INCLINATION

CHAPTER 62 | Unconditional Love

EMIHLE

I take my time and have a long ass bath. My muscles feel relaxed, I am so comfortable too and I really don’t want to step out but I have to since I am hungry. I wonder if he waited for me or he decided to leave me here all alone because I was taking a long time to finish.

I tried to get up but I almost slipped because my grip wasn’t tight. The water splashes everywhere and I make a sound. He quickly comes in running like he was just outside my door. My heart is beating so fast because I could have seriously hurt myself and our baby.
“ Did you slip?”
“ No, but I almost did. My God”
“ Its okay, I’ll help you step out. Just take my hands and I’ll hold you. I won't let go of you"

I nod because I trust him. I link my fingers with his, I can feel his grip getting tight then he nods. I step outside the bath one leg at a time making sure that I am careful.
“ Thank you"
“ Are you sure you’re okay?”
“ What almost happened just shook me. I….”
He takes the towel, dries me with it. “ I think it’s not safe for you anymore to take baths alone. If you’re alone then I think you should just shower and when I’m here then you won’t have to worry.

“ I won’t be able to wash my feet and some parts of my body when I shower.”
“ I’ll help you….if you want me to”
We look at each other through the mirror.
“ Can you please put lotion on my body, especially my legs and back?”
He takes a deep breath and nods. “ Ohk, let me take it"
“ No, I need to sit down, let’s go to bed” he quietly nods.

His hands cover my whole back as they gently move all around. I am laying on my side and I am enjoying what he is doing. He is so quiet , not saying anything or breathing for that matter. They shift down, they feel the globes is my ass cheeks and I hear him taking a sharp breath. I smile because this is also affecting him as much as it is also affecting me.

He clears his throat “ Please shift” I do as he says then raises my leg up. He lathers his hands then starts from the soul of my feet, shifts up to my hip. Slowly gently and I can feel his touch everywhere. He does the other leg too and when he's done. I open my legs, stretch them as far as I can.
“ Emy….”
“ That part also needs to be lathered.” He wipes his forehead. He looks at me,  lathers his hands again then I feel his hand there. A moan slips out. I look at him and his eyes are red. I shift my head, look at his crotch and a tent has formed. A big one that makes my mouth water. His jaw was clenched and his breathing had changed.
“ Thank you, I can do the rest by myself. Can you go please check on Isa and Aya. They are too quiet for my liking. I hope Aya is not feeding her ice-cream”
“ Are you sure you can…I mean"
“ I’ll be fine, thank you.”

I sit up, take the lotion and squirt it on my chest and stomach then move my hands and let a moan slip out. He quickly gets up like something had just burned him.
“ You know you can ask me for anything and I’ll do it right?”
“ I know that” I offer him a smile. He softly  curses. “ You might want to take care of that. The kids can’t see their father like that and we definitely don’t want

He looks down at his sweatpants then covers his crotch.
“ Uhm…yeah" he quickly goes to the bathroom then after a while , I hear water running. I giggle. Cold showers and jacking himself will do for now.

Dressing wasn’t a struggle because I just wore a dress only and my slippers. I carefully descend the stairs then hear the tv playing. I walk in the living room and see Ayafast asleep on the couch and Isa watching cartoons. Her head shifts when I walk in and it feels like time stands still because we both stare at each other.

I smile, she gets up from the couch and walks towards me. She links our hands then we both stand there still staring at each other.
“ I’m hungry, would you like some bacon baby?” She pulls my hand and leads me to the kitchen. Where I find Walter. God I am so happy he is here.

“ Walter, it is so good to see you”
“ Morning ma’am. I’m so happy you are finally back home. We missed you"
“ I missed you too. Can we please have some bacon and a batter on the side.”
“ Is there anything specific you want me to do for you?”
“ Just make us the batter then Isa and I will do the rest.”
“ Yes ma’am"

I pick her up and put her in the middle of the kitchen island. She crosses her legs then sits comfortably.
“ Don’t move Isa because if you fall, Daddy won’t like it. I won't be too okay?” she blinks and that’s enough for me.
I warm up the pan, put some butter on then look at Isa and she’s watching me carefully. I picked her up, put her on my hip then showed her what we were doing. I take the bacon, dip it inside the batter then take it out and put it on the pan.
“ we’re going to wait for a few minutes then we will flip it to the other side…..like this" I show her and she smiles. I think she likes it because she gives me her first smile. Okay, we are getting somewhere now. I put the bacon pancake on the side, Walter gives me some syrup then I drizzle it in top of the bacon batter,

I ask Walter to cut it into pieces, he does then I give Isa a piece, I take one too then she looks at our pieces.
“ Let’s see how it tastes right?” I put it in my mouth and chew. She watches me then does the same.
“ Is it nice, you like it?” she nods. We have a winner. I put her back on the counter where I can see her then put the plate in front of her of the remaining bacon. I ask Walter to pour some juice for her and he does. I watch her as she slowly eats. She loves it because she’s even licking her fingers.

