Rugger: The Huntress (The Grey List #3)

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

3:12a

September 12th

Psalem Rowan Santoro took his first breath earthside a full month before his anticipated due date. Surrounded by his grandmother, aunts, and uncle, there was an abundance of love in the room.

The pain in my body wasn’t harmless cramps. I’d been experiencing mild labor pains for two weeks. The day of Psalem’s birth, they became unbearable, forcing Psalms to get Roaman on the line. When she finally made it to our home, the urge to push was overwhelming. Minutes later, a six pound boy was born.

I was waiting to be pinched. I was waiting to wake up from my dream. I was waiting for the curtains to fall and the production to end. But each time I heard my son wailing, it became clearer that his was no dream. He was real. I was real. Sonnie was real. And, we were together.

Ding. Dong .

I sank in the bed, silently wishing the power in the doorbell would mysteriously die.

“Baby–” Sonnie whispered, desperately trying not to wake a sleeping Psalem.

He’d only been down for a total of seven minutes. It had taken two nursing sessions, rocking, and Sonnie’s saxophone to get him to sleep.

“I’ve got it,” I promised.

As I slept between nursing sessions, it was Sonnie who’d stayed awake with the baby. I was unable to keep my eyes open. Exhaustion forced me to surrender.

“I can..”

“Go back to sleep, baby. I’ll get it.”

It was no secret who was at the door. Our son was born September 12th. Chemistry had visited every day after, and multiple times a day.

September 13th – 7:00a and 4:00p

September 14th – 7:00a and 6:00p

September 15th – 7:00a and 1:00p

September 16th – 7:00a and 4:30p

September 17th – 7:00a and 1:00p

September 18th – 7:00a and 5:15p

He was predictable. His morning run through the compound began at my door. This morning, however, I couldn’t entertain his growing obsession with the child he insisted on calling Rowan. Becoming my father’s namesake was the first mistake my son had made in life. His uncle wouldn’t allow him to be anything less than great.

I slid my slippers across the floor. Though the sound of my shoes scraping the marble tile would drive my mother up the wall, she wasn’t here and I wasn’t in her home. I was in mine. Picking my feet up felt like too much of a task. I didn’t have enough energy.

I swung the door open, daring Chemistry to lay on the bell again. Innocently, he waited on the porch with his peace offering.

“Yes, Chemistry.”

“Moms made him a blanket.”

He handed over the knitted blanket.

“Yeah, she told me she would. She’s coming over at noon to give us both a break. She could’ve brought it then.”

“Well–” he breathed out, “I told her I’d free y’all up instead.”

“Aren’t you tired of dragging your limbs across the lawn to come bother us?”

“Not even a little. Why are we still outside? Where is he?”

He tried pushing into my front door, but I pushed him out.

“Asleep where he is going to stay because it took us too long to get him down.”

“Sounds like y’all need me right now. We don’t have to wait until twelve. I can run later.”

“No you can’t and you’re not coming in. We’ve got it,” I laughed.

I was tired but couldn’t help but find the humor in Chemistry’s anxiousness.

“Tell Egypt to hurry and have your son. You’re pathetic right now.”

“She’s the one that’s obsessed. She sends me over here to get a report every morning because she doesn’t feel like coming herself.”

“Well she could use the exercise to start walking the baby down. It’s almost that time.”

“We have two months, baby. He’s not ready and neither are we. For now, there’s Rowan and you have to share him. We’ve all agreed.”

“We,” I sniggered, “Who is we?”

“Rhea, Range, Royce, Rather, Rome, Roul–”

“You sound like a kid! Please grow up and let us be.”

“Noon–” he confirmed.

“Please send my mother. I am not interested in seeing you at noon, Chemistry.”

“Too fucking bad, because I’ll be here.”

He pointed to his side where two bullets had pierced his flesh. I was quickly reminded that I was indebted to him for years to come. I’d broken Richie’s rule and I’d lodged a bullet in one of my siblings. Chemistry was carrying a cruel and sick punishment by popping up at my house as often as he wanted.

But, secretly, I was enjoying this side of him. The excitement. The pleasure. The satisfaction. It all enhanced his beauty and added new layers to his character.

“Pussy!”

“Whatever you want to call it. As long as you know what time it is, Rugger. I’ll see you at noon.”

I closed the door in his face. There was nothing more to discuss. I’d be seeing Teddy at noon. Before then, I needed to rest up because it required much more energy than I currently had to deal with him in the condition he was in. Uncle Chemistry was much different than the man I knew and loved all these years.

I put Psalem’s new blanket in the first-floor bassinet and grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen. I unscrewed the cap and took a big swig. I didn’t realize how dehydrated I was until the cold liquid touched my throat. I took another sip on my way through the living area.

Ding. Dong .

Just as my foot landed on the first step, the doorbell rang again.

“Seriously, Sonnie has to disconnect it.”

I turned around and headed for the door. I snatched it open, prepared to give Chemistry a good tongue lashing.

“I told you he–” Mid-sentence, my body stiffened.

“Twelve!” A smiling Chemistry yelled from the road.

“Good morning, Rugger. I hope I didn’t wake you,” Solomon greeted me.

The suitcase beside him made it clear that he didn’t have intentions of leaving any time soon, if ever .

“You– October. You’re supposed to land in October.”

“So was my grandson, but I hear things changed.”

“Yes– yes they did.”

“Then so did my plans. There was no use of me sitting around twiddling my thumbs waiting around. I sent an email to the address you gave me in the event of an emergency after I tried your line three times and didn’t get an answer. Your sister handed my contact information over to your brother and he got me on a plane in twenty-four hours.”

“Sorry– I– the baby came and I’ve been so tied up with nursing–”

“You don’t have to explain a thing to me. Just tell me where my grandson is. I need to lay eyes on him.”

I stepped aside, “My apologies. Come inside.”

He hauled his suitcase inside and parked it beside the door.

“I’m going to wash my hands first.”

I nodded, trying to correctly place my emotions. They were a culmination of things. By the time Solomon made it back to the foyer in a pair of guest slippers, I still hadn’t placed a single one. Instead, I tossed caution to the wind, and waved him up the stairs.

“He’s right up here. Sleeping.”

“Oh good. Good he’s getting some rest. His father slept through the night from three months old.”

We made it up the stairs much quicker than I’d anticipated. I tried finding the words to warn Solomon about what he was walking to, but nothing surfaced.

“Before that, it would take his mother and I hours to get him down for the night. It was a shit show every night in our house.”

I pushed open the door of the master suite. Together, we made our way to the bed, finding a sleeping Sonnie and Psalem.

“I don’t miss those days, but I’d do anything to–”

At the sound of his father’s voice, Sonnie’s lids separated, exposing his glossy orbs. His fatherly instinct wouldn’t allow him a full range of motion. He remained still as he twisted his head in our direction, laying eyes on his father.

“Pops?” His voice cracked, splitting my heart down the center.

“Sonnie boy!” His father choked. “My Sonnie boy. My Sonn–”

Solomon held little reservations. Finding out his son was alive filled him with unspeakable joy. He cleared the distance between them within seconds. When he reached the bed, he pulled Sonnie’s rigid body into his arms.

As the two embraced, I observed from the opposite side of the room. Solomon’s absence was the one thing that was stopping Sonnie from experiencing the peace he deserved. Now, there was nothing standing in his way. Or, at least, there was nothing standing in his way that wasn’t already on my list of things to demolish. Psalem was here now. The hunting could begin.

The end .