My LOVE is Forever (Book 4-1st Alternate Ending)

Part 64

I don't have a very long drive to 'my' house in Minnesota, but I call Tyka anyway, to let her know we're on our way.

"I hope you don't mind," she says, "but I'm already there getting some last minute things done for you."

"Awww, thank you. You know you didn't have to do that," I reply.

"I know, but I wanted you to be able to relax when you got here. How was your flight?"

"The flight was fine," I answer, but my exasperated sigh at the end peaks her interest. "Just a woman sitting across from us, I'll fill you in when I get there." This satisfies her enough and we say our goodbyes.

When I pull into the drive at the house, I get that same happy, inviting vibe that I had felt the first time I had seen it. With it being full blown summer in Minnesota, I take note on how everything has grown up around the house and my gardening instincts kick in. I'm in the middle of reminding myself not to get in over my head, because my time here will be brief and far between, when Tyka appears in the drive to meet us.

After a quick hug, Tyka exclaims, "There she is!" She is already reaching for Anastasia as I pull her from the car. Anastasia grins, mimicking Tyka's happy expression.

"Enjoy the smile now," I warn her, "it's past her lunchtime," I laugh. Grabbing the diaper bag, I start toward the house.

"Is that all you brought?" Tyka asks as she follows behind me, carrying Anastasia.

"Oh, no!" I laugh, " It's just all I want to deal with right now."

In the house I can see Tyka has been very busy preparing for our arrival. The house had the basics: window treatments, rugs, and linens before I had left Minnesota. Now, with the furniture that was delivered after I left, and with Tyka's added help, it already looks and feels cozy.

First on the agenda, though, is getting Anastasia fed, so I lead them straight into the kitchen. Tyka is in full bonding mode, strapping Anastasia into her high chair as I dig through the diaper bag. "Is it okay if I feed her?" she asks. I nod, handing her a jar of baby food and her spoon. Tyka pops the top on the jar and Anastasia starts moving her mouth and lips in anticipation. While she spoon feeds her, it frees me up to pump some breast milk for a bottle. I share about the woman on the plane while we're both occupied, Tyka listens carefully, but keeps her expression soft for Anastasia. "That really bothered you, didn't it?" she asks me when I'm through.

"Yeah," I sigh. "These people are all up in his business and he can't do a damn thing to stop it," I fume.

"People were always 'up in his business'," she offers me. "It's hard to deal with sometimes, but I tell myself, it's just because they loved him," she smiles at me. I take her thought process into consideration and nod, she continues, "Do you know some of his fans have been coming by my house?!"

"No!" I say surprised.

"Um, hmmm. Most of them are sweet, and full of love for my brother. They want to talk, take pictures, and give me hugs," she laughs that nervous laugh. "It's been kind of healing," she sets the spoon down when Anastasia reaches for her bottle. "There have been some odd ones, though, so I understand what you're talking about. Those ones, I just smile and nod."

I fall quiet, thinking about her words, and decide not to let Super Fan ruin my whole day. I lift Anastasia from her high chair and place her into the playpen that had been added into my living room. "Thank you for this," I pat the playpen, "You saved me a day of shopping." With Anastasia safe and still working on her bottle, we head out to the car to gather the rest of my things.

As we step back into the house, Tyka's expression turns to a look of guilt when we enter my bedroom with my things. I don't hide my surprise when I see that the bedding I had purchased before leaving is actually on the bed. Tyka scrunched her face, "I must confess, I've been here a lot. Sometimes when I come home and see the fans gathered in front of my house, I don't want to deal with it. So, I've been coming here, getting things washed and ready for when you came. That also prompted me to buy that playpen, I knew it would be handy and it was something you couldn't travel with."

I grin at her, "That's quite alright, I appreciate everything you've done. You're welcome here anytime, and I'm glad you have a place you can escape to."

I find the same preparedness in Anastasia's room, complete with a new package of diapers at my disposal. "Other than groceries, it looks like you've got everything covered," I smile at her.

"My pleasure," she replies. She has made every effort to make my visiting as easy as possible, so I know I'll have no excuse to say that I can't. She has saved me a day of running, and preparing the house, I couldn't be happier.

"We'll do that after Anastasia's nap," I mention, to which she looks equally excited. I know she's over the moon that we're here.

A few hours later, we're at the grocery store, picking up some basics to get me through the next couple weeks. "Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Tyka asks, walking alongside me as I push the shopping cart.

"I was thinking about checking out the storage unit," I say sadly. It's not something I really want to do, all these little things that Prince had set up in such a short amount of time tends to break my heart.

Tyka nods slowly, "Just call me if you decide you want company."

It's my turn to nod quietly, "Other than that, I was thinking about getting some low maintenance shrubs for around the house."

Her eyes light up, "I think that's a great idea." I see a small smile play on her lips as we head to the check out.