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I know. See you later. I love you.
I love you, too. Kiss Aussie for me. Make sure the doors are locked. Turn on the alarm.
Okay.
His fears led his fingers as he sent the last message. Taking heed, I carried Aussie into the house and followed instructions thoroughly. If it cleared his conscience and made him feel better, I didn’t mind one bit.
I put Aussie in bed and powered on my laptop, ready to put the final touches on my website. Everything was coming along so beautifully. My shipment was set for delivery in a few short days. I wanted to be prepared to take product photos with the props I’d purchased and the new camera I’d talked Malachi into buying. It didn’t take much convincing. He was willing to do whatever it took for the success of my business. I appreciated his dedication and support.
By the time I climbed in bed, he still hadn’t made it home. It was near midnight when Malachi stepped into the bedroom. Without a word, he headed to the bathroom for a shower. As exhausted as the day had made me, I still waited for him to get in bed. Twenty minutes later, he slipped underneath the covers.
“Aeir,” he said, kissing the back of my head.
“Yes, Malachi.”
“Sorry to keep you awake.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I feel better, baby. I went by Makai’s shop to chop it up with him. My pops was there, so I stayed a while longer. Then, I went to see Milo.”
I loved the last line even more than the second and third.
“How’d it go?”
I knew why he’d visited without him having to tell me. How the visit had gone was my only concern.
“He’s lil bro. I love him. I’ve never lost any love for him. I just… I’ve been fucked up for so long, it felt like it to him. He, too, blames himself for Anna’s murder to some degree. I’m just happy we were able to settle that and let go of that guilt together. We’re in a much better space.”
“Did you see Mercer?”
“Nah. He’s ducked off, getting his shit together. Mercer and I are so much alike. When he’s ready, he’ll pop out. Until then, he’ll lay low unless his presence is necessary.”
“You had a really good day, Malachi. That makes me happy.”
“Me, too, baby. The whole drive, I kept thinking about climbing in bed, praying you were awake.”
“Of course I was. I’m exhausted, though.” I yawned. “I wouldn’t have been able to sleep until you made it in and I knew you were okay. Since you’ve banned Aussie from the bed for three days, I was forced to be alone.”
“She’ll be aight and so will you.”
“Goodnight, Malachi.”
“Goodnight, Aeir.” He kissed my hair. “I love you.”
His words lulled me to sleep. I could hear them over and over for the rest of my life and wouldn’t be tired.
FIFTEEN
I tappedthe window of the classroom where Aussie was hard at work. It was her very first day and she was happy about it. There were incentives that came along with her new educational requirements, one being learning French and eventually a handful of Russian. She could hardly wait to tap into either.
Before Aussie had the chance to notice me, the shade was pulled. Aeir was a very strict teacher. I’d need to talk to her about her tactics and how it wasn’t fair that she and Aussie got to spend so many hours each day without me.
It was only day one and I was already trying to find something to do with myself. There was so much work to be done, but I didn’t have the energy to do any of it. Knowing my girls were only a short distance away and I wasn’t involved in their activities left me with the blues.
Lunch!I thought. I can bring them lunch.
Any opportunity to sneak my way into their space, I wanted to take advantage of. I headed straight for the house with avocado toast, carrots, and cucumber salad on my mind. Neither of them had taken lunch and I wasn’t sure if Aeir had stocked the fridge prior. Either way, I was willing to give it a shot. She wasn’t willing to turn down cucumber salad. It was her favorite.
