Elise Riley-Tate moves through life in search of her happily ever after. After suffering a devastating loss, Elise questions her womanhood and place in her life and marriage. An unfortunate sequence of events leaves Elise in a conflicted situation...
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7:30 pm
November 28, 2014
I was at my vanity putting on my diamond stud earrings. I pulled my hair up into the neatest ponytail I could manage. I was scrounging through my drawers looking for a hair tie when Zach walked up to me and handed me one. I took the hair tie from him and wrapped it around my rendition of a messy bun. Zach leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek.
"I know that you're mad at me right now, but I need you, and you need me. Let's celebrate our son in peace, and then you can go back to being mad at me ... just not right now. Please, Elise, I'm begging you," he said in a whisper with silent tears rolling down his cheeks.
I wanted badly to be mad at this moment, but he was right. I did need him, and he needed me too. This moment was not about Jhene, but our son. I stood up from my bench and turned to him. I stared at him briefly. He stood in the custom shirts we got explicitly made for this day with light wash ripped jeans.
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My eyes perused his entire being. His disposition was one of a broken man. Instead of standing tall and strong as he usually does, he was, and his head was hung. His massive beard looked unkempt along with his wild hair. I reached back and grabbed some Moroccan oil from my vanity and added a little to the palm of my hand. I ran my hands gently over his beard and his tangled mane. I then took the wide tooth comb and combed through them both.
I moved silently while his eyes followed my every movement. He was looking for a verbal response from me, but I didn't have one at the moment. There were so many thoughts running through my mind that I couldn't choose just one.
"Let's just get this day over with, hm. One step at a time baby," I said softly intertwining our fingers and leading him out of the room, down the stairs, and into the living room where everyone sat. I looked around at my family all dressed similar, and my heart ached and felt joy at the same time. I was grateful for them all and the love they have shown me. Despite having their own families and issues, they came to share at this moment with us. Even Destiny and Cam showed up. But my heart ached because my son was supposed to be here.
"Hey everybody! Let's go in the kitchen and get started," I said softly. Mama Ava was removing the cake from the box when I walked. She walked over to this island and placed the cake in the center while we all stood around it. I looked around at all my family and friends and felt my eyes beginning to well with tears. Zach squeezed my hand for assurance and cleared his throat before he began to speak.
