3. Derek’s Destiny

DEREK

“I still don’t get why you’re so pressed about doing a free Juneteenth concert when you could be raking in a couple million dollars performing for royalty in Dubai right now,” Marcy whined, shaking her head in disbelief as she typed away on her iPad.

I kept my focus on the view outside my heavily tinted window. I could see Juniper, but Juniper couldn’t see me. The massive murdered-out Escalade was catching everyone's eyes as we rolled through the town. My mama told me word had spread that I’d be performing at the Juneteenth concert, but no one besides her knew I’d be arriving today, weeks ahead of schedule.

Sure, I could be making serious bread elsewhere at this very moment, but this is where I needed to be. A couple years ago, I realized that once you make a certain amount of millions, money ain’t the motive anymore. I had enough, more than enough, and so did my folks. I had everything a person could ever need or want—too much probably—except for one thing. And that thing, that person, was here in Juniper.

Destiny was the one thing money couldn’t buy, the one thing my soul craved the most. She was the reason I was here, the reason I was willing to turn down a fortune and face whatever came my way. The fame, the money, the glitz—it all paled in comparison to the chance to make things right with her.

“I need a break, Marcy, damn,” I said, still not looking at her. “Some of us have families and other shit we care about besides more money and accolades.”

She sucked her teeth. “I guess performing in a small-town concert is a break, huh?” she quipped.

“Compared to that tour we just wrapped, flying all over the place, different time zones and shit, hell yeah. Besides, I’m gonna spend most of my time chillin’ with my folks. I haven’t had any real time off in years. We have our meeting with the Mayor and the Jubilee organizer tomorrow, and then you’re free to bounce till the concert. I’m good here,” I said, watching my old hangout spots through the window.

Was I though?

The memories hit hard. Every street corner, every building held a piece of my past. Everywhere reminded me of her. Each street we used to walk hand in hand, every corner where we’d steal kisses when no one was looking. The playground where we carved our initials into the old oak tree, the diner where we’d sit for hours, laughing and dreaming about the future. Shit, even where I beat a couple people up. Every inch of this small town was stained with our memories, the ghost of our love lingering in the air. It hurt like hell, an ache that burrowed deep into my chest and twisted with every passing landmark.

I thought time had made me tougher, that the miles and years between us had dulled the pain just a little bit. But as I sat in this Escalade, the town unfolding before me like a scrapbook of our past, I realized just how wrong I was. Each familiar sight was a gut punch, every memory a fresh wound. I hadn’t even stepped out of the car, and already, this place was fucking me up. My heart pounded in my chest, a heavy reminder of the love I lost and the boy I used to be.

I hoped the pain would be short-lived because I was going to see her right away. I had to. Maybe it was stupid, maybe it was desperate, but she was the reason I was back in Juniper.

I could bring my family to me anytime, fly Ant out on a private jet or send a luxury RV so my parents wouldn’t have to fly. But this trip wasn’t about them alone. I came back here for my girl. I was ready to fight for her, no matter the cost.

I learned through my fake Facebook profile that she was having a meeting at the community center today, hoping for more volunteers to sign up because my presence at the Jubilee was requiring them to scale things up. I created secret social media accounts just to keep tabs on her. Pathetic? Yeah, but I couldn’t help myself. I had to know what she was up to, had to feel some connection to her, even if it was just through a screen.

As we neared the community center, my heart pounded harder. The thought of seeing her again, of looking into those eyes that used to hold my world, made my hands shake. I prayed she’d give me a chance to explain, to show her I was a real man now. But more than anything, I prayed she still had a place in her heart for me.

As we pulled up to the front of the building, Marcy gave me one more look, her confusion still clear.

“I see why you left this place,” she said, glancing around. “I will be getting the fuck outta here as soon as possible”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. Marcy was a straight shooter, and that’s what I loved about her. She kept it real with me, and I did the same with her. We made a good team.

“You’re gonna go in there and get mobbed. You have no security; this is just stupid,” she said, shaking her head.

“Marcy, these are my people. Ain’t nobody mobbin’ me in no damn Juniper,” I replied as I hopped out of the SUV the moment the chauffeur opened the door for me.

I walked over to Marcy’s side. “I’ll be at the little rinky-dink motel if you need me,” she quipped.

“The Four Seasons ain’t got shit on Motel Juniper,” I lied with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

“Check in later,” she said laughing, throwing up a peace sign and signaling the driver to go.

