“How did you get them?” he quizzes, curious as hell.
“Well, I saw how much you and Quise loved the sausage when we were at the beach house, so I looked for them. When I couldn’t find them in any grocery store here, I called your mom.”
“You have her number?” he asks and she laughs.
“Is that a problem?” she counters, still laughing at the incredulity in his tone.
“Nah… No, of course not. My family is your family. I just didn’t know y’all talked like that,” he says. As he speaks, he nods, internally approving of the woman he loves having a relationship with his mom. Things with Debrah and Charis were merely cordial, no real bond or relationship beyond him or Quise.
“She gave me her number at the beach house before they left; so I called and asked about the sausage. She told me where she ordered hers from and I ordered too. I have a case in the freezer. I might try her red beans recipe one day.”
“You master that, you might fuck around and get pregnant,” he says before kissing her neck again. When he does, he notices how frigid her body gets. She stiffens in his arms and something in him doesn’t like it. “You good?” he asks.
“Um…ye-yeah,” she stumbles out, honestly surprised at her reaction to him mentioning pregnancy.He wants kids with me?
“You sure? ’Cause you just got stiff as a board.”
“I don’t know why I just did that,” she says while slowly shaking her head. “You want to have kids?”
“Yeah, I do. I love Quise and he is mine but I’ve always wanted more children. You don’t?” he asks.
This answer deserves his full attention, so after cutting off the grill pan, she turns the grits down to simmer and places a napkin over the bowl of eggs. Then she turns to face him and steps forward, causing him to back away from the stove.
“I stopped considering what I wanted a long time ago. It didn’t matter any way,” she begins somberly. “Growing up the way I did, I just learned that dreams don’t always come true so I stopped dreaming. I stopped wanting.” Her head drops and she shrugs. “It’s just how it is.”
He places his hand under her chin and lifts her head. “Not anymore. Dream all you want and tell me about them so I can make them come true,” he says, as if it’s that easy. Life hastaught her that it’s anything but, so she merely shrugs again. “Sunjiya, bae, I’m serious. Whatever you want, tell me and I’ll do what I need to make that shit happen,” he says with so much surety she feels it under her damn skin. “Tell me.”
“I want babies. I want the perfect family—two kids, a boy and a girl—with my man, their dad. I want to pack lunches for school. I want to take them school shopping then summer clothes shopping during the break. I want a big ass Christmas tree filled with too many presents underneath for them. I want to paint and hide eggs for Easter for my babies. I want to pop popcorn and make hotdogs so my family can veg out in the living room watching movies until my kids fall asleep. I want their dad, my husband, to carry their sleepy little bodies to bed. I want to spoil and love them too much. I want it all. I want everything I never had as a child,” she admits, letting her heart’s desires fly out.
“Anything else? Give me something hard,” he says, as if what she just detailed is minor. A huge ass smile spreads across her pretty face.
While grinning and shaking her head, she asks, “How can I love you any more?”
“I don’t know but it’ll be fun watching you figure that out.” After pulling her into him, he adds, “I’m serious though. We can have everything you just said. I’ll make sure it happens plus more.”
“And if you do all of that, what do I do?”
“Just love me and be honest,” he admits and her heart stops for a brief moment.
Honest.
I’m honest with my feelings for him,she rationalizes as thoughts of her twin flood her mind. Ending their childish game of switching is the best decision she ever made.He will only have me.
“That’s all I need,” he says before kissing her lovingly. “Tonight, let me take you on a date. We gotta start somewhere.”
“I’ll go wherever you want to take me,” she admits.
Since Sunjiya loves seafood, prior to reaching the final destination for their date, Akeem makes a stop. When he turns on West Gibson, she gets an idea of where he’s headed but because she hasn’t been in Austin too long, so she isn’t positive. However, the minute he pulls into the parking garage, she knows exactly where they are and her excitement can’t be contained. It’s immediately followed by questions when she looks down at her distressed and ripped jeans and one-shouldered graphic crop top.
“Perla’s? Why did you tell me to be casual and comfortable? You know I can’t wear this in there?” she stresses.
Totally ignoring her excited state, he leaves his truck running, leans over the console, grabs the back of her neck, and kisses her. “It’s a good thing you ain’t going inside,” he says with a smirk before getting out.
“Akeem,” she calls out but he doesn’t answer.
All she can do is smile. Deep down, she knows whatever he has planned is going to be incredible. He’s been close-lipped about the date since he mentioned it this morning and she’s fine. After his words to her, their beautiful breakfast on the patio, and the way he demonstrated his love for her by pleasing every centimeter of her body in the living room and their bedroom, she has no doubts about this date. Today has been beautiful, so naturally, tonight will be perfect.
The only threat to perfection is the tiny voice in her head screaming loudly. Honesty is yelled over and over. Althoughshe’s trying hard to silence the unwanted noise, she has been less than successful.
