𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐞 𝐆𝐨 (𝐮𝐡 𝐨𝐡)

12. The little things.

Kimoni's POV

Three months had flown by, and here I was, sitting on a stack of unopened boxes in the middle of our new living room, surrounded by the chaos that comes with moving. My belly had grown so much that balancing on anything lower than a chair was a risk I wasn't trying to take, but this was my new home, and I wanted to soak it all in.

Raymond was somewhere upstairs, probably struggling to put together the crib. He was determined to do it all himself, even though he was hopeless with a wrench. I loved that about him, though—his stubborn determination to handle things, even if it meant hours of cussing under his breath.

"Baby, you need some help up there?" I hollered, half expecting him to say yes.

"Nah, I got it," he called back, his voice a little too strained to be convincing. I just smiled to myself. This man.

The smell of fresh paint still hung in the air, mixing with the scent of the tea i had just brewed. We had finally moved—found a house that wasn't just a place to stay but a place to grow, to raise our daughter. It had taken weeks of searching, countless tours, and more than a few disagreements, but the moment we walked into this place, I knew it was ours.

My phone buzzed, and I glanced at the screen. It was my girl Aliyah, checking in on me for the third time today.

Aliyah: "Y'all settled in yet?"

Me:"Barely. Ray's tryna put the crib together rn. It's a mess up in here."

Aliyah: "LOL I bet. You want me and mark to come through? Help a sis out?"

Me:"Maybe later. Ray's got something planned, but he won't say what. You know how he is."

Aliyah: "Ooooh, a surprise? 👀 Keep me posted."

I shook my head, laughing softly. Aliyah was always in my business, but I loved her for it. She was more excited about this pregnancy than I was sometimes. I put my phone down, standing up slowly to stretch out my back. These seven months of pregnancy were no joke. I waddled my way over to the window, looking out at the quiet street. This neighborhood was everything we had hoped for—safe, quiet, with a little park just down the block. It felt like a fresh start, the perfect place to bring our baby girl into the world.

I turned around, my eyes scanning the room. Even in its half-finished state, it already felt like home. I imagined the couch we'd picked out sitting against the far wall, the coffee table covered in baby toys, the shelves filled with picture frames and books. For the first time in a long time, I felt at peace.

Just then, Ray's heavy footsteps pounded down the stairs, interrupting my thoughts. He appeared at the end of the stairs, a proud but slightly sheepish grin on his face. His chest as smeared with paint, and his jeans were covered in sawdust. He looked like he'd been through it, but there was something in his eyes—a spark that made me curious. He looked fine as fuck too, can't believe that's my man.

"Alright, baby," he said, walking over and wrapping his arms around me, his hands resting on the top of my belly. "You ready for your surprise?"

I raised an eyebrow, trying to keep my face serious, but a smile broke through. "You know I don't like surprises, Ray. What you got up your sleeve?"

"Just trust me," he murmured, pressing a kiss to my forehead. He pulled away, grabbing a blindfold from his back pocket. "But you gotta wear this."

I looked at the hair scarf he made to a blindfold, then back at him. "You serious?"

"As a heart attack," he said, his grin widening. "C'mon, K. It's gonna be worth it."

With a huff, I turned around and let him tie the blindfold over my eyes. The world went dark, and I could hear him chuckling softly as he took my hand, leading me out of the living room. I felt the cool wood floor under my feet, then the shift to carpet as we made our way upstairs. Every step felt like forever, my anticipation growing with each one.

Finally, we stopped. I heard Ray take a deep breath before he let go of my hand. "Okay, babe. On three, take off the blindfold. One... two... three."

I pulled the blindfold off, blinking as my eyes adjusted to the light. When I finally focused, I gasped, my heart skipping a beat.

We were standing in the nursery, but it wasn't the half-finished mess I'd last seen. The walls were a soft, calming shade of grayish white, exactly the color I'd wanted. A white crib stood against the far wall, perfectly assembled and draped with a delicate pink blanket. A matching changing table was set up next to it, complete with a row of tiny stuffed animals on the shelf above. The window was framed by white curtains, tied back with pink ribbons, letting in just the right amount of sunlight. But what caught my eye most was the mural on the wall—a beautiful, hand-painted image of a night sky, filled with stars and a crescent moon, with our baby girl's name written in elegant script: Joelle Naomi Miller.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked around. "Ray... you did all this?"

He stepped closer, wrapping his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder. "I know you've been stressing about getting the nursery done, so I wanted to surprise you. I had some help from my sister while you were at work, but yeah, it's mostly me." His sisters are the only ones who know the gender by the way.

"Also, you know my sister makes these things." He held up a hand crotched bear that was a mixture of pastel pink and purple with "Jo" written on it, Tossing it in the crib.

I turned in his arms, looking up at him with tears streaming down my cheeks. "Ray, it's perfect. I can't believe you did all this."

He smiled down at me, brushing a tear away with his thumb. "I wanted you to have one less thing to worry about, K. You and Jo deserve the best."

I hugged him tightly, burying my face in his chest. "Thank you, Ray. This means everything to me."

He held me close, his hand gently rubbing my back. "You mean everything to me, Kimoni. Both of you do."

We stood there in the nursery, just holding each other, the world outside fading away. In that moment, everything felt right. This was our home, our future, and nothing could shake that.

After a while, we finally pulled away, and Ray led me over to the crib. I ran my fingers over the soft blanket, feeling the warmth and love that had gone into every detail.

"I can't wait to bring her home," I whispered, imagining our baby girl sleeping peacefully in that crib.

Ray nodded, his eyes shining with pride. "She's gonna love it here, just like we do."

We spent the rest of the day in the nursery, talking about our hopes and dreams for Joelle, making plans for the future. The house still needed work, but it didn't matter. We had each other, and we had this moment—a moment I would hold on to forever.

As the sun began to set, casting a warm glow over the room, Ray stood up, holding out his hand. "Come on, let's go downstairs. I got one more surprise for you."

I took his hand, my curiosity piqued once again. We made our way back down to the living room, where Ray had set up a small table with two plates of my favorite dish—spaghetti and meatballs, made just the way I liked it.

"You cooked?" I asked, my eyes widening in surprise.

He shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. "Well, I had some help from TikTok , but yeah. Thought we could have a nice dinner, just the two of us, to celebrate the new house and... everything."

I couldn't help but laugh. Ray was many things, but a cook wasn't one of them. Still, the effort he put into this meal made it the most special dinner I'd ever had.

We sat down together, eating and talking, the worries of the past few months melting away. It wasn't just the food or the house—it was the love we shared, the way we were building a life together.

After dinner, we curled up on the couch, my head resting on Ray's chest as he wrapped his arms around me. The room was quiet, the only sound the faint hum of the fridge in the kitchen. I closed my eyes, feeling completely at peace.

"I love you, Ray," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

"I love you too, K," he replied, his lips brushing against my forehead. "Forever."

And in that moment, I knew it was true. This was our forever, and nothing could take that away from us. We had found our home, our place in the world, and soon, we would welcome our daughter into it. Life was good, and I was ready for whatever the future held.