Today. Tomorrow. Always (5 page)

My mother kissed all over Anthony for a few seconds and then finally came to her senses and embraced Emi as well. They exchanged compliments on one another’s accessories and shoes for a while and then shifted to talk of the grandson they shared… like always.

“How much longer before my son gets here?” My father asked, referring to AJ. It never got old hearing him call him that—
his son
.

“Terrell sent Maisha a text and said they should be here in about twenty minutes. Did you guys park around the corner like I said?”

My father nodded. “Yeah, he won’t see the car.”

I nodded. “Good. Do you and mom mind going out onto the patio with everyone else?” I asked.

“Not as long as I can take my baby,” my mother countered, making Emi laugh again.

“Yes, Ma, you can take the baby.”

She grinned and then went willingly.

It dawned on me that I’d left my gift for AJ upstairs, buried deep within the closet. On my way up, I found myself feeling a bit nervous about giving it to him. He was an easy guy to shop for, never particular, but this year I wanted my gift to be special, something he wouldn’t expect.

I was pretty sure I’d accomplished that.

All the guests were in place and Dee and Karl finally slipped in at the last possible second. I managed to get them all in and quiet right before Terrell sent his final text:
“We’re down the street.”

I glanced at my gift perched at the end of the table beside the others, and a smile crossed my face.

I hoped he’d love it.

*****

AJ

Terrell had been acting weird all day, but then again, it was hard to tell with him. I turned into the driveway and parked beside his and Maisha’s car because it didn’t make sense to pull into the garage when we all had plans to head out in a little while anyway. Sam mentioned in passing that we’d be hanging out since it was my birthday.

“I’m starving,” Terrell said as we walked toward the front of the house.

“You work up an appetite when you lose?” I asked.

He shoved me in my back. “Whatever, man. I let you win ‘cause it’s your birthday,” was his excuse.

I laughed at his never-ending stream of BS.

The lock clicked and we stepped into the silent house. It was quieter than it should’ve been—no TV, the little one wasn’t all over the place.

Quiet.

When I glanced at Terrell, he shrugged. “Maybe they’re out back”.

He was probably right. Sam liked to take Anthony in the pool on Saturdays when the weather permitted, so we headed that way.

I dropped my bag beside the living room couch and pulled back the blinds. The next second, I was nearly given a heart attack when a cloud of familiar faces and a loud “
Surprise!”
filled the air.

Terrell was grinning beside me, which meant he was in on it all along. Apparently him and Maisha coming this weekend wasn’t as innocent as I’d thought.

“Happy birthday, man.” His large hand hit the center of my back.

Sam yanked the sliding door open and I pulled her into my arms.

“Did we get you?” she asked.

The answer should’ve been apparent if she felt my heart beating through my shirt. I kissed her when she leaned in. “Get me? You nearly killed me.”

She laughed and stepped aside so I could greet the rest of our guests, some of which had come a pretty long way.

Karl shook my hand and gave me a rough hug. “Getting old, man.”

“You’re only a month behind me, so watch it,” I replied.

My response made him chuckle as Dee stepped from behind him. I brought her in for a hug, too.

“Happy birthday,” she sang.

“Thanks. I can’t believe you guys came all this way.”

She waved me off. “Please, as soon as Sam said the word
‘party’
we marked our calendars.”

Everyone was here. Everyone. Sam’s parents, too. I went to them next.

“Happy birthday, son.” I shook Mr. Kelley’s hand and embraced Sam’s mother when she repeated his words. It was always good to see them.

“Thank you both for coming.” I really was overwhelmed by all of this.

I looked around at all the trouble Sam had gone through. Still tucked beneath one of my arms, I glanced down at her, kissing her once again. She followed me over to where my mother and father stood beside the pool.

My mother took my face in both hands and placed a kiss in the center of my forehead, undoubtedly leaving behind a trace of her red lipstick there. My father shook my hand and there was so much behind his eyes, so much emotion, but he didn’t speak on it. As a man who rarely shared his feelings, I knew the words he’d spoken to me in my office the day before were straight from his heart.

