Page 60 of Breeze and Melodie

“Tell us what?” Mr. Norwood pressed.

Harmonee sighed as she played with the cloth napkin in front of her.

“Ahem. Umm, so, I completed the requirements to become a licensed cosmetologist, and?—”

“A what? I thought you were in school getting your associate’s in business,” Mrs. Norwood said.

“I was for about a month. I dropped the business classes I was taking right before the cutoff date and enrolled in the cosmetology program.”

“I didn’t know you had an interest in cosmetology. Why didn’t you tell us?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“You do know,” Mr. Norwood said.

“I’ve started and stopped a lot of things over the past several years, and I didn’t want to disappoint you if I didn’t see this through.”

“Harm, we’ve supported you through all the ups and downs you’ve had. Why would this be any different?” Mrs. Norwood asked.

“I’m thirty years old and figured, eventually, you’d get sick of me or give up on me altogether.”

“What? Have we ever given you any reason to think we’d give up on you? Baby girl, you lost several years of your life to darkness. When you came out of it, I can’t tell you how grateful we were to have you back. As long as you’re working toward becoming a better you, we will always support you,” Mr. Norwood told his daughter.

“We’re proud of you, we congratulate you, and we will always love and support you,” Mrs. Norwood said.

Tears filled the ladies’ eyes, while Mr. Norwood looked at his youngest daughter with pride. I quietly observed the moment, appreciating how they expressed themselves and listened to each other. It was quite different from the household I grew up in, and I hoped to have this same loving and supportive family dynamic with my own family in the future.

“Is there a graduation ceremony or recognition?” Mr. Norwood asked.

Harmonee looked at her hands. “It was last month.”

“Last month? Harmonee, I can’t believe you didn’t tell us.” Her mother cried.

“It’s not a big deal, Ma.”

“It is a big deal, but I guess there’s nothing we can do about it now.”

“We can have a celebration of our own,” Melodie suggested. “Let’s discuss later. There’s something else Harm needs to tell you.”

“Mel!”

“What? You pulled the Band-Aid off, so you might as well go for it.”

“What else are you keeping from us?”

“Don’t say it like I make a habit of keeping secrets, Daddy.”

“Tell them, Harm.”

“I’m moving to Onyx City to work at Black Reign.”

Harmonee’s words sprinted from her mouth, but her parents heard every word. As they sat there, stunned, the server returned to our table to take our order. Although I was only observing and had prior knowledge of everything shared, I’d had enough surprise announcements for the evening.

We’d barely madeit to my bedroom and closed the door before Breeze had me pinned against it. His lips landed on mine, and I welcomed his tongue into my mouth. It seemed like it had been days since we’d last been intimate, but it was less than twenty-four hours ago.

As we passionately kissed, we undressed each other. He pushed the straps of my dress from my shoulders as I unbuttoned his shirt. When my dress fell to the floor, I arched my body, giving him room to reach behind me and unfasten my bra. I fumbled with his belt and button on his slacks but eventually pushed them down, along with his underwear.

Once we were naked, our clothes in a pile at our feet, his hands traveled to my ass. He cupped my cheeks, lifting me fromthe floor. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me toward the bed. When we reached the foot of the bed, he released me.

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