Too Far Gone (Urban)

|Epilogue|

“Can you put this on the table for me?” Shantelle more so demanded rather than questioned, passing Chenelle a basket full of fresh biscuits. The heavenly aroma of the flakey baked goods made her mouth water. Chenelle dragged the tip of her tongue along her top row of teeth, then bit down in her bottom lip. Shantelle noticed Chenelle hadn't budged, too enticed by food. She snapped her fingers with a small chuckle, bringing Chenelle back to the real world. “Baby doll, the table, not your mouth.”

Chenelle mouthed an ‘oh’, her cheeks warming slightly, though it could've been from the steam of the biscuits. Chenelle placed the basket on an empty spot on the table, eyeing the rest of the place settings. It was a Sunday. To anyone else, it was just another day, but to Chenelle, they've become special to her.

Following the deaths of Niqo and her father, Chenelle had been rather depressed. She felt as if she was fourteen all over again, the year her mother was murdered. She didn't want to eat, sleep, or bathe for weeks. Raul and Shaundi attempted to cheer her up — even Pierce — but it was the thought of a Sunday dinner that brought her out of her hiding hole.

At the mention of southern cuisine, it was like life was injected back into her soul. Soul food was all her mother used to make, and the mere thought of collard greens, biscuits, chicken and waffles was enough to make her have an internal food-gasm.

Since that day, Shantelle made it routine to make a special Sunday dinner just for her, but little did she know, today's was about to be more than just special.

Pierce came into the kitchen and eyed the table, his gaze lingering over the various foods his mom whipped up before they fell onto Chenelle. Her caramel complexion glowed, and her golden curls breathed joyous life. The stresses that came with her being the boss didn't seem to have affected her at all, and even when they did, he was right there to help. In fact, they made her stronger than she realized.

She wasn't just strong physically, but strong in a real, intangible way, a way that could only be obtained through trial and error. That strength radiated from the inside out despite all she's been through, and he found his heart pounding at the sight of it. To him, she was like no other woman he's ever come across before, and he was in love with it — with her.

“When's dinner done?” Pierce inquired, turning his attention from Chenelle to his mother. Shantelle peered over her shoulder at him, an eye squinted.

“Boy if you don't get—just wait in the living room.”

Pierce threw his hands up in defeat, backing out of the kitchen and back into the living room where everyone else was. He plopped down next to Mel and Jerm, their eyes not bothering to waver from the screen as their fingers pounced from button to button on the controller. Next to them sat Jayden and Russia, who was currently in the third trimester of her pregnancy.

The two adolescents chatted with each other, her right leg resting over his. She took his hand and placed it over to where Pierce assumed the baby was kicking, his son's eyes lighting up at the movement of growing life inside her body. It was beautiful. It was something he missed…