Page 34 of Forgotten Deeds

“Lily, so nice to see you again. And you must be Iris.” Kat smiles brightly at my daughter when we join her. “I’m Kat, Darius’ favorite cousin.”

“My only cousin,” Darius corrects her.

“See, favorite. It’s so nice to meet you, Iris. I’ve brought the essentials,” she says, holding up a tote bag. “The three Cs. Candy. Cartoons. And coloring books.”

“What kind of candy?” Iris runs over to her to check out the bag for herself.

“Kat’s going to tag along and watch Iris so you can finish your essay,” Darius says, motioning for me to sit down.

Iris selects a sucker and happily sits beside Kat, and I take a seat across from them, with Darius beside me. “Tag along where?” I ask him.

“‘Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all,’” Darius says with a enigmatic smile.

“Don’t quote Aristotle; answer my question!” Although whoever told this man he was a dumb brute didn’t know what the hell they were talking about.

“Greece,” he says.

“We’re going to Greece!” Iris cheers, but then has a puzzled look on her face. “Where’s Greece?”

“Let me show you.” Kat pulls out her phone.

I turn to Darius, cupping his cheeks with my hands; the move surprises him. “Thank you,” I tell him quietly, our eyes locking for what feels like an eternity.

“They’re going to kiss. On the lips. He’s mama’s boyfriend,” I hear Iris explain to Kat. That’s enough to break the trance, and I drop my hands awkwardly.

“Boyfriend?” Kat says, raising an eyebrow.

I discreetly shake my head no, and she doesn’t press the subject.

The captain announces over the loudspeaker we’re preparing to take off, and I make sure Iris’ seat belt is good and tight before sitting back down and buckling my own.

Iris squeals in delight as the jet accelerates down the runway, her enthusiasm infectious as we hit the air.

“Her father’s a damn fool,” Darius leans over and tells me quietly.

“Thank you,” I whisper, afraid I’m about to cry for some reason.

“Kiss her already,” Kat interjects. “On the lips.”

“You’re no longer my favorite cousin,” Darius tells her.

Clearing my throat, I grab my backpack and take out my laptop, notebook, and a pen. Iris is occupied with a coloring book, and so I put my noise-canceling earbuds in, getting lost in my research.

“Lily,” Darius squeezes my thigh.

Removing an earbud, I realize the flight attendant’s standing next to our seats with a drink cart. “I’m sorry. Could I get a water?” I ask.

“A woman after my own heart—‘your body is a temple.’” Darius turns his attention to the flight attendant. “I’ll also have water.”

A loud crunch has us looking over to Kat, who’s polishing off a bag of potato chips. “What? My temple, my tribute. I’ll have a ginger ale,” she tells the flight attendant. “See, ginger is healthy,” she informs Darius.

The flight attendant goes over the dinner options, and we put in our order. It’s not long before we’re dining on a meal that would easily rival anything served in a five-star restaurant.

Iris’ belly nice and full, she fights it for as long as she can, but it’s a loosing battle. Her little head slumps over—out like a light. Darius stands and unbuckles her, picking her up gently. “Bedroom in the back,” he whispers.

I follow him to the back of the plane and into a small bedroom. He lays my daughter gently down on the bed, covering her up. “Shall I tuck you in too?” he whispers.

“Not nec—” I nearly squeal with surprise when he scoops me up in his arms, laying me down just as gently as he did Iris.

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