We may have started one way, but I was certain that I wasn’t letting this woman go. And I didn’t give a shit what anyone thought.
When I pulled out of her, I rolled onto the bed and pulled her into my arms.
“You don’t regret us, do you?” I asked after several seconds.
“Not at all. You make me happy, Chris.”
“I’m glad, because you definitely make me happy.”
“Do you feel differently than when you first arrived?”
“You always put things in perspective for me, Angel. I didn’t want to be anywhere else after that shift, but when you invited me over, I knew this was where I needed to be.”
“You should do something for those families. I know there’s not a lot of time until Christmas, but get with your crew and see if you all can do something to help those families, or at least the kids.”
“You’re right, Angel,” I replied, feeling better already. “You make everything all right and chase away the darkness with your beautiful light.”
“You know why I chase away the darkness, Chris?”
“No, why?”
“Because you are my light. It’s the light from within your soul that brightens mine. The way that you look at me, the way thatyou talk to me, the way that you see me in ways that no one else does, and how you appreciate me, makes me love you, Chris.”
My heart squeezed in my chest, and my jaw clenched.
“Are you saying that because I just put that thang on you, li’l mama?”
She laughed and smacked my chest. “Boy, no. You don’t have to tell me. It’s okay. When you say it, I want you to be sure, the same way that I was sure this morning. Okay?”
“Okay,” I replied. She didn’t look disappointed that I didn’t say I love her back. “Angel, when I’m ready to say that I love you, you won’t have to hear it, because you’ll feel my love, baby.”
I needed to be certain of what I was feeling before I spoke it.
Chapter 11
Angel
TWO WEEKS
“Ithink it’s sweet what the firefighters and paramedics are doing. I mean, they didn’t have much notice to pull this together, but they’ve done a wonderful job of collecting gifts and donations for these families,” Imani Donaldson, one of the volunteers I met at today’s event, stated.
“It is. I’m glad that they were able to do something for them. Although they can’t get back in their homes, at least the kids will have a nice Christmas, and the families will have dinner and some of the other necessities they need like clothes and grooming supplies,” I added.
“Yeah. It’s going to mean a lot,” she agreed.
After my suggestion that he and his crew do something, Christian and Essence had put their heads together and decided to do a fundraiser, a GoFundMe, and a toy drive for two weeks, to get things in order for these families before the holidays.
It required a lot of work and volunteer effort in their off-time, but I supported him every step of the way. I even called on my followers on my MixTube channel and Sociogram pages to helpout. I felt good when they showed up for me in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
Some of the companies that I modeled for donated lots of clothing to the families. My regular followers donated funds and toys alike, and it made me feel good to see people so supportive and loving during the holidays. I hated that it always took a tragedy to bring out the beauty in people though.
“I think that’s it, ladies. We’ve got all the gifts wrapped, and we can bring the families in now,” I announced to the small group we assembled to wrap gifts. My mother, my grandmother; Sawyer, and her mother, Dorothy; Christian’s mother, Kirsten; and Nicholas’s girlfriend, Maeve, came to support. Kirsten brought her two sisters, Maeve brought her sister and best friend, and Essence brought her best friend, Imani. Christian had recruited another five people from our old friend group to help. Most of them were happy and surprised to see me, but I wasn’t ready to let them see Christian and me in our element yet, so I avoided him as much as possible.
“All right, well, let’s bring those families in,” Mrs. Kirsten stated, clapping her hands together as she smiled warmly at me. I really liked Christian’s mother, and I sensed that she liked me too. Jeremiah’s mother hadn’t cared for me too much.
I walked out of the event hall we rented for the day and stepped into the parking lot. Christian was boosting a little boy into the driver’s seat of his ambulance. Essence was kneeling and talking to a little girl, and the other workers were all interacting with the kids.
I leaned against the doorframe as I watched Christian interact with the little boy. He was so good at what he did, but when it came to children, he was a natural. My heart twinged in my chest as I pondered the possibility of more kids in the future, kids fathered by Christian.