I feel arms wrapping around me. God I missed this. He plants a kiss on my cheek and he smells so nice. I lay my head on his chest then close my eyes and just savor the moment. His hands move to my belly and the baby plays. We both chuckle. I open my eyes and Isa has a curious look on her face. She’s looking at where her father’s hands are.
“ Come baby, come and feel your little sister or brother.” She moves the plate to the side then crawls on the table until she’s close to me. I take her hand, put it on my belly and she gasps when the baby moves again. She puts her other hands then smiles looking at us.

My heart melts and I fall in love with her.
“ You feel the baby?” she nods then giggles. I cup her cheeks then pull her into my arms. I’m surprised when she lays her head and hugs me back. I close my eyes and welcome her into my heart. She didn’t ask about everything that was happening to her. All I can do now is to be her mother, love her with all my heart and always protect her.

“ Oh my baby, I love you Isa" a camera clicks.
“ We also love you too mom" Aya says standing next to the door with his camera.
“ Come here sleepy head.” He chuckles, joins us and we all hug.
“ My perfect family,” he says, then snaps another photo.
I look at their father and he’s watching me, like he’s really looking at the person inside me, my soul and my heart.
“ You okay?”
“ Yeah," he quietly said.

“ Mom, you and Isa sit down and we’ll help with the bacon pancakes.” Aya says.
“ Thank you baby"
Isa is on my lap and has her head in my chest. Her hand is still on my stomach.
“ Is she heavy?”
“ a little bit but she’s okay. When is auntie coming home?”
“ Some time during the day I think.”
“ Ok….”

My phone rings just as Hlanga puts the pancakes on the table. I look at the screen and its Nasir. God. I shift my eyes to his and they are on me.
“ You should probably answer it. He might be worried about you since he took care of you that day you vomited on him and passed out.” He quietly says so I can be the only one who hears me.
I take the phone and hang up. “ I need to go somewhere for a while. Will you be okay?”
“ Where are you going?”
“ To deal with something”
“ Hlanga….”
“ I'll be back before you know it.” Isa and I both get kisses on our foreheads then he leaves. I sigh. The phone call upset him.

The three of us move to the living room where we sit and enjoy our food. I call my mom and tell her I’m fine, I will come back tonight and I might be coming back with Isa if she agrees. She tells me she will be here. Isa and her brother have me in the middle because they both gave their heads on my lap. I am brushing Isa's hair and I just love how she always stares at me in wonder like she’s trying to figure me out.

Auntie Nomusa walks in with Hlanga’s mother and they are surprised to see me. The smiles on their faces though are beautiful.
“ Hey mommy," auntie whispers.
“ Isa is not sleeping. It's Aya who’s sleeping a lot.”
“ How are you, Emy?”
“ I’m okay Ma. How are you?”
“ I’m relieved that you’re back from Cape Town cause you had us worried about you being there all alone without any help. You are so beautiful” I’ll take that compliment.

“ Thank you ma even though I feel so big"
“ Well you look absolutely beautiful still"
I smile. “ How has she been?”
“ Quiet and staring at me a lot. I think she likes me.” I beam at her and she has fallen asleep.
“ Hlanga is blessed to have you, Emy. You're a special kind of person and anyone who gets to be loved by you is blessed.”.
“ Thank you Ma, it means a lot to me to hear you say that"
“ I wish I could have seen it earlier and told you. You’re a blessing to our family” I nod.

Hlanga walks in and his face is hard. “ Aya, go and nap in your bedroom. We’ll take Isa to her bedroom too to nap.” They take Isa with them and Aya follows behind.
Hlanga sits down next to me and I notice his knuckles are bloody.
“ Did you leave so you can fight with someone?”
“ No, I went to the gym after I had a talk with Collen"
“ You did? Are you sure you didn’t hit him?”
“ I would have told you if I did. I took out my frustrations on the punching bag"
“ Does it hurt?”
“ No, but my heart is the one hurting”

I shift and face him. “ I wish more than anything that you were their mother. You love them unconditionally like you birthed them. You humble me Emy and I feel like I’m not doing enough for you.”
“ You do your best and that’s all I need from you.”
“ You deserve so much more than that. Just please, give us a chance and forget about all these other boys.”
“ What boys?”
“ Nasir Hadid"
Does he know him? “ There’s nothing going on there and there never was"
He looks deep into my eyes “ So he never touched you?”

