10. Aziel
Desire and Tammydiscussed the press conference for about an hour. It seemed to go well, but after Tammy left, I got a weird vibe from my wife.
“Is Azaria coming home today?” she asked as we entered the kitchen.
“My brother’s wife, Seela, insisted on keeping her one more night to give us a chance to get settled from our trip.”
“Do you think she’ll be okay with me being here?”
“You’re all she talks about when I pick her up from school. She’ll be ecstatic. Are you nervous?”
“I don’t know why, but I am.”
“Your role will be different from the usual, so I can see why you might be nervous. Is that all that’s bothering you?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I don’t know. I’m getting a weird vibe from you.”
“Weird vibe? You think you already know me well enough to determine my moods?”
“You sound surprised.”
“I’m not surprised, just doubtful. However, I do have a question.”
“What’s that?”
“Have you fucked Tammy?”
“Hold up, Desire. Where’d that come from?”
“Just answer the question, Aziel.”
“No, I’ve never fucked Tammy, and I have no desire to do so. What have I done to make you ask something like that?”
“You haven’t done anything. Tammy is another story.”
“Wait a minute. Let’s go sit down.”
He led me to the family room, where he sat in his recliner and pulled me onto his lap.
“Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Tammy wants to fuck you.”
“What?” I shook my head. “Nah, I’ve been working with Tammy for years, and I ain’t never felt those kinda vibes from her.”
“The feeling isn’t mutual, so you’re not picking up what she’s putting down.”
“Baby, I’m not saying you ain’t seeing something I’m not, but it sounds far-fetched. We’re like brother and sister.”
“If you say so. You know her better than I do, so I’ll take your word for it.”
“Thank you. Now wipe that frown off your face before I’m forced to use my dick to make you smile.”
“I mean, if that’s what you feel you need to do, I’m not opposed. However, before that happens, I need you to feed me. I’m starving.”
It had been a while since we’d eaten breakfast before we left the island.
“I’m hungry, too, but I can survive another couple of hours if you let me eat your pussy.”
She smacked her lips and nudged me with her elbow.
“You’re seriously insatiable.”
“Will that be a problem?”
“It will be if you don’t feed me first. What are we having for dinner?”
“You want to stay in or go out?”
“Staying in sounds good. Maybe we can—is that my phone?”
She got up and went to the kitchen where she’d left her phone. When she returned, she appeared to be on FaceTime.
“We’ve only been back for a few hours, Mama.”
“I didn’t ask how long you’d been back, Desire. I asked why you didn’t let someone know.”
“We came straight to Aziel’s house?—”
“Home, baby. We came home.” I corrected her.
“Right. We came home, he gave me a tour, and time escaped us.”
“How is he treating you? He’s not crazy, is he? You know you can get an annulment if you?—”
“Mama, calm down. Aziel is treating me like a queen. He’s not crazy. I’m fine.”
“I need to see you in person.”
“Ma, we’re on FaceTime. I promise I’m fine. Look.”
She moved the phone up and down the length of her body.
“That’s not good enough,” her mother said.
I took the phone from Desire and held it to my face. “We’re on our way, Mrs. Chambries. See you soon.”
“Thank you, young man.”
I ended the call and gave Desire her phone.
“Why did you tell her that?” she questioned.
“Because we’re about to visit your parents to assure them I ain’t hurt nothing but that pussy.”
She rolled her eyes and ignored my comment. “Baby, we don’t have to?—”
“This isn’t an option. You married someone your parents know nothing about. They have a right to be concerned.”
“You’re the mayor. It’s not like you’re some random man off the street.”
“True, but if a quick visit will ease your mother’s concerns, what’s the harm?”
She sighed. “Nothing, I guess. Let me go make myself more presentable.”
When we arrived at her parents’house, I wasn’t surprised the rest of her family was already there. It didn’t bother me, but Desire was annoyed.
“I should’ve known this was a setup,” she mumbled. “I never should’ve answered my phone.”
“I don’t know why you’re so bothered.”
“Because I know they aren’t worried about me. They wanted us to come over so they could grill you.”
“That’s perfectly fine, baby. I’d expect nothing less from a loving family. You may want to start preparing yourself to be grilled by my family soon.”
“I guess you’re right. I just thought we’d have a little more time alone in our bubble. Let’s get this over with.”
