My future.
Our future was with each other and our family. I wanted a whole soccer team. I wanted to be surrounded by babies and my husband, that’s all I needed. I loved being pregnant. I loved knowing that what was growing inside me, was a part of Austin and me. I loved hearing the heartbeat for the first time. Feeling the flutters and kicks. There was no feeling like it in the world. Austin would spend hours talking to our unborn babies so they would know who their daddy was. We had come full circle and nothing else mattered anymore.
He saved my life.
I saved his.
And then we saved our relationship.
“Austin, we got to go. I still have to go home and pack,” I reminded him.
“What time does our flight leave tomorrow?”
“Noon.”
My uncle was having a party for some unknown reason. When I asked him what it was about, he said I would find out soon enough.
Our relationship had changed so much it was hard to believe. He flew out the second I told him we were getting married and that I was pregnant. Since then he was there for every holiday, birthday party, any memorable event. Even for the birth of our kids. He was still the same man as always and still did the same shady shit. A mystery.
But Amari had him wrapped around her little finger from the moment she was born. She didn’t see the cold, soulless man behind the expensive suit. She would grab his hand, kiss his cheek, sit on his lap, and to our surprise.
He let her.
Amari helped me pack when we got home, and Austin put the kids to bed so I could shower. I was lying on our bed waiting for him.
Naked.
He grinned, shutting and locking the door behind him. Crawling his way up my body. Kissing every last inch of my skin only stopping to linger on the tattooed dates of our babies’ births on my lower abdomen.
Giving me one hell of a wicked, mischievous glare. He kissed his way back down to where I wanted him the most.
“I want to fuck you with my mouth.”
I bit my lip, peering down at him with hooded eyes.
“After I’m done making you come, over and over again, tasting you all around my tongue, I want to fuck you with my fingers and then have you lick them clean so when I claim your goddamn mouth. I can still taste you as I fuck you, hard and rough with my pierced cock. That you love so fucking much.”
My breathing hitched, my chest rising and descending with each filthy word that left his lips.
“You think you can do that for me, baby?” he groaned, taking my clit into his mouth.
“Yes,” I panted.
“Good.”
He did everything he promised and then some. Until I begged him to stop, unable to come anymore.
He didn’t.
I was exhausted on the flight to New York, but in the very best possible way. There wasn’t anything better than to feel Austin for days after he made love to me like that. The thought alone made my belly flutter and my panties wet.
We made it to my uncle’s penthouse around four in the afternoon. Traveling with two kids proved to be taxing, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. He left a key with the concierge for us. We said we were going to get a hotel room while we were visiting, but he shot that idea down really quick. He argued that he would make sure that every hotel in New York would deny us a room. That we were to stay with him.
The sad thing was, he would actually do it.
“Mama, when will Unkey be here?” Amari asked as I opened the door.
She couldn’t say uncle when she first started talking so the name stuck for him.
“He said later this evening.”
“Can I wait up for him?”
“Maybe, let’s see. Okay?”
She nodded, satisfied with my answer.
“He said he left a gift for me in his office when we talked on the phone, Mama. Can you go get it for me?” she asked as we stepped inside.
I looked back at Austin, and he reassuringly nodded.
“Yes, Daddy is going to go put down Michael for his nap. Will you help him?”
“Daddy, can I feed him?”
“Sure, baby girl.”
“I’ll be right back.”
I kissed him, setting down my bag near the couch. I walked toward the back of the penthouse where his office was located. Even after all these years the penthouse still freaked me out. Maybe it was the soundproof doors and walls. The only thing that could be heard was your shoes echoing off the marble floors. Or maybe it was too many bad memories, lingering.
Although, having my family here with me made it less scary. I opened the door to his dark office and before I even stepped inside, a loud popping sound ricocheted off the walls followed by a hard thud.
My eyes widened and my heart dropped. I knew that fucking sound. It haunted my dreams for years.
A gun.
“Briggs!” Austin shouted, his pounding footsteps running towards me, echoing off the walls.
I didn’t think twice about it, I fully opened the door and came face to face with my uncle lying in a pool of his own blood.
“NO!” I lunged into action, falling onto my knees. “NO! NO! NO! PLEASE NO!” I screamed, placing my hands over his wound. Blood gushed through my fingers as I applied pressure.
“Briggs!” Austin yelled, barreling into the room. Stopping dead in his tracks, peering from me to my uncle’s body, to the person standing behind his desk.
I looked up never believing who was holding the fucking gun.
The end.