Page 7 of Widow Mayker

The love that surrounded me tonight almost made me forget that these people were once strangers. I’d accomplished so many things that my mother never witnessed. Every day, I strived to do something that would’ve made her proud.

Thinking of making someone proud, I spotted Adir coming my way. He’d been watching me all evening. Between him and Cooley, I felt like I was walking on eggshells.

“You ready to make this home?” he asked while lowering his body into the chair next to me. The weather was perfect tonight, and although stars appeared in the sky, the party hadn’t wound down yet.

Smiling at Adir, I nodded. “Actually… Yes.”

“I’m proud of you, May,” he said. “Thank you for trusting me. And thank you for bringing joy to this family. Although you’re Cooley’s daughter, I look at you as one, too.”

I fought back a clog in my throat. As hard as my heart was, it was soft as hell for my family.

“I know,” I muttered. “Thank you, Adir. For everything.”

“Always, baby,” he replied before hugging me and leaving me to my thoughts.

I only had a few minutes to myself. Mama joined me, wearing a knowing smile. “I can see that you’re already overstimulated,” she said.

Chuckling, I said, “Actually… I feel okay. The adjustment of being back here won’t be so bad because I have all of you.”

Mama’s eyes softened. She reached over and gently pinched my chin. “My girl,” she mumbled. “All I ever want to do is protect you. So does Poppa. We’re going to do our best to continue to release the reigns we have on you. That goes for all of us.”

Grinning, I responded, “You’ve done well since I’ve been away.”

Her eyes balked. “Are you kidding me? Chile, I wore your Poppa out with worrying.”

We both laughed, but I knew she was serious.

“He’d never admit it, but he was worried, too. We love you,” she stated.

Taking her hand, I squeezed it. “And I love you and Poppa. If I had to do this all over again, I wouldn’t do it with anyone else.”

As much as I missed my mama, I had to feel like it was destiny for me to be in this family. How else would I have been prepared for the life I encountered while away at college? Without Poppa and Adir training me, I would’ve never become the killer that I was. I had them to thank for making me one of the coldest and deadliest women to ever walk the earth.

***

“Dr. Storm, here’s your mail.”

Smiling at the young lady, my assistant, I said, “Maja, please.”

She smiled shyly. “Yes, ma’am.”

Again, I smiled. She couldn’t have been much younger than my twenty-six years. Referring to me as ma’am was pushing it, but I wouldn’t correct her. She placed the stack of mail on my desk, then quietly left my office.

Sighing, I leaned back in my chair and slowly worked the kinks out of my neck. I was out of my element. I didn’t go anywhere without a hat on my head, and it seemed like everyone inside Dr. Bell & Associates stared at me when I entered the room wearing one of my baseball caps. Still, no matter how tough the stares were, I refused to take my hat off.

In the middle of stretching, my door opened again. In walked Heir and Shyah. They took one look at the stack of papers on my desk and winced.

“We’re supposed to be going to lunch, sis,” Heir stated.

Chuckling, I placed my pen down and stood from my desk. “As if I didn’t have a million other things to do.”

They scoffed in unison.

“I do, too,” Shyah defended. She had one year left in her master’s degree program and had her sights set on a position with Bell Oil Enterprises.

“I work,” Heir added. “If I don’t get a break from looking at all those numbers, I’m going to go crazy,” she explained. “Who the hell told me to major in finances anyway?”

“You thought it would be easy,” I joked.