Page 96 of Search My Soul (Taylor Family Saga #3)

“I appreciate you for signing her up. I still can’t believe this is happening, but I’m excited to get started.

I’ve already filled two classes and two different age groups.

We are gonna have so much fun.” All of my family and friends had been so supportive with the opening of my dance studio.

They had all been posting about my grand opening for months, and now I was getting daily inquiries from parents wanting to enroll their child in my dance classes.

I even had to hire some extra help, and it just made me so proud.

I never imagined that I would be doing something like this.

This was a dream I never thought would come to fruition.

“Of course. I know you’re going to take care of her and she’s gonna talk your ear off in the process.”

“I don’t mind it one bit. You know that’s my girl.

” Romi and I were best friends according to her, and I made sure to bring her to the nail shop with me every two weeks for a girls’ day.

My homegirl Deshala was a magician when it came to brows, waxes, and facials and she recently started offering facials for kids as well.

I made sure Romi and I were booked for the next two months because her calendar filled up fast. You could never put an age on self-care, and my Romi girl didn’t play about looking her best. Of course, the day would always end with us getting her ice cream with extra sprinkles because the princess couldn’t have ice cream without her sprinkles.

She called me on FaceTime at least twice a week to tell me about the latest updates in second grade and I was all ears. Romi brought a smile to my face every time we were together, and I was so blessed to have her in my life.

“You already opened all of our gifts, but there’s one more gift that you haven’t opened yet.” My eyes squinted as I observed Lovely’s demeanor. There was a sneaky grin on her face that made me nervous.

“Oh, where is it?” I knew for a fact that I had opened all of the gifts on both tables and the majority of them had been loaded into Normandee’s truck afterwards. Neither of them had any gift bags in their hands, which further confused me.

“The gift was too big for us to bring inside so you’re gonna have to come outside to open it.” I felt like Lovely was talking in riddles. Patience wasn’t helping the situation because all she kept doing was giggling.

“Why do I get the feeling that the two of you are up to no good?”

Lovely gasped, while clutching her invisible pearls. “Me? Up to no good? I can’t believe you would say that.”

“Now I know for a fact that you are bullshitting. What is going on, and why are y’all being so sneaky?”

“Why don’t you come outside and we can show you?

” Patience held her hand out for me, and I grabbed it reluctantly.

I knew they weren’t going to harm me in any way, but the butterflies in my stomach were going into overdrive.

All of my girls followed behind us and everyone had their phones out recording.

I thought maybe it was some kind of surprise from Darion, but then that didn’t make sense as to why Lovely and Patience were acting so weird.

“I need you to close your eyes and trust us, okay?” Puma whispered from behind me.

“I don’t trust any of you right now. Why are you keeping secrets from me?” I pouted, but she waved me off.

“This is one secret I think you’ll be happy about.

Now come on. We don’t have all day.” I closed my eyes as Puma held my left hand.

A cool breeze hit me the moment I stepped outside, and I grew more and more nervous.

The heels I wore were tall, and I was afraid to trip in my dress.

However, my girls assured me that I had nothing to worry about.

I could hear the commotion and chattering as we made it down the steps of the building. The sound of cars passing by caught my attention and I wondered how far we were going to go.

“Are you ready?” Patience asked, but I was certain that she wasn’t talking to me.

“Okay, Nee-nee boo. You can open your eyes now.”

I almost stopped breathing when I laid eyes on my dream car with a giant bow on it. The clean, white body sparkled under the sun, but it was the pink interior that stole the show.

“Go check it out,” Puma urged, nudging me forward.

My hands were shaking as I walked over to the car.

The rims were black with pink trimming along it.

When I got close, I was stunned to see the pink LED lights coming from the undercarriage.

Tears obstructed my vision, and I knew my makeup was probably ruined.

Everyone stood around taking pictures and videos of the luxury car while I stood there trying to figure out who purchased this for me.

My questions were answered when I turned to see a tall figure sauntering in my direction.

It had been a while since I saw him in person, but he looked handsome as usual.

“I wasn’t sure if it would get here in time, but I hope you like it. Happy birthday, Juicy.” Soul held the keys out for me to grab. My emotions prevented me from speaking, so I tried to calm myself down so I could properly thank him.

“W-Why did you do this?”

“Well, since it was obvious you were never gonna get rid of Betty Jean, I decided to get you a backup for when she finally takes her final rest.” I giggled through my tears. This man had been hating on my car from the very beginning.

“This is way too much, Soul. You could have gotten me flowers or something and I still would have been happy. I don’t know if I can accept this.

” Not only was it an extravagant gift, but I also had a boyfriend.

Darion was an understanding man, but this wasn’t the kind of gift you bought for a friend. If you could even call us that.

“Oh, I got you those too. The rest of your gifts are in the back seat.” His head gestured in the direction of the car. My mouth hung open in disbelief.

“I don’t understand.”

“Well, I never got the chance to buy you a push gift, so I figured this would be a good opportunity. Our little man might not be here physically, but I’m sure he wouldn’t want his mommy riding around in that death trap you call a car.

Consider this a gift from Zion.” A grin appeared on his handsome face while I stood there trying not to completely break down.

“Man, stop all that crying. Come give me a hug, big head.” I smiled through my tears because this was the Soul I loved. He barely possessed a serious bone in his body, but his heart was kind.

When he wrapped his arms around me, I melted into his embrace.

It had been far too long since I had gotten to inhale his signature scent and relish in his warmth.

His hugs made me feel safe and as if nothing could hurt me as long as I was in his arms. There was a part of me that missed feeling this sense of safety and protection.

