Page 90 of Truce Of The Matter

“Where’s Daija? She left?” Aryel asks before she’s even fully in the dining room.

“She’s coming back. She’s probably still outside with Porsh. Are you finished with your cake?” Truce asks.

“Yes. I’m full.”

“Me too,” Truce admits.

“I’mma go find Daija,” Aryel announces before leaving the dining room.

“Looks like Aryel approves.” Truce laughs.

“That’s a fact.” I grab the leg of her chair and pull her closer to me. Just to reassure her, I say, “And I already told you how I feel. I love Daija just like I love her mother.”

“I know but you do really like her too, right?”

“Yes, beautiful. I really like her. She’s sweet and I can tell that she’s got her shit together. You can be proud of that,” I say and she practically blushes. Then, her soft hands caress the sides of my face and she holds my head steady as she leans in and kisses me lovingly. When our lips part, she simpers then pecks my lips again. “You know what this means, right?”

“What, baby?”

“Daija met us and loves us like I knew. The final piece to our little puzzle is complete. You have to marry me now.”

“Is that right? Just like that?” she says before placing her lips back on mine.

“Exactly like that.”

Epilogue

SEVENTEEN MONTHS LATER

“If you don’t sit down and let us do this,” Monae fusses.

“Yes! Damn. We got this,” Taj cosigns.

I swear the two of them have been fussing at me all damn day. They are almost worse than Rex. And just like with my husband, I tune their asses out too. My objections are only going to fall on their intentionally deaf ears anyway.

“Ma, sit down,” Daija says and I finally comply. I’ll do whatever she says when she calls me Ma. It warms my heart each and every time I hear it and the best part is I didn’t ask her to. For the first twenty-one years of her life, my mother was her mother. Although I was always there in her life, my role was her sister and she had a mother. For that reason, I didn’t insist or even suggest that she call me anything but her sister. However, in May, at her graduation in Atlanta, she introduced me to her friends as her mother. In that exact moment, the shards from my broken heart when I was fourteen mended. “Where do you want the gifts?”

“In the baby’s room upstairs. Grab Rex, Dax, and Mere before they leave. They can carry them up so y’all don’t have to.”

Today has been absolutely amazing. Monae and Taj surprised me with a baby shower. Somehow, they pulled it off without me knowing. When I say I didn’t have a clue, I didn’t have not one. Even Rex, Daija, and Aryel managed to keep it a secret from me.

After making love to me until I almost fainted last night, Rex woke me up this morning with his soul-snatching tongue. Since my seven-month belly is starting to get in the way, Aryel prepared breakfast in the toaster oven for us then she and I went to the nail salon to get much needed manicures and pedicures. Apparently, while we were away, Haute Events, under the direction of Monae, Taj, and Daija, transformed our family room into a welcome party for our little champ.

In just ten more weeks, our little baby boy will make his grand entrance into the world and into our little family. Apparently, he was conceived during our honeymoon. Last December, in a small, intimate ceremony at the Blue Mountain resort, I said I do to the love of my life. The man who not only saw me through one of the roughest moments but also loved me through it, proposed to me on my birthday in June, and we wed six months later. I didn’t think my life could get any better but God saw otherwise.

“You want the envelopes in his room too?” Daija asks.

“Yeah. Everything. I’ll go through it all later.” Taj walks out and returns with the men. With loaded arms, Dax and Mere head to the staircase but Rex walks over to me. When I see that devious smile on his handsome face, I grimace, knowing he’s about to do the one thing I despise. The moment he’s directly in front of me, his large hands palm my stomach. “You know I hate that,” I scoff. “It’s not a basketball, baby.”

It's two against one because our little boy seems to enjoy when his father palms my belly. I feel a slow roll in my stomachthen a slight jolt. My hand covers Rex’s and I move it right under my ribs. When I do, our son moves again.

“That’s a jab, strong too. He’s going to be a boxer, beautiful,” he says proudly. Excited barely describes how he feels about having a boy. While he loves being surrounded by his ladies, he’s undeniably ecstatic about having a son. “When we finish getting all of this upstairs, I’m taking you to bed. It’s been a long ass day.”

“A beautiful, amazing day. I don’t know how you managed to pull this off and keep it from me, but thank you.”

He doesn’t respond. Instead, his lips delightfully crash into mine and he kisses me lovingly. Then, he plants a gentle peck on my forehead and walks to Monae for directions. I am tired but I don’t want to miss a minute of this, not even this part. I’m staying downstairs until the last person leaves.

Aryel comes around the corner and walks directly to me. Without saying a word, she presses the control on the arm of the recliner. She holds it until my legs are elevated then joins me on the sectional.

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