Epilogue
Eleven months later…
My glowing phone lit the darkness that surrounded me. I wasn’t sure when I’d fallen asleep or when my grandmother had laid the blanket on top of my body. Visiting hours were over, but they didn’t apply to us. Not to Makai, at least. With the monthly donations to the facility, he was favored by the entire staff.
“Icy,” my grandmother called out to me.
“Hmm?”
“That phone of yours been going off for the last ten minutes. Answer his call before he drive us both up the wall.”
Chuckling, I slid my finger across the screen.
“Or come in guns drawn,” I sniggered.
“Or that.”
She was lucid. These were the days I loved. Whenever Catrina called to inform me she was in her right mind, I cleared my schedule for the day and spent it with her.
Most time I brought the girls. Today, they had a play date with Mason, Mila, Malachi, and Maz. They’d been with their dad all day. I could hardly wait to squeeze their cheeks and kiss their foreheads.
“Hello?”
“I’m about to pull up, Mommas. The girls are spending the night at Malachi’s. You ready?”
“Umm hmmm.”
“You fell asleep, again.”
Makai knew me all too well.
“It’s the bed. I swear. There’s something about it, baby. It sucks me right in and puts me right to sleep.”
“Make me burn that bitch up. I’m the only one that needs to be sucking you up and putting you to sleep.”
“Jealous.”
“Call it what you want.”
“How far away are you?”
I massaged my eyes, preparing to cope with unnatural light that was the source of so many headaches for me these days. I wasn’t sure why I was so sensitive to its presence suddenly, but oversized shades, window tint, and dimmer bulbs had been my saving grace lately.
“I’m outside,” he informed me.
“I’m coming out in a second.”
“I’ll be waiting at the door.”
“You don’t have to get out, Makai. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be waiting at the door!”
There was no use in going back and forward. He’d do as he pleased no matter how much I advised him against it.
“Okay.”
I ended the call and sat up in bed with a little help from my grandmother’s railing. She’d upgraded to a corner unit with direct access to the grounds. Her new location made it much easier for Makai and I to come and go as we please.
The apartment-style unit had a second bedroom and bed. However, she still had around-the-clock care and access to the main building where her friends lived. She was only two hallways over.
“You let me sleep all those hours, lady. Were you trying to hold me hostage?”
“That bed was. I can’t ever get out of it myself.”
“I understand why every time I lay down.”
I was a bit saddened I’d kept my old lady up so long. She needed her bed to get the rest her brain required for its rebooting. A good night’s rest was the first step to a healthy mind. Though she’d lived with dementia for years, her condition was slow to progress.
My parents had caught it at a very early stage and took preventative measures for this very outcome. She’d outlived the physician’s predictions for her life expectancy. They’d given her five years to live nearly ten years ago.
She was still holding on, but her decline was obvious more days than it wasn’t. Coming back to Berkeley was the best decision I’d ever made, because I was able to spend two to three days a week with her.
“If you wanted a girl’s night, you could’ve just told me so. I would’ve cleared my schedule and packed an overnight bag.”
“Not without my girls.”
“They would’ve come to.”
I pulled my coat over my shoulders and made my way over to my grandmother, who was resting in the recliner she often fell asleep in. It, too, sucked you in and put you straight to sleep.
I leaned in to kiss her forehead. She was warm to the touch. I could smell the butterscotch coming from her breath. Hadn’t she already lost her teeth, she’d have cavities on every last one of them by now.
“Alright, old lady. It’s time for you to get in bed.”
She’d already gotten into her pajamas.
“I know. I know. I know.”
With the help of the walker in front of her, she stood on her feet. I wrapped her in my arms and squeezed tight. When I let go, she patted my shoulder.
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
I watched as she got into bed and turned on her right side for comfort. My exit was slow, winded, and anxious. When I emerged from behind the door, Makai was waiting as promised. His hands were folded in front of him with a small box between them.
My heart galloped, wanting to be set free to gain unrestricted access to the man it beat for. Dressed in black from head to toe, he blended with the dark of the night. He was nearly seamless against the sky.
His smile showcased his pearly teeth. His dedication to his dental care was quite obvious. He didn’t miss an appointment for the dentist and his at-home regime was strict.
“What’s up, Mommas?”
