Page 39 of Love Next Door
I took her hand into mine and clasped our fingers together.
“This last year has been so beautiful. Although it’s had its downs, it’s had more ups. They have all been worthwhile, thegood and the bad, because I shared them with you. Being in your presence, loving you, and the two of us finding healing together has been restorative for my soul. You don’t have to tell me. Your actions prove that I’m more than enough man for you. I am so thankful that you are in my life, babe. You bring me peace, and I love you. When I think about what I want in my future, I don’t need to look any further, Abril. My future is you.”
I shifted sideways and pulled the box from my pocket. I opened it slowly and presented her with a three-carat princess-cut, vintage-style halo ring as I pointed to the sky. She looked up and saw the blimp floating by with the trailing banner.
“Will You Marry Me, Abril?” she read aloud and then gasped. “Yes, I’ll marry you, baby.”
I slid the ring onto her finger and secured her heart.
TWO YEARS LATER
“Come back here, October.”I chased my giggling little boy as he toddled across the sand.
“Gotcha!” July snatched our chubby baby up into his arms just as I came upon them. I tugged one of his long plaits that rested at the middle of his back and kissed his sun-kissed cheek. My baby giggled underneath my kisses, and I resorted to tickling him.
July laughed because our son’s laughter was infectious. He lifted our son high and blew on his belly, making our baby giggle even harder as he flailed his little arms and legs around. I couldtell that he was going to take his height from his daddy, because he was already tall for his age.
October had his father’s dark color, heart-shaped lips, and long, curly eyelashes. He didn’t get a lot from me, except for my thick, glossy curls and the lighter shade of brown eyes than his father’s.
October was ten months old, and he was the joy of our lives.
“Let me see my fat baby,” Kamaia remarked as she walked up to us and leaned forward to kiss October’s cheeks. “Tee-Tee misses holding her baby, but don’t worry, Chubs. I’ll be holding you again real soon.” She rubbed her protruding belly as Thad came up behind her and kissed her neck.
“Quit rushing my little girl, woman. I told you about that.”
My friend blushed, and it made me giggle. Kamaia had never been a blusher before, but the way that man got underneath her skin was just too cute. Whereas Nina was the chill and proper friend, Kamaia and Yamika were my whatever comes up, comes out, and on-sight friends.
“Well, if Tee-Tee Kami can’t hold you, Tee-Tee Yams can,” Yamika stated as she joined the huddle and reached for October. He almost jumped from his father’s arms into my best friend’s arms.
“At the rate y’all are going, we’re gonna need a much bigger villa than this to house all these kids,” Nick stated.
“Hell, you’re one to talk. How you knock her up and y’all have triplets all within a year of meeting each other?” Yamika asked, looking between Nick and Nina, whose two-year-old triplets were dumping buckets of sand onto one another’s heads.
Nick combed his fingers through his beard and shook his head. “We got that shit out the way early on. Now we get to enjoy ourselves.”
“How? Ya damn kids down there burying each other in sand, and their locs damn near long as yours, so Nina gon’ catch hell getting all that shit out their heads,” Yamika snapped.
I couldn’t help but laugh because Nina turned to see what Yamika was talking about, and she tore off down the beach toward her babies.
Yamika giggled. Only she and Evyn didn’t have children yet, but they were fabulous at being the rich auntie and the fun uncle. They said it was too soon, and the rest of us were doing too much.
“Well, since you got little man, I’m about to sneak off with my wife,” July announced, grabbing my hand as he tugged me away from the group.
“Y’all got four hours and then come get ya li’l crumb snatcher! Tee-Tee Yams got to go hunch on Uncle Evyn later,” Yamika shouted after us.
“Yams!” Evyn, Nick, and Kamaia all shouted at once.
“Sorry. I forgot about the baby’s ears.”
July looked at me with concern as he lifted an eyebrow. “Damn, I’m having second thoughts.”
“About?”
“Pumping baby number two into your belly.”
“What’s the problem?”
“Yams. I ain’t gotta say shit else,” July answered with a chuckle.
