Chapter 34
Epilogue
“You need to fire her, Nautica.” Carter followed Nautica around the showroom floor of his furniture store, Nala’s.
“What she supposed to do about work?”
“Ask yourself what you gon’ do without your wife!” She spat.
“Okay, Carter, damn.”
“If it’s that serious to you don’t even worry about it.” Carter turned to walk away from him but he grabbed her.
“You know it ain’t even like that. I just know she’s a single mom.”
“She should’ve thought about that before making those post. Fuck her!” Carter pulled away from him.
They were arguing about Nautica’s twenty-five-year-old store manager Rubi that had overstepped her boundaries in Carter’s opinion.
She had been posting inappropriate pictures of Nautica in her close friends, insinuating that they were sneaking around.
Carter had arrived before the store opened to see to it that she was fired.
Thankfully, she trusted her man. Even still Rubi wouldn’t be in his face, trying to tempt him. She had to go ASAP.
The door opened and Rubi walked in all smiles until she saw Carter.
“Hey y’all!” She spoke, and Carter turned her nose up. She didn’t play about her man at all. She didn’t appreciate the smear campaign that Rubi was pushing.
“Wassup, Rubi. We need to talk,” Nautica said.
“Okay, did I do something wrong?” She innocently asked, pissing Carter off. She hadn’t had issues with her husband and another woman since London and she wasn’t about to start.
“Why you posting inappropriate videos of me on your close friends like we got something going on?” Nautica asked. Her eyes bulged out of her head.
“Who said that I was doing that?” She glanced in Carter’s direction.
“Girl, you should’ve checked your close friends list before being messy,” Carter spoke up.
“I wasn’t being messy. I was just posting pictures of my boss. What’s wrong with that?”
“We saw the pictures, Your services are no longer needed here. Post some more shit I don’t like about my husband, I’m gon’ beat yo ass,” Carter promised. Rubi looked to Nautica for help but he couldn’t save her. She had dug her own grave.
“Really?” She asked Nautica.
“Sorry,” he apologized, and Carter cut her eyes at him.
Rubi ran out, leaving them alone. Nautica walked towards Carter and she pushed him.
The door opened again. Niamh ran in the building along with Noah, her four-year-old brother.
Ayla walked in behind them with their sleeping one-year-old in hand.
“Mommy!” Noah ran full speed towards Carter.
“Hey, son! Heyy, Nimo!” Carter smacked her lips at her daughter, who was on her iPad like they didn’t exist. She was seven years old and growing every day.
“Heyy, Mommy. I want to go back with Granny Ayla, she already said it was okay.” Niamh hugged Nautica before hugging her mother.
“Wassup, Momma.” Nautica kissed Ayla’s cheek while taking his baby girl from her. Nash was one years old. She was spoiled rotten thanks to everyone always holding her.
“What’s wrong with you?” Ayla asked as her and Carter hugged.
“Nothing, you sure you want to keep Nimo?”
“Yeah, I’m taking all of them with me. Their grandaddy wants to see them. We leaving in two hours.
“Okay, y’all have fun.” Carter took Nash from Nautica. She kissed all over her face.
Nautica locked up and walked them out. He secured all his children in his mother’s SUV. He got in the car with Carter, picking up her hand. He kissed the back of it, making her blush.
“I love you.” He continued to hold her hand as he pulled away from the curb.
“I bet you do. I love you more, baby.” She leaned over the arm rest, kissing his lips as they sat at the red light.
Nautica and Carter hadn’t left each other’s side since they met. They were friends that found love in each other.
Amari was in the backyard of his house on the grill.
His children splashed around the pool. Greer lay suntanning in a red bikini.
After Greer took him back, he spent the last five years showing her how much he loved her.
They had three children together. Amaya was eight, AJ was seven, and their baby boy, Arlo, was four.
Greer wasn’t pushing out any more kids. Amari could forget about it. She was thankful for her family.
“Baby can you bring me a pan, please?”
“Boy I know you see I’m busy,” Greer fussed.
“Get up, G, you ain’t doing shit.” He laughed.
She got up, stepping into her slides. She walked in the house, grabbing two metal pans. “Here, damn,” she fussed as she sat the pans down.
“Thank you, sexy. Give me a kiss,” he demanded. She blushed as his face neared hers. He was obsessed with his woman. She was his reason for breathing. He existed to please her.
“Can I have a chicken skewer?” He lifted the grill to take the food off.
He passed a skewer to her. She took a bite out of it while he shook his head at her.
“It’s hot. You can’t even chew it, greedy ass.”
“It’s so good.” She took another bite as she walked back to her seat.
“Mommy, give me some!” Arlo got out of the water, running towards her.
“Damn, I can’t have nothing. Here, be careful it’s hot.” She held the kebab out for him to bite. She took another bite then gave it to Arlo.
“Y’all ready to eat?” Greer asked her other children.
“I’m okay, Ma,” AJ replied. He was seven years old and the most well-mannered child they had.
“Not yet,” Amaya spoke up.
“Okay.” Greer grabbed a pan, walking it inside. Amari was behind her with the second pan. They put the pans in the oven.
“I’m tired. I can’t wait till they ready to get out so I can get them ready for bed.” She leaned up against the counter.
“That’s ‘cause you been laying in the sun all day.” He buried his face in the crook of her neck while gripping her ass.
“I know but the sun felt so good, and I enjoyed spending the day with y’all.”
