A U T U M N

“Autumn! We know you’re in there!” I heard Wynter yell through the door.

“I see your damn feet,” Spring added. “Girl, let us in.”

I wasn’t in the mood for company. I just wanted some alone time. Life was getting too damn busy and on top of that, King and I were at odds. If anyone said that marriage was easy, they lied, especially when you got married young and followed up with three kids. To onlookers, I had it all: husband, kids, career, and luxury. Nobody talked about the empty feeling you got, though, when you dedicated your life to everything and everyone except yourself.

“Aut, c’mon, sis. Let us in. We just want to check on you.”

Reluctantly, I stood to my feet and unlocked the cabin door, facing my girls. Their looks were exactly what I didn’t need. Nobody had to feel sorry for me; I was just exhausted. A weekend away wouldn’t be enough. I damn near needed a sabbatical.

Wynter was the first to pull me into a hug, smashing me against her mommy-milkers. Spring wrapped her arms around us from the side. I was grateful it was just the two of them because had Fallon and Summer shown up, it’d probably be an emotional wreck. They had their own demons, and we’d all be in the cabin crying for hours upon hours. I didn’t want to cry, just relax with no worries for a while.

“What can we do?”

“Can you keep my husband and kids occupied for a month?” I joked, but I was also very serious about that.

“Girl, I will send Rex to occupy King, and we could effortlessly trade off with taking care of the kids. Like, if that’s really what you need. As for the job, girl. You know I’ll get that shit sorted out. Just say the word, but you know someone will be making pitches.”

She was right about that. There was a shark in the building, waiting for me to slip up so he could take my role as the Chief Technology Officer. However, I was amazing at what I did, and he would never be able to live up to it no matter how white his skin or how connected his family. Hopefully, one day, Wynter would take the position as CEO one day. She ran the company like it was her own, and Carl was one sneeze away from passing away. He loved Wynter, and that could have been because of the titties alone. Nobody else in the building was qualified the way Wynter was, even at her young age.

“Y’all, for real… I just need some time away. I’m exhausted and can’t seem to catch a break. If it’s not the kids constantly needing something, it’s Rex with some silly request or argument. We have been fighting a lot lately, and that’s because he’s been having to stay home with the kids more. When I get home, I don’t want to do shit. Cook? Clean? Fuck? No. I want to shower, have a minute to my damn self and sleep. There’s no, ‘Baby, what can I do to ease your stress,’ but ‘So, I can’t get my dick sucked?’” I rolled my eyes, annoyed at last night’s fight.

“Been there,” Spring said. “I mean, minus the husband and kids, but I’ve been overworked and a nigga thought I was supposed to come up off my pussy just because he’d been waiting all day for me to finish work. Didn’t bother to ask how work was going or if I was even in the mood. If he has been my husband, I would have wanted to strangle his ass. You want me to talk to King, because I’ll let his ass have it.”

“Let it be,” I sighed, lying down on the floor and spreading my arms wide.

“There’s the Instacart order,” Wynter announced, standing to go back to the door. I should have known they wouldn’t show up empty-handed.

She grabbed the bags and went to the kitchen. It was sweet of her to be there, considering she had a new baby and was probably stressed herself. Typically, she stayed busy, and I hadn’t detected any hints of postpartum depression, so that was a plus. Seconds later, she came out of the kitchen with two wine glasses and handed one to both me and Spring before returning to the kitchen.

I looked at Spring, and she shrugged, nodding towards the kitchen, and I got up to follow. Treading into the kitchen, we sat at the table and watched as Wynter pulled things from the bag. It only took a brief moment to realize she was about to make her famous shepherd’s pie. My stomach immediately reminded me that I hadn’t eaten all day, and it was going on nine in the evening. So, we talked for a while as she cooked, finishing off the first bottle of wine before she was even done.

With food on the table and our glasses refilled, we said our grace, something neither of them particularly cared for but did out of respect for my religious beliefs. I was grateful for friends who accepted things that were dear to me. The first bite of pie was so good, I didn’t even talk until half of my plate was gone. I knew I was going for seconds, and they knew it too. I was petite and had the appetite of a high school football player.

“If you need some time away, Aut, we’ll make it happen,” Spring stated before taking another sip of wine.

“Real talk,” Wynter agreed.

“Let’s talk about making sure you get that seat,” I directed to her.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m gunning for it. And we’re not talking about work right now. Mental health and bullshit only.”

I thanked them for wanting to focus on me, but we were all true workaholics, no matter what was going on in the background. The conversation eventually got back to Bitel, and that was fine with me for the moment. These types of gatherings were always fun for me because the three of us worked together. Our other two friends were corporate baddies, but they worked for different companies and in different lanes.