I stood outside the community center and took it all in. The building was filled with memories. I used to hoop here and come to day camp in the summertime. It hadn’t changed much, and that gave me a strange sense of comfort. The familiarity wrapped around me like a warm blanket, but beneath it, my nerves were raw and exposed.

I took a deep breath and walked toward the entrance. This was it. I was about to see her, face to face. No more screens, no more distance, no more creeping on fake profiles. Just us, in the place where it all began. My heart raced as I reached for the door, the weight of everything I wanted to say pressing down on me. I just hoped she was ready to hear it.

As I opened the double doors, the sound was loud as hell, causing everyone to turn and look at me. I kept my gaze straight ahead though. There she was, behind the podium, hands gripping the sides, looking like a fucking boss. Destiny stopped speaking mid-sentence, her mouth slightly parted as she looked at me, wondering who the hell had interrupted her meeting.

For a moment, I stopped breathing. She was even more beautiful than she was when we were kids, and the small screens did her no justice. Her skin was a rich cocoa brown, her almond-shaped eyes still sparkling, though I feared I’d taken the light from them with my bullshit. Her long hair, which she preferred to wear in thick curls that her momma used to force straight, was flowing down her back. She had glasses on, which made me grin a little 'cause she used to hate them, but now she seemed to be rocking her sexy librarian look proudly.

Destiny Boseman was everything. My everything. And now I didn’t have to pretend she was in front of me; she was right there, just feet away, literally taking my breath away.

I saw something flicker in her eyes. She finally realized it was me in the flesh. She stood there, shock and something else written all over her face. The room was silent, all eyes bouncing between us, but all I could focus on was her. My heart pounded in my chest, a rhythm of regret and longing. I took a step forward, feeling like a man crossing a battlefield, each step heavy with the weight of our shared past.

“Derek?” Destiny asked into the mic, her voice tinged with disbelief, as if she truly wasn’t sure it was me.

Sure, I had put on an extra 30 pounds of muscle since she last saw me. I had locks that hung down almost to my waist now, though they were just starting up when she last saw me. My body was covered in tattoos now, but I was still me. Couldn't she feel me?

“Sup, Destiny?” I asked, standing in the middle of the aisle, frozen like a dumbass. “Can we talk?”

She looked around awkwardly, her eyes scanning the room. “Kinda in the middle of something here,” she said, her voice steady but with an underlying tension.

I glanced at everyone looking at us, their eyes wide with curiosity. “Oh right, my bad,” I mumbled. Shit, I’d really forgotten that other people were here.

“Ummm, ladies and gentlemen, the headliner for the Juniper Juneteenth Jubilee, Derek Harris,” she said, gesturing towards me with a forced smile. “He’s here early for some reason,” she mumbled under her breath, not realizing the mic was still by her pretty mouth.

I smiled and waved awkwardly with my dumbass self and took a seat in the back, trying to blend in, but it was impossible. At 6’4”, muscular, with tattoos from my neck to my ankles, a ton of jewelry on, and my long locks, I didn’t look like anyone else in the room.

Everyone was shocked to see me there. While they didn’t mob me like Marcy said they would, there were certainly whispers and people constantly looking back at me. But my eyes and mind were focused on one person, and she was doing everything in her power to avoid my gaze.

I watched her like a hawk the whole time as she resumed her meeting, hanging on to every word. Her voice had changed just a little—it was more mature, had more confidence, and she pronounced some of her words differently. Must’ve been that college education she got while I was touring the world. I loved the way she commanded the room. Watching her own the place when she used to be so shy she barely talked to anyone but me back in the day, it was cool to see. Destiny Boseman was all grown up.

Seeing her now, strong and self-assured, it was like seeing a vision of what could have been if I hadn’t messed everything up. The regret hit me hard. Destiny wasn’t just some girl from my past; she was the woman I still loved, the one I needed to make things right with.

I kept thinking about what I was gonna say to this intelligent grown woman, how I was gonna play it. I was sure I had thought about this already, but now my mind was blank. I should have written it down.

As I sat there, every second felt like an eternity. I replayed the moments we shared, the promises we made under the oak tree in Freedom Park. I had to find the right words, the right way to tell her that I was here to fix what I broke. My heart pounded, my mind racing to find the perfect approach, but nothing felt good enough.

Destiny’s eyes glanced my way for a split second, and my heart stopped. This was my chance, and I couldn’t afford to mess it up. I had to show her that I was here to stay, that I was ready to be the man she deserved.

