9. Treasure
TREASURE
“Majestic wakes up every two hours, girl. I’m tired as hell.”
I chuckled. “Are you putting cereal in his bottle?”
She frowned like I’d insulted her. “I been putting cereal in his bottle since he was three months old! That nigga is greedy! He’s worse than Mythic. I feel like I’m coasting through the day on fumes. With Mythic being in school, I don’t want to keep him up.”
“Mythic will be fine. Let him help you. How is Bali?”
“Girl, a pain in everybody’s ass, except Carter’s. That girl is grouchy as hell. Well . . . grouchier than usual. She’s due in a couple of weeks.”
She giggled, causing me to laugh too. “I miss being home. This was definitely a wake-up call. Miss Serita is going to be instrumental in helping me get back on track. I like her.”
“Good, because we want to see you back, happy, and glowing.”
“I texted Kingsley yesterday. I told him I would call him today.”
“Aww, yay! I’m so happy about that. He misses you so much.”
“I miss him too. I hate what my trauma is putting him through. It’s beyond time to get a handle on it. Whenever I push him away, I’m chipping away at his heart. I don’t like that. He doesn’t deserve that. But, of course, he was apologizing to me like he did something wrong.”
Lowering my head for a moment, I looked over at Maui as tears fell down my cheeks.
“He said he wanted to take care of me for the rest of my life, and that he hoped he was showing me enough care to make me love him. I knew he wasn’t just doing things for me and being tender with me for that sole purpose, so I understood what he meant.
Kingsley is a gift, Maui. God knew I would need him.
I need to heal so I can properly accept my gift from Him. ”
She swiped the tears that fell from her eyes. “That’s so beautiful. Kingsley is the most levelheaded in their whole crew. Uncle Kenny says all the time that he and Aunt Keisha’s kids inhabited all the best parts of them and left the bullshit with them.”
She giggled again. I couldn’t help but laugh too. Maui was so cute. She was small in stature and had an innocent look to her. She held the keys to my brother’s heart, and I was grateful for that. She was the one who motivated change in him.
“How’s Caleb handling having Majestic around?”
“He loves his little brother. Whenever he can, he wants to kiss his head. He’s such a sweetheart, but you know that.”
She looked away for a moment, then said, “He must have gotten that from you. You are so sweet, Treasure. This happening to you shattered all of our hearts. Everyone loves you. So I’m happy to know you’re working hard to get back on track. We miss this version of you.”
I gave her a tight smile as she looked at her phone screen. “Girl, I have to get out of here before they put out an APB, looking for me. I’ve been gone for almost two hours.”
I slowly shook my head as she stood and made her way to my bedside. She kissed my cheek. “See you soon, sis.”
“See you later, boo. I’ll call you later and let you know how my conversation goes with Kingsley.”
“Only if you’re up to it. I know it will go well. I’ll come back tomorrow on my lunch break. What time is Missus Serita coming?”
“She’s coming in the morning this time. I had to sleep with the light on after regurgitating all that. I still had a nightmare, but I don’t feel like it was as bad as it could have been had the light been off.”
“I understand, sis. Well, I’ll see you at lunch time tomorrow. You want something from the diner?”
“I can’t say for sure yet. Text me.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
When she left, I smiled slightly. Everyone had been in and out all day.
My mama came this morning before starting her day.
She had a lot of orders to get done. After she left, I talked to Cachet for nearly an hour.
She was back at school, working on her last semester.
While I was on the phone with her, Daddy, Uncle Red, Uncle Zay, and Epic came by.
To say I was worn out was an understatement.
I was so ready for a nap. After I ate whatever they brought in here for lunch, I would take advantage of the silence, so I could be rested enough to talk to Kingsley. He deserved the best version of me I could muster. I owed him my life, and right after God, he would have it . . . all of me.
After taking meds and eating dinner, I stared at my phone.
I didn’t know why I was nervous to talk to Kingsley, but I was.
He’d made it perfectly clear that he was here for me whenever I was ready.
I took a deep breath, picked up my phone, and went to my missed calls log.
As my thumb hovered over his contact information, I said, “Do it scared.”
