“You’re welcome,” she said with a teasing tone that had me glancing down at her again.
“I’m not even going to pretend like I don’t owe you, so thank you.”
“You won’t because you know better,” she said smugly. “So am I to assume that you’re staying?”
“Yeah I’m staying.”
“For my Reecee Cup?”
“Yes, for her,” I confirmed.
“I love that girl. A lot of us helped raise her. She’s ours and we’re very protective of her.”
“I’m not gonna hurt Reece.”
She nodded. “I’m going to give you something. I feel like it’s supposed to be for you. I don’t know that for sure, but I’m typically right about these things.” Her brows pinched and she glanced at Reece who was talking animatedly to the woman working the Cocoa Express truck.
When I had my eyes on Melvina again, she removed a folded envelope from her pocket.
“Lenard had things in place for Reece. He was all she had and wanted to make sure she was good. He was always worried that he wouldn’t be around for certain things, and I brushed it off, but he still made plans for her just in case. When he died, his estate attorney brought this to me. Said Lenard left it and Iwould know what to do when the time came. I’m giving it to you because I believe you’re the one who’s supposed to have it.”
She extended the envelope and I frowned, not having a damn clue what the hell I was about to see or if I wanted to see it. As soon as my eyes were on the paper, I understood.
If you’re reading this, you want to marry my Reece and I’m not here to have this conversation with you in person. This is all you get but please understand that though I may not be there to make sure you stay good on things with my baby girl there are people who will.
I raised Reece, so she’s everything that I am. If you know her, you know me. If you respect her, you respect me. If you respect me, then as a man, you’ll promise to take care of my Reece. That’s all I got for you, but that’s enough!
Lenard
A letter from her father.
That shit fucked me up. Not because I couldn’t handle what he was demanding of me, but because Icouldand planned to be the man who deserved the beautiful woman he’d raised. Then there was the fact that someone who really cared about Reece trusted me to do so in his absence.
“That’s important.” Melvina pointed to the letter and studied my face as I nodded.
“I know and I got her.”
She smiled. “Good because I’d hate to think you were accusing me of being wrong. That might not go so well for you.”
I chuckled, placed the letter back into the envelope, and shoved it into my pocket. “Nah, I know better than that.”
“See, I definitely know how to pick ’em.”
“She know about this?” I asked.
“No, and it’s up to you whether you want to tell her or not. If you do, save it for another day. She’s happy, let her stay happy.”
I understood and decided she was right. Melvina walked away, likely going to harass some other unsuspecting person because that’s who she was, loving but intrusive. I headed across the street and moved behind Reece, easing my arm around her waist just in time to pay for our drinks. I pulled her into my chest at the same time I dug my wallet out and handed my card to the woman working the truck. I dropped a kiss upon Reece’s cheek when she threw her head back and frowned at me.
“I was going to pay.”
“And now you don’t have to.”
Instead of giving me shit, she lifted both cups and waited for me to put my wallet back into my pocket before she handed me one.
“Do I need to be carded before I drink this?” I asked, thinking about that death mix she’d made me out at the house.
She grinned. “Probably but you get a pass since I ordered and they know me. Also, I’m sure that’s about two hundred degrees kinda hot, so don’t try to drink it just yet. Now we have one more stop. We have to get a gingerbread cookie from the Twirl & Crumb booth. If you love Melvina’s cake. You’re going to love her cookies.”