When she finally wrapped up the meeting, a couple of people came over to shake my hand, and some asked for selfies, which I happily obliged. With only 30 people or so in the room, it wasn’t overwhelming and quickly died down. I began making my way to my Baby as she shoved some papers into her purse. She looked up at me and suddenly looked so nervous. I was nervous too, seeing her in the flesh, so close. When I reached out to touch her, she flinched, pulled back, and looked at me like a stranger.

“Des, it’s me,” I said gently, like she didn’t know, as if I had permission to even touch her. Damn, I just kept messing this up.

She looked me up and down, full of attitude. Damn. I know we didn’t end on the best note, but if I didn’t know any better, we broke up just yesterday by the energy radiating off her.

“Don’t touch me,” she snapped, eyes peering up at me with a mix of anger and hurt.

“Yo, shorty, relax…”

“Shorty? You relax. This was an important meeting and you just busted in here interrupting everything like you didn’t see me in the middle of working—”

“My bad, I just—”

“Feel entitled to my time and attention!” she finished, though that’s not what I was going to say. “No one was even focused once you came in, and the Jubilee—”

“Des, listen—”

“No, you listen, Derek!” she snapped, her voice rising. “This isn’t about you. It’s about the community, about Juneteenth, about everything my team and I have been working towards.”

“I just needed to see you.”, I managed to cut in.

“Why?"

“I miss you, Des.” I said straight up, driving this train way too fast off the damn tracks.

She laughed at me, she fucking laughed in my face, “What, you ran through all the Hollywood model girls and realized your true love is still back in your little hometown?”, she mocked.

I swallowed hard, the weight of her words hitting me like a punch to the gut. “I know I messed up, okay? I hurt you real bad. But I’m here now, I want to make things right between us. I came back for you, Des. I came home to get you back.”

“Get me back?”

Destiny’s eyes widened, and she looked at me like I was out of my mind, her face scrunching up in disbelief. I was sure I had come up with a better plan than this. I’m a man who’s been awarded for my words; I knew I had more well-thought-out points to make at a better pace. But with her being inches away from me for the first time in over a decade, everything went out the window.

Her presence was overwhelming. The memories, the love, the regret—it all hit me like a freight train. I struggled to find my footing, to remember the carefully crafted words I’d planned, but they all scattered like leaves in the wind.

I needed to get my shit together, but looking at her made me just want to throw her over my shoulder and take her out of here so we could hash things out and move on.

“Oh my God! D-Truth!!!” a girl screamed as she walked up to us, all in Destiny’s personal space. “Oh my God! I love your music, you’re everything, you make me so proud to be from Juniper.”

“Thank you,” I said with a smile, shaking her hand that she extended to me.

“I’m Eden, Destiny’s assistant and little sister,” she introduced herself.

“Little sister?” I echoed, trying to piece things together. “Now I know I’ve been gone for a minute, but the math ain’t mathing.”

“Not actually her baby sister, but basically,” Eden clarified with a grin.

“Eden, I’m glad you’re meeting Derek,” Destiny said, her tone all professional and a mask of indifference on her face that I didn’t recognize. “You’ll be his main point of contact for—”

“I’m not talking to nobody except you, Des,” I interrupted, making things clear.

“Excuse me?” Destiny asked, her eyes narrowing.

“You heard me, Des. And to keep it a buck, I came back here for you, not the Jubilee. I came to get what’s mine,” I said, my stance wide, too arrogant, my right hand holding my left wrist as I looked her up and down.

Eden looked between us, her mouth wide open—thoroughly shocked and highly entertained.

“You entitled bastard,” Destiny spat, but I kept going.

“I’m not that little boy that messed everything up between us. I’m a grown man now. I’ve learned, I’ve matured and I’ve spent every day wishing I could undo the past. I just need a chance to prove it to you. I’m not leaving Juniper without you, Des.”

Destiny crossed her arms, her eyes hard and unyielding. “You think you can just walk back into my life with your fake ass apology, and everything will be okay? It doesn’t work like that, Derek.”

She stared at me, the conflict clear in her eyes. Eden watched us like some good 90s day time tv. All she was missing was a bucket of popcorn.

“What did your delusional ass think? I was just gonna jump into your arms and run off with you cause you came back here and said sorry? Am I being Punk’d? Is Ashton here?” Destiny chuckled as she looked around the room, a hint of bitterness in her voice. “I haven’t seen you since I was 18. I’m damn near 30 now. I’ve lived my entire adult life without you. You have no idea who I am,” she said, her eyes starting to water a bit. “I don’t even know you.”