K I N G

Watching the triplets run around the backyard, I kept checking my phone in hopes that my damn wife would return soon. They were stressing me out, and I needed some quiet time. I thought a day in the pool and a small bonfire would keep them entertained and burn off some energy, but it seemed endless. Chance and Princeton were boys, so it kind of made sense. Suku, on the other hand, was just as active.

She was like her mother, though. Autumn had grown up outdoors, and Suku loved to be outside too. It was one of the things that connected me to Autumn. I loved a good hike and fishing, but lately, it had been like those things were beyond us. My woman and I couldn’t connect. She was always busy with work or the kids, and there was no time for us. My wife hadn’t touched my dick in nearly a month. Thinking about it made me frustrated.

Just when I was about to tell the kids to wrap it up, my phone alerted me that someone was at the front door. I looked to see that it was Spring, and she was holding a pan. I got up and let her in but was not expecting her reaction as she shoved her little finger in my face. I towered over Spring, but she wasn’t shit to fuck with. Sure enough, she had some things to get off her chest.

“Before I rip you a new asshole, where are the babies?”

“Out back… What the hell did I—”

“She asked me not to say anything when I dropped off this food, but my friend is stressed the fuck out. Our job is demanding, and the last place she should feel unsupported is here. I get that you’re a man. All of us grown ass people have needs both physical and emotional. In our role, however, after dealing with the people we deal with, we need to be able to come home and relax. She’s not feeling like herself lately, and she needs some time away.”

“I don’t understand,” I replied.

“And that’s the problem, King. You need to live up to your name and act like a fucking king. Protect your wife and cater to her needs, too. She’s working her ass off and she shouldn’t have to come here and feel even more exhausted. I’m gonna tell you where she is, but yo’ ass better not show up there concerned about your own needs. You better go kiss the muthafuckin’ ground she walks on because she does her part around here, and it seems like you’re real ungrateful.”

“What the fuck, Spring? I’m not ungrateful. I also work. It’s not like I’m just sitting around here on my ass.”

“Okay, but your job can go where you go and be done when you decide to. Hers cannot. And again, this ain’t about you. Autumn isn’t feeling like herself. We have enough friends who have chronic mental illness, so we don’t need one developing with her. Help her get back to herself around here. I also know how men get when they feel ‘neglected’ at home, so I better not ever find out you’re cheating on her because I will gut your overgrown-ass.”

“Whoa, that ain’t even crossing my mind, Spring. Never cheated and never will, not on her.”

“Perfect. So, get some damn flowers, learn how to do a massage properly, and check your attitude before you go check on me friend. She’s at the cabin. The kids will come with me for the weekend, and you can get them back on Monday. I’m off, and Wynter will be working on getting Autumn some time off. We’ll help out. I can’t handle too many mentally ill people on top of my own shit, so please. Don’t fuck this up.”

***

Sitting outside the cabin, I thought over in my head the many things I wanted to say, but Spring was right. I couldn’t make this about me. I grabbed the bag of food, flowers, and damn massage oil and headed up to the door. Before I could knock, she swung it open. She was in a swimsuit, her short hair was curly upon her head, and she looked sun-kissed. Everything about her was beautiful, and I was grateful to have been able to marry someone so beautiful inside and out.

“I haven’t seen you look like this in a long time. I get it now,” I stated, looking her up and down. I had to remind myself that this wasn’t about my needs. It was all about her and helping her get back to herself, like Spring said.

“Get it?”

“Let me take care of you,” I responded, leaning down to kiss her lips before backing her into the cabin. I closed the door behind us and headed for the kitchen.

We ate in silence at my request, just to enjoy each other’s company and nothing more. Once we finished eating, I ran her a bath and gave her space to soak and relax with a glass of wine. I cleaned up around the cabin and checked in on her about forty minutes later to find that she’d dozed off. It took a couple of minutes for me to help her out and get her to the bed. She fell back, naked and looking delectable. I was craving to be inside her, but this wasn’t about me.

Giving her head would be about her, though, right?

“Your dick is growing in your pants,” she lazily said.

“Red-blooded man whose wife is butt-ass naked in front of him. It’s bound to happen, but don’t worry. I’m just gonna give you a massage so you can get some rest.”

“I’ll take the massage inside,” she replied as a slow grin crept upon her face. “I miss you, too, King. And of course, I wanna make love with you. I’ve just been really—”

“You don’t have to explain, baby. I get it, and I got you. Let me just take care of you tonight. We got all weekend.” I got down on my knees between her legs. “I’ma make you cum, and then I’m gonna rub you down with this expensive-ass oil. Cool?”

“Cool, babe.” She smiled, her lids heavy, so I knew that making her cum would make her pass out and rubbing her down would end up being for my own wants and needs to just feel her skin beneath my hands.

I had to get this shit right because we had a lifetime to go and that meant I wasn’t tryna let her ass go anywhere. Some shit you just can’t ever have again, and I’d be damned if I let some stress take my wife away from me.