by Shay Violet
We ate and drank and laughed and it was a meal that I’ll remember on my deathbed.
I have never felt so much love in one small space, so much happiness all at once.
Once we all pushed our dessert plates away, with remnants of pecan, peanut butter, and key lime pies on them, I called the group to attention.
“While this has, without question, been the most fun and memorable reunion we’ve ever had, there’s a small bit of business to complete.”
The men all reached for their wallets, ready to battle for the check.
“Not that,” I said. “This.”
I held up my notebook, and Savannah ad K.K. immediately covered their faces with their hands.
“New. Year’s. Resolutions,” I said, and spread the ten $100 bills we’d put in the pot across the table.
I turned to the page where everything had been recorded.
“Lincoln,” I said, “Savannah swore to a year of celibacy. How has that turned out?”
His silence told me everything. I drew a line through her name.
“Miss K.K., you resolved to lose 40 pounds. Now girl, you look amazing, but I think that booty is even bigger than last year.”
“Hell yes, it is,” a happy Graham remarked, and she playfully smacked his arm.
I drew a line through K.K.’s name.
“Ameerah… You wanted to get over a certain somebody… but there was a second part to your promise… You weren’t going to fall in love with anybody. Yet here you are, engaged, and happier than I’ve ever seen you before.”
“And very much in love,” she said, looking at Talon with stars in her eyes. They kissed deeply, and nobody dared throw a fried pickle in their direction.
I drew a line through Ameerah’s name.
“Just you and me, Sweet,” I said.
“Five for you and five for me,” Sweet said. “We split the pot.”
“You’ve left Brannigan Oil?” Ameerah asked. “Seriously?”
“Tyesha is no longer an employee of mine,” Ezra said proudly. “She’s my wife.”
Jaws dropped around the room.
“We eloped last week. Got married, coincidentally, in Paris.”
“Hold up!” I protested over the murmurs of congratulations to the newlyweds. “That’s the craziest loophole I’ve ever heard of. I protest!”
The table fell apart laughing, even stoic Talon.
To this day, she won’t admit that she cheated, and I won’t concede my sole victory.
But it turns out none of us needed the money anymore anyway.
We left the pile of cash as a tip for Miss Sadie’s staff.
All five men handed our server their credit cards to pay for the meal, and Miss Sadie herself put them in a bowl and picked one at random.
Over Ezra’s boisterous arguments, Lincoln paid for our grand feast.
14
Epilogue
Lucas and I got married on Valentine’s Day, back home in Greenville. I’ll only ever be able to wear my dress when I’m pregnant, but Lucas seems to enjoy keeping me that way anyway.
Baby Samuel Simmons Tucker was born a month after our wedding, and he’s the perfect mix of Mommy and Daddy. As I drifted in and out of sleep in the hours after Sam was born, the most endearing memories I have are of Lucas holding him, rocking him back and forth, staring at him in amazement, and speaking to him in whispers.
“You are so loved, little boy. You will never, ever have to worry or wonder about that. You’re the most precious thing in the whole world. I’ll only let go of you so Mommy can hold you. But not for long.” He looked up at me and grinned. I stuck my tongue out at him.
He’s the best father I’ve ever met. Not having parents of his own to love him has inspired Lucas to be involved, above and beyond.
His semester at FAMU was the last of Lucas’s academic career, although he insists that once the kids are grown that he intends to take some more classes somewhere. Or maybe he’ll embarrass one or more of them by enrolling wherever they do.
Yes, I said they. In the twelve years since I met Lucas in that Starbucks parking lot, our family has relocated to Seaside, Florida, on the Panhandle.
There are now eight of us.
Like I said, Lucas likes me pregnant. And for all the misery that pregnancy can be, feeling those kicks and flutters is the most magical thing in the world. And pregnancy orgasms? Hello!
So, yes, we’ve had six children. Sam was first, followed by another boy, Lucas, Jr.
Before I got pregnant again, Lucas took my mother, sister, and our two babies on a long-awaited trip to Paris. He even, through Ezra Brannigan’s connections and by splashing some cash, managed to get us a private after-hours tour of the Louvre.
