Chapter Thirty-Four

Callum

Two Months Later

I sat on the edge of her bed, watching Pasha get ready.

It was Saturday and the day of her family reunion. My baby was so nervous. I'd convinced her to reach out before the event so she wouldn't go in blind. It took some persuasion, but I finally got her to agree to post in the group on FlexSpace. She was transparent in telling them her story from beginning to end. In the message, she detailed her struggles with her mental health, the demise of her marriage, as well as her divorce and journey to starting over.

It was no surprise to me that they responded with love and support. Family, real family, would never hold her response to grief against her. They showered her with words of encouragement and condolences. Their response was a little overwhelming, but it was precisely what she needed.

Since then, she'd seen a few of her cousins and two of her aunts. The smile on her face when she returned from her lunch dates with them was beautiful. She was glowing, and I loved that for her. I was glad at least one of us got to mend our familial relationships.

"Do I look okay?" she asked again.

"Baby... I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told you five outfits ago. You look beautiful."

She looked back at me. "You didn't have to do me like that."

"You did it to yourself, woman." I stood and stepped behind her in the mirror, wrapping my arms around her. "You are perfect and look perfect in whatever you put on."

She looked up at me with a smirk. "You're just saying that because you're ready to go," she jested.

"I am ready to go because we have an hour and a half drive. But I also mean it. You look amazing."

She'd lost about twenty pounds in the last two months. She still had her thickness, but it was more toned. She'd lost her stomach, but her breasts, hips, and ass all remained the same. I wasn't mad at that. I loved her body before, and I still love it now. The high-waisted shorts she wore stopped midthigh and showed off their thickness. The crop top showed off a sliver of stomach flesh.

She completed the outfit with sneakers, a simple pair of studs, her mother's necklace, and her father's wristwatch, which I'd since gotten repaired for her. Since it was a little hot out, she pulled her curly mane into a sleek puffball. I loved that style on her. It always presented the perfect, unobstructed opportunity to kiss her neck.

"I do look cute, don't I?" she asked.

I shook my head. Her confidence was growing, and I loved it. I loved that she was beginning to see herself as the beautiful woman we all knew she was, inside and out.

"Come on, woman," I said, patting her thigh. "You know I like to be on time."

"And you know a Black event never starts on time. You're only on time if you're late to these things."

I shook my head as I headed out of the bedroom area to the front door. A few seconds later, she joined me. For a moment, I just admired her. She'd come such a long way. She'd upped her therapy sessions for a while. She was journaling more. She'd be active with her yoga, exercise, and meditation. I was so proud of her will to live and be better.

"What?" she asked, looking up and catching me.

"What do you mean ‘what'? I can't admire you?"

She smiled. "Of course, you can." She stood on her toes and pressed her lips to mine. "Come on, let's go."

"After you, my love."

After stopping for gas, our total trip time ended up being two hours.

This year, the family reunion was being held on a yacht. It wasn't a small one either. I was sure her family paid a pretty penny to rent this big baby out for the day. There were three levels and a pool on board. Pasha told me we would be on the water all day. I wouldn't object to that. The weather was beautiful, the perfect day to be outside.

I climbed out of my truck and went to the passenger side to let her out. Hand in hand, we walked toward the boat.

"Pasha!" came a loud squeal from in front of us.

We looked up to see a young woman, probably Pasha's age, running toward us. She damn near knocked her down as she ran into her arms for a hug. They were both squealing and talking over each other. When they finally parted, the woman looked up at me.

"Who's this?"

"Journey, this is my boyfriend, Callum. Callum, this is my cousin, Journey."

"Her once-favorite cousin," Journey stressed, elbowing her. She extended her hand to me. "It's nice to meet you. You did good, girl. Where did you find him, and does he have a brother?"

I chuckled. "It's nice to meet you, Journey. Unfortunately, I don't have a brother."

"A friend?"

"None that are single."

"Well, damn." She shook her head and blew out a heavy breath. "Anyway! It's so good to see you, Pasha. We've really missed you. Family reunions aren't the same without Uncle Solomon and Aunt Virginia cutting up on the dance floor."

"Wait," I interrupted. "So, your parents could dance, but all you have is your two-step?"

