Inevitable

Brax

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Glancing around, I take in the view before me. The yard is immaculate, and the flowers are blooming in the garden. The patio table is set with Savanna’s favorite dishes, her grandmothers wedding china, paired with a vase of flowers from our backyard.

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Ours.

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I’ve lived here with her for three months and it still feels crazy that I’m calling this place ours. It was her place first, her pride and joy, tangible evidence that she’d overcome the hard times and forged ahead on her own. But she pulled me in without any judgement or expectations. She never made it a hers versus mine situation. Although, I am hers, and she is mine, so that settles that.

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Ours.

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Like the future unfolding in front of us. Like the plans we’re quietly making together. Like the hope that she and I found in each other against all odds. And there were a lot of fucking odds.

I take one last look at the table, run back into the kitchen to check the food keeping warm in the oven and look for anything out of place. Everything is perfect. Everything is ready. Now I need to pull my shit together and wait. Savanna should be back from her day with Jen any time now. I conspired with her best friend to keep my woman out of the house for a while so I could do, something I never thought I’d do.

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Propose to the love of my life.

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I hear the words in my mind and shake my head. Having someone I refer to as the love of my life is the last thing I ever believed would happen. I grew up with guys who had ‘old ladies’ and then I moved back to my mom’s neighborhood where women were either a baby mama or a side piece. No man in my world held women in any regard let alone be willing to lay down their life for her. And yet, that’s exactly who Savanna is to me. It was never a choice or a battle to overcome those backward ideas, either. My love for her just is. It exists on another plane, outside of my will and desires. The Earth spins and I love Savanna.

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That might make me a fool in some eyes, a weak target in others. Those opinions don’t concern me anymore. I left that life behind when I found her. Or rather, when she found me, broken and near death on the side of the road. My angel. The eyes that kept my heart fighting for life before I had a conscious awareness of who she was.

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A knock at the door rouses me out of my thoughts and back to the present. It can’t be Savanna. She wouldn’t knock. But the thought crosses my mind that Jen would do something like hide Savanna’s keys to force her to knock and announce her return so I’m not caught off guard. I rush to the door in case Jen went rogue and did just that. But when I open the door, it’s not Savanna standing on the other side.

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Staring at me with a smug look is a lean and corporate looking guy with short, dark hair, swooped back and sprayed within an inch of its life. Wearing dark slacks and a white button up, sleeves rolled to three-quarters and the collar pulled wide open, he stinks of entitled asshole. What a stark contrast to my short, cropped hair and solid black t-shirt. He looks like he should live here, and I look like I should be his mechanic. I’m sure there’s still grease under my nails from the engine I worked on yesterday.

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I already don’t like this motherfucker.

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“Can I help you?” One hand against the threshold and the other gripping the door, I use my body, much bulkier than his, to block the doorway.

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The guy looks me up and down before speaking. “Is Savanna around?”

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“No.” I hold firm in my position. I don’t care what the guy is after, but now that I know he’s asking for Savanna, I’m even less inclined to help him out.

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“But she does live here, correct?” He attempts to peer over my shoulder. I continue burning a hole through his head with my stare, not confirming or denying his assumption.

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“And you need her, why?”

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He looks me in the eye. “I’m her ex-husband, Mark. And you are?”

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He should have led with that. I would have decked him and slammed the door. As it is, I should still deck him for how he treated Savanna. But I decide to fuck with him instead.

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“I’m her current husband.” I cross my arms. Technically a lie, but I already feel committed to her for life so is it really?

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The guy’s eyes bulge for a half-second until he gains control and schools his expression. “Is that so?  She moves awfully fast.”

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“What.did.you.say?” I’m seething, laser focused on this asshole.

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He tilts his head. “Where did you two meet?”

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I make a show of looking on either side of our front door, leaning into his space and craning my neck one way then the other. “Where’s the sign that says it’s any of your business?”

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“Woah.” The butthole throws his hands up. “I can sense your hostility.”

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“Ah, that obvious, is it?”

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“Very much so. Listen I just stopped by to check up on her. We haven’t talked in a while. I wanted to show her my new ride,” He gestures over to an obnoxious sports car parked on the street.

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“Penis extension.” I jut out my chin at his car.

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Mark the twerp coughs. “What?”

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“That’s how we refer to overpriced cars masquerading as status symbols. No guts to be found. Penis extensions. To make up for,” I glance down toward his package, “areas that lack.”

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He clears his throat, stretches his neck.

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“I can see that you’re otherwise occupied, so I’ll get going. Let Savanna know I stopped by, will you?”