When we returned from our trip, Lucas got me pregnant again, and, as fate would have it, we began a string of four girls. A set of twins followed by two more. If you’ve been paying attention at all, you ought to be able to guess their names.
Ameerah and Savannah were the twins. We put the names of my four best friends in a hat and picked them out, to avoid hurt feelings. Kiondre was next. She’s an epileptic, and let me tell you, a little one having seizures is about the scariest thing in the world.
I felt a little bad that we were finished and hadn’t had a Tyesha, but this past Spring, unplanned and four years after Kiondre, along came Tyesha. Yes, we call her Sweet. And her middle name is Sadie.
Lucas still has his wanderlust, and we still have the Airstream. We take long drives as a family every summer, and we’ve explored all 48 continental United States together. We’re planning to start on Canada when Sweet’s a little older.
Every year or so, usually right after school lets out when we’re getting ready for our annual summer trip, we get a visit from Uncle Delbert.
We’ve never explained to our kids who he really is, and at this point he’s satisfied being their uncle, and they all adore him.
The man Lucas rescued from the streets of Tallahassee not only completed his degree at FAMU, he went on to earn a pair of master’s degrees, in education and U.S. history.
He teaches high school history and coaches varsity basketball in Tallahassee. The year before last, we took the Airstream down to Lakeland to cheer his team on in the state tournament.
They lost in overtime against a team from Miami with two 6’9 players. Coach Delbert walks over to his boys collapsed on the court after the final buzzer. He leans down with his hands on his knees and talks to them. One by one, they rise and he pats them on the back. His love of this game and his players brings me to tears.
They are a young team, and most of them will come back for another year of training with Coach Delbert. They will be even stronger and more prepared to win the Championship.
Delbert has tried to pay us back for the money Lucas spent on getting him back on his feet, but we always politely decline and tell him that if he insists, then just pay it forward and donate it to the scholarship fund at FAMU.
Whew. So, there you have it. I waited and waited, until I wasn’t even sure why, but in the end it was all worth it.
Little Sweet seems to have finally fallen asleep, so I’m going to power down my laptop and tiptoe into our bedroom, where Lucas just messaged me that he’s laying in bed naked, if I’m interested.
I hope he’s been getting plenty of rest and taking his vitamins. I’m very interested.
And always will be.
Soldier Beast
Ameera’s Story
My resolution: Get over my lying, cheating ex-boyfriend. The best way was to focus on my job as a nurse. Falling in love with my patient was never part of the plan.
*
For a complete list of Shay’s books on Amazon, visit: amazon.com/author/shayviolet
Also by Shay Violet
Broken Resolutions Series
*
Soldier Beast
Ameera’s Story
My resolution: Get over my lying, cheating ex-boyfriend. The best way was to focu
s on my job as a nurse. Falling in love with my patient was never part of the plan.
*
Naughty-Nice Nanny
Savannah’s Story
My resolution: No s*x for a year. But it’s hard to be nice when your boss is trying to get you on the naughty list!
*
Sweet On You
K.K.’s Story
My Resolution: Lose 40 pounds. But after sharing a kiss with a London chef, I’m eating out of his hands.
*
Two Weeks Notice
Sweet-T’s Story
My Resolution: Quit my job. But my boss says he can’t replace me in two weeks. In fact, he doesn’t think he can replace me...ever.
Interracial Fairy Tale Series
*
The Sheikh’s Pregnant Cinderella
Cindy’s Story
I stole my boss’ ex’s designer gown, crashed his Christmas ball…and got knocked up at midnight!
*
The Sheikh’s Sleeping Beauty Nanny
Aurora’s Story
When I see my broken-hearted little girl smiling up at Aurora, nothing will stop me from making her my nanny.
Want to learn more about Shay and her books? Visit her website!
shayviolet.com
*
For a complete list of Shay’s books on Amazon, visit: amazon.com/author/shayviolet
*
Shay’s Facebook
