trying to process whether or not she would stifle her daughter’s dreams under the guise of protecting her, and the answer was always no. Whatever their daughter wanted to be in life, they would support.
Even though Samari’s relationship with her mother was better, the resentment was still deeply rooted from how Aster had turned her back on her daughter. Samari was working to let go of those feelings but it wouldn’t happen overnight.
Regardless, Samari allowed her mother back in, but with provisions.
Aster would be there tonight and Samari was hopeful this would be another step in mending what was broken between them.
If not, she was perfectly content drawing that line again.
However, Samari had extended the invitation and Aster accepted, promising to be there.
“I had to be out of my mind when I agreed to this,” Samari mumbled.
“You were. That dick had you stupid, friend, but this album is perfect and everyone is going to love it. Stop stressing.”
Samari rolled her eyes at the “dick had her stupid” comment because that was true.
The dick was what had gotten her into this.
After a night of multiple orgasms, she and Asao wrote songs until the sun came up.
They recorded them a week later and Lyrics and Love was born.
It hadn’t been with the intent of sharing the creations with the world.
A private project ended up being pushed for release by Dom and Niles after they heard it.
Asao didn’t care one way or another but Samari was anxious because each and every time a couple made bold statements like this, the world did everything they could to tear them down. She didn’t want a target on their backs.
“I feel like releasing this is giving people a reason to try and prove we’re not what we are.”
“Girl, fuck them people. They can’t touch the untouchable.”
“What you in here talking shit about?” Samari smiled when Asao walked through the front door of the club with Niles and Dom.
It reminded her of when she’d watched them moving like a unit through the same club the night they’d officially met.
Dom was in front, Asao between them, and Niles covering his back.
Just like back then, he looked like a man who owned the world.
“Trying to talk some sense into your girl. She’s stressing my godbaby out.”
“What are you worried about, Mari?” He frowned, bending to place a kiss on her stomach before he hooked her chin, dropping his mouth to hers to show love.
“Nothing.”
“Nah, we don’t do that. I carry your problems, remember?”
She smiled. “It’s not a problem, just me overthinking.”
“It’s a problem if you’re feeling anything but love, baby. What’s up?”
“This album was supposed to be for us, just us, but now we’re putting it out there to the world.”
He nodded. “Aight, so what you wanna do? If you’re not feeling the album, we can shut this down right now. I’m cool with that.”
“No the fuck we’re not. Do you know how much money we spent on this damn album already?
” Dom said, looking at his boy like he had lost his mind.
Asao had no fucks to give. Everything invested hit their pockets pretty hard but he would gladly make sure Dom and Niles got their money back, even if it had to personally come from his account.
His priority was to the woman with his heart in her chest and his daughter in her womb.
“Fuck what he’s saying. Tell me what you wanna do, Mari.”
She sighed. “I love the album. It’s us but releasing it feels like we’re inviting chaos into our lives. How many couples do you know who’ve survived things like this? The minute they tell the world who and what they are, everybody and their mama goes extra hard to prove they’re not.”
Asao hooked her chin and lifted her head so Samari’s eyes aligned with his. “You think anybody outside of us has the power to change this?”
She shook her head. “No, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try. I like our bubble.”
“Aight, then tell me what you want to do and it’s done.” He spoke from a place of confidence that he would always step behind Mari however she needed him to.
“Man, if you don’t go ahead and do that shit so she knows you’re not going anywhere,” Niles muttered, making Samari frown at Asao before her eyes shifted to Niles in confusion. She almost laughed because Niles looked like he was ready to fuck some shit up.
“Do what?” Samari asked.
Asao laughed arrogantly and shook his head. He removed his phone and made a call. “Son…”
Samari frowned more when she heard Leedren’s voice.
“Pop, where’s my mother?”
“She’s right here, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, put the call on speaker.”
It took a second before Leedren spoke again. “Okay she’s here, son. What’s going on?”
“Just hang on for a minute,” Asao said, then focused on Samari.
“Doesn’t matter what we put out there in the world. You’re mine and I’m yours. We’re in this shit, Mari. They can’t touch that.”
“Like I said, you can’t touch the untouchable,” Sheree stated with a smug grin, making Asao smirk.
“Nah, they can’t.” He tapped a finger to Samari’s chest over her heart then placed his hand over her stomach. “You have my heart in here, Mari. I’m not going anywhere because I don’t exist without you. That makes what we have untouchable, baby.”
He held his hand up and her eyes moved to the massive diamond ring on his pinky. “And this is so the world knows I don’t play about that shit. They touch, they get touched. Do I need to tell you what’s on my heart, Mari?”
