Page 26 of Soft On Her
“I brought more than enough,” I assured him, pulling the coin pouch out of my purse.
The food for the flamingos was in a candy dispenser machine, and I secured two handfuls, passing one to Milani. Ruben directed us further onto the beach where a group of flamingos was moseying about.
“Oh, you guys are so pretty up close,” Milani complimented, lowering her hand to offer the food. “I wore my pink hoping you guys would accept me into your flamboyance.”
“Flamboyance?” I squinted my eyes at her. It was clear that the flamingos were expecting food by the way they ambled over and went right for Milani’s open palm.
“Yes, a group of flamingos is called a flamboyance,” she educated me. “And with the way they are crowding around me, I think they are welcoming me to the gang,” Milani giggled, and stuck her tongue out.
“I caught that. It’s the perfect shot,” Ruben announced, reminding us of his presence.
“Come closer, Sneaux. This would be the perfect picture right by the water,” Milani pleaded.
“Yes, get in there,” Ruben encouraged.
I followed suit, standing next to Milani with my hand low. Milani was in her element, loving the close proximity to the pink birds.
“Relax, they aren’t going to hurt you,” Milani chirped.
“Look at the birds for a few candid shots,” Ruben instructed.
A few flamingos walked over to me and slowly pecked away at the food in my hand.
“Perfect. You ladies look amazing. Do you want some solo shots? If so, I know the perfect spot.”
“Yes, I want all of the shots to remember our first baecation,” Milani gushed.
We took more than enough solo and couple pictures. On top of the beautiful flamingos, the island had a separate side for the iguanas, which we visited when we were done with the flamingos. Ruben and Milani were picking up the iguanas, but I wasn’t with any of that shit. Milani was in her element with the animals, and I could tell she was having the time of her life. We were having so much fun that by the time Ruben left, he was thirty minutes past his departure time and panicked about being late to his granddaughter’s birthday party. After Ruben left, we made our way to our reserved cabana and ate lunch while overlooking the water. Milani’s spirit was relaxed, and that was all I could ask for. Before Ruben rushed off, he told us to stay until the last water taxi left the island so we could enjoy the sunset.
After being in and out of the water all day, that was the best way to end our time on the beach. Milani pulled me into her arms and kissed me on the top of my forehead. “I appreciate you so much for this trip. Getting my mind off things with my mom. I needed this more than you could imagine.”
“Of course. I know we said four days because I wanted to recreate the graduation trip I planned for you in the past, but we can definitely extend the trip,” I suggested.
“No. Four days is plenty. We can’t ghost your parents forever.”
“Shiiiiiiiiit,” I laughed.
“You’re still really good with animals. You haven’t lost your love for them. I promise, when you left Macy behind, I felt like something really bad had happened to you and your mother. I never thought you would abandon Macy.”
“I didn’t want to leave my baby girl, but she had a tracker, so my mom wouldn’t let me take her,” Milani vented, running her hands through my locs. “Do you know what happened to Macy?”
“Your grandparents let me keep her. We thugged it out together until she got cancer two years ago,” I explained.
“Oh no,” Milani poked her bottom lip out. “I always hoped that someone took good care of her. I know she was in good hands if you had her.”
“Yeah, I took great care of her. Having Macy was like having a part of you. I know how much you loved your dog,” I admitted, leaning my head back to look up at her.
“It’s so crazy how distance and time didn’t stop these feelings.”
“Not to sound cocky, but I always knew you were coming home with me if I ever found you. You think I was spending all that money just to take an L? Fuck no.”
“When I knew I was coming back to Florida, my mind was constantly on you. Of course, you crossed my mind all the time before that, but the memories ramped up when I knew how close I would be to you. Then I listened to Deja talk about her pending arrangement and when I realized it was to you I was shook. My little world came crashing down. Were you really going to marry her?”
“Were you really going to marry, AC?”
Milani pursed her lips shut.
“Exactly. We were both going to do what was required. The difference is, I was pushed further into my position because I wanted full access to the power and resources to find you. I love my father to death, but it never sat right with me that he couldn’t find you if none of the four families were helping you. It’s fucked up, but I wanted my dad out of the way so I could find out what happened to you myself. Now that I know your mom had the Claytons helping you, it’s more plausible.”
