Book #4 of the Love & Trauma series || 𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗢𝗙𝗙 to "Threes Company"
Toby is fresh out of prison and ready to relive his second chance out in modern day.
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𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 ❷ ⓿ ❷ ❷
IT WAS A SMALL FUNERAL with only family and friends for Doris funeral. She loved the color blue so everyone incorporated the color in their outfits. It was a short ceremony before Toby, his son's, Ishanti, Val, Jackson, and Doris and Val's father Trent boarded the MasterCraft X24 boat to cruise on Lake Jacqueline.
The driver of the boat stopped when their in the middle of the water and Toby sat beside Hendrick who held the urn of his mother's ashes as he toyed with the new necklace around his neck, identical to the one around Avant's neck. "This the spot Guppie?"
Hendrick nodded before he stood with his father and Avant. Toby stands in the middle of his grieving son's with comfort shoulder squeezes while Avant hugged his father.
"Y'all ready?" he asked his son's and they reply. Hendrick was staring at the urn and Avant sobbed quietly on his father's side. "I know y'all got the necklaces but we can take the urn home."
"N-no," Hendrick inhales, exhaled deeply. "She wanted this. We gotta give her what she wants."
Toby nodded and watched Hendrick hold the urn a moment longer before he raised the lid and poured his mother's ashes into the water until it was completely empty. He let out a hitched breath and closed the urn back.
"Goodbye, Momma."
They reclaimed their seats as Avant sobbed more. When they got to the deck, Toby picked up Avant who continued to sob as Ishanti walked beside and rubbing his back. They approached his Silverado and they start to gather inside.
"Do you want me to drive?" Ishanti asked Toby so he could comfort Avant and Hendrick.
"Yeah, 'preciate baby." he kissed her before she walked around the front of the Suburban and into the driver seat. "We gon' get outta hea'."
Val sniffled as she nodded. "Okay... uhm, can you make sure we see Guppie and Avant? They're the only piece on this earth we have of her. A-and we can't—"
"I know," Toby cut in when she became emotional and Jackson wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I'd neva' keep 'em away from y'all but for the first few months or at least til they get comfortable to be back hea'. I say y'all com' California every or every otha' weekend and we do it like that."