She playfully shoved me. "Don't come for my two-step! And, yes, my parents had serious moves. They just didn't pass their rhythm down to me."

Journey laughed. "They sure didn't. But don't worry. I'm gonna loosen her up a bit. Wait until you see her hit this cupid shuffle."

"Y'all still play that?" Pasha asked.

"Every year, boo."

Journey linked her arm through Pasha's and pulled her ahead as they continued to chat. I trailed behind. I came for moral support, so I didn't feel any type of way about that. She was with her family, the people who loved her as much as I did. I'd never stop her from enjoying this reunion with them.

As I boarded the boat, I was greeted with more squealing women. It was clear this was a family thing amongst the women.

Pasha was swarmed with a mixture of younger and older women, all smothering her with hugs and kisses. Her smile was bright and wide. I could feel the joy radiating through her.

"Oh!" Journey exclaimed, looking back at me. She came over and grabbed my hand, pulling me over to the group. "This handsome specimen is Pasha's boyfriend, Callum."

She began rattling off everybody's names, and it was hard to keep up. At least ten women surrounded us.

I smiled and extended my hand to each of them. "Good morning, ladies. It's very nice to meet you all."

They all smiled and said hello.

"Well, he is quite the looker," said the woman I remembered as Aunty Trudy. "I see you, niece. You better hold on tight to this one."

Pasha slipped her arms around my waist. "Trust me, I am. He's not going anywhere, and neither am I."

She tilted her head up, and I pressed my lips to hers. The women giggled and whistled.

Aunt Trudy clapped her hands. "All right now, let's get this party started. Callum, I hope you can hang. Things might get a little wild on this boat. We don't know how to act when we get together."

I chuckled. "I'm ready for whatever, Ms. Trudy."

"Don't say I didn't warn you, handsome."

She playfully winked at me. The group turned to walk ahead, with Pasha and me trailing behind.

"I feel at home," she said, looking over at me. "I needed that push to do this. I won't say the words you've banned me from saying, but you already know what I want to say."

I'd put her on a ban from saying thank you to me so much. I didn't need thanks. Anything I did for her was out of love or necessity, never for recognition. It was hard for her, but she'd been doing better by simply accepting it and moving on.

"Anytime, baby."

"When we get back, I have something special for you."

"Something special?"

"Mmm-hmm. Something lacy, black, and very sexy."

"Three of my favorite words. I'll be patiently waiting."

I was lying. I had the image in my head already. As soon as we hit the door, those clothes were coming off.

Ms. Trudy wasn't lying when she said her family didn't know how to act when they got together. By the time I was introduced to everybody, most of them were already a few drinks in, and it wasn't even noon. I wasn't mad, though. They were funny and entertaining. She introduced me to her uncle Peter, and the man practically took me under his wing. I knew he was good and tipsy when he started calling me "nephew" and slapping my back as he talked to me.

He'd taken me around the men in the family, and, of course, they had a lot of questions for me. I didn't mind. Now that they were privy to Raymond's treatment of Pasha, I understood the vetting process they put me through. Nobody was disrespectful; they were simply concerned, and I respected that.

Around one, we settled in the dining area to eat lunch. There was a mouthwatering buffet spread of everything you could think of. Pasha and I sat with Journey and a few of her other cousins. The only sound that could be heard was smacking and moaning at the taste of the food. Whoever prepared the meal did a hell of a job.

"I'm not gonna be any good after this," Pasha commented, rubbing her stomach.

Journey giggled. "Dancing is up next. You'll work that off. Callum, can you dance?"

"I can. I've been trying to teach your cousin here a few moves. She's not so stiff anymore."

Pasha poked me in the ribs. "You've been coming for me since before we left, you know that?"

"It's all love, baby."

I leaned in and pecked her lips, causing her to smile.

"Y'all are just too cute," Journey commented. "It's so good to see you smile again, Pash. I can tell he makes you happy."

She looked at me. "He makes me very happy. You have no idea."

"I see it on you, girl. You're glowing."

She did have this glow about her. It was the glow of a woman who'd gone through tragedy and was finally finding her happiness again. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Words couldn't express how much I loved this for her,... how much I loved her. Life was changing for her, and it was only up from here.