Everyone was quiet except that Queen began to coo, probably out of hunger. I watched Mr. Nuro’s posture as he sat deep in thought. Whether the child was Richard’s or not, the fact remains—Chayara was his granddaughter. He had more right to her than any of us there.
"No." I heard a whisper. I whipped my head in Abby’s direction, unclear if I had heard right. She couldn’t be saying no, right? After Richard, she bonded more with Chayara.
Richard was just as surprised as I was. The finality in her voice was frightening. It was the voice of a woman fed up with the pain and the twists and turns. She sounded like a woman finally done.
"No? No to what, Mum?" Richard asked, his tone mirroring my surprise and confusion.
Abby sat up, exhaled, and calmly said. "You heard . You are not fighting for custody of Chayara. As a matter of fact, they can co scoop her up now. Nothing is stopping them."
I saw his dad’s body go tense. "Abby, she is our granddaughter. How can you say that?"
"She is your granddaughter, not mine. Three decades later, and your escapade with Lilian is still ssing up our lives. I lost a daughter to them. I almost lost both Richard and Nita. What more do they want from us, from ? Lilian and Sam have brought nothing but sorrow and despair to this ho. I am exhausted. I am done!"
I felt Richard’s body go stiff also, but I should have predicted this would happen. I could understand Abby’s stance. As a mother, I want to protect my child that I have only held for about three weeks, but to tell Richard to let go of a child he loves; I didn’t see that happening.
"Are you serious right now?" Mr. Nuro’s anger flared. "You are telling to throw my blood out in the streets with no parent?" He sat up in his chair, looking dazed.
"You have done it before. What’s giving you pause now? Because you finally realize that the other half of Sam’s bloodline is crazy? Besides, she isn’t going to be alone; Junior just said Lilian is taking custody of her." I knew Mrs. Nuro could be an whenever she wanted to be; I just didn’t think she had it in her to be this an to a baby.
"So we will just let them take a child that we have been taking care of for months, a child that we all love, Mom!" Richard questioned.
"She’s not yours, Richard," Abby said simply. "She never was." Gwen and Sam had done a number on this family. They needed to be congratulated.
Richard looked like she had slapped him. "She’s still family."
"No, she’s Sam’s family," Abby corrected, her eyes flashing.
Mr. Nuro shifted uncomfortably, which ant he knew this was an argunt he wasn’t going to win. He ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair and let out a sigh.
"I can’t believe this," Richard muttered.
"Oh, I can’t believe this," Abby shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You’re willing to go to war for a child that you were tricked and manipulated into believing is yours. A child whose father almost killed you almost ruined you. What makes you think this child won’t turn out the sa way Sam did?"
"Not if she is raised with us!" Richard argued.
"If you choose to fight for custody of Chayara, I will not have her in my ho, not even when I am dead. As a matter of fact, I want her out right this minute." She scooped Queen in her arms and walked towards . "Don’t let him do this, Nita. It won’t turn out right. Believe , it won’t."
I stole a glance at Mr. Nuro. He rubbed his temple like he could chase the migraine away. I was sure he was beginning to feel ill if he just shut his eyes and massaged his head.
"Abby..." he started, but she turned a glare so sharp on him, I was almost impressed he didn’t flinch.
"Don’t Abby ," she snapped. "I love you, Lord knows I do, Richard. But even you have to admit that this is too much. Why don’t we bring your ex mistress’s granddaughter into our ho and sing Kumbaya?"
She had a point.
A thick silence settled over the room.
I folded my arms and leaned against the couch.
"So, what’s the plan then?" I asked casually, breaking the silence. "Do we just hand over Chayara and call it a day?"
"Damn straight!" Abby finished shifting on her feet, rocking the baby in her arms.
"She’s a baby, Mom. A baby who sees as her father. And you expect to just walk away?"
Abby’s lips thinned. "Yes. Like you said, she is a baby. She doesn’t know anything yet. Better now than later." That was harsh; she knew it, I knew it, and we all knew it.
Richard exhaled, turning away like he needed a second to process that. I didn’t bla Abby for how she felt. I an, I went mad seeing Richard with Gwen. Every ti I rember, I hurt all over again.
Richard’s voice broke the silence. "I can’t turn my back on her, Mom."
Abby stared at him for a long mont, sothing sad and tired in her expression.
"Then you’re on your own." Abby finished and left the room.
I reached for Richard’s hand. "Well, I did not expect that."
*****
Later that night, after the disastrous family eting, Richard and I lay on an inflatable mat on the balcony of my temporary bedroom in the Nuro mansion. The moon shone brightly in the sky, but my mind was on the current situation.
"She’s never going to approve of Chayara." Richard murmured.
I turned to him. "Your mom?"
He nodded.
I shrugged. "Maybe not."
Richard turned slightly. "I have to leave soon. She made it clear she doesn’t want Chayara here any longer. And I have never known my dad to win any argunt with her. Besides, with her health and all."
"I am thinking of returning to my apartnt tomorrow. I can handle Queen by myself now, so if you need to drop Chayara off on your way to work..."
"No. Her nanny will be coming to stay with her while I am at work. She is my responsibility now."
"Richard..."
"Sssshhh..." he put a finger to my lips as his gaze dropped to my lips before flicking back up.
"Don’t," I warned, already knowing where his mind was going.
His lips twitched. "Don’t what?"
I narrowed my eyes. "Don’t look at like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you’re about to fuck on the balcony under the full moon where anyone who walks through the garden will get a good view."
He leaned in, just enough for to feel his breath against my skin. "That’s hot, isn’t it? We have a lot to catch up on in a few short weeks."
My pulse spiked as he kissed my lips tenderly, once before pulling away. Why did he speak like we were short on ti?
"I have missed you." I confessed.
"I’m right here, right now."
"The past few months have been torture, Richard."
"I know, baby," he murmured, his lips brushing the corner of my mouth. "I know it’s been hell."
My fingers curled into his shirt, tugging him closer. "Then make it better."
His forehead dropped to mine, and for a second, he didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just breathe in.
When he finally kissed again, it was urgent, like he was trying to make up for lost ti.
I bunched his shirt into a fist in my hand, pulling him closer and giving him as much as he needed. Feeling him this way once more was a comfort that everything would finally be alright. After everything, we will be alright because now he rembered us.
His hands traced along my waist before slipping under my shirt and grabbing the bare skin of my breast. Breastfeeding had made them huge and my nipples tender, but he was gentle with him. The gentle massage of both mounds and the flicker of his finger around my nipple was all that I needed to want more from him.
"Richard," I whispered against his lips, my voice barely a breath.
He groaned, his mouth moving down to my jaw. His lips burned a trail down my skin, stopping at the base of my neck where he bit down just enough to make gasp.
"I can’t get enough of you." He said, but sowhere in his admission was pain. He sounded like a man who was holding his sobs in.
"Love , Richard." I murmured, and he undid his zip and moved my skirt higher before taking off my underwear and sliding gently into . My grip on him tightened.
His mouth was on mine again, our bodies pressing closer, heat growing between us as we lost ourselves in each other.
The world outside disappeared.
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