“I know, Mamí. We did it.”
“No, m’ijo, you did it. I’m so proud of you. I told you, you’d have your restaurant within a year.”
I grinned into the phone, “You sure did. You also bullied me into asking Jude out, so I guess you were two for two last season.” I shifted again, tightening my arm around Jude. “Okay, mujer, let me get my man out of bed. We’ll be there in an hour.”
“See you soon, m’ijo.”
I ended the call and pressed my lips to the back of Jude’s neck, thinking about the last twelve months. Jude and I would hit our one-year mark soon, too, and things couldn’t be better.
The anticipation for the opening of OuNYe in town had gotten so out of control we were booked solid for the next month. Jude’s mobile library was also a huge success, so big in fact, he’d been asked by the state to consult with them, because they wanted to replicate his model all over the Southern Tier.
The year did have its challenges, however. Jude’s sister passed away a few weeks after that last visit, and he was never able to properly say goodbye. But his brother-in-law Jesse requested we attend the funeral and we went together. Even though it was a tense and sad affair, it was uneventful, and in the end it helped Jude find some closure. Since then, Jesse had made an effort to bring the kids for visits, and it meant the world to Jude to have his niece and nephew in his life.
So, despite the setbacks, lifewasgood up here in Ithaca. My six-month plan turned out to be the best decision I ever made. No, it wasn’t New York City, it never would be, but this Dominican kid had found a way to live his dream.
I nuzzled Jude’s neck, licking a bit of the sweat left from our earlier lovemaking.
“You up for plantains for breakfast, Mr. Fuller? Nurys is requesting our presence at her home for Dominican breakfast.”
His husky chuckle made my whole body light up. He turned around and ran his leg over my hip, bringing our mouths together.
“Sure. I love Dominican breakfast.”
I shook my head before I spoke. Sometimes what I felt for Jude seemed so big, it overwhelmed me. I moved so our foreheads were touching.
“Are you happy, baby?”
At my question I felt a ghost of a smile brush against my lips.
“More than I ever dreamed I could be.”
The End
