Jamari frowned with a shake of his head. "Hell nah. I'd rather have your fruit drinks."
I chuckled. "That makes me feel good."
"As you should. By the way, how's the drink mixing going?"
I happily beamed and talked about my drinks. "It's going well. I need you again to help taste test them. I've sold five ofthem, so far," I answered, picking up the menu and browsing through it.
"Oh, word. That's wassup. I'm proud of you. More orders will come in due time. Believe that."
I gave Jamari a bright smile. "Oh, trust me, I know."
We took a minute to look over our menus in silence. I already knew what I wanted to eat. While I waited for Jamari to continue looking over his menu, I sipped my white wine. It was so good and sweet, not too sweet or bitter, but just right. After a while, Jamari set his menu down and pulled out his cellphone.
"Excuse me, I need to send a text to my sister to check on them," he mentioned.
I waved him off. "No, go ahead."
While he was doing that, I glanced around the restaurant. It had gotten packed since we sat down, so I was glad we got here when we did.
He slipped his phone back into his pocket after a few minutes. "Rylie says hi."
I smiled. "Aww! When you talk to her again, tell her I said hi back. She's such a sweet girl."
I loved Rylie and how well-behaved she was. Zach was a good kid, too. When I was at Jamari's house, I never wanted to leave them.
"You're the first person I've brought around who actually bonds with them. I appreciate you for that. The other women I brought around never took the time to get to know them." Jamari's voice was filled with hurt.
I frowned, wondering if that was why he always tried to brush me off. He thought I'd be like the other women.
"Is that why you always tried to brush me off or ghost me? You thought I'd do like the other women you had in your life."
He dropped his head. "It happens every time. No matter how long a relationship lasts. The women I'm with always say theycan't handle being with a man who's already raising kids. My last relationship was the worst. My siblings heard the woman and me arguing about them. It was horrible. Rylie thought I'd be giving them away. She thought I'd be taking the woman's side and no longer want them. She hadn't talked to me for a week. That was a very rough time for us. I vowed then that I'd never let a woman come between my siblings and me. That happened almost two years ago now."
I shook my head angrily. "That was wrong of them to do. I'd never ask you to choose me over your siblings. I know what it's like to have a parent choose someone else over them. To know that you fear me makes me sad."
I knew it had to be a reason Jamari was being standoffish with me. To know that women wanted him to choose them over his siblings when they didn't have anyone else was very low. I'd never want any man to do that. That was selfish of them. I'd be the one to heal all of them. I had to. Jamari meant so much to me.
Jamari reached for my hand and entwined it with his. "There's no need for you to be sad, baby. I know you're not like the women I had in my life. At first, I thought you were, but since I've brought you around my siblings, you've been nothing but nice to them. The other women didn't bond with them the way you have. That's something I'm grateful for. You take the time to get to know them. Rylie talks about you all the time, and Zach misses your food when you're not around."
I gave him a small smile. "I love both of them. Whenever I'm around, they make me feel like I belong. I was afraid they wouldn't like me, but I'm glad everything is working itself out. Jamari, whether you believe me or not, I'm here to stay. I'm not here to hurt you but to bring happiness to your life. I hope you believe me when I say that."
He nodded. "I do believe you. That's why I'm willing to give this my all if you are. There will be days when I'll be standoffish or want to be alone. Are you willing to give me that?"
I scrunched my face up. "No. That means you're shutting me out. I won't allow that to happen. If we're in a relationship, we work as a team. If you need space, I'll give that, but you won't push me away."
I loved that we were talking this out. Jamari knew what I wanted in this relationship. If we worked as one, we'd be able to make this work.
The server arrived, and we placed our dinner order. When she left, we continued sipping our wine and talking. Just being in Jamari's presence amazed me. He was a good man.
Two hours later, we walked out of the restaurant holding hands. Jamari held the door open for me when we reached his car.
"I have something for you," he announced, reaching across me to open the glove compartment.
He pulled out a black, long box, which made my eyes widen. When he opened the box, the only thing I could do was admire the jewelry. It appeared to be a charm bracelet with one charm on it so far.
"It's so pretty," I complimented it.
"I think so, too. It'll look prettier on your arm. It's a charm bracelet."
