Sighing deeply, I nodded my head. “I’ll go because I’m hungry. I can’t promise Ima talk to them, but I’ll go.”
He pulled away from me with a big ass grin on his face, taking my hand into his and leading me out of my office. After telling Winter I’d be back in an hour, we got in his Rolls and headed to Fish n Slips. I knew X probably picked that place since it was on the water, and he thought that would keep me calm. Water was calming, however, with the way I was feeling, his mother or sister could very well end up at the bottom of the damn ocean. Hand in hand, we walked into the restaurant and were led to the table where his mom and Vani were already seated.
“Drek, you came!” Vani’s face lit up with genuine happiness.
“Yeah, I’m hungry,” I replied dryly, taking a seat after Xy pulled my chair out. I cut my eyes at his mother. “You look so much healthier now.”
Vani broke out laughing. “Damn, Drek! You cool with Xy, so why we still getting the cold shoulder?”
“Because…” tears, real fuckin’ tears, began bubbling in my eyes, which was weird as hell. “I didn’t expect you two to ever lie to me to cover for his cheating ass!”
His mother sympathetically gazed at me. “We never would under normal circumstances, Rahdreka, you know that. When have we ever condoned his shitty behavior?”
Her question gave me pause because when I thought about it, she had a good point. They got on his ass worse than me about everything he did to me. Leaning my head back to prevent the tears from falling, Xy passed me a napkin and I dabbed at my eyes.
“Right!” Vani chimed in, punching Xy in the arm. “We don’t support this nigga’s bad habits. And I told Mommy not to go along with his lie!”
“Again, normal circumstances, that wouldn’t have occurred. That time, he truly wasn’t cheating. He was in a predicament that he thought would make you leave him again, so he lied, and that’s the only wrongdoing that was committed. It was the only reason I covered for him, but he absolutely should’ve told you from the beginning.”
X squeezed my hand after I pulled myself together. “See, Angel? I told you that I don’t want to hurt you no more, and I meant that. I swear I’ll never lie to you again, either, even if I think I’m doing it for the right reasons,” he leaned over and pecked my lips. “I love you, and I’m sorry.”
His mom reached across the table and grabbed my other hand. “I’m sorry too, Drek. You know I love you like I love my kids, so I don’t like seeing you hurt or upset either. I was the first one telling you to leave his ass when he was doing all that running around, so you have to know I always have your back like I got theirs.”
Sniffling, I nodded but couldn’t get any words out. Why the fuck was I so emotional suddenly? That wasn’t me by far,and then it hit me that my period was about to start. I wasn’t emotional until that red devil was on the pullup, then I could cry if I had to wait in line at Chick-Fil-A for too long.
“I’m so glad us making up got you crying like a baby,” Vani giggled, coming over to me and hugging me tight. “I love you, sister, so much,” she kissed my cheek.
“I love you, too.”
“Why are you crying, Angel?” X grabbed another napkin and helped me carefully wipe around my make-up.
I shrugged, my eyes shifting towards the ceiling. “Maybe I’m just happy.”
“Your period about to start, my big baby?” He knowingly chuckled, and I nodded, making him laugh a little deeper. “Yeah, I already know the schedule. That’s why I went and got you the tampons and pads you like after you left the house this morning.”
My eyebrows snapped together as I looked at him with a deep pout. “Thank you, baby.”
“Anything for you, you know that. Now, stop crying and look at the menu so you can figure out what you wanna eat.”
“I looked at the menu on the way here, I already know what I want,” I told him, making everyone laugh.
“One thing ‘bout Drek, she gon’ check a damn menu before going somewhere,” Vani shook her head with a smile.
“And is!” I giggled, glad that I didn’t have to spend my entire lunch sitting at the table with anger in my chest. That would’ve ruined my damn appetite.
“Drek, let me talk to you for a minute,” Jewel requested as we all walked out of the restaurant an hour and a half later. “Y’all nosey asses go ‘head,” she waved her kids away from us.
I laughed at the look on Xy’s face. That nigga didn’t like for nobody to have too much of my time, family or not.
“Is everything okay?” I asked her, allowing her to loop her arm in mine.
“Yes, it’s great, actually. You know I’d be so honored to have you as part of our family for real, right?”
“Um, yes, I know,” I shivered as a December chill passed through my bones.
She tapped my arm lightly. “Good. Xyleek is very serious about getting married to you, Drek. I know you guys have had your fair share of ups and downs, and that’s to be expected for as long as the two of you have been together. However, whenever he pops the question, I want you to be 100% sure in your heart that he’s who you want to be married to for the rest of your life. You are the only woman that boy has ever wanted to make his wife. I remember when he was 14, 15, 16 years old, running around the house talkin’ ‘bout, ‘Ma, Drek gon’ be my wife, Ima take care of her, we gon’ have a big house and ten kids’,” she chuckled at the memory as we slow strolled to the parking lot. “He was so sure that I never questioned it. I know he’s made his mistakes, but he’s never been anything besides madly in love with his angel, and I know the same is true for you. Just…be extra sure that, when he asks for your hand, that’s what you want to do.”
When we stopped walking, I curiously peered at her. “Are you telling me that because youdon’twant me to get married to him?”
