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

Part 69

When I had flown to Minnesota, my initial plans were to only stay two weeks. With Tyka's insistence, and at least a dozen phone calls to make arrangements, I remain in Minnesota until the third week of August, almost two full months. Needless to say, in that extended time there, I had added some flowering bulbs to what I already done in the front yard and had also started planting some shrubs in the back.

Arrangements had been made, and I supervised as the instruments from the storage unit were safely packed up into nondescript, sealed crates. These crates would then be delivered by a different company to a climate controlled storage unit near my home in Tennessee upon my return, at least until I have created a place for them.

On my last week there, Tyka urges me to visit Paisley Park. "Just take a tour, please, I think you'd like it," she looks at me pleadingly.

"I can't, not yet," I confess. "The loss is still so raw," I offer up my best excuse. "Maybe when Anastasia is old enough to understand the significance of the place, I'll take her." Tyka realizes this is as far as she's going to get on the issue right now and backs off. What she doesn't know is that, whenever I've been alone with Anastasia, I have stopped several times across the busy roadway just to stare longingly at the building that used to be almost like a second home.

Now, though, I'm ready to head home and we're standing at the airport saying our tearful goodbyes. "When do you think you'll be back?" She asks when she hugs me one last time.

"After the snow melts," I say jokingly. Although I really do mean it, I have no intention of being there when it's snowing or cold. When her face falls, I remind her, "Our door is always open, you know that." Tyka nods and I know without a doubt that she'll visit during the fall or winter months. Anastasia means the world to her and she won't be able to stomach the separation for too long.

*******

Back in Tennessee, when the instruments are safety stored away, I enroll and dive full throttle into the online courses. I feel driven to complete each course as thoroughly as possible, and not surprisingly, take to it with ease. Even with splitting my time between schooling, raising Anastasia and being involved with Angel and family, it still feels like I'm trying to fill some sort of bottomless hole in my life.

I ace the first horticulture course, and quickly sign up for the next. Between studies, traveling back and forth to Minnesota for short visits, and Tyka visiting, I'm amazed by how quickly our babies are growing and advancing. When we go Angel and Marcus's house, Anastasia and Chloe are fascinated by each other, while Derik takes the role of protective 'big brother' to both girls very seriously. The only time Anastasia isn't fully engaged with Chloe on those visits is when Derik practices guitar. She will stop whatever she's doing to go over and sit by him while strums, soon joining in with vocalizations of her own in her best attempts to sing along.

By the time Anastasia is eighteen months, her infatuation with Prince's music has increased and broadened. This is probably my doing since I had been introducing her to more and more of his recent albums instead of continuously replaying the CDs he had made for her. For her to see her father, as well as hear him, I had also started playing some of his released concert DVDs in the background while we play on the floor. As soon as she was able to stand, she was doing her best to dance along with the videos, and doing quite well, I might add, she obviously didn't get her finesse from me.

At this point I decided it was time that I needed to start thinking about getting a space prepared for the instruments. After several trips to city hall, and meeting with half a dozen builders, a modified version of Prince's initial building plans is soon under construction. The building, although still thoroughly soundproofed, will hold a full size dance room and a separate area to house and play all the instruments he had left, instead of the working recording studio that was originally planned.

Tyka, who has taken to visiting us for extended stays in the winter, is down and in full swing making preparations for Anastasia's second birthday party. I laugh at her as she sits in the living room, checking off items in her little notebook full of plans. Anastasia's eyes are glued to the television as she tries to replicate Prince's graceful moves with her sometimes uncooperative toddler body.

"She's going to be two, she won't remember any of this," I say, indicating her notebook.

"That what pictures and videos are for," she laughs. "She's really pretty good, isn't she?" Tyka nods at Anastasia's focus on her dancing.

"Yes. I think so, but I could be biased," I laugh. "Do you know they won't let me enroll her in dance classes until she's three?"

Tyka frowns, "You could lie," she offers.

I wrinkle my nose and shake my head. "She'll be three before I know it," I sigh, "I'm not going to start lying about her age now."

"Has she taken interest in any of the instruments?" Tyka asks as she glances out the living room window at the now completed, mini version of my house that I jokingly call: Anastasia's Playhouse.

I shake my head sadly, "She touches each one of them as she goes by, but she just loves that mirrored wall in the dance room."

"Of course she does," Tyka laughs and I join her, since we both know Prince had an obsession with mirrors.

Since Anastasia's party is pretty much just a small family and friends affair, we have reserved a five bedroom, 5.5 bath cabin that boosts its own private indoor pool on the lowest level. This way we could extend the birthday celebrations over a few days, relaxing and sightseeing at our leisure before Tyka and her husband have to return to Minnesota. We also thought the pool was an added touch for both the children and the adults since Anastasia's party theme just so happens to be Little Mermaid inspired.

The actual party is held in the dance room of Anastasia's Playhouse the night before we head to the mountains. Tyka had done a beautiful job decorating the room, even taping cutouts of sea animals onto the mirrored wall. She brought in a light I had used for Anastasia when she was a baby, the water ripples reflecting on the ceiling gave us the illusion of being underwater. Derik, Anastasia and Chloe all had a blast, and deep down, that's all that really mattered.