Chapter 11
I pulled up to a new and upcoming neighborhood around seven.
Once five came, I didn’t waste any time waiting around at the job.
I wanted to get home to freshen up and make it to Jabari’s house at a reasonable time.
I opted to wear a pair of biker shorts, sneakers, and a graphic t-shirt.
I’d stopped by the store and grabbed JaBria a pink balloon with a pink teddy bear and us a bottle of wine. I didn’t want to show up empty-handed.
As soon as I rang the doorbell, Jabari appeared. He had a handsome grin on his face. He wore a white t-shirt and a pair of cloth sweat shorts. He had on long tube socks and a pair of bedroom shoes. I swooned over his beautiful, chocolate skin and perfectly trimmed facial hair.
“Hey, Amina. Come on in.”
As I walked in, he scanned me from head to toe. His scent filled my nose, and I found it had become my favorite smell as of late.
“Thank you for inviting me,” I stated, passing him the wine bottle.
“Of course, and thank you for the wine. Make yourself comfortable. I’m just finishing dinner. The kid requested hot dogs and french fries, but I added a twist to ours.”
I shrugged. “That’s fine. I would’ve eaten it either way.”
He smiled. Seconds later, little feet could be heard running toward me. I smiled.
“Miss Amina!” JaBria squealed, running into my arms.
I squatted down to her level and gave her the biggest hug.
“Hi, pretty girl. I brought you something.”
I handed her the pink balloon and the pink teddy bear. It wasn’t much, but the way her eyes lit up, it was enough for her.
“Look, Daddy, it’s my favorite color!” she gushed, looking at Jabari.
He had a grin on his face. “I see. What do you tell Miss Amina?”
“Thank you!” she excitedly stated, looking back at me.
“You’re welcome, pretty girl.”
“Daddy, I’m going to call Grandma and show her!”
“Go ahead, baby.”
JaBria took off back to where she came from, leaving Jabari and me there. He made his way toward me.
“Thanks, I’m sure she’s about to talk my mama’s ear off. Get comfortable. I’ll be right back.”
He placed a kiss on my forehead and made his way to where JaBria was.
For the first time since entering his home, I took in my surroundings.
The decor in the house was nothing extravagant.
Jabari had a brown leather sectional, a coffee table, and a massive TV.
There was a dining room table with four chairs and what looked to be some of JaBria’s artwork sprawled over it.
There was only one family picture in the house, and that was of JaBria and Jabari.
He held her as he helped her blow out her number three candle.
I smiled at the picture-perfect moment. I walked toward the middle of the kitchen, and just like in his new restaurant, this one was just as well-equipped.
I wasn’t surprised as I ran my hand along the marble countertops and the stainless-steel pots.
I studied the pots on the stove, trying to figure out how he could add a twist to his hot dogs.
“Would you like some wine?” he asked, coming up behind him.
I nodded. “Sure. We can open the bottle I brought.”
“Nah. I got something else for you to try. We can save this for a later date.” He winked at me.
I couldn’t ignore the warmth that brewed inside me.
Jabari grabbed two glasses and a bottle of wine out of the fridge.
I went into a trance at the simple task of him pouring wine.
He made my mouth water. Everything he did, he did it with confidence.
He passed me the glass, and our fingers brushed against each other, and a shockwave shot through me.
“To getting to know each other,” he toasted, raising his glass.
“To getting to knowing each other,” I concurred.
We tapped glasses and sipped. It was the sweetest white wine I had ever tasted. It was delicious.
“You like that?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yes, it’s so good.”
“Good. I plan to add it to the menu, but I wanted someone to try it out that I knew would be honest with me,” Jabari explained as he made his way to the stove.
I tried my best not to grin at his direct compliment. I was honored to know he valued my opinion on things.
“Um, does JaBria spend some days with her mother or...”
Jabari shook his head. I noticed his entire mood changed.
“Kya, JaBria’s mom, hasn’t seen her in almost two years. One day, she dropped her off to me and hasn’t returned. I haven’t heard from her since.”
“Oh wow. I’m so sorry to hear that.”
My heart broke for JaBria. It must have been tough not to have her mother around. JaBria was a sweet, beautiful little girl. Clearly, the mother was the problem.
“I’m not sweating it. It’s her loss,” Jabari responded. “By the way, my mama said hey.”
“You told her I was over here?”
He nodded while continuing to stir whatever it was in the pot.
“Well, JaBria did. I confirmed it.”
“Let me guess. She asked a million questions? I’m never going to hear the end of this, especially after the kiss.”
He shrugged. “Don’t sweat it. I already talked to her.”
My eyes widened. “You did?”
“Yeah, she wasn’t going to stop asking until I did. My mama doesn’t stop ’til she gets what she wants.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, what did you tell her?”
“I told her we’re exploring each other. I made sure I thanked her for mentioning you to me. She wanted to dig deeper, but I told her I’d tell her later.”
My curiosity got the best of me, and I couldn’t control my inner thoughts much longer.
“How come I never saw you? You know… while your mama was going through chemo.”
Jabari stopped stirring and turned to face me. I couldn’t help but notice the slight sadness behind his eyes.
“I kick my ass about that often, but growing up and up until five years ago, my mother and I didn’t have a strong relationship because of her working.
.. a lot. That’s why most of my time was spent with my grandmother.
She missed many of my biggest achievements.
However, she also made up for it in gifts and shit.
I never went without. The older I got, the more I realized that shit meant nothing.