Desire reached for the door handle, and I touched her thigh. When she looked at me, I shook my head, and she took her hand off the door handle. I’d told her several times never to touch a door handle in my presence, but obviously, it would take her time to get used to it.
Once we were both out of the vehicle, we approached her parents’ home hand-in-hand while her mother waited at the front door to greet us.
“Look at my baby,” her mother cooed. “You’re glowing.”
I watched as they shared a warm embrace.
“I told you I was fine, Mama.”
“Yes, you did, but I had to see for myself. It looks like you’re taking good care of her.”
She leaned in to hug me, and it was warm and welcoming. I chatted briefly with her and her husband at the reception, but of course, it wasn’t enough time for them to get to know me.
“I promised you I would, but I understand you don’t know me, and my word means nothing.”
“True, and you’re also a politician, and everyone knows they aren’t to be trusted.”
“Mama!” Desire exclaimed.
“It’s okay, baby. Mrs. Chambries, I’d like to think I’m different from other politicians, but I’ll have to prove myself worthy to more than just my wife.”
“Sarah, are you gonna keep them at the front door all night?” Mr. Chambries asked.
“Hush, old man. I was anxious to see my daughter.” She reasoned.
“Well, she looks like she’s in one piece. Now move outta the way so the rest of us can see her.”
I chuckled at their banter because it reminded me of how my parents went back and forth. Mr. Chambries kissed Desire’s forehead before pulling her into a hug.
“It’s good to see you again, Mr. Chambries,” I said when he released her.
“You too, now that I see my daughter is alive and well.”
We exchanged a firm handshake before a one-armed hug.
“I assure you, Desire will always be in good hands.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Come on inside. I ordered a feast once I was told the whole family was coming over.”
Desire took my hand, and we followed her parents into the dining room, which was connected to the family room. The house had an open concept, and we could see most of the house while standing in one room.
“Look at the newlyweds,” one of her sisters cheered before they both smothered her in a hug.
I’d gotten Dream and Destinee’s phone numbers at the reception because I needed their help surprising Desire with a new wardrobe. Although we’d communicated multiple times at this point, I’d only seen them at the wedding and couldn’t tell them apart.
I looked around and saw their husbands and, who I assumed were their children, but I didn’t know who belonged with whom. The whole scene reminded me of when my siblings, nieces, and nephews were all in one place, and I felt right at home.
“Everyone calm down,” Mr. Chambries ordered. “Let’s sit down to eat like civilized human beings before asking them a million questions.”
Once our food was plated and we were seated, Mr. Chambries said the blessing, and reintroductions were made. Destinee’s hair was slightly shorter than Dream’s. Her husband’s name was Hudson, and their children were five- and six-year-old Hudson Jr. and Danielle, respectively. Dream’s husband’s name was Nolan, and their children were five and seven-year-old Deanna and Nolan Jr., respectively.
Throughout dinner, I learned that Destinee had been married for seven years, Dream for eight, and Mr. and Mrs. Chambries for thirty-eight years. All three couples appeared to be still smitten with their mates. Aside from Desire being the oldest and me being the middle child, our family dynamics were very similar.
With all the children in our families combined, Azaria remained the youngest and would probably be more spoiled than she already was. Mrs. Chambries asked about Azaria, commenting on how adorable she was and her excitement about having another granddaughter.
Eventually, the conversation circled back to us and our honeymoon. Unfortunately for them, we didn’t have much to share about Turks and Caicos because we didn’t leave our villa. We tried to explain without saying all we did was fuck and eat, and Desire’s sisters and brothers-in-law picked up on what we were trying not to say. Her parents, however, continued to press us about pictures and videos.
“Mama, they were on their honeymoon and didn’t get a chance to do much exploring,” Destinee attempted to explain.
“They did plenty of exploring; it just wasn’t on the island,” Dream attempted to mumble.
“You spent a week on an island and have no pictures or souvenirs to show for it?” Mrs. Chambries asked, still not understanding how that was possible.
“Sounds to me like your next grandchild might be the only souvenir,” Mr. Chambries said when it finally clicked.
“My next grand—ohh,” she expressed with wide eyes. “Well, if that’s all you did for seven days, you two should be making an announcement very soon.”
“Can we talk about something else, please?” Desire pleaded, not hiding her embarrassment.
We visited with her family for about two hours before she began to yawn. It had been a long day, and we had to be up early for the press conference.