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“She’s so adorable. How about her mother? Where’s she?”
“What’s with your nose?”
“My nose?” She felt her face with her hands, trying to spot out what I was referring to.
“Yeah, your nose. It seems you left it in my business.” As soon as she grasped the sarcasm, she wiped off the grin on her face and stood up straight.
“I’m sorry . . . I didn’t mean to be too forward with my questions.”
“I’ll show you to your room. Come with me.”
I led the way, lifting June onto my body. She followed behind, unable to take her eyes off the magnificence and splendor that was my house. I always take pride in the fact that I’ve got taste. It was quite evident from the way my house was furnished, with all of the expensive glassware and art placed in strategic positions to add more finesse to the aesthetics that already existed—the furniture, painting, woodwork, lighting, and plants.
She was impressed, no doubt, and I felt good for a couple of seconds. I showed her to her room and left her to settle in and possibly get a change of clothing.
“Thank you.”
Her lips formed a beautiful curve as she said the words. There was no denying she was an attractive young lady. Gray was the color of her eyes, and her skin had a smooth, well-nourished appearance. She looked about five feet ten inches tall. I could tell because I stood at six feet two inches and didn’t have to cast my eyes so low to meet her face. She had the stature of a beauty queen—24-inch waist, 36-inch hips, and 34-inch bust, my wild guess.
Snap out of it, man! I cautioned myself and turned to leave.
Maria had already set the dining table when I returned to the living room. June and I sat down for dinner. Watching my baby girl eat was something I cherished; I had missed seeing her do so all these years.
I had lost my mind after Olivia died. My whole world seemed to have come crashing down. All of a sudden, nothing made sense anymore, not even spending time with my kid. I had sent her over to live with my mom, not wishing for her to see me in my miserable state.
Olivia was the love of my life, the only woman who had given the word love a meaning beyond what I had thought it to be. The memory still lived fresh in my head and haunted my sleep every other night.
“Do you need me to walk you to the car?”
“I’m just pregnant, Hudson, not sick. Besides, you know it’s not my first.” She always teased me about how excessively doting I was when she got pregnant with June and the second time she was going to have our baby boy, Jaden.
Hudson
“A man’s got to take care of his woman the right way.”
“Go on and take care of my needs first. You know, it’s the extra layer of frosting that makes the cake for me. I feel like I’m going to explode if I don’t get enough frosting. I don’t even care about the cake. You can have it all to yourself.”
I laughed and watched her go down the stairs with her baby bump, which made her look even sexier to me. She turned around briefly and caught me still staring.
“Go on! What are you standing there for?”
I chuckled and blew her a kiss. Then I opened the door to get back into the restaurant. The door had barely shut behind me when I heard the sounds—the screeching of a car, her voice echoing through the atmosphere, and the impact of the collision between her body and that of the vehicle.
The bag of items we had already purchased fell off my hands. My entire body vibrated like reverberation experienced during an earthquake. I pushed the door open and ran out to meet her.
The irresponsible truck driver sped off almost immediately, afraid of the consequences that might accompany his actions. Olivia lay in a pool of her own blood, her eyes gradually shutting.
While I paced up and down the corridors of the ER, many thoughts filled my head. Her breathing had become really faint by the time we got to the hospital. I prayed and desperately hoped for a miracle.
By the time the doctor came out of the room, I realized that my miracle was far-fetched. Olivia had left me. The pain was excruciating, like nothing I had ever felt. I hated the world and everything in it. I found joy in nothing and became a pain to everyone.
I practically lived in my room for a year, wishing I had insisted on helping her get across the road. It would have made more sense if we were both hit by the truck; then, we would be united even in death.
“Daddy, can I get more juice, please?” my little angel’s voice called me back from my reverie.
I looked at her and smiled. “You can have as much as you want, baby.” I drew her glass closer and poured her some more juice.
“Hey, listen. Daddy is going back to work pretty soon and might get really busy during the day. The lady you just met—she’s going to take care of you while I’m away and most likely get you back from school on some occasions. Is that okay?” I handed her the glass of juice.