“I know everything about you, Des,” I said, not caring that I was showing my hand. “I keep up with everything you do. Despite you blocking me on everything. I check in about you and make sure that you’re good. For a minute, I thought I lost you, thought you were gonna marry that cat, Jonathan.” Her eyes widened in shock that I knew about her three-year relationship with that wack ass motherfucker who used to sit by himself in the lunch room and bark at people in the hallway. “But I know that ended eight months ago, and I’m hoping that you’re in a place where you would consider the possibility of spinning the block on us.”

She looked at me, the shock slowly giving way to something softer, something more vulnerable. “You... you kept up with me?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“All the time, Des. I’ve missed you like crazy, been suffering without you. I’ve watched from a distance, hoping you were happy, even if it wasn’t with me. But now, I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere until I’ve at least tried to win you back.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away, trying to maintain her composure. “You have no idea what you put me through, Derek. The nights I cried myself to sleep, the days I had to force myself to move on. You don’t just get to walk back in and pick up where we left off.”

“I’m not trying to do that, I want to start fresh. I didn’t know how to handle what we had once my career started to blow up. I can’t apologize enough for who I used to be, but I’m not him anymore. Give me a chance, Des. Let’s get outta here and talk, alone,” I pleaded, my eyes darting to Eden, who was still up in our grill for some reason, unable to take a hint. A couple of people were lingering by the exit, curiosity written all over their faces.

“Des, I’ve grown up. I’ve changed. All I’m asking for is a chance to prove it to you. Can we just go somewhere more private and talk? Please.”

Her eyes softened for a moment, but she quickly masked it with a hard stare. “You think it’s that easy, Derek? You think a few words will erase the years of pain you caused?”

“No, I don’t think it’s easy. But I’m willing to do the work. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make things right,” I said, my voice raw with emotion. “Just give me that chance.”

She shook her head, a sad smile playing on her lips. “It’s not that simple. You can’t just show up and expect everything to be okay. I’ve built a life here, a life without you.”

“And I’m not asking you to drop everything for me. I just want a chance to be a part of that life again. To show you that we can build something even better together.”

Destiny closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again and looking at me. When she spoke, her voice was professional, almost rehearsed, like she morphed into a new character right before my eyes.

“Derek, everyone in Juniper is looking forward to this concert, and I’m really excited to provide them with the best Juneteenth Jubilee this town has ever seen. My team at Destiny’s Details looks forward to our first meeting with your management tomorrow to ensure that you have everything you need to give your hometown the performance of a lifetime,” she said, sounding like a goddamn news reporter.

“Princess,” I said using the nickname I gave her when we were young and in love, cocking my head to the side, trying to break through that wall she’d put up.

It affected her, I saw the flicker of recognition in her eyes for a split second before she shoved it down, continuing to ice me out. She talked to me like I wasn’t the person she used to tell she loved a hundred times a day, like I wasn’t the person she gave her virginity to, like we didn’t promise to grow old together. Yeah, we were young, talking a big game, but God damn it, I meant every word, and I know she did too. But now, she acted like none of it mattered, like those memories were buried under the weight of my mistakes.

She wasn’t ready for the energy I was bringing, the relentless drive to make things right. But I wasn’t backing down.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have several other items to check off my list today for this event,” she said, pushing past me and walking towards the door with Eden on her heels.

“Destiny!” I called as I sped-walked behind her to catch up.

But when she opened the door, there was a swarm of people outside. I couldn’t see her face since her back was turned to me, but hearing her light scream of surprise and watching her body tense up was enough for me to race to her. I had to get her out of here.

“D-Truth!!!”

“He’s really here!!”

People were screaming, and there were tons of smartphones in our faces, which I was used to, but for Destiny, I knew it was overwhelming. She was getting pushed around in the crowd as people tried to get to me, but all I wanted to do was get to her.

“Destiny!” I called again, my voice urgent.

She looked at me, overwhelmed and frightened. Without thinking, I pushed through the crowd, reaching out for her. I wrapped my arm around her, shielding her from the chaos.

“I got you,” I said, my voice firm but gentle.

I could feel her trembling against me as we pushed through the throng of people. The crowd pressed in, but I kept my grip on her tight, determined to get her to safety. I knew this wasn’t the way I wanted her to see me again, but right now, all that mattered was protecting her.

“Derek!” I swore I heard the voice of my brother, and when I looked over the crowd, there he was, practically hanging out the driver window of his Camry, waving me over.

