I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Whatever, big head. Bye.”
I left them in the kitchen as I made my way out of Tampa’s house. Miles was already in the driver’s seat, waiting, so I hopped in, and we were off. We’d gone to family dinner at Free’s father, Mario’s, house a few times, so Miles knew where it was. My heart raced the entire drive over there. I knew he didn’t necessarily dislike me or anything like that, but it didn’t mean he would automatically sayyesto me marrying his daughter.
Not to mention, I was going to call Ms. Rochelle too. We hadn’t officially met, but she was equally, if not more, important to ask than Free’s father. Free’s parents may not have been on the best of terms with each other, but when it came to their daughter, they didn’t fuck around. I respected that because I wasn’t playing about her either.
The drive wasn’t long at all, and before I knew it, Miles was pulling up out front. “I shouldn’t be too long,” I told him before hopping out.
I made the short walk to the front door and rang the doorbell. Mr. Mario came to the door rather quickly. He smiled when he saw me. “Ketai, what brings you by here? Is my baby with you?”
I shook my head with a smile of my own. “No, I left her over at Tampa’s. I’m working on her fence today, and she sent me to get the chicken wire.”
He nodded as he took a step back. “Oh, right. Let me grab that for you.”
I cleared my throat, figuring there was no point in dragging this out. I was a little anxious and ready to get on the other side of my nerves. “Actually, before you grab that, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
He eyed me suspiciously but nodded and pointed toward his living room. We went to take seats with him sitting in his recliner and me on the love seat. I pulled out my phone and held up a finger. “Hold on, I have to make a call first.”
It was evening time over there in Efate, so I knew Ms. Rochelle would be available. She answered after a few rings. I sighed in relief. “Hey, Ms. Rochelle, it’s Ketai.” I could feel Mario watching me, but he remained silent.
“Hey, son. Is everything okay?” she asked, instantly going into Mom mode.
I chuckled. “Yes, everything is great. Hold on. I’m about to put you on speaker.” I clicked the button so they could both hear me at the same time. “Mr. Mario is here too because I wanted to ask the both of you this question, knowing how much Free means to y’all.” My palms were a sweaty mess, but I did my best to keep it together. “I truly love Free and want to spend my life with her, so I wanted to ask for her hand in marriage.”
Ms. Rochelle gasped before she shrieked excitedly. I glanced up at Mr. Mario to see surprise all over his features. “Are you sure? You don’t think it’s too fast or too soon? You two have only been dating for a few months.”
I nodded. “Yes, it’s only been a few months, but I don’t need a few more to know what I want. Free came into my life when I least expected it and has done nothing but make it better in every way. I hate being away from her, but I look forward to coming home to her. It’s actually my favorite part of the day. I go out of my way to keep her happy and see that smile on her face. I’m not a man of a lot of words, but I can always show you where I stand. When it comes to Free, the only place I want to stand is beside her.”
“Aww, I know we haven’t officially met, but I believe you have my daughter’s best interest in mind. She’s been telling me you don’t play about her, and I guess that’s true for you to be ready for this. Did she tell you about her dream proposal? If you’re going to do it, you have to go all out.”
I chuckled. “I mean, I know it has to be at sunset, but I am willing to do whatever to make her dreams come true. If she knows what she wants, then that’s what she deserves.”
I glanced up at Mario because he still hadn’t said much. I found him nodding slowly. “One thing I will never do is stop my daughter’s happiness, and I have seen the two of you together enough times to believe you will do right by her, so you have my blessing,” he finally said.
Ms. Rochele hummed. “I didn’t say it, but yes, you have my blessing too. Thank you for including me. My baby has met a lot of men who weren’t ready for all the love she has to offer. I am so thankful she’s finally found her match.”
“It was mandatory that I ask you. Both of you.”
I felt so much better now that I had her parents’ blessings to move forward. Ms. Rochelle agreed to help me plan everything out the next time we spoke. I told her I needed to get things moving fast for a Valentine’s proposal, and she got even more excited. By the time I left with the chicken wire, I felt like a weight lifted from my shoulders. I was about to ask the woman Iloved to spend the rest of her life with me. Everything was good in my world and on track to get even better.
“Mommy!” I screamed, racing toward her. You would think at my big age, I could tamper my emotions while in public, but I pushed people out of my way to get to my girl.
She had her arms wide open, and I crashed into them. Three months was too long without her hugs. Tears of joy came to my eyes when she placed a kiss on my forehead.
Stepping back, my mother palmed my face and smiled. “I missed you too, my girl.” She squealed, then hugged me again.
We heard shuffling behind us and turned to find Ketai struggling to carry all of our luggage. My mama and I laughed at the same time, but mine was stifled by my hand covering mymouth. He was the sweetest. Seeing him standing there had my heart full but weightless.
“Well, if it isn’t the infamous Ketai. It’s nice to officially meet you, young man.”
“Nice to officially meet you too, ma’am,” he replied coyly. There was a genuine smile on his face that lit up his handsome features. I almost barked as my raging hormones nearly took over my sanity. I didn’t know how it was possible for someone to get finer every day that passed.
“I would give you a hug, but I see you’re a bit preoccupied.”
He nodded before glancing down at the luggage. “Yeah, if I didn’t know any better, I would think your daughter wasn’t planning on going back to the States or something.”
I couldn’t help but giggle as I strutted over to him. “Don’t worry. I’m going wherever you go, so if you’re going back to the States, then I am too.”
His shoulders relaxed, and he leaned down for a kiss. I never got tired of his kisses, so if it weren’t for my mama clearing her throat, I would’ve gotten lost in it. When we separated, she locked her arm with mine and yanked me forward.
