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

Part 65

Anastasia and I wake our first morning in the Minnesota house, although the

location is different, our routine is the same. After we both eaten our breakfasts, I grab a quick shower before getting myself dressed, then work on Anastasia.

"Let's go outside," I say to her with exaggerated excitement, she swings her fists in response, she's ready. I carry her on my hip and walk out into the middle of the backyard, when I groan in disappointment of what I'm seeing, Anastasia frowns. "It's alright, it's just yucky right now," I tell her, kissing her nose, "Let's go out front."

The front is a little better, there's much less work to do out here to update the look. I ease Anastasia down onto the ground, and holding onto her hands, I let her strengthen her legs as we stroll the length of the yard. There are really only two bushes in the entire front portion of the yard, and a section of chain link fence that creates a barrier on one side. I dislike the look of the fencing and decide that it needs to be camouflaged, I gently turn Anastasia and we check out the other half of the yard. There is no barrier fence on this side because the chain link that surrounds my backyard is even with this side of the house. Both flanking neighbors have six foot, wooden privacy fences, but my backyard is clearly visible from the street, more shrubbery gets added to my mental list.

You're stalling, the words are in Prince's voice, and clear as a bell as they enter my mind. I'm always stunned when this happens, and end up staring off at nothing for a second before I regain my composure. Scooping Anastasia back up onto my hip, I smile down at her and ask, "Let's go call Aunt Tyka, hmmm?"

*******

Within in an hour we are pulling through the gates of the Public Storage building, which turns out to be not even three quarters of a mile from Paisley Park. I have to admit that driving past Paisley and seeing all the cars in the parking lot was difficult, but at the same time, I'm glad to see there's interest in what they're calling a museum.

As I drive through, we scan the numbers on each unit as we pass. "124?" I question Tyka, the numbers on these large roll up doors are much higher.

"Yeah," she says with a frown.

I drive on to the next row of units, the numbers are getting smaller, but not small enough. I carefully steer the car into the last row, still no 100's. Tyka and I frown at each other and shrug in confusion. Turning the car around, I head back to the main building, "I guess I'd better ask."

I leave Tyka in the car with Anastasia while I run in to find out where our unit is. Within minutes, I return to the car, hitting the button to pop the trunk.

"It's inside, it's a climate controlled unit," I tell her as I remove and set up Anastasia's stroller. Tyka nods, removing Anastasia from her car seat and slipping into the stroller, I turn and lead them from the directions the man at the desk gave me. "Upstairs and to the left," I point to the sign for an elevator that's coming into our view.

When we reach the second level, we make a left, unit 124 is not even halfway down the corridor. Anastasia is looking all around, curious about this strange building and how her voice echos because of the acoustics, while Tyka and I just stare at the number in the door. Here we go, I think as I slip the key into the padlock, with a single turn, it pops open. My emotions are all over the place as I remove the padlock from the latch and start to lift the door. Tyka turns away in an effort to give me some privacy, but when I gasp and grab her arm, she turns to see what I see. "Oh. My. God," she breathes.

My hand releases its death grip on her arm and I cover my mouth. Tears are already streaming from my eyes and I turn away from the unit in desperation to calm myself. "Oh, Prince," I hear Tyka whisper, "you're still blowing my mind."

When I turn back, Tyka has pushed Anastasia's stroller into the empty center of the unit and is turning slowly, taking it all in. When she looks at me, her face is as tear stained as mine, but she's grinning from ear to ear.

I take a calming breath and meet them in the middle, my eyes scan from left to right. It occurs to me that the storage unit has been set up almost like a stage. On the far left is a double keyboard deal, next to it, a full drum set. Front and center, a microphone stand, complete with Prince's symbol, then to the right of that, a grand piano. Positioned in stands along the right wall of the unit are three guitars: an acoustic, an electric, and a bass.

Now, all of this in itself would have been a pleasant surprise, but the added kicker is, these are all child size versions and custom painted in a glorious, glossy purple. When? How? These questions run through my mind as I stare in awe at the instruments. I glance at Tyka, then walk out of the unit almost as if in a trance, she hesitates only a moment, then follows, still pushing Anastasia's stroller.

"Are you okay?" She asks when we're back in the corridor.

"Yeah, I'm just floored. There's no way he was able to get this all accomplished in the small amount of time after he realized I was pregnant." I pause, waiting for a Tyka to catch up, instead she shakes her head, frowning. "We had been trying to conceive with no luck. He had to have been sitting on these instruments, just waiting," my voice cracks.

"Oh," Tyka breathes, the importance of my words finally sinking in. "You're keeping them, right?"

"Oh, hell, yeah," I blurt out. "If Prince had these commissioned in preparation for our child, I know they're the best." I look sadly back into the unit before I lower the the roll up door and replace the lock. "Now, I just need to arrange having all that shipped to Tennessee," I sigh, "and figure out where to put it."

Tyka looks sad with my words, but asks, "So, what are we doing next? The safety deposit box?"

"No," I shake my head with glazed eyes, "I can only manage one thing like this a day. I need shrubs, can we do that?" Tyka nods with a smile.

Here is where I run into another snag, I want to get my bushes at the Garden by the Woods, but looking down at Anastasia, I know this isn't possible, she'll be figured out for sure. I explain my dilemma to Tyka and she offers that we return to my house and she can watch Anastasia while I shop for bushes on my own. It sounds like a plan, but I know Margaret will ask me a million questions I'm just not ready to answer. "Let's go see what Home Depot has, I might just take you up on that offer while I'm here," I say instead.