Page 29 of Not Afraid to Trust Again
“Come here.”
Her feet moved slowly across the plush carpet. As soon as she reached me, I opened my arms and held her against me. After a few seconds, I felt her body shake against mine. I rubbed my hand up and down her back as she cried. Her hair smelled like she had washed it recently. I lifted my head toward the ceiling to try and keep my tears at bay.
“I’m sorry for blaming you,” she mumbled against my chest.
“Shh. It’s fine. I understand why you did.” My voice cracked as I released my tears.
It was hard holding them in while she cried and apologized. It wasn’t okay when it happened, but I wasn’t trying to dwell on that. I just wanted us to get back on track as much as we could. It would take time for us to recover, but it didn’t matter as long as we did that shit together.
We stood in the middle of her living room for a few minutes until we got ourselves together.
I pulled back some to look into her eyes but kept my arms around her.
“If I could carry all of your pain, I would. I love you, Elise, and there is nothing in this world that you would ever have to carry on your own. Give all that shit to me, and I got you. I will never let you weather a storm alone.” I kissed her lips. “Now, let’s go to the kitchen so I can make you some breakfast.”
“Sounds good.”
“How about you clean yourself up while I get the food together, then meet me in the kitchen?”
“Okay.”
I sent her away because I needed a few minutes to myself as well. Her breaking down the way she did messed me up, and I wanted to get my mood together so we could have a good day. I had a gift for her that would probably make her cry again, but in the meantime, I had to find a way to put a smile on her face.
While she turned to go up the stairs, I grabbed the bags from the floor and went into the kitchen. I put the bags on the counter, grabbed a paper towel, wet it, and wiped my face. After that, I washed my hands and got started.
A few minutes later, Elise entered the kitchen and sat on one of the stools at the island in the middle. She’d taken off her robe and had on silk pajamas and a silk headscarf covering her hair.
“It smells good.”
“It’s almost done.” I winked then turned back to the stove.
When the food was done, I plated it and placed it in front of her, then I made my plate and sat next to her at the island. We took a few seconds to bless the food.
“Um, I taste a little burntness on this bacon.” She held a piece of bacon up and inspected it.
“First off, burntness is not a word, and it’s just a little crispier than normal.”
She sucked her teeth and giggled. I was just happy that I was able to bring a smile to her face, even if it was only for a minute. I accidentally left the bacon in the pan longer than I should have, but it wasn’t burnt like she implied.
“If you say so. It’s good though. Thank you for making breakfast.” She leaned over and kissed my cheek.
“You’re welcome, baby. I have nothing but time, so if you don’t put me out before then, I’ll take care of lunch and dinner too.”
“Why would I put you out?”
I shrugged. “I’m just letting you know I’m here for as long as you allow me.”
“Okay.”
She laughed when I took a bite of the crunchy ass bacon. Her laughter was music to my ears, so I didn’t comment on it.
We sat in silence until we finished our food. I didn’t know what to say, but I knew we needed to talk about the baby, but only when she was ready.
Even though she tried to smile and laugh, I could see the pain in her eyes every time I looked her way.
“How about we go to the living room to talk and watch a movie?” I asked when we were done eating.
“That’s fine. Do you need me to help you?”
