Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
JAZZLYN
Since being together, it was tradition for me and Ahkeem to stay up until midnight on each other’s birthdays so we could be the first to say happy birthday.
Initially, I was ready to stay up, but once we cuddled up to watch a movie in bed, I fell fast asleep.
I hadn’t been sleeping much, so whenever I dozed off, it was because my body desperately needed rest. I felt like crap for ruining the streak of our tradition.
I jolted out of my sleep half past midnight, which meant it had been Ahkeem’s birthday for a whole thirty minutes and I had yet to tell him happy birthday. I reached over in hopes of feeling him next to me, but I came up empty.
I looked around the dark bedroom, coming up short of him again. Usually, if he wasn’t by my side, he would be kicking it on the couch we had in our bedroom, rolling a blunt.
I got out of bed while stuffing my feet in my slippers. Like I child, I turned on every light I bypassed. I may have talked tough shit, but I would always be afraid the dark.
Stepping out of the lengthy hall of our penthouse, I entered the living room. From where I stood, I could see Ahkeem on the terrace, leaning against the rail, admiring the view.
In his shirt and my slippers, I shuffled over to the terrace.
The night’s wind brushed past me, knocking the sleepiness right out of me.
Upon hearing the terrace door slide open, Ahkeem glanced over his shoulder at me.
At the sight of me stepping out, a smirk graced his handsome face before he turned around and faced me.
“What’s up, Sleeping Beauty?” he teased while holding his hand out to me.
I set my hand into his, and he pulled me right into his chest. “Why didn’t you wake me up, baby? I missed midnight.”
“It’s cool,” he assured me. “You needed some sleep.”
I smacked my lips, still salty I missed midnight. He playfully caressed my chin, evoking a smile to canvass my face. My arms wrapped around him before he leaned in to kiss my lips.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you,” I sang to him just like I’d done for the past five years. “How old are you now?”
He smacked his lips. “Old as shit.”
“Ahk, be for real.”
“Alright, alright. I’m 31.”
“Damn, I guess that is old as shit,” I teased him before throwing my head back in laughter.
“Jazzlyn, that shit not cool,” he laughed with a shake of his head.
“I’m just playing. You know I like my man a little seasoned. I can’t wait until those grays start coming in.” My hand went to his goatee, and I gently pulled at it.
“You think you hot shit ‘cause you got four years left in your twenties? That shit gone fly by fast.”
“As long as they’re with you, it doesn’t matter.”
He smiled before kissing my forehead. “Forever?”
“Forever,” I asserted. “Thank you for being the man of my dreams. You swept me off my feet since day one and never stopped. I love you down to your smelly-ass socks—“
“Lovey, ain’t shit ‘bout my socks smelly.”
Laughter aired out of both of us before I continued.
“You never cease to amaze me. The way you are as a husband, father, son and friend… you just move with pure intentions and a good heart. That’s what I love about you the most. When we first got together, I remember asking you why the hell you were so nice to me.
You told me it takes nothing to be kind, so you try your best to give everyone kindness.
That right there revealed to me what kind of man you were, and I’m so lucky you thought I was fine as hell and continued to run me down even though I was crazy as hell. ”
“You are fine as hell.” He shot me a mannish smirk before gripping my ass with both hands. “And I’m crazy about you. You’ve made these past five years the most fulfilling years of my life.”
I sprouted onto my tippy toes and kissed his lips. “I love you, Pa.”
“Love you too, Lovey.” He wrapped his strong arms around me.
“What were you doing out here alone?”
He repositioned me in front of him so we could both enjoy the view of the city.
We barely touched our television. Whenever we wanted to just relax, we would go out on the terrace and just bask in the view.
The skyline was to die for and one of the main reasons we closed on the penthouse in the first place.
We talked about many different places our forever home would be, and although I would be excited to establish something more permanent, I would miss our view of the city dearly. It was just so breathtaking.
A short sigh escaped him as he rested his head on my shoulder. “Thanking God for everything. When my mother died, I thought life was over for me. She up there with God advocating for Him to move mountains for me. I never thought life could get this good.”
