Brion stopped fawning over the purse and the cash long enough pick the next bag up. “You doing your big one for real,” Brion grinned wide as she lifted the lid on the box of Chanel sneakers.
Next, she opened the watch I bought her. It wasn’t too much. A nice lil’ diamond encrusted time piece. The fourth bag contained a few scarves. One from Hermes, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel. When Brion saw what was in the last bag, she jumped up laughing before hopping in my lap and wrapping her arms around my neck.
Brion planted kisses all over my face while I cupped her ass cheeks. I already knew I had a winner, but she had confirmed it. The last gift was a bundt cake from the same bakery that she had ordered my cakes from. I could tell that gift meant the most to her. I was new to the boyfriend thing, but I made a mental note to always be intentional about how I handled her. She had shown me she was one of those ones that cared about the thought behind the gift and not the price of it.
“You like your gifts?” I peered into her eyes.
“I do.” Brion smiled and pecked my lips. “You’re a man that not only has everything but one that can go out and get anythingthat he wants. It was hard as hell trying to figure out what to get you, but this is a start.”
Brion reached for her phone and unlocked it. After some searching, she found what she was looking for and held the phone up so I could see it. She had gotten us tickets to see Young Jeezy’s orchestra performance. It was a black-tie event, and she had gotten us great seats. That showed me she’d paid attention because Jeezy was in fact one of my favorite rappers.
“I see how women feel now,” I joked. “I might eat your ass tonight, shawty.” I licked my lips and Brion laughed.
The doorbell rang, and I knew my guests had begun to arrive. Somehow, some way, my mother had finessed one of her get high buddies to come pick her up from the rehabilitation center. She still had trouble keeping her balance and talking. She wasn’t ready to be discharged, but she couldn’t be kept against her will. When they called and told me she was trying to leave, I didn’t even try and get them to stop her. My mother was grown, and she could do what she wanted. She’d more than likely die addicted to heroin and if that was the life she wanted for herself, I couldn’t do shit about it. That being said, I doubted she’d be at dinner.
Divine and her boyfriend, Mark were the first to arrive.
“Ohhhh you are pretty,” Divine gushed giving Brion a hug. “I have never ever ever met a woman that my brother was dating. I just need to look at the size of your head to figure out what size crown to get you.”
“Fuck outta here,” I kissed my teeth while giving Mark dap.
Before I could even sit down, my grandparents arrived. The dinner was going to be small and intimate. I hadn’t heard much from Huncho, and that was okay. I assumed he was just trying to figure things out and get it together. At least I hoped that was what he was doing. Just as two of my aunts, three cousins, and my uncle arrived, the chef announced that dinner was served.Everyone in my family was gushing over Brion like she was a celebrity, and I was eating it up. I couldn’t say what was on her last nigga’s mind, but the best thing he ever did for me was fumble her.
While I was in Atlanta, I decided to ride around to various spots I knew my mother to frequent. I wasn’t sure why I wanted to do it to myself. Seeing her in that element would more than likely alter my mood for the worst, but before I left the city, I had to see about her. I doubted I would find her, but I had to at least look. Things had gotten so real with my mother that I kept Narcan in my car and at my house. Divine and my grandparents had some too just in case my mother ever OD’ed in our presence.
I had been driving around for an hour when I gave up. It was time for me to get my things together to head to the airport. My team made it to the playoffs, but we didn’t make it to the Super Bowl. The season for me was officially over. It had been a good season and while I of course wanted to play in the Super Bowl, it wasn’t like I’d never done so. I had also made up my mind to give football two more years then walk away.
Huncho didn’t come by on Christmas. Leaving Atlanta without having seen him or my mother was bittersweet, but they both had things to work out with themselves. I could only hope they would come around when they were ready. Divine’s boyfriend surprised her on Christmas with a proposal, and I was happy for my sister. Mark seemed like a pretty good guy. Thank God I had at least one family member that didn’t stress me out. My grandmother stressed me out because she refused to stop worrying about my mother and brother. The last thing I needed was for her to have a heart attack or stroke.
My phone vibrated causing me to look away from the road just long enough to see who was calling. Riding around thinking about Huncho and my mother must have sent him some kind of telepathic signal because he was calling.
“What’s up?” I answered after the call connected to the Bluetooth.
“What’s up? Sorry I missed Christmas, but classes start next week, and I’m still going. I just wanted to know if I could stay at the condo?”
“Of course, you can stay at the condo Huncho as long as you’re not bringing bullshit to the door.”
“I can be a fuck up at times, but I’d never do no shit like that.”
“That’s what it is then.”
As soon as the call ended, my music stopped again, and it was Brion calling. Her coming to the club and seeing one of the bottle girls all in my face had been a close ass call. I knew from day one that Brion was skeptical about dealing with me. My dumb ass knew better than to let shorty touch me, but I hadn’t told any lies. I declined every advance and sent her on her way. I didn’t wait years to get into a relationship only to mess it up over a bottle girl. Or anybody really.
Isaac’s dumb ass was sick because London packed her things and left the house. Prayerfully, they would work it out, but it wasn’t my business. Shit, I was trying to keep my girl and was looking forward to her spending the first week of my Greece trip with me.
“What’s up beautiful?”
“Hey. You still in Atlanta?” pushing out a sigh I shifted in my seat.
“Yeah. For some odd reason I wanted to look for my mother, but I didn’t find her. I’m about to head back to the crib and put my car in the garage. Divine is going to take me to the airport.”
“So, I was thinking about something,” she stated slowly.
“What’s up?”
“I was thinking when we get back from Greece that you can meet the girls.”
That wasn’t what I was expecting. “Word? You ready for that?”
