Aria’s smile turned smug. “My tubes areburned. I’m done.Finished.”
I laughed. “Aria, you are not about to keep bragging about that like it’s a Birkin.”
“Itisa Birkin,” she said, dead serious. “It’s the best gift I ever gave myself.”
I shook my head. “Well, give yourself the gift of being on maternity leave. You don’t know how to stay away from this gallery.”
Aria looked around like she was checking the vibe. “I miss my life. I love my kids, but I miss being Aria too.”
“You are still Aria,” I told her.
“I know,” she said. “That’s why I’m here. I wanted to feel normal for a second.”
Just then, the door opened again, and Legend walked in. Aria’s expression changed to guilt immediately, like a kid caught in the kitchen late at night.
Legend looked at her, then looked at the baby, then looked back at her like he was trying not to go off. “Why you got my brand new baby out here in these streets?” he fussed.
Aria folded her arms across swollen breasts. “He needed air.”
Legend walked over, took Major from the stroller without asking, and adjusted him on his chest. “He got air at home. He don’t need dirty outside air before he’s vaccinated.”
“He was fussy, so I took him for a drive,” Aria argued.
Legend didn’t argue back. He just turned and walked out with Major like the conversation was over.
Aria stared after him for a second, then grabbed the stroller and hurried behind him, still talking. “Legend, you are doing too much. He was fine.”
Legend didn’t respond. The only thing we heard was Aria’s voice fading into the distance as she followed her husband out the door.
Sincere stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me back into him. He kissed the side of my face, then my neck, slow enough to make my eyes close.
“You did good today,” he murmured.
I leaned into him. “Thank you for hanging out with me.”
“I wasn’t going nowhere. You know that.”
I did.
Standing there in Voss, like most days, I realized how much my life had changed in one year. I wasn’t rushing home to emptiness and stress. I wasn’t measuring love by how much I could tolerate. I wasn’t just simply surviving. I had work that meant something, people who believed in me, and a man who showed up and stayed.
Sincere held me tighter and kissed my cheek again. “You ready to go home?”
Home. That word felt different now. It felt… safe.
I turned in his arms and looked up at him. “Yeah,” I said softly. “I’m ready.”
And for the first time, I meant it without fear.
EPILOGUE
RHYTHM BROOKS
It was November, and Sincere had taken me out of the country. It was just us, the sun, clear, blue waters, and privacy.
We were staying in a beautiful villa in Greece with a private beach so close I could hear the water even with the doors shut. The staff learned what I liked on the first day and I never had to ask for anything. I got fresh fruit every morning, coffee exactly how I drank it, and flowers that kept showing up in the room. I could step outside, feel the sun on my skin, walk a few barefoot steps, and be on sand that wasn’t shared with anybody but us. Everything about this place felt effortless.
Sincere hadn’t stopped making me feel spoiled on purpose. He liked taking care of me. He liked being the reason I smiled.