Holding her hand, I pulled Destiny with me and quickly made my way over to the car, securing her in the passenger seat before I hopped in the back and slammed the door shut. My brother Ant peeled off like a getaway driver leaving a heist just before some kids made it to us.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Ant asked as he drove like he was in a high speed chase.

“Nice to see you too, damn,” I quipped from the backseat.

“I thought you weren’t coming till the day before the concert, not damn near a month before.”

“I had some business I needed to handle,” I said, sitting back, my eyes focused on the back of Destiny’s head before looking at Ant’s in the rearview mirror.

He shook his head as his eyes connected with mine, already knowing what I was up to.

“How did you know I was here?” I asked.

“Bro, the second you stepped foot in the community center, someone posted about it. I left the house right away knowing this was about to be some bullshit. Why would you be out here without security? Or at least give your family a heads up?” Ant said, sounding just like our dad.

“I didn’t think it would be a big deal. Everybody here knows me already,” I said with a shrug, trying to downplay the situation.

Ant gave me a hard look, his eyes filled with frustration and something deeper. “They know little Derek who was running around this town being a fucking menace. You haven’t been home in over ten years. You’re D-Truth now—famous, a multimillionaire, a rap god. We don’t get shit like this in Juniper ever. And plus, these kids who idolize you, they weren’t your peers when you were here. They only heard about you. You’re like a mythical figure to them and now you’re here outta nowhere. You tryna give people heart attacks?”

I really hadn’t given things much thought, but Ant was right. Although I felt like the same person, I wasn’t. This fame shit was weird, but I thought if there was anywhere I could escape it and just be normal, it was here. Besides, with my focus solely on Destiny, I hadn’t given anything else much thought, and even that wasn’t going well.

“Ummm...” Destiny interrupted, “Why am I here? I’m nobody. You could have left me on the sidewalk. They wanted you, not me,” she said, turning around to look at me.

“Oh, you wanted me to leave you there so they could keep knocking you around?” I asked sarcastically.

“I would have been fine once you left.”

“My bad for taking care of you.”

“You’re the reason this whole mess started, rolling up in my meeting demanding to talk to me. We don’t all bow to you, Derek,” she snapped, rolling her eyes and folding her arms.

The fire in her words hit me hard. I wasn’t used to people standing up to me, not like this. But Destiny wasn’t just anybody; she was the one person who had always seen through the facade, seen me for who I really was.

“Destiny, I didn’t mean to cause all this chaos. I just needed to see you, to talk to you,” I said, my voice softening. “I need to make shit right between us”

She shook her head, her expression a mix of frustration and hurt. “You can’t just swoop back into town and expect everything to fall into place because you want it to. It doesn’t work like that, Derek. Not after everything.”

Her words cut deep, but I knew she was right. I had a lot to prove, a lot to make up for. This wasn’t going to be easy, but I was here, and I wasn’t going anywhere. Not without her.

“Ain’t this about a bitch. Just like when we was in school. Y’all picking up where y’all left off, I see,” Ant said, sounding as annoyed as he did back in the day when he drove us everywhere because our parents made him.

Destiny looked out the window, muttering under her breath, clearly frustrated. I couldn’t help but smile a little, despite the tension. It was like old times, but with years of pain and regret layered over it.

“Ant, can you please drop me off at my office? I need to get back to work,” Destiny asked, her voice steady but her eyes revealing the turmoil underneath. “Somebody decided they want to be the headliner this year instead of Pete and gave me a lot more work to do.”

“Sure thing,” he replied.

“Pete still playing ‘Grandma’s Hands’ down at the Jubilee?” I asked in shock.

“Yup,” Ant and Destiny said in unison.

By the time I tried to gather my words to say the right thing, we were pulled over, and Destiny was saying bye, hopping out of the car like it was on fire, and practically running into a building up some stairs.

I watched her go, my heart aching with every step she took away from me. Ant glanced back at me in the rearview mirror, his eyes filled with exasperation.

"I should make your ass walk home," Ant spat.

"What'd I do?" I asked, feeling that old sense of being the bad kid in trouble, despite being D-Truth. Ant was still my big brother, and he still had the power to make me feel like that little boy always getting into mischief.

"Why you bothering that girl?" my brother asked, his tone serious.

"Ant, come on, man. You know that's my woman," I said, my eyes glued to the door like Destiny might come back downstairs and say she forgot something.

"She ain’t been your woman since you left Juniper and started sticking your dick in everything," he said, his voice heavy with disappointment.

