The Don's Saving Grace (GxG)✔️

40

"Let's get you to bed, I will look after Neo."

"You sure?" she nods allowing me to go and take a much-needed nap. The guys mostly help with groceries and any heavy lifting chores while Naledi takes care of Neo when she comes back from school for four hours so I can sleep and then I wake up to feed her before I get started cleaning and getting some exercise, nothing dramatic, just a bit of walking and stretching.

Neo is nearly two months old and she looks like him, she is absolutely adorable, cries like crazy is an attention magnate, and everyone loves her.

As I lay my head on the pillow and pull these blankets over me, I get overwhelmed, and everything floods back. How will I explain that I was supposed to be the dead one? How do I rationalize that to a child? Sleep takes me out of my misery.

Wet something dragging against my face jolts me awake and on me is Jojo. I look at my timer and I still have two hours.

"Jojo, either you sleep as well or you let me be?" she coils next to me and I dream of a life where I am loved and he is not dead.

My eyes flutter as I accommodate the light before opening them to look at my timer which says I have been asleep for six hours.

"Why did you not wake me up?"

"I used her bottled milk so you can sleep, you need it, Mama."

"I do need it and thank you for that. How are you?" I take off my shirt and nursing bra and pick her up to place her on my chest.

"I am good, slightly mad at Zale."

"Why?"

"He left off with his friends on a boys' trip to the mountains and he did not tell me, I had to find out from George when he was dropping off the groceries."

"Maybe he forgot or it was a last-minute thing."

"A simple text, that's all I want."

"I can text you if it will make you feel better." she let out a chuckle before sitting next to me.

"It's okay, I will talk to him when he gets back."

"When are you going home?"

"I do not know, Zale and his family are going to Capri and I might go, I don't know. My mom was actually complaining about how much she misses seeing me."

"Does she know why you don't go home?"

"uhm, I was going to introduce him to my family, at graduation."

"What? So you never told them? What have you been telling them all this time?"

"That I was staying with you, which is not a lie, I am staying with you."

"Wow, I don't mind you using me to lie but how long have you been with Zale?"

"We are approaching a year."

"What?"

"Yeah. I also need to plan my gift for him."

"Okay, what were you thinking?"

"Girl, I was thinking of having an entire day planned doing his favorite things, so like going to the shooting range, race carting, cliff jumping, and all the things he likes so we will actually need to go Cape Town for a weekend because our anniversary is during my school week."

"Babes? Are you sure?"

"Definitely. I am getting this degree to be an interesting housewife and wash his dirty money." laughter erupts between us

"Whoever thought this would be us?"

"Honestly, I never saw myself as a housewife but I always saw you as a mother."

"Girl bye."

"For real, you took care of me and you still do."

"But you never saw us getting involved with criminals."

"No one could have seen that but my God are we not happy?"

"That we are."

Time flows by and before I know it, Naledi's mom is on my couch with Neo in her arms ready to watch her as I go celebrate her daughter.

The graduation party is amazing, I planned it and I wanted it to be perfect for Naledi, she deserves it.

"Naledi," Zale calls out and we focus on him, he clears his throat and gets on one knee, a red box in hand

"Zale, what are you..."

"Naledi Hope Jones, will you do me the pleasure of marrying me?" her hands covering her face she nods yes before wiping tears from her face

"I love you," she says as he wraps his arms around her

Her happily ever after has begun.

*********
Do you think Abiya is jealous of Naledi and her life?