Page 56 of Desire

“Desire, I already told you to stop apologizing. I know now, and I’m taking care of it. Don’t beat yourself up about it.”

My anger with her hadn’t lasted long, and my only concern was keeping her and Azaria safe. Things were in motion to determine who had been sending the messages, and all we could do now was wait.

I rolled out of bed and showered before my alarm sounded after tossing and turning all night. The possibility of someone targeting my wife played repeatedly in my mind and kept me up most of the night. The first few messages seemed harmless and could’ve been sent by women from my past. I could understand why Desire didn’t take those seriously. However, the most recent message was a clear threat, and I didn’t take threats lightly.

Had Desire not delayed telling me, we could be further along in the process of finding out who was behind the messages. I gave Quinton, the detective I’d asked to do some digging, the information late in the evening, so I wasn’t expecting to hear anything from him soon.

“You’re up early,” Desire whispered, sleep coating her voice.

I approached her side of the bed and sat on the edge.

“Yeah, I didn’t sleep well. I’m gonna head to the office early. Have you shared this with anyone else?”

“Umm, just my sisters and I told them not to tell anyone. I trust them.”

“Okay. Mark is available if you need to leave the house, but, baby, don’t leave if you don’t have to. It’ll make things easier, and I won’t have to worry.”

“I don’t have anywhere to go today.”

“Good. I had to give your phone to Quinton when he came over last night. So?—”

“Quinton?”

“He’s the detective that’s helping us out. I’ll leave my personal phone for you to use if needed, but Tammy will bring your new one over in a few hours. I know how you feel about her, but she’s still my assistant for now. Try to keep your cool, baby.”

She rolled her eyes but agreed. I finished getting ready while Desire took a quick shower before going downstairs to make breakfast. Before going downstairs, I peeked in on Azaria, and she still slept peacefully. After a pleasant breakfast with my wife, I headed to work, hoping to hear from Quinton soon.

Azaria must have been tired because she slept a lot later than usual. When I heard her little voice calling out for me, I found her sitting in her bed.

“Hi, Mommy. I hungry.”

“Good morning, sweet—what did you say?”

“I hungry, Mommy.”

I’d heard her correctly, but I was in disbelief. She called me Mommy, and it rolled off her tongue so naturally. My heart soared as I held back tears of happiness.

“I made pancakes.”

“Yay!”

I picked her up from the bed and wrapped my arms tightly around her tiny body. Her arms hugged my neck, and she kissed my cheek. Azaria was the sweetest little girl I’d ever encountered. If God didn’t see fit for me to birth children of my own, I’d be content showering her with all my love.

After washing her face and assisting her with brushing her teeth, we made our way downstairs to the kitchen. To my surprise, Tammy was seated at the breakfast bar.

“Uh, good morning,” I said, doing my best to check my attitude.

“Good morning. I have more important things to do, but your husband asked me to deliver this phone.” She reached into her bag and placed the box on the counter. “Are you incapable of getting your own phone?”

Ignoring her question, I said, “Thank you. I’ll walk you out. Ria, sit at the table. I’ll be back in a second to fix your plate.”

“Okay, Mommy.”

“Tuh! Did she just call you Mommy?”

“What she calls me is none of your business. Did you notice she didn’t call you anything? Baby girl didn’t even acknowledge your presence.”

“You’re loving this little ready-made family, aren’t you?”

---