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“How in fuck are you asking me that?”

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His jaw drops, speechless. Fucking finally.

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“In what world would Savanna want to know you stopped by to make her feel shitty? Or to show off how amazing you’re doing without her? To mess with her peace and tranquility?”

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“Hey, that’s not-“

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“Because the way I see it, you left her. You lose. You don’t get to come back and disturb her life. You gave up the privilege of knowing her. And thank God you did, because now she’s mine.” I step off the threshold and down onto the porch, into his space. “And no one upsets what’s mine.”

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Jaw still dropped, Marky Mark takes two steps away from me, “Don’t hurt her. She’s too good for you.”

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“You’re the one who hurt her. I healed her from the mess you made. And damn straight she’s too good for me. But that also means she’s light years above a piece of shit like you. Do not come back around here or you’ll find out what happens when assholes aggravate me.”

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Mark literally stumbles backward as if I smacked him. His hands up in surrender or promise—I can’t tell which—he mumbles his final words. “I should report you.”

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“Give that a try. See how it works out for you.” I continue standing with arms crossed, glaring at him in his penis mobile as he peels out and drives away. No cop will come after me, not after everything that went down with Little Menace and the Kings. I’m a protected man after taking down one of the biggest inner-city crime rings they’ve had around here.

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The fact it put Savanna in harm’s way will always leave a bitter taste in my mouth, but it was the path we had to take to get where we are. And whatever it took, we were willing to do.

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I’m pissed that dick head chose today of all days to come ruin Savanna’s peace and tranquility, the day I propose. But I refuse to let him ruin it. As soon as Mark is nothing more than a bad memory in the distance, I turn back into our house and wait for the woman I’m about to make my wife.

 

***

 

Savanna

 

“Show me your garden.”
 

I tilt my head, looking at my best friend like she’s lost her mind. “Is that a euphemism?”

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“No,” Jen rolls her eyes. “I haven’t seen how the roses are blooming. It’s not every garden that has lavender roses with red geraniums and pulls it off. Weird combination.”

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“So, go look. I’m not stopping you.” I get out of her car wanting nothing more than to lie in my bed and take a nap. This woman has had me on the go all day long. “I’m tired and my bed is calling me.”

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“Forget your bed. Take me through the back gate and show me your garden.”

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“You said it was weird.”

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“No, I said it’s a weird combination, but you pulled it off. That was a compliment.”

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“Your definition of a compliment is weirder than my garden.”

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“Prove it. Show it to me.” Jen grabs me by the hand, leading me down the driveway and to my back gate. Once she gets a bee in her bonnet, there’s no stopping her. And apparently my garden is her current bee.

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“Ugh, you’re a bully.”

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Jen shrugs. “Takes one to know one.”

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“Are you six? You’re sounding like your students.”

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“Hey, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. It’s kept me alive after five years of teaching rug rats.”

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“Not a nice thing to say about our classes.” I laugh. Jen side eyes me as she throws the gate open and pulls me through.

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“Have you seen what some of them do with their fingers before shoving them into their mouths, or their ears. Or their nose?” She sticks out her tongue and closes one eye. “Ew. I love my kids, but they can be totally gross. It’s why I invest in hand sanitizer spray. I use a bottle a day, I swear.”

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I shake my head and laugh, eyes closed, before Jen yanks my arm one final time pulling me through the gate and into my backyard garden. My eyes pop open followed by my mouth.

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There, standing in front of me wearing dress slacks and a light blue button up, is Brax. His short hair is styled in a messy fringe. The combination of his business casual look and the swirl of his dark ink peeking out from the cuffs and collar of his shirt has my mouth watering. I’m tempted to march Jen back to her car then march Brax right to our bed.

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I turn to tell Jen to scram but find her with her phone out, filming us. She brushes one hand in my direction, cocking her head to the side as a silent message to go to Brax.

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That’s when my stomach bottoms out as the awareness kicks in. I look at Brax, taking in the scene he’s set. His eyes are shining right at me, and in his hands is a lavender rose and a little black velvet box. I cover my mouth with my hands on a gasp.

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“Savanna, baby, come here.” He beckons me closer. On wobbly legs, I force one foot in front of the other until I’m standing inches from him. I would throw my arms around him but I’m frozen in place waiting to see what he does next.

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“I’ve always felt alone,” he begins, looking down at the box in his hands. “My whole life, I could only count on myself. Until I met you, I never knew that another person could possibly be important enough to take care of. To plan a future with.”

