Page 23 of Do You Right

My eyes fluttered open to find me alone in bed, but what I heard told me why. I lay back down, listening to Peach replay the same segment until she felt like it was perfect. Now that the season was over, the highlight of my days started with waking up to hear her doing what she loved.

I loved to see her confidence coming back, and I truly knew she wasn’t lying when she talked about how perfect she used to be. Even though she had to step away while in jail, she’d never truly lost all the years she’d put into her craft. It was muscle memory, the same way baseball was for me.

Tossing the covers from my legs, I headed into the bathroom to handle my hygiene. She was still in the spare room playing when I finished, so I headed in that direction. Her eyes lit up when she saw me walk into the room. Only then did she place her violin aside to race into my arms.

I lifted her with ease, loving the way her natural scent was categorized as home in my heart. “Good morning, beautiful. You sound amazing.”

Her smile was so adorable. She tried to hide it by burying it in the crook of my neck. I allowed it, taking a seat on the bed without allowing her to leave my arms. For a minute, all I could do was hold onto the woman who showed me what real love was. Even when she could’ve been heartless or manipulative, she remained righteous. She remained honest. She remained kind, and for that, my heart would always belong to her.

I tapped her on the ass, forcing her to look at me. “Happy birthday, baby,” I told her, dropping my head to the side in awe.

Tears flooded her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. “Thank you, handsome.”

“I know you said you only wanted a birthday cake, but as the man who’d turn the stars into a blanket to keep you warm, I have to do a little more than that. I’ve seen you put in hours to get better and rebuild your confidence, and now you have your first gig. Even though you tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about every time I compliment you, I will never stop telling you how amazing you are to me. The way music flows out of you could sedate a madman. You have a gift, and no matter what, you have to keep sharing it with the world. My only goal for today is to remind you that you’re not alone. I’m here, and you have my whole heart.”

I smiled at her pouty face. Those doe eyes almost made me stop breathing. Her afro was thick and full today, looking like a halo, as beams of sunlight spilled in from behind her. I helped her to her feet then stood too. After a smack on the ass, I told her to go get ready.

When she finally emerged an hour later, she was dressed in a yellow milkmaid dress that fit her perfectly. It took real work to take my eyes off how amazing her breasts sat up. Taking her hand in mine, I led the way out of the house and to my Corvette. I held her hand the entire drive over to the park.

“Okay, you have to put on a blindfold before we get out.”

“A blindfold? Really?”

I nodded excitedly. “Please.” I gave her my best impression of a puppy dog face, and it worked.

“Okay.” She finally agreed in a chipper tone.

I was quick to grab the bandana from the cupholder to wrap around her eyes. Next, I got out of the car and walked around to help her. My heart was beating so fast while I walked her over to where she needed to be. “Stay right here, and I’ll tell you when to take it off.” She mumbled her response, so I rushed on the ice-cream truck and got in place. “Take it off, Peach!”

I waited on bated breath for her to take the blindfold off. When her eyes cleared, she gasped, covering her mouth to hide her surprise. “Happy birthday, baby!” I yelled from the ice-cream truck I’d rented out.

It wasn’t the average ice-cream truck with flavors on the side, but instead, it was decorated full of pictures of Chai over the years. Chai walked closer, noticing the photos from her childhood. I watched her hand shake as she lifted her finger to trail over a photo with her parents. “How?” she finally asked me in disbelief.

I grinned widely because this was the best part. “Turn around.”

Her eyes followed mine, and when she spun around, she came face-to-face with her parents. “Mom? Dad?” she stuttered before the tears came. She covered her face to hide her tears, and they rushed forward to hug her.

Over the last few months, I noticed quite often that she held sadness in her eyes whenever my parents were around. It didn’t take long to guess it was because she missed hers. It wasn’t easy tracking them down, but honestly, it didn’t take much convincing to get them here. They missed her, too, and felt guilty for how they treated her. I knew Chai would forgive them, but they had to take the first step before they could rebuild their relationship with her.

While they consoled her, I busied myself with lighting the candles on her birthday cake. I’d gone all out for my girl. I knew she was going to love the violin shaped cake because that instrument was her life. Once the candles were lit, I left the truck with the cake in hand.

“Happy birthday to you,” I began to sing, and her parents joined in with me.

Chai spun around with red-rimmed eyes and a snotty nose. “I can’t believe you did this,” she mumbled once we finished singing.

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Chai Rose. Make a wish.”

Her bottom lip poked out as she stared at the candles. “What more could I wish for?”

“No matter what it is, I’ll do my best to make it come true.”

The smile she gave me almost made me drop the cake to get my hands on her. Seeing the joy in her eyes was worth the manhunt to find her parents and even going out of my way to get the ice-cream truck wrapped. I watched my girl close her eyes, then blow the candles out a second later.

Placing the cake down, I grabbed my megaphone and turned it on. “Free ice cream for everyone who wishes the birthday girl a happy birthday!”

I motioned for the people I hired to work the truck over. People started coming over in droves, and they all went up to Chai to tell her happy birthday first. She really could not stop crying, and I wasn’t sure if I needed to be worried about her mental state, but her smile . . . her smile was the only reason I didn’t worry. It was proof that she was indeed happy with the way everything turned out.

I tried to play it cool when I saw her walking up to me. Her arms wrapping around my waist was like a breath of fresh air, and her head resting on my chest filled my heart with peace. “I can’t believe you did this.”