“Not to take away from what you had with Nicki, but that was puppy love, Son. This is the real deal,” Pops said.
“It’s only been a couple months. Isn’t that?—”
“When you find the person that was made for you, it might only take two days,” Ma assured me.
Two days after I met Khiya, I had to leave her in the hotel room in Denver, and I didn’t see her in person again for weeks. I missed her with everything in me when we are apart, and I’d never experienced that kind of longing for another woman.
“You haven’t taken your eyes off her since you sat down. When she talks, it looks like you’re hanging onto every word she says. I was the same way with your sister. You’re in love, man,” Maison declared.
“I think I am.”
“Sylas says you’re having a boy,”I said as we weaved through the restaurant on our way to the bathroom.
“Yes. This is the first grandbaby on both sides, so everyone is beyond excited.”
“Aww, that’s so beautiful. He’s gonna be well-loved and spoiled.”
“I’ve already come to terms with him being everybody’s baby. I just hope I get to spend time with him.”
She laughed, but I had a feeling she was serious.
“My niece or nephew will be the first grandbaby on our side, but my brother’s wife, Yandy, has a nephew who’s almost sixteen. I’m sure their baby will be just as spoiled as yours.”
We entered the bathroom, took care of our business, and met at the sink. As we washed our hands, one of the servers entered just as Taylor said something that caused the server to stop in her tracks.
“Sylas really likes you because it’s been over a decade since he introduced us to someone he was dating.”
“Excuse me. Did you say Sylas?”
Taylor and I looked at the woman in the mirror, our expressions of confusion matching.
“I did,” Taylor responded cautiously.
“It wouldn’t happen to be Sylas McCoy, would it?” the woman pressed.
“Who wants to know?” I asked, putting my body slightly between her and Taylor just in case she decided to do something crazy.
“Tuh. You must be her.”
The woman, who I now assumed was Livvy, looked me up and down with disgust written all over her face.
“If the ‘her’ you’re referring to is Sylas McCoy’s woman, that’s me. And you are?”
I heard Taylor stifle a laugh while I waited for Livvy to respond.
“Sylas has commitment issues, so don’t get too comfortable.”
“Oh, I’m real comfortable, especially when I sit on his face. You enjoy the rest of your shift.”
Taylor burst out laughing before we left the bathroom, and was cracking up, holding her stomach by the time we made it back to the table.
“Are you okay? Why are you holding your stomach?” Maison asked as he stood, his arms extended toward his wife.
“I’m fine, baby, but wait until we tell y’all what just happened in the bathroom,” Taylor said between bursts of laughter.
Sylas and Maison helped us back into our seats and returned to theirs. Taylor used the cloth napkin to dab her eyes as she tried to gather herself. I could feel Sylas staring at the side of my head as he waited for one of us to tell them what happened.
“Is everything okay?” Ms. Rita asked.