“Me too. I love you, baby. Thank you for my family and for holding us down the way you do.”
“You’re welcome, daddy. I love y’all more than anything in this world. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Greer hadn’t regretted taking Amari back once. The two years apart made their foundation stronger.
Nyke was on the football field in the back of his house with Baby Ace who just wanted to be called Ace now.
They were throwing a football back and forth.
He was a quarter back for his little league team.
Him and Nyke were practicing early to get him ready for the season.
His son was passionate about the sport. He trained with a trainer three times a week and twice with Nyke.
“Look at them!” Ace pointed towards the house where his sisters were on the balcony with Ace watching them.
“Go Acey!” Aurora jumped up and down as she yelled. She was four years old. Their baby girl, Naomi, was two. She clapped as Ace held her.
They tossed the ball a little while longer.
Then, they ran back to the house. Nyke headed for the bedroom so he could take a shower after sweating in the sun all day.
He got dressed then went and found his girls.
They were in the middle of a movie that they were falling asleep on.
Nyke scooped them up, carrying them to their bedroom.
He laid them in their twin beds that were side by side.
He pulled their covers over them. Then he headed back downstairs.
He walked in the kitchen where his wife and son were.
“You eating again, son?” Nyke asked, taking a seat beside him at the island.
“Here, I made you a plate too while you talking about him.” Ace passed him his plate of food.
Charlotte retired four years ago after teaching Ace all of her recipes. When she wasn’t working at the warehouse, she was home in the kitchen cooking feast for her family.
“Thank you, Momma. We still going to the monster truck show tomorrow, Daddy?”
“Yep, your cousins coming too. They gon’ meet us there with your uncles.”
“Bet.” He slapped hands with Nyke. He put his plate in the sink.
“Goodnight, Momma. I love you.” He hugged her.
“Goodnight, baby. I love you more.” Ace kissed the top of his head. She couldn’t believe how big he had gotten. He walked out the room while she watched.
“My baby’s getting so big.”
“He is, that shit crazy. Can you believe I trapped you almost nine years ago?”
“I was so mad at you my entire pregnancy. He’s my junior but he’s all you with his lil handsome self.”
“And my daughters look exactly like you. Y’all the best thing that happened to me. I thank God for y’all every day.”
“We love you, baby.” Ace smiled. She fought Nyke at every turn in the beginning. Their start was rocky but their union had blossomed into something she couldn’t have fathomed.
“Daddy, come get Pryce!” Lil Sawyer yelled.
“You always telling, crybaby ass!” Pryce snapped, not realizing Shadow was behind him.
“What you say?” Shadow asked and Pryce jumped.
“Man.” Pryce smacked his teeth.
“Watch your mouth before I tell your momma. Why y’all in here fighting?”
“I asked him if he took my charger and he got mad,” Pryce argued.
“He didn’t ask me, he said I took it. Maybe Suri got it charging her iPad. Go in her room.” Lil Sawyer, who was now thirteen years old, stayed at it with his brother.
“Come on, son, you can use my charger. Go get it,” Shadow demanded.
“Thanks, Daddy.” Pryce took off. Shadow left Lil Sawyer’s room. He peeped his head in his five-year-old daughter’s room. She was laying on her bed watching Toy Story.
“Hey, Daddy!” She got on her bed and jumped up and down.
“Hey, Daddy baby, what you doing?”
“Watching TV. Is Mommy back yet?”
“Not yet. When she gets here, I’ll tell her to come kiss you goodnight, okay?”
“Okay, Daddy, you want to watch TV with me?” She laid back down.
Shadow could never deny his daughter. He sat down with his back against her pillows.
She snuggled up against him. She talked her father’s head off until she eventually nodded off.
The sound of footsteps gained Shadow’s attention.
A few seconds later, Promise appeared in a gold dress that stopped in the middle of her thighs.
Her eyes were hooded, letting him know she was tipsy.
“Aww, my baby sleep. She called me, that’s why I came home.” She climbed on the other side of her bed. Promise kissed all over Suri’s face.
“Mommy?”
“Goodnight, baby. I’m here.” Promise rubbed her back until she was sleep again. Suri and Promise were two peas in a pod. Lil Sawyer and Pryce went to school while Suri stayed with Promise all day every day. She was a momma’s girl.
“Come on, Wifey.” Shadow stood, waiting for Promise to get up.
They headed for their bedroom. Shadow undressed Promise then opened the doors to the terrace.
Promise’s eyes lit up at the scenery. Red rose petals decorated the floor.
Candles were sporadically around the jacuzzi.
Rose petals also floated on top of the water.
He walked up behind her in his birthday suit, kissing the side of her neck.
He grabbed her hand and they got in the hot water. Promise straddled Shadow’s lap.
“You treat me so good.”
“I love taking care of you. You’re my best friend, the love of my life, the mother of my kids. I could go on and on, shorty but you and everybody else know how I feel about you.” Promise wrapped her arms around his neck while he gripped her ass cheeks.
“I do… you’ve spent almost a decade showing me. I appreciate you more than you know. We got forever to go.”
Promise was happy. She had it all. She had three beautiful babies that she would die for.
She had a husband that would cross the ocean for her.
Nancy died on her. However, that’s where part two of her story began.
Everything happened so fast but she wouldn’t change a thing.
God had blessed her beyond her wildest dreams.
The End