Caught in the Rainy Season(COMPLETED)

Chapter 35

"Mommy, I want to sleep now," Darniesha said, her sleepy voice tugging at my heart. I set down the plate I was holding and picked her up in my arms. As I started walking up the stairs to the second floor, Dameon called out to us. I paused to watch him quickly ascend toward us.

"Why didn’t you call me? This baby girl of ours is getting heavy," he said, carefully taking her from my arms. Darniesha immediately fell asleep against him.

"I forgot," I admitted, adjusting the strands of hair that had fallen over her beautiful face.

Even though it had been almost half a year since we were back together, there were still moments when I would forget that I had him by my side. Sometimes, I even forgot that I wasn’t alone in parenting our daughter.

The moment was interrupted when I felt Dameon’s palm on my waist, his hand gently moving up and down.

"What are you doing?" I asked, startled.

"Just carrying her; she’ll be heavy soon," he replied, his eyes widening playfully at his comment. I wanted to scold him for joking about our daughter’s weight, but I couldn’t help but smile.

"Crazy! Be grateful Darniesha is with you, or else I’d have to smack you," I shot back, half-serious.

"Wow, someone's feisty! Is that a sign of something? I remember we just did—" he began, but I interrupted him with a playful swat.

Fortunately, there was no one around to hear our teasing. I could feel my cheeks warming at his playful banter.

"Let’s tuck her into bed before she wakes up," I suggested, redirecting the conversation. I led the way to Darniesha’s room.

"Just kidding, love. I would never pressure you into anything, and I fully respect your decisions regarding that matter," he assured me as he laid Darniesha down.

I took a clean towel and her sleeping clothes, gently changing her into fresh attire. She looked so peaceful, and I knew she’d complain the next morning if she didn’t change out of her clothes. We turned off the light, leaving just the lampshade on to provide a soft glow in case she woke up. Before leaving her room, Dameon and I leaned down to give her a kiss on the forehead and tucked her blanket snugly around her.

"Don't drink too much; we still have work tomorrow," I reminded him as we headed downstairs.

When we reached the ground floor, I noticed the pool area had become quieter since Darniesha had fallen asleep. It turned out that Kalliesha, my brother, and their wives had also gone up, leaving only our parents behind.

From this vantage point, I could see the living room and dining area, which were still messy from the party. I decided to tackle the cleanup.

"I’ll handle this, Mommy, Tita," I offered, waving them off.

But they wouldn’t listen and continued to help me, even with the dishes.

"Taniesha, are you happy?" My mom asked, halting my movements. I turned to her, surprised.

"What do you mean, Mommy?" I asked, confusion etched on my face.

"You didn’t celebrate your birthday because you thought no one would know. I just wanted to check if you’re happy," she said softly.

"Yes, I’m very happy, Mommy. But with everything that’s happened, do I really deserve this?" I couldn’t help but question.

"Of course, you deserve it. If only we could take on your struggles for you. We love you so much, and we’ve made mistakes. We didn’t realize how much it would hurt you," she said, embracing me. I glanced at Tita, who smiled supportively.

"You deserve to be happy, my dear. Even if things have been rocky between you and my son, I want to apologize for what he’s done. Please forgive him; he loves you deeply," Tita added.

"I understand, Tita. I’m sorry if I’ve hurt your son at times. I promise to do everything for him and our family," I said, wiping away the tears that had begun to fall.

If you want to be forgiven, you must learn to ask for it, especially if you've hurt someone, whether intentionally or not, physically, verbally, or emotionally. You won't find true happiness if there’s hatred in your heart. If you know you deserve happiness, learn to forgive yourself. Otherwise, you'll be the only one to suffer.

"Okay, we need to get some rest. You know how it is for us older folks," my mom said, stepping back.

I finished cleaning up before returning to the pool area, where my mom and Tita were calling for their husbands to go to sleep. Dameon, however, was still laughing, and eventually, they convinced him to leave, leaving just the two of us behind.

We were sitting close, and I could smell the alcohol on him.

I reached for his hand, but he pulled away slightly, creating a gap between us.

"Let’s go upstairs," I suggested, noticing how he kept distancing himself every time I touched him.

"Who are you?" he slurred, his drunk voice catching me off guard.

"Damn you, Mr. Crazy. Let’s go," I said, surprised when he wrapped his arm around my waist, making me lose my balance and almost fall into the pool.

"Ah, so you really are my wife," he declared, probably thanks to the pool’s calming effect on his drunken state.

"Your wife? Look at you, Dameon," I laughed, splashing water at him and swimming away.

"Oh, is that how it is?" he said, laughing as he swam faster to catch up with me, grabbing me in a playful embrace.

"Don’t you want to be my wife?" he pouted, pretending to be hurt as he released me.

"You're being too forward," I teased, playfully flicking his forehead.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed, feigning pain.

"Call me your wife, and maybe I’ll consider it," I replied, raising my hand to show him the lack of an engagement ring.

"Just wait, Miss," he said, taking my hand and placing a gentle kiss on it.

"You're so good at this. Now you're making it seem like I'm rushing you," I quipped, smirking at him.

Oh, Dameon.

After about an hour, we finally got out of the pool since it was getting late and the air had turned chilly. We went to our bathroom to rinse off.

"Let me do that; just sit," he said, snatching the towel from my hand and drying my hair. He turned on the blower, ensuring I didn’t go to bed with wet hair. I was surprised when he finished combing my hair and hugged me from behind.

"Hmm," I murmured as he muttered words I couldn't quite make out.

"I want us to be together forever; you want that too?" he asked, looking deeply into my eyes through the mirror. I nodded.

"Damn, I love you so much, my Miss. I can’t afford to lose you for a third time; it would be the end of me," he said, kissing the top of my head.

"Let’s go to bed. We need to wake up early tomorrow for work," I reminded him, feeling a warmth in my heart.