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“Mommy, have some?” Joseph squeaked in offering to his doting mother.
“No, baby, that’s your ice cream.”
He sat in a high chair, managing to get his chocolate scoop everywhere but in his mouth as Amber watched on in pure adoration. It had been the perfect two days. According to Cedric, Laz was still in Tennessee, so we took our freedom and spent the last few days with Joseph at the beach and took turns with him on our hips playing in waves of salt water as they rolled through us. Joseph loved the water and even more so running through the crowds of seagulls who fled as he screamed his way past them. We built sun castles, ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and fell asleep under our umbrella. With Laz safely in Dyer, we dismissed our sweaty security to embrace our new dynamic. Amber and I exchanged happy smiles as we, for the first time in our lives, lived like two sisters, like family, without fear.
She texted Laz regularly to keep him in “the loop,” and his replies raised no red flags. The night we brought Joseph home, we’d sipped champagne late into the night and talked candidly in an attempt to close the remaining space between us. It was one of the best nights of my life. My sister was warm, caring, had an incredible sense of humor, and was extremely quick-witted and intuitive despite her lack of healthy education. She was a capable woman despite the life she’d been forced to endure, and I was proud. Proud of her strength and resilience.
Not only had she bounced back from addiction, Amber looked radiant and the happiest I’d ever seen her. Her healthy smile was a mix of her getting her bearings and her little boy back, a boy who owned her heart and had managed to steal a piece of mine in less than a few days. He reminded me of another man who had consumed me, especially when he misspoke my name.
“Let’s grill,” I declared as she wiped Joseph’s face. “Sound good?”
She glanced at the small gas grill on the porch as I slid open the glass door adjacent to the dining room and glanced at the marsh. It had been another perfect day.
“You ever used that thing?” Amber laughed as I spent a few minutes trying to figure out how to light it.
“Nope,” I replied as I found the safety switch and got it going.
“Nope,” Joseph mimicked. “Nope, Aylor.”
Every time he said my name, my heart sang in a way I never imagined possible.
“So, I guess you two should look forward to burned chicken.”
“Nuggets,” Joseph declared with an open mouth and excited eyes for his mother.
“Black nuggets,” Amber piped sarcastically in reply before she turned to me with a grin.
I shrugged. “One of us has to be the man of the family.”
“He’s right here,” Amber said as she readjusted the bib around Joseph’s neck. It was no use. The ice cream was on every imaginable surface and crevice of his little body.
He stuck his fingers in his mouth managing to coat his chin. “Let’s give it a year or two before we put him on grill duty.”
“Maybe until he’s out of diapers.” Amber chuckled. “Better fill up on this, buddy, or you’ll starve.”
I deadpanned, “Keep it up, you will too.”
She didn’t let up. “Have you ever cooked in your life?”
“Does macaroni and cheese count?”
She shook her head with an incredulous laugh. “No.”
“Well then, no.”
“Spoiled ass, better let me handle this,” she said as she moved to help me.
“No, let me have this. Really. And cooking for one never appealed to me.” I looked down at Joseph just as he managed to get the chocolate in his hair. “Is it weird I’m excited about it?” Looking up at me with a sincere smile, she shook her head. I felt the same burn in my throat I’d had for the last few days. It wasn’t painful; it was freeing and close to what felt like healing. Understanding passed between us. Something as ordinary as grilling for my family had me emotional. To other people, we might seem like lunatics, but for us every second was monumental. Every new experience was a finish line. Ignoring the fear that always accompanied me when I allowed myself to feel, I moved to the fridge to grab a beer and begin dinner when a text pinged on my phone. I spent a few minutes gathering ingredients before I glanced at it.
Cedric: Get the fuck out of there!!
My heart seized as fear sent a shock wave through my body. I heard the glass door from the patio slide open. A wave of cigarette smoke hit my nostrils, and a chill went straight up my spine when I heard his
voice.
“Well, isn’t this just a fucking Hallmark moment.”
“Da!”
