Scott starved her of love and called it marriage.
I got hard just watching her breathe and called it truth.
He spent years eroding her confidence.
I spent months memorizing the way her laugh rebuilt me from the inside out.
He wanted her small.
I wanted her infinite.
Fucking bastard tried to ruin her Mother’s Day. I should kill him.
My hand curled into a fist against the brick wall. If Scott so much as stepped foot back here, I’d bury him under these rose petals and let the boys think it was just another surprise for their Mommy.
The front door opened.
Teyonah stepped inside and everything within my soul shifted.
Even after a ten-hour day at the firm, she looked composed, professional, still in control. I was still upset for her that she had to work on a Sunday, but her supervising lawyer had a huge case this month.
She told me once that her hair was always a battlefield she fought with scarves, pins, and creams. I never understood what she meant by that. It was always styled beautifully. Tonight her hair fell sensually around her face.
Her skin was deep brown, smooth and radiant even under the harsh hall light.
Long silver earrings brushed against her jaw when she turned her head.
Her full voluptuous breasts filled a deep crimson blouse.
A black pencil skirt hugged her stomach and thick hips. The sway of those were enough to make my throat go dry. A leather tote bag was slung over her shoulder, stacked with files. Black heels finished the look.
God, she had the kind of lush body that made my palms itch.
When she spotted her kids, they burst into their lines, voices eager, high-pitched, nervous.
J held out their hands like a magician about to reveal a trick. “Mommy, tonight is your night to be pampered!”
Oliver bobbed his head so hard his bow tie nearly spun sideways. “And you can have pampers too!”
Then, together at the top of their lungs: “Happy Mother’s Day!”
I grinned.
They nailed it.
“Pampered and pampers? What?!” Her face lit up instantly, all the exhaustion cracking apart as joy spilled through. She clutched her chest, laughing so hard her shoulders shook. “Did my babies put together a big surprise for me?”
“Yes, Mommy.” J’s grin stretched ear to ear. “We worked on it all afternoon.”
Oliver pointed dramatically at the floor. “Look at the rose petals!”
“Wow.” Teyonah blinked, eyes wide. “Umm. . .How. . .did y’all get rose petals?”
“We saved up money.”
I bit back a laugh.
“Oh my God.” She gasped, then chuckled, then her eyes filled with tears. “This is so sweet.”