I called him, and he answered before the phone even rang on my end.
“Hello?”
“Hi, King.”
“King’s Treasure,” he whispered, then sighed. “Hey, baby.”
My heart melted at his words and the sound of his voice. All my nerves and fear were gone. All I felt was love. Closing my eyes, I soaked up the silence between us. It was one of peace, longing, and love.
“How are you?” I finally asked.
“I’m so much better now. I miss you. How are you?”
“I’m okay. I miss you too.”
We were quiet again. It was like we didn’t know what to say to each other. I didn’t want to keep apologizing. I’d already done that through text.
“So, umm, what did you do today?” I asked.
“Well, I hired a lady to come and paint a mural on the wall at my house and got the approval for her to do one at the family barn. I went fishing. Aunt Jen and Aunt Chrissy are trying to put me on payroll.” He chuckled.
“I won’t let them. I enjoy fishing and hunting.
I’ve been giving them all the fish I’ve been catching for their catch of the day. Eventually, that creek gon’ run dry.”
I chuckled. “That sounds great. I can’t wait to see the murals. What are they gonna look like?”
“The one at the barn is basically the Henderson Ranch and Farms logo, along with some of the other family businesses. The one at my house . . . you’ll just have to see it for yourself whenever you’re comfortable with that.”
“Hmph. Okay. Is that all you did today?”
“I went to the diner and hung with the guys a bit. PJ is doing well. His recovery has been remarkable. I filleted fish afterward and seasoned alligator and have it marinating for me to fry tomorrow. You want me to send you some?”
“Yeah. That sounds so good. I can’t wait to see you. Maybe we can FaceTime tomorrow. I’m trying to take things slow, but it seems my heart won’t allow me to. I miss you so much.”
“If you wanted to see me right now, I would drop everything to get to you, baby. You’re my world.
Everything I do, I think about how it would be beneficial to you, even fishing.
My mind always goes to how you would probably turn your nose up at the smell, but how much you would enjoy eating it.
Whatever your heart wants, please, let me supply it. ”
Tears fell down my cheeks as a smile appeared on my lips. I nodded, confirming that my heart was right. “Can you come see me tomorrow after you fish?”
“Absolutely. Damn. I’ve been wanting to see you, but I don’t want to seem pushy. I know you needed time.”
“I thought I needed time. What I need is you. You are my peace in a world of chaos. If I truly let you hold that position, along with finding peace within, I believe I’ll be just fine.
I’ve allowed this to control me long enough.
There is no way you would ever do anything to hurt me.
I know that. Besides my family, you are one of the people I trust with all of me. ”
He was quiet as I took deep breaths. It took a lot out of me to say all that, especially after what I’d gone through, but I was willing to put my fear to rest when it concerned him.
“Treasure—”
“No. I’m not just saying that because it sounds good. I’m saying that because it’s true. You lifted me from the mud and cleaned me up, giving me value again and helping me to believe in myself.”
“We all go through things, baby. That doesn’t mean you were no longer a treasure. I didn’t give you value. You already own that. I recognize the value in you. A diamond buried in mud is still a diamond. It’s still just as valuable. Okay?”
I closed my eyes and smiled. “Okay. I love you, King.”
“I love you too, King’s Treasure.”
I loved when he called me that. He’d always considered me his, even before I said I wanted to be.
He always treated me as such also. Being his meant that I would never be alone.
It meant that I would never have to bear the burden of my trauma without a guide in the darkness.
My heart was longing for him, despite my mind trying to tell me it was too soon.
“Can you come and see me now?”
“I’m already in the parking lot.”
I could no longer control my cries. He always knew what I needed and when I needed it. Jesus.
“Don’t cry, baby. When you started giving me you, I got in my pickup and headed your way. Even if you didn’t say you wanted to see me, I was content just being close to you. I’m on my way up. Make sure it isn’t dark in your room.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
I ended the call and looked at the time. I only had two more hours of visitation. Hopefully, Kingsley could stay the whole time. Who was I fooling? He would definitely be staying the whole time. I knew if it were possible, he would never leave.