“Ava, no?—”
“She’s cool,” Kiyan stopped me, “I ordered these just for her.”
He opened the container for the cookies then leaned up to hand her one. She was reluctant at first but eventually accepted it.
“What do you say, Ava?”
“Thank you,” she mumbled lowly.
“You’re welcome, pretty girl,” Kiyan said and Ava’s little face lit up.
It warmed my heart too because she never heard how pretty she was from anyone other than me, not even her father. She was getting older and understanding more and more that she was different from other children, but I reminded her all the time that different didn’t equate to less than, or any less beautiful than anyone else.
“Aight, you ready to get started, pretty lady?” Kiyan asked, sliding toward the pile of gifts.
My eyes found his momentarily and my brows dipped. I hadn’t even realized how long it’s been since I actually heard those words when someone was referring to me. They were almost foreign. It was horrible to think about considering that I’d been married the last ten years, but it was the truth. Aldrick wasn’t that kind of man. He thought that those kinds of things were a given since we were married, and I didn’t have it in me to try to convince him why it was still nice to hear from my man sometimes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No,” I quickly answered. “It’s just…” I paused and released a heavy sigh. “It’s just been a while since I’ve been told that I was pretty and probably even longer since I felt it.”
“As messed up as it sounds, I wouldn’t expect a man that could toss his family out in the cold like it’s nothing to see the beauty in anything, but I see it. I see it in the way that you are with your daughter. With the way you still manage to smile even when things aren’t going in your favor. And since it’s been a while since you’ve heard it, I’ll say it again—you’re beautiful, Leila. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. On my mama.”
The way he was staring into my eyes as he spoke with nothing but conviction in his tone had me blushing and hoping that I didn’t look like a fool while doing it. No man had ever spoken to me likethat. Especially not the man I vowed to spend my life with.
I was in dire need of doing something other than wishing I could go back in time and meet the man sitting in front of me ten years ago, so I grabbed a roll of the wrapping paper and said, “We should probably get started.”
Chapter Six
“Idon’t see how a man as degreed as you are, doesn’t know how to wrap presents,” Leila said as she ripped off a piece of tape to seal the wrapping paper she was holding with her index finger.
“It’s not as easy as you’re making it look.” I chuckled, taking the gift from her lap then getting up to go put it where my tree would go once I got one.
Baby girl had gotten under one of the throw blankets on my couch and passed out on us, so I turned the T.V. down and got us a bottle of wine since she told me that she drank from time to time. We were vibing and talking so I thought that the timing called for it.
“It really is,” she giggled, taking a sip from her cup. “It’s just measuring.”
“You’ve got it mastered, so our little system works.”
“No, I need to teach you so that you can do this when I’m not here.”
I had no right, but I felt a way hearing the wordswhen I’m not herecoming from her. She’d only been in my life and presence for two days, but I didn’t want to think about her leaving. It could have been because of the way I found them anddidn’t want to imagine them ever going back to that situation, or it could have been the wine I was drinking. Either way, it gave me an aching feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Aight, hand me a new roll though because I know I’ll need the whole thing.”
“For this small box?” she grabbed the Louis Vuitton box that had house shoes my mother wanted inside. “Come on, I’m going to walk you through it step-by-step.”
I slid over so that she could give me a hands-on demonstration. My wrapping wasn’t as flawless as hers when I was finished, but I’d done alright.
“See, that was easy, right?” she beamed.
“It was straight,” I chuckled. “I’d still rather pay someone.”
“Oh, please.” She giggled, grabbing a pen to write ‘mom’ on the sticker then moving on to the next gift. “Are any of these for a special lady?” she asked teasingly causing me to chuckle.
Women were funny. Instead of just asking outright if I was in a relationship, she found another way.
“Naw. Right now, the only special ladies in my life are the ones I’m related to.”
