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“In that case, Ms. Rothshire, I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Wait, what?” I shrilled, not expecting him to end the call so abruptly.
“If you thought this moment would be a washed-up phone request, then you’re wrong. I assumed you’d know me better by now, Aeir. Maybe a bit battered and bruised, but I’m far from basic. Just get ready to make my day and tell me yes when the time presents itself. I’m hanging up now.”
He ended the call as he said he was. My mouth slacked and eyes grew larger.
He’s back, I finalized, leaning forward and opening the glove compartment.
“Your love is king.” The lyrics of one of my favorite songs filled the truck as I began to hum. “Crown you in my heart. Your love is king.”
Inside the glove compartment, I found another note. I opened it, expecting to see more words and more confessions of Malachi’s feelings, but there were only a few. My heart stopped as I finished reading, ending at the question mark on the page.
What do you say we take a chance on forever together?
I unlocked my phone, rushing to find the number he’d just called from. I tapped the screen and listened to the phone ring until the voicemail came on. As I ended the call, a text from the same number came through.
Tell me in person.
I squealed, grabbing hold of the steering wheel while exiting the message to dial Jae’s number. As the phone rang, I grabbed all of my belongings. It wasn’t until I was climbing out, preparing to lock up, that I noticed the toddler car seat in the back. Mounds of strength was required to maintain the fountain that threatened to pour from my eyes.
“Hey, babe,” Jae answered, disrupting my thoughts and pulling me off the ledge.
“He hears me. He sees me. He feels me. He values me. He trusts me. Jae, he’s my husband. This is the one thing I’m sure of if I’ve never been sure of anything else in life. Please tell me you’ll be my bridesmaid and help me plan a simple wedding on the farm.”
“Wait. Wait. Wait. Slow down,” she urged. “Where is all of this coming from?”
“Him. A few days ago, he came to apologize about his behavior and asked if we could maybe try to make something work between us. I was left with no choice but to agree. I have a jones for this man and I’m not talking lightweight. There’s so much left to explain to you about this entire situation, but for now, just answer. Just look at what he’s done for me. In my wildest dreams, I didn’t expect to wake up to this level of generosity.”
I tapped the FaceTime icon and waited for Jae to take the call. When her pretty brown skin covered my screen, I flipped the camera to share my view.
“It’s gorgeous,” I stated, rounding the truck slowly. “And it’s mine.”
“Get the fuck out of here, Aeir. Wait. Hold up. I’m packing my fucking bag now. The niggas in Berkeley, you said?”
“Jae,” I called out, getting her attention.
“I’m on the way, Aeir. I’m on the way.”
“You’d better not come here to find a man and you haven’t visited me yet.”
“Well, this means I can kill two birds with one stone, right?”
“No, you have a job, babe. Have you forgotten?”
“Not at all, but I think we’ve both been keeping a few secrets. Since you’ve been away, I’ve been really thinking about my life and my future. A week after you left, I signed up for the travelers program we offer here.”
“For the nurses?”
“Yes.”
“Oh God, Jae. That’s wonderful.”
“I was chosen.”
“Of course you were. They’d be foolish not to have chosen you.”
“You’ve opened my eyes, Aeir. Thank you for packing your shit and chucking the deuces.”
