Page 18 of Her Sweetest Desires
“I didn’t want to disrupt the hibernating bear,” he joked, and I hit him. “Technically, we haven’t missed it, but we’d have to move fast. Rock is on standby to cancel because I told her we slept later than intended. We can always order room service and stay in bed.”
I felt bad, but that massage surely put me on my ass.
It didn’t help that right after, my husband drained me of all my energy. Truce talked about his refuel, but I was zapped. Honestly, had it not been for him being hungry, I would have turned over and gone right back to sleep. As if to drive my point home, I yawned. Truce chuckled and sat up.
I lay there for a few seconds until I couldn’t hold my pee any longer.
“Let’s just order room service. See if they can bring some new linen too.”
“Aight. Go handle your business, and I’ll let you know when everything gets here.”
“Okay. I’m also about to call TJ. The pictures aren’t cutting like I thought they would. I need to hear my baby’s voice.”
Truce kissed my shoulder, and that was all the confirmation I needed.
I didn’t think he’d fight me on it, but I knew he wanted me to take off my mommy hat for a few days. Yesterday and earlier today, the pictures my parents sent were amazing, but I needed my baby’s words. He would have a million and twelve questions about what me and his dad were doing and when we were coming home.
I smiled at the thought of him putting me under rapid-fire questioning and rushed to the bathroom so I could hurry and call.
“Why are you calling this phone?” I giggled at Mommy doing her best to sound irritated.
“From the sounds coming from your end of the line, you need to be rescued. Why does it sound like the entire neighborhood is there?”
“Your brothers came over and brought their armies with them. Tristian is in heaven right now being passed between them. Y’all need to get the kids together more often because your brothers are fighting over him like they used to fight over the remote. ‘You’ve had him forever! Mom, tell your son it’s my turn to hold Tristian.’I almost forgot that they were grown as hell with families of their own. When they came in the kitchen bothering me, I almost grounded their asses.”
I cackled because I missed my family.
This whole time, I’d been worried about hosting Thanksgiving, but with Truce, Junior, and Carter there, I’d be okay. Like Truce, they did whatever they could to keep me happy. I was their baby sister, so there wasn’t much that got past them. Hearing my mom talk about them reminded me that it wasn’t me up against my family, but mewithmy family.
Once Mommy was done fussing about her sons, I asked her if TJ was available to talk.
“Mommy!” Hearing his little voice brought tears to my eyes. “I miss you. Are you coming home today?”
“Hey, baby. I miss you more, but I don’t come home until tomorrow. Are you being a big helper to Nana?”
“Yes, ma’am. I helped with Tristian, cooking, and in the garden. I didn’t like the garden a lot, Mommy. It was gross.”
I smiled and listened to my son go on and on about the adventures of his Nana’s house.
There was a knock on the door, so Truce left the bedroom to answer. When he returned, it was with fresh linen, so I put the phone on speaker and went to work, changing the sheets. Truce helped me while we listened to our son. The background at my mom’s house sounded wild, but I was locked in with my baby’s words. Randomly, silence filled the line, and both Truce’s and my head snapped to the dresser where my cell phone rested.
There was a little shuffling, then my eldest brother came on the line.
“What’s up, Baby Bill?”
“Shut up, Junior. Why did TJ give you the phone? What happened?”
“Mama just pulled them chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. I guess since I have Tristian, he left the phone with me so you could talk to him, then TJ wouldn’t have to miss out on the cookies.”
Junior, Truce, and I cracked up.
“Just like his mama. When it comes to sweets, nothing is off-limits. I guess we can add abandoning your parents to that list,” Truce joked.
I hit him and threatened to disown my brother if he laughed. The three of us talked a little more before Junior made his way to our mama’s kitchen. Just from that conversation with my family,I realized I was homesick and happy we were heading out in the morning.
“Is it crazy that I’m ready to get back to our chaos?”
“Nah, it’s actually perfect timing, because I was thinking the same thing.”
