“I love you, ma,” Chaos states, as he wipes my tears away.
“I love you too.”
“I don’t want you to go another day feeling like you have nothing to offer anyone or that you’re unloved. You have a heart of gold, you’re intelligent as hell, and you’re a wonderful mother to our little boy. You did an amazing job holding it down in my absence, and I don’t take that shit for granted. If you had nothing else to offer, that right there would be enough, but there’s so much more to you.”
I can’t help the tears that fall down my face again. “Thank you.”
“Why ya ass crying now?” he asks.
Sniffling and sobbing, I reply, “You can’t know how much I have always loved you, and I never stopped. Not only did I save my body for you, but my heart also. No one else has a place there. Thank you for loving yourself enough to walk away when you thought that I didn’t care. The fact that you’ve learned to love yourself enough tells me that you’re more than ready to love and protect this family the way that we need you to.”
I press up on my toes and kiss his lips as CJ yawns.
Chaos puts CJ down, and he kneels again. He reaches inside of the bag again, and this time, he pulls out a ring. I’m shocked when not only he asks me, “Charisma Marie Cofield, I have loved you since I met you. You and CJ are the best part of me. Will you marry me?” but he also signs it perfectly so that CJ can read it.
I screech my surprise loudly, and CJ mimics me, jumping up and down and shrieking. When I finally calm down, they both laugh at me, and CJ signs to Chaos, “Mommy’s extra.” Chaos laughs and signs back, “I know. She always has been.”
My heart is full, and my two men have made it overflow with love.
TWO WEEKS LATER
“Hello?”
“Where have you been?”
I sigh. “I needed to take some time out with everything going on. I’m sure you’ve seen the news, especially now that you’re in the center of it.”
“It’s convenient that you disappeared right before all this broke out, and now that I’m suspected in the ludicrous accusations of my wife’s murder, you conveniently reappear.”
“One thing has nothing to do with the other, Ben.”
“Are you sure? I’ve been looking for you for weeks now, and you finally appear. Tell me, Charisma. Was it you siccing yourboyfriend on me that caused you to feel safe enough to come out of hiding?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He chuckles softly, and it raises the hair on my arms. In the past, I used to love how smooth and sexy he sounded when he chuckled. Now, I feel like I should run.
“I’m sure that you don’t. Either way, I’m just calling to send a message to your boyfriend. The way that I see it, you’re the easiest way to relay that message.”
“Whatever, Ben. You’re talking crazy.”
“Let him know that this isn’t over. He will pay for his crimes. When this is all over, I’ll personally place a bullet between his eyes.”
“Is it true, Ben?”
“Is what true?”
“Did you use me to get to Chrishon?”
He chuckles again.
“Even now, you refuse to call him the monster that he is. When you spoke of him in the past, you made him sound like some saint.”
“I never did that.”
“Yes, you did. I could tell from the way that you spoke of him that you still regarded him in a positive light and that your feelings for him were strong. Were you ever planning to be serious with me?”
“I think that’s a question you should ask yourself. You’re the one who came after me with illicit intentions.”
