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I walked over to the elevator waiting for it to let me know they had made it to my level. It took a little minute but soon after, the loud ding let me know the elevator had made it to me. When the door opened, my mouth hung open in shock. A delivery team from some high-end courier service stood in front of me, carrying an obscene amount of packages.

"Serenity Bradshaw?"

"That’s me," I said cautiously.

They stepped aside, revealing what I found out were 22 small and large boxes, each neatly wrapped with a red bow. And in the center? A huge bouquet of 22 red roses.

I already knew who it was from.

"Where do you want these?"

I shook my head, completely overwhelmed. "Uh… just bring them inside."

As they brought in box after box, Egypt walked into the room, her eyes widening.

"Bitch, what is happening?"

Averi and Ari walked in right after her, stopping in their tracks when they saw the packages.

"Who the hell sent all of this?" Ari asked, eyes scanning the labels.

"Creed."

Egypt whistled low. "Damn, girl. He sent the whole store. I need to find me a man. Tell Sev I said what’s up.” I laughed shaking my head at her before turning back to look at all the boxes.

Once the delivery man was done, he waved goodbye before taking the elevator back downstairs.

I sighed not even bothering to look in the boxes, not yet at least. Instead, I went back into the kitchen and grabbed my phone immediately pressing his contact so I could call him. He answered almost immediately, the sleep now gone from his voice.

"Creed."

"Yeah, baby."

"What the hell is all this?" I waved my hand around the room at the boxes, as if he could see me. He chuckled, like he already knew what I was about to say.

"Just some things I thought you’d like."

"Some things? Creed, it’s 22 boxes!"

"Yeah. One for every year of your life. And there’s an envelope with a check for $22K in it. For whatever you want in case I didn’t get something you wanted. Let me know if you need more."

I paused, completely stunned. "You did not just give me twenty-two thousand dollars, Creed."

"I did. And before you start, don’t even try to give it back."

I sighed, rubbing my forehead. "You didn’t have to do all this," I muttered.

"Yes, I did," he said simply. "You’re my wife, Serenity. Whether you wanna accept it or not, I’m gonna always take care of you." My stomach flipped, but I ignored it. "Besides," he continued, "you bought me a whole G-Wagon for my 24th birthday. I got the better end of the deal."

I laughed, shaking my head. "I’m putting the $22K in Cree’s trust fund."

"That’s a good idea," he said immediately. "Send me the details so I can add to it, just like I do for Gio’s." I smiled, my heart swelling at how dedicated he was to his children. "Speaking of Gio," he said. "I showed him the ultrasound, and he’s so excited to have a baby sister."

A lump formed in my throat. "I miss him," I admitted softly.

"He misses you too. He asks about you all the time."

My chest ached, because I still didn’t know how to navigate this space. I had so much love for Gio, but how could I be in his life without making things worse for me, for Creed and for him. I had grown attached to that little boy all for it to backfire.