As soon as my grandma died, I hauled ass and studied different cuisines and stuff across the world.
I felt like my true mother figure was gone, and I had no one else. I was angry.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Jabari.”
My heart ached for him. I couldn’t imagine not having a bond with my mother.
That was why it broke me when she left this earth for good.
Her passing had broken our family, and it hadn’t been the same since.
I had a beautiful childhood, despite my mother being a single parent.
We didn’t feel heartbreak until she left us here on this earth.
He shrugged. “You live and you learn. I was so wrapped up in my life that I had missed the signs of her being sick. One day, I popped in for a visit, and that’s when I found out she was going through her battle with cancer.
She didn’t resemble the strong black woman VP I’d known my whole life.
She looked helpless, and even though I still had some resentment toward her, when I laid eyes on her, all of that went away.
I packed up my shit, stopped traveling, and made my way back over here to be closer to her.
However, I jumped right into getting my restaurant off the ground, which is why I wasn’t around as often. ”
“That’s beautiful of you.”
“Is it though? Shit, I busied myself with opening a restaurant, but after she told me she was having to go back through this again, I put my pride aside and began trying to learn how to balance both. In the process, I’ve realized that my mother did the best she could.
She wanted the best life for me. She wouldn’t have known that all I wanted was for her to be there. ”
In that moment, all I could do was see the little boy in Jabari who longed for his mama. Now that he had her and the opportunity to bond, it came along with her having to battle cancer for the second time.
I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. He rubbed his hands along my arms, placing kisses on the inner part.
“I know for a fact that she’s happy you’re there. She talked about you so much, to the point I thought she was one of those crazy mamas about their sons. Still, I see why she brags so much. You’re an amazing person, Jabari.”
“Thank you.”
He placed a soft peck on my lips, then whispered against them, “I appreciate that.”
Before I could respond, he kissed me again, but this time with much more passion. He inserted his tongue inside and poured all of his feelings into the kiss. I felt myself floating. My thoughts became mush, and my heart felt a surge of happiness for the first time in a while.
Jabari moved his hands down my ass, squeezing it softly.
I moaned in his grip. My honeypot heated, and I could feel the faucet turn on below.
As soon as the kiss got sexier and stronger, I could hear little feet running toward us.
We both pulled away from each other right before JaBria could see us.
“Daddy, is the food done? I’m starving.”
We both laughed.
“Yeah, baby girl. Go wash your hands and head to the table. I’ll fix your plate.”
Without having to be told twice, JaBria ran off to wash her hands.
“Jabari, how about you go wash up too? I’ll fix y’all’s plates.”
“Nah, you’re a guest in my house. I can do all this.”
“Let me know what you want, and I’ll get it all together for you.”
“Amina...”
I walked around him and headed to the stove where the food was. I knew what he said, but I wasn’t hearing what he said. It was in my nature to cater to a person, and that was what I planned to do.
“Go sit. I got this.”
I bumped him with my hip, and he laughed. “Alright. You got it.”
He fired off what he wanted and then JaBria. Once he walked out of the kitchen, I got to work and prepared their plates.
Forty minutes later, we sat at the table listening to JaBria tell us all the stories she could think of. Neither Jabari nor I could get more than five words in with each story that she shared. She was wrapping up telling us about how her doll’s head broke, when finally, Jabari spoke up.
“JaBria, I think it’s time for you to be heading to bed.”
She pouted.
“Don’t start. We can talk more tomorrow, but right now, you need to be in bed, okay?” he instructed.
“Can Miss Amina help me, please?”
“Baby—”
“If it’s okay with you, Jabari, I don’t mind helping her at all.”
He sighed. “Alright, but JaBria, don’t talk Miss Amina’s head off.”
JaBria jumped up and down excitedly.
“Ready, pretty girl?”
She nodded. I held my hand out for her to take, and she guided me to her bedroom.
Once we made it to her room, JaBria ran and jumped right into her bed.
She had the cutest room. Everything in it was pink.
Her bedframe, the pillows, covers, and rug.
Her wall had white and pink stripes going down it.
She had a corner full of toys and a white vanity with a pink mirror.
I helped her with the covers, pulling them over her and tucking her in.
“Comfortable?” I asked.
She nodded. “I am.”
“Have a good night and sweet dreams.”
“What if I don’t have a sweet dream?”
I smiled and rubbed her forehead. “Sweet girls like you only have sweet dreams.” I tapped her nose once, and a smile crossed her face.
“Goodnight, Miss Amina.”
“Goodnight, pretty girl.”
I went to turn around but got startled when I bumped into Jabari’s frame.
“Goodnight, baby girl. I’ll turn on your nightlight.”
“Goodnight, Daddy.”
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Love you.”
“Love you too.”
I swooned over the two interacting. The bond between them was clear.
She was a daddy’s girl, and he knew it. JaBria had Jabari wrapped around her finger, and from the looks of things, he was okay with that.
He walked over and turned on her nightlight.
He grabbed my hand and led me out of her room, shutting off her light and shutting the door behind us.
“JaBria is so cute. You’re doing a go?—”
Before I could finish, Jabari slammed his lips back on mine.
He didn’t take things slowly this time. He dove in, kissing me with so much passion, hunger, and fire.
I could barely keep up with how he kissed me.
Finally finding the willpower to step away, I pulled back, trying to catch my breath.
I looked at Jabari, and his eyes were low.
“Jabari...”
“Amina, I know this might be a little too forward, but I need you, and I need you right fucking now...”