Chapter 43 HEIR
HEIR
Two days later…
“I’m right here, baby.”
“Shh… Rest, love.”
“You okay. I’m right here. I got you.”
Kody’s deep voice lulled me into a deep sleep that catapulted me back to the moments after I was taken.
I was taken to a house, one that I couldn’t recall, and forced into a room that had boards on all the windows.
The floor was dirty, the mattress sitting on the floor was dirty, and the room smelled like rotting flesh.
Queasiness took over, causing me to vomit most of the time I was inside that shit hole.
It was dark, quiet, and I didn’t eat a damn thing Kody’s look alike tried to offer me.
Then, there was sunlight, and I was being dragged onto a plane.
I thought my heart would give out from sheer terror.
As that plane took off from the landing strip, all I could think about was my mother and how devastated she would be.
I thought about Poppa and Adir not being able to find me.
Also, I thought about Kody never knowing that I was pregnant with his child, his heir.
A tear slipped out, awakening me, reminding me that I was still alive and safe in the arms of the man I loved.
The fear of falling stayed with me too long.
The fear of losing Kody would stay with me forever.
I clung to him, afraid that if I closed my eyes this would all be a dream, and I’d wake up back on that plane.
Feeling like I would never see my family or Kody again was a fear I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
I’d been in the clutches of the devil and was rescued by the men who swore to always protect me.
They came for me, fought for me, and killed for me.
The trauma I experienced in Adir’s dungeon was nothing compared to the trauma of what I witnessed thousands of miles above the ground.
I witnessed a goon meeting a few six-foot-five goblins.
I witnessed a goon fear for his life. More importantly, I witnessed the lengths my goblins were willing to go to protect me.
“Our baby’s heartbeat sounds strong as hell,” Kody stated.
Giggling, I snuggled deeper into his embrace and listened to his heartbeat.
“I’m rockin’ you like a baby, but ya mind is so unsettled, baby. You must want me to cut up.”
I buried my face in his chest to stifle a laugh, then opened my eyes to meet his eyes.
“My mind is here, baby. I was just thinking about how grateful I am for this moment,” I explained.
“Have you checked on Charnice?” He hadn’t budged from my side, but I knew Charnice was torn up about everything that went down.
To have her best friend and husband stab her in the back was too much for any woman to handle.
“She and Kim came by while you were sleeping. Mama screamed so loud when she looked at that damn board.” Kody motioned the board on the wall which revealed that I was pregnant. Trust me, my mama is gon’ be just fine, and Kim was already thinking of shit to buy the baby.
We both chuckled.
“This wasn’t the way I wanted to tell you. I had gifts waiting for you. One for the baby reveal, and the other because I had to beat Tina’s ass.”
“About that,” he drawled, and I sheepishly grinned. “Don’t think because I didn’t mention it, that I didn’t know about it. Dex had ya back.”
Dex…
“I can’t believe Antonias was able to save him.” Although he was clinging to life, Dex would hopefully pull through this. Watching his body hit the ground and seeing him unmoving was still cemented in my mind.
“I’m learning that this family is resourceful when they need to be.”
I smacked my teeth and chuckled. Then the laughter died on my lips.
“Are you sure Maja is okay? And Von? Is there an update on him?” My heart rate increased.
“Aht, aht…” Kody shushed me and kissed my forehead. “Maja is resting. Von is touch and go, but I’m confident that nigga ain’t goin’ anywhere. If he doesn’t fight for anything else, he’s gon’ fight for Maja.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” I agreed.
“Of course, I am. Now, let’s talk about whether or not you ready to be Mrs. McAroy.”
My heart rate increased again. This time because Kody surprised me. The monitor blared, signaling that my heart raced out of control.
Seconds later, Sean peeked his head into my room. “Everything cool?” he asked.
Kody chuckled because I stared at him with my eyes as round as saucers. “Yeah, she’s good. I’m kind of in the middle of professing my love and proposing to my girl, so…”
“Oh, shit. My fault,” Sean said and eased on back out the door.
“Back to what I was saying,” Kody continued as if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb on me. I burst into tears. “I love you, Heir.”
“Oh, my, God!” Those words broke me so beautifully.
“This wasn’t the way I wanted to ask you, but I refuse to wait any longer. Heir, you fell out of the sky with me, baby.”
Sniffling through my tears, I replied, “You kind of didn’t give me a choice.”
He grinned. “I did give you a choice, and you chose to trust me. I’m askin’ you to trust me with the rest of ya life. Can you do that for me, mama?”
He reached into the pocket of his joggers and produced a tiny box that he opened and revealed a gorgeous square cut diamond ring. Instantly, I remembered the ring.
“We went to Peru together, and you tried this ring on. From that day forward, you solidified that I would be sliding it on ya finger. My Heir…you truly are my air, baby. Trust is something we both fought hard to have for each other. I once told you that the only remedy for me was to give a fuck. The minute I decided to give a fuck about you, I knew I would never turn back. I knew that this day was inevitable, and there’s no question that I will lay my life down for you.
I want you to carry my last name, our children, and our legacy. Will you do that for me?”
My whole body felt Kody’s words, and my fingers trembled as I held my hand out to him.
“I love you, Kody, and if you asked me to, I’d fall again,” I managed to say through the torrential downpour of tears that fell. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Kody slid the ring on my finger, and for the first time, I noticed that his fingers trembled too. Although a machine, Kody’s heart was so soft for me. There was no way I couldn’t make this official with him. I wasn’t doing this life with anyone else.