Chapter 5
As promised, Pat blew into town after Oak’s welcome home party.
Our time together seemed to go by faster than a speeding bullet, partially because I spent most of it on my back or on my knees.
We only lived together when he was in town.
Other than that, he stayed in one of his parents’ luxury hotel suites all over the country.
I was adamant about keeping our separate spaces until after we tied the knot.
But we were in my apartment, sharing my small bathroom to get ready for dinner with Liv and Oak.
Don’t ask me how Liv convinced me to say yes to some shit like that, but she did, and my heart had been hiccupping all day because of it.
Pat was no stranger to seeing Liv, whether it was during a random pop-up at my place when he was in town or during a FaceTime call.
But Oak? The two had never met, and I’d preferred to keep it that way.
But I guess the universe had other plans.
“How do I look?” I asked Pat, turning away from the bathroom mirror to face him.
He gave me a onceover before shooting me a satisfactory grin at my satin blouse and fitted black skinny jeans. “Like a million bucks, baby. What about me?”
I smiled sheepishly. Pat was handsome—always had been. And that smile of his was part of the reason he always seemed to get away with murder.
“You look good too, baby. Just let me get my shoes on, and I’ll be ready to go.”
“Alright, I’ll be in the living room.”
I spent the next five minutes fumbling with the catch on my heels while trying to steady my breathing. It’s going to be fine. Everything is fine.
Pat and I left my apartment hand in hand, like always, and headed to my car.
He opted to drive, and I didn’t object. From the way my heart was pitter-pattering against my ribcage, I was likely to go into cardiac arrest behind the wheel.
I tried my best to keep the conversation light on the way to the soul food restaurant Liv had picked out, despite my growing anxiety.
Pat parked the vehicle, walked around to open my door, and helped me out. I’d never been so thankful for him holding my hand, because the moment I stood up, I felt like a baby deer trying to walk for the first time, and my heels weren’t even that high.
“You good?” he inquired, arching a concerned brow in my face.
I nodded while swiping some of my hair behind my ear. “Yup. I’m good.”
We sailed inside, and my eyes scanned the small space for Liv and Oak.
Even with all the people seated and enjoying their meals over conversation, it didn’t take long for me to spot them.
Of course, the moment I saw Oak, my heart stumbled out a frantic beat.
Why the fuck does he have to look so good?
“There they are,” I told Pat.
I led the way over to the booth where they sat side by side, and I took the inside seat directly across from Liv. She shot me a quick smile before waving at Pat.
“Hey, Pat. This is my brother, Oakland. Oakland, this is Pat, Lex’s hubby-to-be.”
Pat flashed his award-winning smile at both of them, which somehow managed to settle my nerves a bit. “Nice to meet you, man.”
He outstretched his hand across the table, and Oak sat there with a straight face, hesitating for a second too long, to the point where Liv had to elbow him underneath the table.
“I’m sorry, he’s not house-trained,” she joked.
Pat and I shared a quick laugh at Oak’s expense. In fact, all of us laughed except him.
“Shut up,” Oak finally replied before his hand cordially met Pat’s. “Wassup, man?”
“I hope y’all are ready to eat because the way this food is smelling up in here has me ready to order everything off the menu,” Liv stated, trying to keep the conversation light.
She had a knack for things like that, and I’d never appreciated it more in that moment.
The initial awkwardness at the table seemed to fade as we studied our menus in silence for a few minutes before our waitress approached the table for our drink and food orders.
I made sure to order a margarita from the bar.
I needed the alcohol to help mellow me out and get me through the rest of the evening.
Once the waitress left with our menus, there was nothing left to use to hide my face.
Even with it, I could practically feel Oak staring a hole through it from across the table.
What would he say? How would he act? We had a past, but it wasn’t like I expected him to announce that at the table in front of everyone, especially his sister.
Still, the unknown was eating away at me like a ticking time bomb.
Oak cleared his throat before zeroing in on Pat. “So, my sister says you fly planes?”
“Yeah. I’m a pilot.”
“So, you’re gone a lot?”
“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” Pat replied with a nonchalant shrug.
“So, what makes you think marriage is the right move when you’re on the go so often? I mean, that’ll make it hard to settle down and start a family, right?”
Liv elbowed him underneath the table again and groaned before Pat could answer. “Ugh, please don’t start this shit, Oak. I already told you, you sound just like Dad.”
