Page 50 of Maid for My Billionaire Boss
Trey:Done.
It had to be a trick. There was no way he was going to let me off that easily. I waited a good five minutes until I cracked open my front door, eyes landing on a single key centered on a manilla envelope. My hands were already trembling as I reached forward to grab them, but what I saw nextslayedme.
Propped up against the supporting beam of my deck was a beautiful canvas of a man reaching out his hand. Though I had not seen this image before, its style wasforever etched in my heart.Dropping to my knees, tears flowed freely. I didn’t fight crying as I reached forward and placed the tips of my fingers on the palm of the hand. It was beautiful imagery which awoke a feeling of warmth and sentiment in my heart that only opened the dam to my tears even more.
I forgot about the key.
I forgot about the ridiculous unicorn parade on my sidewalk.
I forgot about Trey, who was still lurking in the shadows.
All I saw was my husband reaching out from the heavens and holding me one more time.
It was like my prayers to change the rules of time had been answered.
And somehow, I was able to steal one more moment.
I didn’t know it before, but I clearly understood answered prayers had a way of altering your perception and healing the most severed hearts. I no longer saw Damion as being departed. He was here with me, holding me. A beautiful gift no heart was big enough to even capture. My heart swelled and overflowed with so much happiness, reminding me of the joy Damion had been to me and the joy he would want for me.
I could have stayed in the moment forever—in my own bending of time—but a creak from behind me slammed me out of ecstasy. I didn’t need to turn around to see who it was, and I wasn’t ready to look at him, but he brought me this gift, and I had to know more. “How did you find it?” I asked through a sniffle while keeping my eyes locked on the painting.
“Damion made it for me after my dad disappeared. It was always special to me, but he’s telling me it’s your turn to have it.”
Not wanting to cry in front of him, I clamped my palm over my mouth, and pressed hard to silence even the tiniest squeaks. I truly believed Trey one thousand percent when he said he heard Damion say to give this to me.
It’s so perfect.
So beautiful.
So Damion.
I nodded through my stifled cries and, as best as I could, and peeped out, “Thank you.”
I couldn’t wait to show it to Josiah. We’d treasure it forever. That reminded me Josiah had to be getting out of the shower and I didn’t want him to find me missing. I got up from my knees and swiped my sleeve across my eyes. “I gotta go in. Josiah’s in there.”
“Do you want me to bring it inside for you?” Even though he offered, his feet didn’t budge forward as they remained respectfully planted at a safe distance behind me. I narrowed my eyes, ready to spit insults, but when I locked eyes with him, my breath pulled in hard.
He was crying too.
Crying with me.
Crying with Damion.
Though his memories were different, I could see his pain manifest in his eyes, which was no different than mine. It was clear to me we were kindred spirits brought together by the soul we were both missing. In the gentlest kiss of the wind, I swore I heard Damion’s baritone whisper. “Just let him in.”
Like finally seeing a sign point north on a foggy street under a charcoal sky, I nodded. Damion had given me permission to let Trey bring the painting into my house, where we could hang it in a place of honor. I knew those words had a double meaning, with the latter meaning being the one of greater urgency. Damion was giving me permission to let Trey into my life.
Into my heart.
He was giving me permission to chase the kind of joy I didn’t think I could allow myself anymore.
Bigger yet, he was giving me permission to love again.
I finally understood that moving onwasn’tforgetting.
Squeezing my house key in one hand, the feeling which ran through my chest was pure bittersweet. As nice ashomesounded, I could not go back there. Sure, we’d go back to visit, but I had grown so much in the last year. Other than a house, there wasn’t anything else for me to gobackto. Seeing what Trey had done for me, and everything else he’d done to help Josiah, he was giving me more of a feeling of coming home. Only it didn’t stop there.
It never stopped there.
