Rochelle was curled into a tight ball on Darius’s lap, and Matteo leaned into his side. Rochelle smiled around the thumb in her mouth, Matteo looked hopeful, and Darius had the world-weariness I associated with someone much older than a small kid. I wanted to rush in there and hug them all, but I didn’t want to frighten them.
“Hey, guys,” I said, hoping my cheerfulness sounded natural. Rochelle waved her free hand at me. I sat down on the floor because I didn’t want to seem intimidating by standing over them. Gabe followed my lead which Rochelle found funny. Go ahead and giggle, sweet angel, you’ll have him wrapped around your finger in no time.
“I like your shirt,” I told Darius. He looked down at his Black Panther T-shirt and shrugged. He wouldn’t be easy to win over, but it would be a true thing of beauty when we earned his trust.
“I adore your braids, Rochelle.” She giggled some more and gripped one of her braids.
“Do you like baseball?” Gabe asked Matteo who wore a Reds jersey. He looked to his older brother for approval before responding. After Darius nodded, Matteo faced Gabe and cracked a huge grin that we assumed meant yes.
We spent an hour in the tiny room talking to the three children I knew would someday share our last name. We told them about our jobs, our kids, and the pets we had at home. We asked about school and what their hobbies were. Rochelle had wiggled out of Darius’s arms at one point and plopped herself in Gabe’s lap. I could tell he wanted to hold her tight but worried he would frighten her. Tears burned the back of my eyes when Gabe looked up and caught me watching them together. The boys weren’t as trusting, but they were older and probably witnessed more than their sister had. Eventually, Matteo got curious and sat on the floor beside me. He leaned into me like he’d done his brother, and I gently placed my hand on his thin shoulder.
Darius wanted to believe, but he was just too afraid. “You must be an amazing big brother,” I said. He just shrugged. “How would you like to be a big brother to two more kids?” Darius’s eyes widened a little, but he still didn’t speak. I did notice his shrug was a little less emphatic. He was the only one who hadn’t talked to us yet, but it didn’t worry me. “Are you willing to try?” I held my breath waiting for him to answer. It was subtle when it came, but there was no mistaking his nod.
We weren’t prepared to take home three kids who required booster seats, so we borrowed them from the county. I’d have a lot of shopping to do to prepare rooms for the kids. I was concerned about not having their bedrooms set up already, but Marsha took me aside and told me the three of them wouldn’t want to be separated on the first night in a strange place anyway. We had two guest bedrooms already set up, so they could use one of them and help me pick out stuff for their rooms the next day. And I couldn’t forget Halloween costumes. I suddenly didn’t want to plan a cohesive theme with costumes that coordinated. I wanted the kids to pick out what they wanted to wear. Sometimes a person needed to embrace the messy and chaotic. We needed to be the bright colors in an often drab and dreary world.
It was pitch-black out by the time we left DCS, and the air temperature seemed to have dropped at least ten degrees. We secured everyone in their booster seats then shut the sliding doors. The looks Gabe and I exchanged when we sat in our seats said so much. Things like I love you, thank you for believing in me, and we’re in this together. Forever. Gabe was a man who saw my true colors and loved every single one of them. I reached over and cupped his jaw affectionately, brushing my thumb over his lips.
“Kids, there’s one rule I need to tell you right now before we get home,” I told them.
“Oh, brother,” Darius said drily, speaking for the first time. “What’s the rule?” Gabe smiled at me because even those few words were a huge victory.
“You are never allowed to repeat what the birds say.”
“Huh?” all three of them asked.
“You’ll see what he means,” Gabe told them. Then to me he mouthed the words, “I love you.”
I thought it was quite possible my heart would explode from all the love swelling inside it. This beautiful man sitting beside me wore many titles; he was my husband, best friend, lover, papa to our children, my ride or die, and my happily ever after. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.
“I know, Sunshine.” And he did because I made certain he knew how much I adored him, and I vowed there would never be a day where he doubted my devotion to him and our family.
Gabe started the van and drove us toward a future that was certain to be chaotic, messy, and filled with more love than I ever dreamed possible.
The End!
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Other Books by Aimee Nicole Walker
Only You
The Fated Hearts Series
Chasing Mr. Wright, Book 1
Rhythm of Us, Book 2
Surrender Your Heart, Book 3
Perfect Fit, Book 4
Return to Me, Book 5
Always You, Book 6
Any Means Necessary, Book 7
Curl Up and Dye Mysteries
Dyeing to be Loved
Something to Dye For
Dyed and Gone to Heaven
I Do, or Dye Trying
A Dye Hard Holiday
Road to Blissville Series
Unscripted Love
Someone to Call My Own
Nobody’s Prince Charming
This Time Around
Smoke in the Mirror
The Lady is Mine Series
The Lady is a Thief
Coauthored with Nicholas Bella
Undisputed
Circle of Darkness (Genesis Circle, Book 1)
Circle of Trust (Genesis Circle, Book 2)
Standalone Novels
Second Wind
First, I need to thank my husband and children for their constant support and encouragement. It’s not easy living with a writer who often disappears into a fictional world for long periods of time. They do so many things to help me out so that I can realize my dream. I love you guys more than words can ever express.
To my creative dream team, thanks seem hardly enough for all that you do. Miranda Vescio of V8 Editing and Proofreading, thank you for your tireless work, feedback, and many laughs while editing. Jay Aheer of Simply Defined art is an incredible artist, and I love how she brings my words to life. Stacey Blake of Champagne Formats is also an amazing artist who does incredible interior formatting, illustrating, and designing for e-books and paperbacks. Let’s not forget Judy Zweifel of Judy’s’ Proofreading. She does an amazing job of finding the tiniest details that make a book shine.
To my lovely PA, Michelle Slagan. I’m not sure how I ever did this without you. I love you to the moon and back!
When I started writing this book, I asked my Dye Hards group to give me suggestions for the other players who would appear during the murder-mystery weekend. I want to thank everyone for their input, but I must give special mention to Joscelyn Smith (Henry & Petal), Rachel Zertuche (Mitzi & Candace), Minskat Petersen (Yanny & Laurel), and Racheal Yunk (Bonnie & Clyde) for their submissions. I hope you enjoyed reading the storylines I created for your characters.
Lastly, I am so grateful for my beta readers and the honest feedback they provide me. Thank you for all that you do, Racheal, Kim, Laurel, Michael, Brittany, Dana, Michelle, and Jodie.
Ever since she was a little girl, Aimee Nicole Walker entertained herself with stories that popped into her head. Now she gets paid to tell those stories to other people. She wears many titles—wife, mom, and animal lover are just a few of them. Her absolute favorite title is champion of the happily ever after. Love inspires everything she does, music keeps her sane, and coffee is the magic elixir t
hat fuels her day.
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Ride or Dye (Curl Up and Dye Mysteries, #6) Page 18