“You met my father?” Oak asked Pat.
“Yeah, once.”
“Well, I’m ten times worse than him.”
Liv rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry, Pat. You don’t have to answer any of his questions. He’s extremely overprotective. Always has been. It’s the reason we never got a dog growing up. Who needs a guard dog when we have him?”
Her comment made Pat chuckle. “Nah, it’s cool. I don’t mind.”
“See, he doesn’t mind,” Oak told her. “All I wanna know is his intentions with Lex. Y’know she’s like family to us.”
Pat dipped his chin. “Trust me, I get it.”
My fingers danced nervously against my thighs underneath the table, and I wished more than anything I’d taken the outside seat so that I could slip away and make a beeline to the bathroom. I needed a plan, and I needed one fast.
“I know they’re busy in here, but where is my damn margarita?” I blurted out. “I think I’m going to go to the bar and check. Excuse me, babe.”
Pat slid out of the booth so that I could exit.
I decided to go to the bathroom to flick a few drops of cool water on my face, enough to calm me down without ruining my makeup.
After drawing in a few deep breaths, I pushed open the bathroom door with a crumpled paper towel and headed toward the bar.
To my surprise, Oak was already standing there.
I rolled my eyes as I approached him. “Why are you everywhere I’m at?”
“You’re not the only one who ordered a drink, Liv,” he reminded me.
I grimaced. “And what the hell is with all the third-degree questions toward Pat, Oak? You’re going to scare him away!” I hissed, cutting my eyes at him.
He scoffed. “Scare away a grown ass man who’s already put a ring on your finger? If I do that, then he ain’t the right nigga for you anyway, and I did yo’ ass a favor.”
“Whatever.”
“Besides, all I’m trying to do is get to know the nigga, unless you feel like he’s not good enough for me to get to know.”
“Why wouldn’t he be good enough for you to get to know? If he wasn’t, I wouldn’t be marrying him.”
“You sure about that?” he inquired, arching a brow in my direction.
I shook my head, visibly annoyed, although my heart was still a pattery mess inside my chest. “Just . . . ease up on my man, okay?”
“Mm-hmm. I will. Once he answers all my questions.”
I gave up on combating him any further. Oak was proving a point. Even if Pat didn’t notice, it was crystal clear to me. The question was why? Was he trying to blow up my life? Or was he trying to make me see something I’d been too blind to notice all along?
On our last day together before he left for work, we were at the expensive assisted living facility where his grandfather, Poppy, lived.
He’d been diagnosed with dementia a couple of years before I met Pat, and over the last year or so, things had started to progress.
His cozy, private room didn’t feel clinical like a hospital or nursing home.
It was a cross between a luxury hotel suite and a studio apartment, most likely thanks to all the money Pat’s mother, his daughter, made.
On the dresser were framed photos of his family—Pat, his mother and stepfather, and Poppy’s late wife—most of whom he no longer remembered, depending on the day.
There was a call button built into the wall that notified the nurses at the station a few feet away from his room in case he ever needed help.
Poppy sat in the armchair in the small sitting area, watching old westerns play on the forty-two-inch flat-screen TV mounted to the wall. There was a custom blanket draped over his knees, with family photos from throughout the years that Pat’s mother had gifted him last Christmas.
“Hey, Poppy. It’s me, Pat, your grandson,” Pat announced as we sat across from him on the love seat.
I smiled softly as I waved. “Hey, Poppy. It’s Alexis. It’s good to see you again.”
He looked up at us with bright eyes, but I could tell there wasn’t much going on behind them.
“You the nurse?” he asked gently.
I was used to it. He’d done it before.
“No, Poppy. She’s my fiancée.”
He nodded as if Pat’s brief statement had jogged his memory. The conversation faded quickly, allowing the dialogue from the western on TV to fill the silence.
“I hate seeing him like this,” Pat whispered to me.
“Yeah, me too.”
Poppy looked around the room before his eyes landed back on me, confusion clouding his expression. “You’re a pretty girl. Pretty nurse.”
I nodded as Pat shifted uncomfortably in his seat. I gently linked my arm around his, hoping to console him. “Thank you. Do you need me to get you anything?”
He swung his head. “No.”
Pat cleared his throat. “Poppy, we’re getting married soon. Are you excited about coming to the wedding?”
“Your grandmother loves weddings,” he responded.