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“Brax…” My heart aches for the little boy he was, not having the love of his family to surround him the way I did.

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“And I never realized until today, that I’ve waited my whole life for this moment. To ask the woman of my dreams to be my partner in everything. To tie myself to the one person who sees me, who loves me.”

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My tears begin flowing in earnest as he opens his heart and pours out his love for me. Brax lifts the lavender rose, the flowers I planted to honor his daughter’s memory. Rose will always be with us whenever we see her namesake growing in our garden.

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“You accepted every part of me. Every dark moment of my past and every hope of my future.” He hands me the rose then lowers to the ground on one knee. I watch in awe as he opens the box, revealing a simple teardrop solitaire diamond. “Savanna, I love you so much. I want to love you for the rest of my life. Will you take this journey with me? Will you be my wife?”

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“I love you, too.” I wipe away a few tears, a futile effort to staunch the flow of emotion pouring out of me hearing Brax utter the words I’ve dreamed he’d say someday. Nodding my yes before I can get the words out, I answer him as I bend down to pull him closer.

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“Yes, of course yes.” I kiss him tenderly. He pulls away to slide the ring onto my finger then rises to wrap me in his arms, kissing me deeply, threading his fingers into my hair. I feel cherished, worshiped, loved.

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“I got it!” Jen shouts. “Just sent it to both of you. Now I’ve got to scram ‘cause this is about to turn PG-13 and I don’t need that kind of content in my camera roll.”

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I shake my head, laughing. Brax does the same. He’s learned to roll with Jen’s bluntness. But I don’t expect him to pull out his phone and take pictures of my hand, now sparkling with the symbol of our commitment. I gaze at the simple design, looking closer as I notice the color.

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“Is this diamond yellow?” Moving my hand side to side, I can see that it isn’t a typical diamond. It definitely has a yellow hue.

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“I saw this and had to have it. I’m still addicted to yellow highlighter because of you. I think I fell in love with you from my hospital bed watching you grade papers with them.”

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I lift my head to smile at him. “It’s unique, like our love story.” I remember those days of getting to know each other as he recovered from his accident. “I fell in love with you watching how strong you were to overcome everything in your life.” I wrap my arms around his neck intending to kiss him when I notice some unfamiliar emotion pass over his face. “What?”

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He shakes his head. “I hate having to mention this, especially today.” He looks me in the eye. “But we don’t lie to each other. We’re honest about everything. No matter what.”

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“Okay,” I say hesitantly. “What is it?” We’ve had to share so much pain from our pasts, but he’s right. We’ve always chosen honesty.

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Brax clears his throat. “Mark stopped by.”

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I wrack my brain but can’t think of who he means. “Mark who?”

“Mark. Your ex.”

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My eyes pop. “What?” I almost laugh at the fact I had no idea who he meant. I have thought of my ex-husband in so long he was completely off my radar as a possibility.

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“He asked about you. Wanted to show you his new sports car.

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I roll my eyes. “Oh my god, what a douche.”

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Brax laughs. “Yeah, that pretty much sums him up.”

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“What did you say to him?”

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“Well…” Brax looks uncomfortable. “I might have told him I was your husband.”

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I laugh, holding up my engagement ring. “Close enough.”

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“And that he wasn’t man enough for you.”

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I nod. “True.”

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“And that his car was a penis extension.”

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My jaw drops. Then I bend at the waist and laugh harder than I have in forever. “Holy shit…you said…what?”

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“Sorry.”

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“No…don’t be…sorry.” I manage to get the words out between laughs. “It’s truuuuue.” I laugh that last word until tears roll down my face. Brax wraps me up in his arms, then picks me up and cradles me to him as he walks us into the house.

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“I have a dinner all planned,” he says. “But maybe the mood is ruined, now.”

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With my arms around his neck, I kiss his cheek. Brax deposits me on our bed, climbing over and resting his weight on top of me the way I love.

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“Not even a little. I’m very in the mood to share a romantic night with my fiancé in our house that we’ve made into a home. And soon we’ll be married and have babies and ride around in an old car that you make brand new in a way only you can do.”

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“I love you, future Mrs. Henderson.”

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“Mr. Henderson, you are the great love of my life.”

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I kiss him hard, drawing him closer. I refuse to let any part of our past ruin the bright future we have together. That includes douchey exes with penis extension sports cars. The fact Mr. Mark stopped by on the very day that my future with Brax is solidified is simply poetic justice.

Meeting Brax may have been accidental, but everything from then on was meant to be. Fate.

 

Inevitable.