Page 191 of Save Room for Us

“Yes, sir.” The agent rushed up, shaking my hand and then Anastazia’s.

“Thank you, baby,” she said as we started out of the room and eventually out of the house.

“No need to thank me, love. I told you, you only getting what you deserve. I don’t just talk; I walk that shit too. So I canshow you that shit better than I can tell you.” I kissed her hand that was cupped in mine. “Always remember, you rare, and I’m lucky.”

“Where you going?” I asked Anastazia as she climbed her naked ass out the bed.

“I wanna show you something. I was gonna wait and do it tomorrow, but I want to now.” She went into her bag that sat on the bedroom floor. Walking back, she sat on the bed and handed me some papers. “I’d planned to wait until after we were married, but I figured, for what? We’re engaged already, have a baby coming, and a new house.”

I read it over, making sure I understood that Sophie’s last name had been changed to St. Thomas. I’d already adopted her, so this was the last official step.

“You change yours too?” I joked.

“No. I need my marriage certificate and wedding first.”

I studied the papers again and said, “This shit means a lot to me, love, for real.”

“I know, and I love that it means a lot to you. I always felt bad that Sophie wouldn’t have a father like I had, because she had Cedric, but then I met you. I never thought I’d say this, but sometimes you rival my daddy.”

“That’s a big ass compliment.”

“It is. Surprisingly, my mama agrees.” She nodded as I put the papers on my nightstand. We lay down, her head on my chest like usual. “The invitations have gone out, so we will be official in just under a year.”

“I know, and I can’t fucking wait,” I admitted.

“Me either.” She turned onto her stomach to kiss me. “I love you, Asif.”

“I love you too, baby.”

The next morning…

My phone buzzing like crazy woke me up just as the smell of bacon and buttery pancakes danced up my nose, letting me know Anastazia was in there whipping it up.

Sitting upright, I massaged my eyes before snatching my device off the nightstand.

“Hello?” I cleared my throat after speaking, massaging the tiredness from my eyes.

“Hi, Asif, this is Brian. I’m using the hospital phone,” he replied, sounding sad as fuck and making my stomach plummet.

“Yeah, uh, what’s good, Brian?” I stood up, going to look out of my penthouse windows for the last time. We’d be moving in to our new spot this weekend.

“Nori, um, she…” He broke down crying before he could finish, and next thing I knew, the nurse was on.

“Hi, Mr. St. Thomas. What Mr. Davies was trying to say is that, sadly, your mother has passed away.”

“What?” I frowned. “How? I get she had a stroke, and it damaged her brain, but she was alive and seemingly aight. How the fuck she die?” I felt my chest get tight, and I hated it. Hated that I gave a fuck, but that was the downside of being human, I guessed.

“Yes, but she suffered from another one this morning, and that one proved to be fatal. We did everything we could to save her but?—”

“Tell Brian I’ll pay for the funeral arrangements and shit, just hit me.” I hung up, not wanting to hear any more of what the fuck she was saying.

The way she talked, like she did this shit every day, fucked with me. She sounded like she was telling me how to bake a fucking pie instead of that my mother had died.

“Ready to eat? I made pancakes.” Anastazia appeared smiling, but it vanished as soon as she looked at me. “What’s wrong?”

“She gone.” I sat down in the chair near the window, in disbelief. For as long as I’d been alive, Nori had always been there, somewhere, and now that wasn’t the case. I’d spent so long hating her ass, I didn’t know what the fuck to feel at the moment.

“Who? Nori?” Anastazia came closer before sitting in my lap.

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