Streets and Sheets 5

30. Five

Emerald
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I was taken back when I was met with candle light. I dropped my work bag and I tried my hardest to take off my shoes. I was now 8 months pregnant and work was beginning to kick my ass. I took a breath as I realized how swollen my feet were. I turned around to grab the gift I had for Sloane.

Stepping further in the house I noticed the rose petals on ground before Sloane came in to my view.

"You thought I forgot?" He said as I waddled towards him.

"Five years." I said sinking in to his arms.

"5 years since you moved in to the brown stone with me." I put my head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around me. It was crazy that it had been 5 years since I left Deontay.

"Thank you." He said looking at me.

"I should be thanking you." I said thinking about how he took me in.

"You and those boys are best thing that ever happened to me. I know I put you through some terrible shit and I know I can't apologize enough." He placed his hand on my belly.

"I don't want to talk about that. This is supposed to be a happy night." I looked around to see that he had the back door open.

"I though you said no gifts." He refers to the conversation that we had last week.
He noticed me look out dude be for asking me to follow him.

"I changed my mind." I responded, stepping out side. Sloane set the back yard up as our personal movie theater complete with a tent and what looked 100 pillows.

"You did this by yourself?" He held my hand as we walked out to the middle of the yard.

"The boys helped." He handed my cards that the boys had drawn.

"I got you something." He said as I looked at the boy's creations. I hadn't planned on giving him this gift today but it is a special night.

"Me first." I handed him the bag that I tried to hide. I know that he didn't need another watch but this one was different.

"I got a call from the doctor this morning." I watched his face light up as he opened the box.

"A boy. We are having another boy." He looked at the blue diamonds in the face of the watch. He kissed me before I could even confirm. We were have in our third boy right after our first has turned three and our second turned one.

"I take it you like your gift." I said after her let me go.

"I love you E that's why you deserve every gift I have for you." He said looking me in the eyes.

"I didn't know that we were going all out." I said feeling bad that I didn't do more. I was happy with the fact that Sloane was doing what he was supposed to. He was home at a good hour, had been picking the boys up from daycare, and I was beginning to see him as the man I married again. Sloane began regularly taking his medications and taking pride in getting help.

"E anyone else would have left me but you were there in my darkest times." He pulled out a ring box instantly making my heart race. My wedding ring was already 10 carrots.

"You deserve the best." I was met with a cushion cut diamond on a diamond and that was in fact larger than my first ring. My mouth hit the floor as he took my old ring off and put the new one on.

"Are you serious?" I asked him. I knew that the clubs were doing well but I never imagined this.

"That truck out side is yours too." I don't even notice another car when I came in.

"No way." I did remember telling him that my Audi wasn't going to make cut it wiry three kids.

"You talked about something new and it was necessary. The barn doors you wanted are installed and the storage upstairs is empty so you can start shopping for nursery furniture and redo Khalil's room." He helped me get comfortable on the pillows in the ground.

"Are you ok?" He asked me.

"Can we afford all of this?" I asked.

"You can have what ever you want." He sat next to me.

"I..."

"Don't worry about anything."  He grabbed my hand. I looked at the screen he had set up hoping that there weren't any more gifts.

"Sloane."

"What do you want to watch."
He began scrolling through films.
•
The next day
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"What is this?" Erin asked as I got out of my anniversary gift.

"A gift." I said walking up the drive way. I handled her the keys to my Audi and told her it was hers.

"First the house now the car." She asked. We thought it was best to rent the town house instead of selling it. Once we found out how much Erin was paying in rent we offered her to rent the house instead.

"Love what you have done with it." She pained the entrance way orange and added a chair.

"Are you giving me a car?" She asked as I looked for my kids.

"Yeah. It's paid off less than 50,000 miles. KHALIL." I yelled watching him run around the corner. He knew that when mommy's belly got big I couldn't bend down so he hugged my leg.

"Hey man you need a hair cut." I ran my hands through his hair. I walked in to the living area while my sister was in shock.

"I'm having it cleaned so you can ride with me and drive it back here and we can get the paper work figure out on Monday." I yelled as I tried to scoop Nasir up.

"I got him." Khalil used is strength to pick up his brother and hand him to me. I smiled at how hard he tried.

"Is this the life you live? You can just up and get brand new 2021's? Y'all got it like that?" She asked.

"I came home and it was outside." I said holding Nasir who was clearly tired. I laid him up on my shoulder.

"He is really doing it big." she sat down still skeptical.

"Thank you." She said as she Khalil sat in between us.

"Don't mention it."

"I have something to tell you." Her face got serious. I wanted her to say that she was pregnant too but I wouldn't be that lucky.

"Sloane's brother came over her last night looking for y'all. He was drunk like fucked up." She said scaring me a little bit.

"Looking for us?" I wanted to make sure I heard her correctly. Nate would have been the first person to know that he was planning something so why would he looked for him.

"Yeah and let's just say he forgot he was married." She said causing me to choke on air.

"Erin what do you mean. Their daughter is almost 2." Now wouldn't be the time for him to forget.

"Apparently they have been having some problems and he didn't want to go home because all they do is fuss and fight." I was confused about where this was coming from but then again I know a thing or two about faking it for the public.

"He was talking real nasty too. But he has a wife and a kid. So I just let him sleep it off. He left like 20 minutes before you pulled up." I sat back on awe before realizing Nasir was out cold.

"Y'all didn't..." I paused for her answer.

"He is married. Of course not. I wanted to hell I have been single for a while, but no I could do that to that girl. She is so sweet." She said watching Khalil who got up and walked away.

"That's weird though. They were fine at Khalil's birthday." I said thinking back.

"That was my first time meeting her too. We will see if he comes back again." She said.