Seeing his face made everything alright.
“Is it chocolate?”
I was desperate to know what was inside of the box in his hand. My stomach began rumbling at the thought of food.
“Not exactly,” he chortled, “Always thinking of food, huh?”
“Do you blame me?” I asked with an angled chin.
He shook his head.
“Then what is it?”
He lessened the space between us. The smel of his cologne created fine bumps along my skin. My mouth watered and my nerves shattered. It didn’t matter how much time passed. Encountering Makai always stirred my soul.
“Open it up and see.”
I accepted the box he was handing to me. Inside, I found a large keyring with several keys inside. Wrapped around the ring was a laminated strip of paper.
13572 Villa Way
Berkeley City, Huffington
With scrunched brows and a brain moving a mile a minute, I searched Makai’s eyes for answers.
“More keys?” I questioned, “To my grandmother’s apartment?”
It was her address. I’d typed it into the GPS enough times to know.
“To her facility,” he corrected me.
“Why do I need the keys to the entire facility,” I chuckled, completely confused.
“Because it’s yours. Well, ours.”
“Com– come again,” I demanded, stepping closer to make sure I heard him correctly.
“Glacier and Makai Domino. It’s ours.”
“Ours? I don’t understand, baby.”
“I damn near cleared my life’s savings to have something that’ll last us a lifetime. The streets are no longer my home, Glacier. You are. And, so are the girls. And, soon–”
Makai placed his hands on my six-month pregnant belly. With my production of multiple eggs almost every month, I hardly stood a chance with a normal pregnancy. It had only happened once and Nature was almost certain it wouldn’t happen again.
“The boys. Those donations weren’t donations. They were payments necessary so no red flags were raised in the cash purchase of this property.
“There are eight hundred residents in this entire facility. The two complexes that were built in the last three months were on my dime. I wanted to increase the profit margins by building independent housing for those who simply want to be around more people like themselves.
“Those two hundred new residents will cover the monthly expenses to run this entire place, leaving everything from the eight hundred residents we have to us. The lowest monthly payment from a patient here is forty-six hundred dollars, Mommas. Multiply that number by eight hundred. Do that math.”
I squinted, trying my hardest to do the math but I couldn’t think straight.
“Pregnancy brain,” I admitted.
“Three million six hundred and eight thousand dollars a month, Glacier. And, that’s on the low end. I’ve already done the math for you.”
“Bab–”
My mind was blown. Makai’s mind was far more complex than I could comprehend. He was always steps ahead of me. And, he made it clear that keeping up wasn’t necessary.
He was clearing the path before me so I didn’t have to do so myself. Loving him was the only requirement. He had shown me time and time again he’d handle the rest.
“When I said I’d be better for you, I meant every word. You deserve the safety and security your heart desires. And, that doesn’t end with me banging my guns or getting Midnight and Ghost to handle the light work.
“It means financial security and freedom. Stability. Investments. Confidence in our union. A worry-free world. Love. Understanding. Health. And wealth that lives a hundred years after we’re gone. I’m ready to build with you baby. This is only the beginning.”
I laid a hand on my heart, utterly obsessed with the man before me. He was so close I could feel the heat from his body radiating on the cold winter’s night. The outpouring of love made it difficult to feel the breeze. All I could feel was him. All I could see was him.
“I don’t think I’ll ever have accurate words to properly convey the depths of my love for you, Makai. It runs deeper than my mind can grasp. It’s so wide it keeps expanding my heart. Every time I wake up, it’s bigger, increasing the capacity of my very existence.
“Every day, I learn that I can love more, love harder, and love deeper. My love for you is the definition of limitless. I don’t care what textbook version of it you have in your head. Our love is the synonym.”
He pulled me into his arms where I wanted to spend the rest of my days.
“You’re freezing, Mommas. Let me get you home.”
He took me by the hand and led me to his SUV. After he’d helped me inside, I watched him round the front of the car. Comfort soothed me. Contentment reassured me.
I’m already home .
Makai slid into the driver’s seat and took both my hands into his. He rubbed them against each other to warm me up a bit. My eyes never departed his body as my thoughts lingered.
He’s mine.
My safehaven.
My sanctuary.
My salvation.
My sanity.
The end.