Dominique and Dana sent me photos of Promise eating an ice cream sundae with an ice cream mustache. They also sent videos of her practicing the alphabet and counting. I did not doubt that Dana would be an excellent teacher one day because of how gentle and patient she was. Promise came home every other day with new skills, and she was excited about learning. My plan was to enroll her in preschool once she turned three, and with the work Dana and I were putting in, I was confident she would be ready.
Once they confirmed Dreaux would be dropping her off, I went to my room and got comfortable until it was time to call my girls. My day might have ended on a crazy note, but there was nothing that could fuck up my mood.
peace graham
. . .
a few weeks later
“Ya’ll mothafuckasbetter put some respect on my name. I’m the grill master in this family and can’t nobody see me on this grill,” Messiah boasted. I laughed because he meant everything he said.
“Let ‘em know, cousin! We don’t just slang dick, we know how to throw down in the kitchen too,” Loyal shouted. The two of them together were pure comedy without even trying. I thought it would be awkward to be around the family, but they made me feel welcome.
“Here, boo.” Janae handed me a pretty drink with a cute little umbrella and a pineapple ring around the glass.
“What’s in this?” I questioned
“Tequila and a bunch of other shit. It’s good, so drink it. I need all my girls drunk and ready to bounce some ass tonight.”
“Well, I’m down for that. As long as I don’t end up passed out in some bushes.”
“You have nothing to worry about. There is plenty of space for everyone to sleep off their liquor. Plus, these men won’tlet anything bad happen on their watch. Justice isn’t drinking tonight because he knows I planned to get drunk. Between my work schedule and trying to show up to all of Cartier and Cayden’s games, I’ve been exhausted,” Ciyani explained, taking a seat next to me with her drink.
“Those are your brothers, right?” I recalled Dreaux mentioning that she and Justice weren’t parents yet but were raising her two brothers.
“Yes. Those are my babies. They stress me out to the max, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.” She beamed with pride as she spoke about them.
A part of me was envious of her and everyone else because they were able to grow up with their siblings. I used to beg my momma for a brother or a sister, but she told me I would be her one and only. It was an adjustment to learn I had five brothers and sisters, since we were essentially strangers.
“Here. Take a bite.” Dreaux stood in front of me with what appeared to be a bratwurst in a bun.
“Come on, woman. You’re acting like you’re scared or something. You’ve put bigger shit in your mouth than this. Now open up,” he asserted. I laughed so hard I snorted, not expecting him to be so brass.
“Damn, bro. I feel like I need to let y’all have a private moment.” Ciyani snickered as Janae raised her glass and danced. I obliged his request, taking a bite of the sausage. The moment I bit into it, an array of flavors burst into my mouth. I moaned as I chewed the delicious piece of meat.
“Does it have cheese in it? It tastes amazing,” I praised.
“Yeah, it’s stuffed with cheddar, pepper jack, and jalapenos. I wasn’t sure how you would feel about it, but I have a homie who sells these in his butcher shop. I put some on the grill for Messiah to cook, and these mothafuckas are good as hell. I already ate one before I came over here.”
“Yeah, you need to get some for the house. Those are delicious.”
“Here. You can have the rest. I don’t want you getting too fucked up tonight because I’m tryna put something else in yo’ stomach.” Dreaux flirted. I covered my mouth to hide the foolish grin on my face.
“Look at her. You’re got her cheesin’ and shit. Y’all are nasty,” Janae teased.
“She already knows what time it is. I’ve been drinking dark liquor all day. She might want to take a nap because I won’t be taking any breaks tonight.” Dreaux winked at me, then leaned down to kiss me. His tongue forced its way into my mouth, and I couldn’t contain the moan that slipped out of me.
Everything about this man was addicting. I already assumed a man like him would be against PDA, but Dreaux surprised me. It never mattered where we were, he would randomly kiss me or grab my hand. We weren’t in an official relationship, but you could hardly tell the difference. Dreaux loved physical touch and affection, and he made sure to shower me with it every day. His touch felt so safe, and I needed that more than I even realized. We hadn’t sex yet, but the intimacy made up for it.
The rest of the night, we had a great time. Promise was with her newfound cousins, and I was so grateful for the way everyone loved and accepted my daughter into the family. They included us in their events, and it made me feel welcome.
“Aye, can I talk to you for a moment?” Messiah asked. I moved over so Dreaux could go talk to him, but they both glanced at me as if I had done something wrong.
“I was talking to you, not him.” Messiah chuckled. Embarrassment settled in, and I got up from my chair. Dreaux kissed my hand and gave me extra reassurance. I hadn’t spoken to any of my siblings since the Sunday dinner fiasco, eventhough he had been encouraging me to reach out. I felt like an outsider, and I wasn’t sure how to approach them.
“Bring your scary ass on. I have never seen a woman walk so slowly in my life. I promise, I’m not about to hurt you or anything. For one, I don’t hit women, and your nigga is too buff for me to even play around with you.” I laughed, pushing Messiah on his arm.
“Hey, don’t talk about Dreaux like that. I loved his muscles.”
