AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I won't hurt you, Zuri. No more.” I inched closer. “Today, everything changed. Everything. You and Carmen. . .You both are now my world, and I'll spend the rest of my life proving that to you, if you let me.”
“It's not just about me, Dante. It's Carmen too. She's all I have, and I need to protect her heart as well as my own.”
I nodded. “I would never do anything to harm Carmen. Seeing her today, my soul shifted. She's part of me.”
Zuri studied me for a long moment. “I want to believe you, Dante. For Carmen's sake, I really do. But it's going to take time.”
“I understand.” Those roses caught my view again. I rubbed my head. “I'm glad this Alonzo has been on his best behavior. You deserve someone to treat you right. Give you roses.”
Zuri looked at me. “Dante, it wasn't easy for me when you left and I found out I was pregnant.”
“How could it be?”
“Moving on. . .it was necessary, but it wasn't a choice I wanted to make. You were always in my heart, even when I tried to push you out.”
Her words struck a chord deep within me. “Zuri, I know I can't undo the past, but I'm here now. I want to be a part of your life, our daughter's life. Whatever place I can have, I'll take it.”
There was a long pause, a moment where everything seemed to hang in the balance.
Then, she broke the tension. “Let's see how your battle with Crimson Mob goes and if you can remain alive and stay out of prison.”
“Deal.” I held out my hand to shake hers.
Slowly, she extended her hand.
I clasped her fingers gently, feeling the warmth of her skin against mine. This was a connection that felt both new and familiar.
Hand in hand.
In that simple touch, there was a glimmer of hope, a possibility of healing and rebuilding.
I tenderly squeezed those fingers. “I'm here to make things right, in whatever way I can.”
Zuri nodded. “We'll see.”
And in those two words, I heard the echo of a thousand possibilities.
As our hands remained clasped, a surge of emotions coursed through me. Her touch, soft yet firm, sent a wave of memories flooding back—memories of love and passion, now tinged with the pain of separation and regret.
But in this moment, as her gaze met mine, I saw something flicker in her eyes. It was a look that transcended anger and disappointment, a look that spoke of deeper, unspoken feelings.
She still loves me. I know it. She could never hide that from me.
“Zuri,” I whispered, my voice barely audible, as if saying her name any louder might shatter the fragile moment between us.
Her eyes, those deep brown wells of emotion, didn't waver. They held mine, searching, questioning, daring me to be the man she once knew, the man she had loved.
“I've missed you.” My body ached to pull her in and fully hug her. “Not a day went by in that cell that I didn't think of you, of us. The life we could've had.”
She bit her lip, a small gesture that I remember so well. It was her way of holding back words, of keeping her emotions in check.
Then suddenly, Carmen's voice echoed from her room. “Mommy! Daddy! Come see!”
Zuri moved her hand from mine, and I hated the feeling of emptiness that rose within me.
Then, she gave me a sad smile. “Let's go see all of the drawings Carmen did of you.”
We walked towards Carmen's bedroom.
She let me touch her hand. . .Small victory, but I'll take it.
Chapter 11
The Party
Zuri and I approached the entrance to Carmen’s room, ready to step into her world of imagination.
Just as I was about to cross the threshold, Zuri gently placed a hand on my arm and paused my movement. “Shoes off, Dante. We’re entering Carmen’s sacred space.”
“Oh.” I looked down, realizing the importance of this simple act of respect in my child’s domain. “I wouldn’t want to disrespect.”
“Since her daycare does it, she’s now adopted the policy.”
“I see.” Bending down, I untied my shoes, carefully sliding them off one at a time and placing my shoes neatly by the door.
Zuri followed suit, gracefully slipping off her own shoes.
I couldn’t help but notice her beautiful feet as she did so. Her toes were meticulously painted with a Christmas theme—tiny, artful designs of red-ribboned mistletoe adorned each nail.
Mmmm.
The sight stirred an unexpected and intimate desire in me. I found myself craving to gently kiss her pretty toes.
Alonzo is going to have to step aside.
Pushing these thoughts away for the moment, I refocused on the reason we were here.
What did my baby girl draw?
As we entered, a delightful scene unfolded before us.
My gaze gradually adjusted to the kaleidoscope of colors and shapes that now decorated the walls.
Smiling, Carmen stood in the center of the room. “Welcome to my very important art galeresh!”