I wasn’t sure how long I was in his arms, but it must have been a long period of time, because eventually, the ladies made their way over to us.

“Damn, brother! I thought I did a good job with my little tickets to the Bahamas, but here you come trying to steal the show.” Puma teased him.

“My fault, sis. I wasn’t even trying to stunt on you like that.

I’ll dial it back next year.” Soul winked, but it was his words that lingered in my mind.

Next year? Did he know something I didn’t?

How did he know we were still going to be in each other’s lives that long?

So many thoughts were rushing through my mind.

“Well, I’m not mad at you. This car is so dope. Sis, look at your name in the headrest. Oh, you’re really official now.” My eyes shot up to Soul first before I turned to fully examine the car. When I opened the driver side door, I was shocked once again.

The pink plush flooring was beautiful with my custom rugs that displayed my nickname, Juicy.

I ran my hand along the stitchwork on the headrest. My real name was displayed at the top, and my nickname was stitched into the seats.

I took a seat, basking in the new car smell.

This was the first brand new car I’ve ever had, and I couldn’t believe this was real.

I gripped the fluffy, pink steering wheel cover and my thoughts flashed back to the seventeen year old me who used to pray for days like this.

The days when I would be surrounded by people who loved me and supported me.

I was no longer in survival mode trying to figure out how I would make it through another day.

I buried my face into my hands and sobbed. It finally felt safe to be happy, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude.

“Thank goodness we took all the pictures we needed to take earlier because our poor baby has cried off every bit of her concealer,” Normandee teased as she stood by my window.

“Don’t make fun of me. Y’all could have warned me,” I whined, checking out my makeup in the mirror. I was thankful I chose not to wear mascara because it would have been worse.

“Oh, this is payback for me. Remember all those times when you used to tell me how much I deserved happiness and love? Well, I feel the same for you. You have blossomed so much over the years, and I’ve admired your strength.

No matter what life has thrown your way, you have remained determined and unbreakable.

I know it hasn’t been easy, and there were times you wanted to give up, but you made it through, baby girl.

Now, get ready to receive all of the blessings life has in store for you.

I love you, Nee-nee.” My lips quivered, and I was overwhelmed by the expression of love.

I stepped out of my new car and headed back inside to clean my face.

People were still eating and dancing, but I was ready to lie down.

We were supposed to hit the club scene later this evening, so a nap was in order.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, I jumped back when I saw Soul standing in the hallway.

He was leaned up against the wall with his hands in his pockets.

I was hoping he hadn’t left because I wanted to say thank you again.

Thank you didn’t even seem like appropriate words to use in this instance, but I wanted him to know I was appreciative.

“Hey.” I don’t know why his presence made me so nervous, but it reminded me of a schoolgirl talking to the popular bad boy for the first time. Soul chuckled quietly, causing my eyes to focus on his face. “I thought you might have left.”

“I’m about to head out in a minute. Murk and the fellas are at Tycen’s house playing daddy daycare, so I’m gonna head over there for a bit.” An awkward silence fell over us as I bit the inside of my cheek.

“My girl Betty is gonna be jealous when I pull that bad boy into the parking lot tonight. Hell, I’m almost afraid to park it at my complex.” The last part was me thinking aloud because I was a little nervous about parking it in the public parking space.

“It might be time for you to move. Have you thought about getting a new spot, or are you planning to move in with ol’ boy?” I recognized the sarcasm in his tone, and it made me chuckle.

“You sound a little jealous, sir.”

“I might be.” My breath hitched, but I quickly fixed my face.

“I plan to start looking for a new place. Riya lives with me now, so I want to make sure she has the space she needs. She’ll be attending a local college, so I figured it would be cheaper for her to live at home rather than on campus.

I kind of want a house because I need some yard space for my babies to play in. ”

“Yeah, right. Those little bastards don’t care about a yard as long as they can lie up under you.

And don’t think you’re slick either. Murk offered to watch them while I went out of town last month, but when I called to check on them, he rushed me off the phone.

If you wanted to see them, all you had to do was ask. ”

“Oh, I’m not worried about you. I still have access to your house, so once I have more space, I’ll be coming to get them whenever I feel like it.

I don’t know what you’re over there teaching my babies, so I’ve gotta work twice as hard to instill good things into them,” I teased him.

I had never been around animals prior to Rosco and Apollo, so I wasn’t aware it was possible to become so attached to a pet.

However, throughout this separation, I found myself missing them more and more.

I loved them and they loved me right back.

“Damn, I’m starting to feel like a baby daddy for real.

It’s all good though. Umm, I’m gonna head out so you can enjoy the rest of your party.

All the paperwork has been signed and everything is in order.

Your title and registration are in the glove compartment.

I had a copy of your signature from the documents you signed for the dance studio, so my guy was able to copy it. ”

“That sounds like some illegal shit right there.”

“What can I say? It pays to have money and connections. Umm, I hope this year is everything you deserve, Juicy. If you ever need me, I’ll be around.

” Pushing off the wall, he walked over to me.

When his arms wrapped around me this time, it felt different.

He was saying that he would always be there for me, but for some reason, it also felt like a goodbye hug.

“I love you, Juicy. Take care of yourself.”

“I love you too.” The words flowed so naturally, I didn’t have time to correct myself.

Honestly, I was glad we had this moment.

Regardless of what we had gone through, I would always have love in my heart for Soul.

There were many things I wish we had both done differently, but we were not the authors of our fate.

I had to believe that everything that happened was the way things were meant to unfold.

Maybe in another lifetime, things would be different for us.