“Ms. Juli is always watching over you and making sure you stay on the right path.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small card Saphir made for him last year for his birthday. It was a picture of Saphir and me while we were at Disney Land Tokyo on one side, while the other side was a picture of Ahkeem’s mother, Julianna.
Ahkeem was never afraid of showcasing his emotions, so Saphir and I witnessed him come to tears over the card. “I wish she got the chance to meet Blue. She would’ve spoiled him more than he already is. Had she got the chance to meet you, y’all would have hit it off and ganged up on me.”
“I wish I got to meet her too. From the memories you’ve shared with me, she was so sweet and loving.”
“She was. All I can do is reminisce about my ole lady now,” he chuckled bitterly with a shake of his head. “If she knew I was out here thinking about her on my birthday, she would slap me upside my head so fucking fast and tell me to hop out my feelings.”
“I have a surprise for you. Hopefully it will make you feel better.”
“I told you no gifts this year, Lovey. I just wanna stay down with you and Blue.”
“Too bad, so sad. I will never not celebrate you or show you our appreciation.”
“You’re hardheaded.”
I waved him off. “Let’s go put on something decent so we can go to your surprise.”
He shot me a crazed look. “Lovey, it’s damn near one in the morning.”
“Okay, and?”
“You’re crazy,” he replied.
“Bat shit crazy. Now c’mon.” I pulled him back inside where we threw some lounge clothes on and headed down to the parking garage. When I reached for the car keys, he pulled his hand back.
“You know I don’t want you driving right now.”
“Ahkeem, I’m fine. It won’t be much of a surprise if you drive.
” I shot him my infamous puppy dog eyes and pout combo.
He tried his hardest not to cave in but failed.
He dropped the keys right into the palm of my hand before helping me into the car.
He got in beside me, and we pulled out of the parking garage.
It was my first time driving since the accident, and I could admit my nerves were a little bad and I was a little shaky.
For the sake of ensuring my husband had a great birthday, I pushed my feelings to the side and persevered.
We drove listening to slow jams that I belted my lungs out while singing to serenade him.
All he did was laugh and shake his head.
His mother always weighed heavily on his mind whenever his birthday came around, so I tried my best to keep his spirits high.
Once he recognized the neighborhood we entered, he leaned up in his seat. “Lovey, the fuck we doing here?”
I turned into the driveway of his mother’s house.
I had gotten it repainted and cleaned on the inside.
I made it clear that we wanted everything to remain the same, but we just needed to tidy up the place and restore the electricity, cooling, and heating.
It took a few weeks, especially since Ahkeem had his eyes on me like a damn hawk after the kidnapping, but I managed to get it done.
It was my first time seeing everything in person too, and it looked so good.
“Surprise!” I motioned toward the house.
He took a minute, just shifting his eyes between me and the house. “Lovey…yo… you did all this?!” He excitedly hopped out the car.
I followed him as he rushed up the short steps of the home. “Yo, I ain’t been here in years. Last time I stopped by, it looked so fucked up. You even got the lawn cut? Lovey, I don’t even know what to say.”
The excitement in his eyes was enough for me to see that I made the right choice.
I was a little hesitant because I knew how dear the home was to his heart and his mother.
I feared that he would have thought I overstepped a boundary by doing this without consulting with him first. Luckily, that wasn’t the case.
“I didn’t want to ask you for the key, so I kinda made Mirsad break in and unlock the door. I replaced the window, though.”
He laughed before wrapping his arms around me and lifting me up from the ground. “Thank you, Lovey. I been pushing this shit off because of everything we had going on. Honestly, I ain’t know if I could handle seeing the house in a bad state too.”
I cupped my hands around his face. “It’s alright. I handled it. Let’s go inside.” I reached into the pocket of my hoodie and pulled out the new set of keys I received once I got the locks changed.
I let him do the honors and unlock the door.
We stepped inside, and instantly, the smell of fresh lavender hit our nostrils.
He turned the light on in the foyer, and even I was taken aback by how spotless the home was.
The cleaners I hired told me there were signs that someone had squatted in the house.
They damaged a few things, which I had to get contractors in to fix.
Luckily, it wasn’t too big of a fix, and they handled everything quickly.
We did have to get new furniture put in, along with new appliances.
Other than that, everything else remained the same—the family photos, the decorations, and family keepsakes.