A gentle tug of my left arm drew my attention back to Sam. She leaned in, and I craned my neck down to listen. “You have to open the present I got you now,” she said.

Confused, I looked around at all the guests I still hadn’t spoken to, hadn’t yet greeted, but she insisted.

“It’ll only take a second,” she assured me.

Who was I to keep her waiting? I followed willingly, watching as she pulled a large flat object from the gift table on our way back inside the house. It was wrapped in shiny blue paper with a matching bow. The sliding door closed behind us, leaving us to sit alone in the living room with the party getting louder outside as our guests began to mingle.

“Hurry and open it,” she urged, excitement brightening her beautiful, brown eyes.

With her watching, I peeled the paper down, revealing the hollow backing of a canvas. It was a painting. Something she’d done herself, just for me. Now with more enthusiasm, I removed the rest and turned it to view the front.

“Sam…”

She clasped her hands together. “You like it?”

I looked the piece over again, wondering when she’d had the time. I’d never seen her paint anything like this before. The walls of her studio above the garage were lined with landscapes or beautiful abstract pieces straight from her mind, usually her interpretation of something she’d seen or felt that day, but this…

…this was
us
.

“I used one of the pictures we took on our honeymoon,” she explained, bringing my mind back to the warm, sandy beach we’d vacationed on in Morocco for two weeks. I even remembered taking this particular shot myself. Sam was lying there, soaking up the sun in the white swimsuit and matching hat she wore, and I took the picture after finally convincing her to kiss me in front of all those people. It was a close shot with nothing showing in the background. Only she and I.

“This is incredible,” I finally said. I couldn’t believe how accurate the details were.

“Yeah?”

I glanced away from the painting long enough to look her in her eyes. “Yeah.”

She was pleased to hear it. “Good.” I watched as she eagerly took the canvas from my hands and set it aside, next handing me an envelope.

“Your card,” she clarified.

I took it from her hands and lifted the flap to slide the card free.
“To my loving husband on his special day’,
I read aloud, opening the cover to reveal a handwritten message from her instead of the generic print I was expecting.

‘To my one and only true love,

Life has led me down some dark, lonely roads over the years, but there was always a light at the end of it, pulling me closer, reminding me that I’d find a place of happiness no matter how farfetched that may have seemed at one time or another. That light was your love for me, a love so strong that we demolished barriers that would’ve left most broken… but not us. Together, with determination in our hearts, we’re unbreakable. On today, your special day, I wish you all the love, joy, and happiness you deserve.

Loving you more each day,

your super lucky wife, your beautiful son,

…and baby.’

I read that last line twice, not understanding. “And… baby.”

Sam gave me nothing but a blank stare.

“Are you…” The rest of the sentence wouldn’t come out.

She nodded to confirm, letting me know I wasn’t losing my mind. I’d read that line right. “But I thought… Didn’t you say…”

“I found out last week,” she confessed. “I was just waiting for the right time to tell you,” she explained. “I didn’t realize this was something you actually wanted until my talk with Terrell the other day. If I’d known, I would’ve told you sooner, but… after me and you discussed it, I knew today would be perfect.”

I took her into my arms and held her close. It felt like I’d just been given the world… as if I didn’t already have it all. This woman, this beautiful woman, never ceased to amaze me. Just when I started thinking it wasn’t possible to be happier than I already was… she found a way to prove me wrong.

“You’re really happy?” she asked.

I couldn’t believe she even had to wonder. “Sam… I’m
beyond
happy.”

Her face lit up at the sound of my words.

This thing we had was solid; only growing stronger with each passing year. Nothing would ever tear us apart because we had a one of a kind love—the kind that would keep us together until the sun grew tired of shining. A love that would last forever.

Today.

Tomorrow.

Always.

*****

~
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