Page 31 of Through the Fire

“Now, who are you?” I whispered then picked him up.

I followed the sound of snoring to find Shyheim passed out on the couch in his uniform. For a moment, I stood there admiring my working man. His days could be long, but he showed up every day, giving it all he had. I was learning to replace my worry with prayer whenever he was on the clock, and it was helping to ease the stress. I felt more confident when he walked out the door or got a call in the middle of the night now.

Placing the puppy back on the floor, I went into the kitchen to warm up our food. After a long day, he deserved a meal cooked with love. I washed my hands and got busy. When everything was ready, I poured him a glass of Black Sade and grabbed a bottle of water.

Going to the living room, I set up the eating trays. I nudged him awake with the plate of delicious smelling food. He stirred without hesitation. I smiled as he came to and grabbed the plate from me.

“On me, I was just dreaming about some food, and you wake me up like this. You are perfect, woman.”

I chuckled. “Well, it’s a good thing dreams do come true.”

Heim motioned for me to come closer. When I did, he placed a kiss on my lips.

“Thank you, baby.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

Sitting down beside him, I tucked my legs underneath me. He took my hands in his and led us through a quick prayer. After we began to dig in, I couldn’t help but tease him.

“You got up in here and abandoned your little friend.”

He chuckled. “Damn right, I did. My body shut down.” He took a sip of his liquor then sat the glass down. “How do you feel about it? We could use a guard dog. Shyla’s been begging for one, and I thought he might help with your attachment issues.”

I glared at him then smacked him on the shoulder. He chortled without flinching from my assault.

“Whatever… I’m going to let that little jab go because I think he’s cute.”

I wouldn’t admit it, but Heim was on to something. My attachment issues were so bad I never got a pet, even though I really wanted one. All my dreams were coming true one by one. My heart was literally full.

“What’s his name?”

Heim shrugged as he dug back into his food. After he gulped it all down, he said, “I don’t know. You tell me.”

I eyed the little monster that was already making himself comfortable by wrestling with one of my slippers. Tapping my chin, I pondered until a suggestion came to mind.

“What about Flare?”

Shyheim smiled with cheeks full of food. “I love it. It’s whatever you want it to be, though.”

I chuckled with a shake of my head.

“Okay, that’s his name.” Noticing how quickly he was scarfing the meal down, I let him know, “There’s enough for seconds babe.”

“Good. This shit bussin’, and I’m rushing because I’m trying to bust in you.”

The look in his eyes sent a rush of fire through my body. Shyheim knew exactly what to do with my body. He could bust in me any time he desired. I’d never run from his stroke… It was the best part of my days.

One Year Later…

“Happy Birthday, Shy Shy,” we all sang in unison while she stood there being silly.

The smile on her face would always be engrained in my mind. I’d never seen my baby so joyful and full of life. It made it even more clear to me that my baby was always a little guarded before. I’m sure it was a result of the toxicity she was exposed to, and by the grace of God, those seeds of destruction were completely unraveled.

I smiled as Island bent over to begin slicing the birthday cake. Even though the sun had set long ago, she still looked radiant when she smiled. Her presence in our life was the gift that kept on giving. She’d planned Shy Shy’s entire fifth birthday party, and by my baby’s joy, I’d say she nailed it.

After all the kids scurried off with their slices of cake, my baby walked over to me with a plate. I sat in one of the lawn chairs having a brewski and chopping it up with Jayce. He’d been busy working overtime for the city recently, so we hadn’t seen much of each other. It was always good to spend time with my boy considering he was my only friend if you weren’t counting Island. She took a seat on my lap and began digging her fork in the cake.

“Dang, where’s my slice?” I teased her.

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