“The night it happened, after things had settled down a bit, he asked if I could marry his mother and be his dad.”
“Oh, shit,” DJ blurted out.
“How did you respond to that?” my father asked.
“Hell, I told him I planned on marrying his mama anyway, so I’d love to be his dad.”
That wasn’t exactly what I said, but it was certainly what I’d been thinking.
“You might want to officially lock her down before you go making promises like that to her son,” DJ warned.
“Slowly, but surely, she’s coming around. I want to take her on a weekend getaway, but I’m not sure how she’d feel about leaving Keelan, especially after what happened.”
“It doesn’t hurt to ask. It may be just what she needs,” DJ said.
“Dinner is ready! Come wash up!” my mother shouted from the patio doors.
About ten minutes later, we were seated around a table in the enclosed patio, eating what may as well had been Thanksgiving dinner. Conversation flowed nicely, and laughter echoed through the yard. It was good to see Naryah enjoying herself because her mood had been understandably down.
When dinner was over, Trey and Keelan went to the room Trey had at my parents’ house to play video games. The adults met on the deck, and while the ladies enjoyed a wine, the men drank something stronger.
Naryah and I were seated on one side of the couch, while my brother and Kindra were on the other. My arm was over her shoulders, and she was comfortably tucked into my side.
“Naryah, thank you for joining us for dinner. It’s been great getting to know more about you and Keelan,” Ma said.
“Thank you for inviting us. Everything was delicious.”
“You can have food like this every Sunday if you stop playing in my brother-in-law’s face,” Kindra teased.
“Hold on, baby. You know Mama don’t cook like this every Sunday,” DJ said.
“I sure don’t. Please don’t lie to her like that,” Ma agreed.
“There’s nothing wrong with a little false advertisement to seal the deal. Good looking out, Sis.” I lifted my hand to give Kindra a high-five.
“I got your back, Bro.”
We shared a good laugh before my father took over the conversation.
“I hate to bring the mood down, but we need to talk business before you all have to leave. As you know, Naryah, Graham shared with us what happened with your ex, hoping we could help. As luck would have it, the judge who presided over your divorce and custody agreement is a good friend of mine.”
She sat up and leaned forward. “Really?”
“Yes. We go way back. I reached out to him, and for some reason, he remembers your case well. I told him about the incident, and he said to tell your attorney to request an emergency hearing tomorrow morning, and he’ll hear your case on Tuesday. Be sure to bring any damning evidence you have.”
She stood and rushed over to where my parents were seated in a love seat. He stood as well, and they embraced.
“Thank you so much, Papa Diggs. I can’t thank you enough.”
“You’re welcome. From what Graham has shared, your ex is a piece of work. Judge Carson will do what needs to be done, and everything will work in your favor.”
That news shifted Naryah’s mood for the better. For the rest of our visit with my parents, she was more animated than she had been in the past thirty-six hours. As we prepared to leave, my father pulled me aside.
“You look like a man in love,” he said.
“I’ve never been in love, Pops, so I don’t know if that’s what I’m feeling.”
“I’ve watched you with her all night. You could hardly stand to be too far away from her, and when you were, you couldn’t take your eyes off her. Your concern for her and Keelan’s well-being speaks volumes, and I’m proud of how you’ve shown up for them.”
