“Beau, you have to understand why we’re not jumping for joy about all of this right now.”
“Yes, Sir,” he stands before he continues. “Your daughter seems to have jumped into another relationship with another wealthy, white man and there’s no guarantee that I’m not any better than the other crazy man who’s still having you followed…”
My dad nods at Beau’s spot-on assessment. “True,” he agrees.
“I know you don’t know me, and my word won’t mean anything to you right now, but it will eventually. I’m nothing like him and neither are my parents. I’ll treat your daughter with nothing but love and respect.”
“He’s the one who saved me before the hurricane. When I surfaced on the beach, he gave me shelter.”
My mom tears up again from the memory. Our lives have been hell since I started with Wes, and he’s still bothering us. I know it must have been a terrible feeling to have their child in such a dangerous situation and be powerless to change it. I’m only pregnant, and thinking of a future like that for my child, breaks my heart.
“You two can live with us if you want to be sure I’m not mistreating your daughter. I have nothing to hide.” My mom and I both raise an eyebrow at Beau’s suggestion.
That’s a new one.
My mom rises, her eyes are a slightly paler version of mine but hazel as well. She grabs Beau’s cheeks and brings him eye to eye with her. She looks at him as if she’s trying to read his soul.
“He’s not like the other boy, Jerrod.”
My dad plants his hands on his hips and looks at the three of us as if we’re crazy, then releases a deep sigh.
“I suppose I want my daughter to marry the man who knocked her up…” He smiles at me when I whine his name. “But I must warn you, I’ll kill you if you act anything like the other one. He was slick and locked her down before we could realize what he was doing…”
“I’d never do that, and if it helps, I’ve never liked him—not even in school. Added bonus, we’ve arranged for you to have dinner with my parents. I’m sure you’ll find we’re nothing like the Chesterfields.”
Relaxing, my dad folds his six feet and three inches back in the chair and squeezes my mom’s hand.
“Take a good look at her, Jerrod,” my mother implores. My dad does as he’s told. I try not to fidget as both of them stare at me. “Do you remember how she looked right before Wes, dragged her off to marry him.”
My dad picks up the cup of whiskey Beau poured him and chugs the shot. “Yeah. Yeah. She’s in love this time.” He moves his stern gaze back to Beau. “I’ll allow it. Thank you for arranging for us to witness it. Do something with your high school buddy before I go to jail. These two are the only things keeping me from killing him.” He glances at my belly. “Okay, three things.
I jump up and slide into my dad’s lap like I used to as a child and squeeze him. The tears return when he hugs me back. I missed his hugs.
“Don’t mind the hormones.” I laugh as I wipe my face. “Guess what?” I challenge him, and he smiles and tilts his head silently asking me to continue. “It’s a boy.”
My dad’s hazelnut face breaks into a huge smile; he would have loved a granddaughter as well, but Beau may have just got on his good side faster by giving him a grandson.
* * *
“You did good, Celeste! You went out and scored that good-hearted-lawyer dick,” Latoya congratulates me.
I almost choke on my juice from laughing while being happy that our parents are having dinner with Ernest and Trudy. Trudy may be the only one who would not have flinched since she was a doctor. Once I contain my giggles, seeing Heaven and Keri shaking their heads like Latoya is that unruly friend that always embarrasses them sends me into another round until I’m waddling to my bathroom. We’d split up. The guys are in Axel and Heaven’s room, and the girls came to ours.
They’re waiting for me to return, so we can eat. We ordered a fried seafood and chicken platter, but the baby decided he wanted a burger.
They’re silent as they watch me add a piece of a fried fish fillet and a few pieces of shrimp to the burger, then open my mouth wide to take a huge bite as if food is sex.
“Damn, girl. Now I know why Beau is marrying you!”
I chuckle around bites, but I’m starving, so I keep eating.
“What Latoya means is that we met Beau when he came to Houston. He’s such a sweet man, and we’re happy he’s met someone who makes him happy,” Keri supplies around a delicate bite of her fish.
I love her conservative jeans and button-up red shirt combo. The red makes her chocolate complexion pop, and her big set of curls make her look too damn adorable to be a grown woman. Latoya is all fire with her equally red hair, little shorts, and a navy polka-dot, crop top. These three women have an excellent dynamic with all three personalities being different, yet they love each other for who they are.
“So, your bodyguard is three shades of delicious,” Latoya adds to bring the conversation back around. “What’s his story?”
“He’s single. Brett is a transplant from Los Angeles, who wanted a simpler life as a police officer. From the moment we met, he’s kinda been turned into my personal security, although that wasn’t any of our intentions. I was living with Ernest, but he put me under Brett’s watchful eye when I moved in with Beau.”