She smiled so damn big before she gently shook her head.
“That’s not our thing. We’re about motion. The actions tell me,” she confirmed with her eyes locked on his.
“I’m about whatever you need, and if you need the words, then you got that.”
Samari leaned in and kissed him. “Can I get the lyrics…”
He smirked arrogantly.
“She put me on game, but the game has changed, got my seed in her womb, time to give her my name.”
“That sounds very much like a proposal, Mr. Delane. Are you asking me to marry you?”
Samari heard a gasp and dropped her eyes to the phone. Asao still had his parents on speaker and now it made sense why.
“Son, answer your lady so your mother will get her nails out of my arm. She’s about to draw blood waiting on you to close the deal.”
Asao chuckled. “Yeah, I am.”
“Yes.” She said the word so quietly she wasn’t sure he’d heard her so she lifted onto her toes to kiss him, confirming her answer against his lips. “Yes.”
“Did she say yes, Lee?”
“Yeah baby, she said yes,” she heard him say before Dom spoke.
“Told your ass to do that shit before tonight,” Dom said. “Now, are we wasting money or we doing this album release?”
Asao dropped his eyes to Samari, waiting for her to make the call.
“We’re doing it, and for the record, I’m still stressed the fuck out about putting this statement out there.”
“And again, fuck them people,” Sheree said, hugging her girl.
“Congratulations, sweetheart,” Kendra yelled in excitement before Leedren added, “Welcome to the family.”
“Aight, Ma. I’ll see y’all in a few hours. I wanted you to be here but…”
“This was good enough, Sao. Don’t apologize,” his mother said before they delivered their goodbyes and Asao ended the call.
He placed the phone into his pocket and grabbed Samari by the hip, pulling her into his body. “Let me get your hand.”
She held it up and he removed the ring from his pinky and placed it on her ring finger, kissing it before he had his tongue in her mouth.
“This muthafucking lover boy,” Dom said amusedly before he pulled Samari from Asao and hugged her. “Congrats, sis. You know that ring doesn’t change shit. You had his ass from day one.”
“I know…” she said, cutting her eyes at Asao who chuckled before Niles was next in line.
He wrapped Samari in a bear hug. “’Bout to make Dom’s ass have an aneurysm. You know he’s anxious as hell.”
Samari grinned. “My bad.”
“Fuck both of y’all, let’s go get this money.”
Before Samari could break free, Asao had her hand, walking her to the bar away from everyone else.
“Um, excuse me. I’m trying to have a moment with my girl. You had yours, sir,” Sheree said, placing her hands on her hips.
“You’re gonna get that later. I need five minutes before you start all that whispering and shit about me.”
“Fine, hurry up though. I’m locked and loaded.”
He smirked and tossed his chin before he lifted Samari onto one of the stools and stepped between her legs, placing his hands on the bar to cage her in. “Don’t you have stuff to do?”
“Let me worry about that. I need to check in.”
“With me?”
“With y’all.”
Asao dropped his eyes to her stomach and his smile was instant.
Finding out he was going to be a father had changed his perspective on life.
There wasn’t a doubt in Asao’s mind about raising a son or daughter with Samari.
He loved her more than he could ever imagine loving someone until he’d found out about his child.
Then he realized that love was magnified a million times over.
“We’re good.”
“You sure? Because five minutes ago, you were ready to dip on me, Mari.”
She smiled and fisted the front of his shirt, pulling him to her. “I wasn’t going anywhere.”
“But you thought I would?” He asked.
“No, it wasn’t about you leaving, it was about letting people in.”
He nodded. “They already know who we are. We’ve been doing this thing for a minute. Neither of us deny how we get down. You never worried about the noise before, why now?”
“We never deny what we are but we also don’t offer them access. I just had a moment but…” She looped her arms around his neck. “It wasn’t about you.”
“You sure?”
“I’m very sure.”
“Aight then, if you know I’m not going anywhere, can I get that ring back?”
“Do you want it back?”
“Nah…” He reached for her hand, removed it from his neck, and kissed her finger. “I like the visual it provides.”
“What do you see?”
He traced a finger under her left breast. “My name on you, so you’re very fucking mine.”
Samari’s lips curled when she lifted her fingers and let them glide over the ink on his neck. “Good, because my name is on you, which means you’re very fucking mine.”
“Then we won’t have any problems.” He winked and kissed her before he stepped back enough to drop another kiss to her stomach. “Now let’s go handle business so I can take you home and handle you.”