“ No, he never touched you. Not even with his finger?”
“ Hlanga….”
“ Just humor me mama"
“ Only when he helped me step out of the car.”
“ Which hand did he use?”
“ Really?”
“ Yes, I want to know"
“ His right hand.” He nods.

“ Can I feel the baby?"
“ Not with those knuckles still bloody"
“ But I washed them”
“ Wash them harder"
He quickly gets up and runs to the kitchen then comes back after a while. He shows them to me.
“ Better?” I nod. “ Come"
“ Where are we going?”
“ I want to cuddle”

He takes my hand then we go to our bedroom. He locks the door then takes off his sneakers. I take off my slippers then get in bed.
“ I asked Walter to wake us up when lunch is ready.”
“ Ok, where is the nanny, I haven’t seen her today?”
“ She left with Cleo to pack her stuff and move in. I still don’t like the thought of her living inside and not at the cottage"
“ She needs to be here and do her job Gwabini”.

He gets on the bed, pulls me close to him and spoons me. I let him because I love being in his arms and feel him touching me. He plants kisses on my head.
“ Do you want her to move in the house so you can see if I won’t cheat on you again?”
“ Of course not. Another baby is coming soon we need all the help we can get"
“ We’ll just hire another nanny then cause I’m sure you’re going to be back at work soon"
I turn around and face him. “ I’ve been thinking about that. I’m not really keen on going back to work right after I give birth. I’ve asked  Hope to put on an ad about hiring a lawyer because I’ll be working from home and not taking any cases until maybe our baby is at least 6 months.”

“ You’ve worked so hard to have your firm up and running. What do you need me to do to make things easier for you?”
“ Stop taking jobs that take you away from us. That make you leave the country for months and years"
“ Will that make you happy?”
“ Yes it will"
“ Whatever you want, you’ll get mama. I promise I won’t ever hurt you again. I learned my lesson"
“ What lesson did you learn?”

He gives me a chaste kiss on my lips then links our hands.
“ That you have the Inclination to act in a certain way when faced with situations beyond your control. It’s either you embrace them, find a compromise or just let it go. Sometimes you get attracted to a person especially when they have a certain quality you like. Look at the type of men you attract or lets say get attracted to you. Andile, Collen, Nasir and Me. What is the one thing we all have in common?”

“ There’s darkness about you but they don’t have your dominance. I can’t speak for Colleen or Nasir even but talking to them those few times showed me that they don’t have what you have because it’s only you who has it.”
“ Same thing with your love. No one could have your soul, the aura you have that calls to men like bees on honey.” I giggle.

“ Thank you for loving my children, embracing them and accepting them as yours. I don’t know what good I did to God to bless me with you. I promise you that I will dedicate my life to you and all our children. I will be the man you deserve and I will show it every day of our lives that you agree to spend with me…” he gets up.
Why is he nervous? I sit up. “ I had planned something big and splashy, something I thought you would really like but I don’t know because right now, it feels like the right moment but I’m not sure…God, he’s shaking.

“ My God you’re sweating, are you okay?”
He nods. “ Emy, I love you. Inhave always loved only you and I will forever love only you. I didn’t lie when I said you ruined me for all the women because you did and I’m glad you did. I am not perfect, I’m going to make mistakes and make you angry at me with little stupid things I do but I promise you that, your heart, life and body is safe with me.”
He opens the draw and pulls something out that I can’t see then he kneels down. I gasp, my mouth hangs open then I cover it with my hands.
“ I bought this ring before I left and I have been waiting for the perfect moment to propose but I could never find one until I asked your sister to help me plan the perfect proposal for you but this moment feels right to ask you to marry me and make you the happiest woman alive. Emihle Mdakane, will you marry this man and turn him into whatever you want?”

I giggle, tears stream down my face because I wasn’t expecting it. I cover my face and cry.
“ Please say yes. Please Emy, I promise you, you won’t regret it"
“ Are you sure you want us to marry?”
“ I beg you to marry me. Please say yes"
I nod “ Yes, I will marry you. I’ll marry you"

I hear claps behind the door as he puts the ring on my finger. “ You can come in, " she said. She said "Yes!” They walk in and Aya runs to me. Auntie has Isa on her arms who’s confused about what is happening and my family also walks in.
“ You’re here, but how?”
“ We had to come when he told us that he was going to propose when he gets home. We had no choice. You ruined the surprise bhut' Hlanga" my sister is happy but also a little annoyed with him.
“ I’m sorry, I had to do it"
“ Well what about everything we planned?”
“ We are still going to the farm to celebrate your engagement. So everyone out, these two need to get ready” my mom says.

We hug, they congratulate us then they leave us alone but Ida cries for me and I take it. I look at my ring and I’m shocked but also happy and over the moon. I’m finally going to marry the love of my life.