I sucked my teeth. “You know that’s not me anymore, Bro. You know I still love her. You’ve been helping me keep up with her."

"Yeah, but I never thought you’d be dumb enough to pull some shit like this. Why would you pop up on her like that?"

"Whatever, man," I said, not wanting to hear his logic when I was a man thinking with my heart.

Ant blew out a breath and shook his head in frustration.

"She’s happy, Derek. She’s working on her business, bought herself a little house, and she’s doing a good-ass job with the Juneteenth Jubilee—"

"And she’s out of that relationship finally."

"Leave Destiny be, Derek," he warned, his eyes stern.

"No," I said defiantly.

In this moment, that Big Brother advice was going in one ear and out the other. I came here for Destiny and nobody was gonna stop me. Not even him.

Ant turned back around and looked at me via the rearview mirror, his jaw tight. "Derek, she’s a good girl," he said, exasperation evident in his voice.

"You don’t think I know that? I know I wasn’t shit back in the day, Ant, but you talking to me like I’m not good enough for her now," I said, frustration boiling over.

"Are you?" he questioned, hitting me right where it hurt.

"God damn," I said, offended.

"Look, you’re my brother, I love you. But you broke that girl’s heart, and you weren’t here to see the aftermath of that." My heart sunk in my chest as I listened. "You live a different type of lifestyle—women throwing themselves at you, you have access to everything and everybody—ya’ll don’t live in the same world anymore."

"I wanna be in her world, Ant. It’s all I want. Yeah, I can have anybody, but I can’t find her in any other woman. Trust me, I tried. It’s why I haven’t settled down. Instead of me trying to make every woman Destiny, I just want my Destiny back."

Ant shook his head, a mixture of sympathy and frustration on his face. "She doesn’t belong to you. The fact that you rolled through here thinking you was gonna profess your love and she was just gonna be so smitten and ride off into the sunset with your dumbass shows how much you don’t know about her anymore," he said, his words cutting deep. "This ain’t Hollywood where girls worship the ground you walk on. Destiny ain’t on that. You hurt her. So if you plan on doing it again, step the fuck back, Derek. I mean that shit."

I looked out the window, the weight of his words settling over me. "I hear you, Ant. But I’m not giving up on her. I can’t. Hurting is the last thing I want to do."

"Just make sure you know what you’re doing, little brother," Ant said, his tone softening but still carrying that brotherly authority. "If you’re serious about this, you gotta show her. Words ain’t gonna cut it. Your actions gotta prove you’ve changed."

"I will," I said, determination in my voice. "I’ll prove it to her. I know it's not gonna be easy," I snapped. "But I have to try. I love her, Ant. I never stopped."

"Love ain't always enough, Derek," Ant said, his voice softer now, almost pleading. "You gutted that girl. It’s not a simple fix."

"I know I messed up," I said, my voice cracking. "The man I am today, I am good enough for her. She’ll see."

Ant looked at me long and hard, his eyes searching mine for any sign of doubt. Finally, he sighed and shook his head again. "You’re stubborn as hell, you know that?"

"Runs in the family," I replied with a small, sad smile.

"You better be ready for a fight then, 'cause she ain't gonna make it easy for you. And I don’t blame her," Ant said, his voice softer but still firm.

“I don’t blame her either. I deserve the heat from her, but I pray I’m here long enough for it to cool down so she’ll talk to me and give me a chance to show her what I feel for her is realer than ever. That’s my wife in there,” I said, looking up at her office window, the light casting a soft glow.

Ant sighed, shaking his head, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—hope, maybe. “Well, you better dig in deep, Lil Bro. You got a mountain to climb.”

“I know,” I replied, my voice steady with determination. “And I’m ready to climb it. I’m not giving up on her, not this time.”

The weight of my words hung in the air, heavy with the promise I intended to keep. I looked at Ant, who nodded, a silent acknowledgment of the battle ahead. This was my moment of truth, the start of a journey I was ready to face.

"Alright, Lil Bro. Let’s get your girl back."

"Hell yea," I said, determination hardening my resolve.

As he pulled away from the curb, I watched Destiny’s silhouette in the window, knowing Ant was right. This was going to be the hardest fight of my life, but I was ready. I was here to fight for her, for us. No matter how long it took, no matter how hard it got, I was ready to prove that everything we dreamt together was going to be ours.

Because sometimes, the hardest battles are the ones worth fighting. And Destiny Boseman was worth every bit of it.