Chapter 18
Eighteen
Elias
W e left early, making it to Toledo before ten o’clock. When we stopped in front of my parents’ house, I sensed Karla’s nervousness. I reached across the console and grabbed her hand, bringing it to my mouth to kiss the back of it.
“Do you want me to eat your pussy right quick to calm your nerves?”
“What? Why would you ask that?”
“Are you saying that wouldn’t help calm your nerves?”
“Elias, I’m not about to let you get me all hot and bothered before I meet your parents. Let’s go.”
She reached for the door handle, knowing damn well she wasn’t allowed to open doors in my presence.
“Chill, baby. If my father is looking out the window and sees you open that door, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
She smiled. “I’ll have to make sure I thank him for raising such a gentleman, albeit a nasty one.”
“Shit. He’s been able to keep my mother happy for over fifty years. I’m willing to bet—uh, never mind.”
I got out and went to the other side to open Karla’s door. We held hands as we approached the door, and before we reached the porch, my mother opened the front door.
“There’s my baby boy! I’ve missed you so much,” she cooed.
“Hey, Ma. I’ve missed you too,” I confessed as we embraced.
When she finally released me, she leaned her head to the side and smiled at Karla.
“Is this my future daughter and the mother of my first grandson?”
“Ma, this is Karla. Baby, this is my mother, Grace.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Karla, but neither of you answered my question.”
“Gracie, will you let them come inside before you start hounding them? I thought you cooked all this food for us to talk over breakfast,” my father barked as he entered the vestibule, where we still stood in front of the door.
“Wassup, Pops?” I greeted him before pulling him into a hug. “This is Karla. Baby, this is my father, Emmet Sr.”
“Good to meet you, young lady.”
“It’s nice to meet you both. Thank you for welcoming me into your home.” Karla responded, still looking a bit like a deer in headlights.
“You two go wash up, and meet us in the kitchen,” my mother said.
My parents disappeared, leaving us in the vestibule. Karla released a breath and let her forehead fall onto my chest.
“Did you tell her?” she asked.
“I haven’t said a word.”
“She barely looked at me and knew right away. I’m only twelve weeks and not even showing.” She lifted her head. “Is my face fat already? Is my nose big? How could she?—”
“Baby, chill. It’s her motherly intuition. Come on.”
I took her hand and led her to the powder room. After she used the bathroom, she waited for me in the hall while I did the same. I wasn’t surprised when we entered the kitchen and found a feast fit for at least ten people.
“Ma, thank you for this spread, but why so much?”
“I didn’t know what Karla liked, so I made a few things.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Grace. I appreciate your efforts.”
“You’re welcome. Let’s sit. Baby, can you bless the food?”
We took our seats at the round table for six. Karla and I were seated next to each other while my parents sat across from us. We joined hands, and my father blessed our meal. We filled our plates with scrambled eggs, bacon, what I knew were pancakes made from scratch, and assorted fruit.
“Now that that’s out of the way. Are we having a wedding or a baby first?” Ma asked.
“Gracie.”
“It’s cool, Pops. We might as well share the news.” I looked at Karla, and she nodded. “We are having a baby. She’s twelve weeks along, but we found out last week.”
“Yes! Congratulations!” She reached across the table for Karla’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “I knew my instincts were right. I’ve been dreaming about fish for two months. I thought it was Aliana, but she denies being pregnant. I guess I can stop harassing her now.”
My father and I laughed because we knew it was true. My mother had no chill, and I was sure she’d been on Aliana’s ass about the fish dreams she’d been having.
“Congratulations to you both, and Karla, my wife is always like this, but she means no harm.”
“Honestly, I’m enjoying the attention. Mrs. Gracie, do your instincts tell you I’m having a boy as well?”
“They sure do. Elias told us you have two beautiful girls. I wish we could’ve met them today.”
“Yes. My girls are seven and five, but they’re with my ex-husband this week. We’ll plan to come when I have them next time.”
“Oh, please do. Emmet and Aliana’s girls are eight and six, and I know they’ll hit it off. They’ll be back from their family vacation on Saturday. I hope you two will come for brunch before you leave on Sunday.”
“We’ll be here, Ma.”
“So, Son. Have you gotten settled?” my father asked, and I was almost embarrassed to answer him.
“Honestly, I’m not. Everything with work is excellent. I love working for the company.”
“But?”
“I’ve made no efforts to move from the hotel.”
He chuckled. “It seems you’ve been a bit preoccupied.”
I nodded. “I definitely have, but the truth is, 90 percent of my reason for taking the job and moving to Chicago was to pursue Karla. I haven’t been vigilant in my search for a permanent residence because I don’t want to buy a home unless you and the girls are moving in with me.”
“Oh. I guess we’d better start house hunting when we get back, huh?”
Relief washed over me because I wasn’t sure how Karla would feel about us moving in together. Admittedly, we were moving fast and doing shit all kinds of ass backwards, but none of that took away from my love for her, and I loved her daughters simply because they were an extension of her.
“And the wedding?” Ma pressed.
“Give me some time to propose first, Ma, but you’ll be the first to know.”
We continued to enjoy the hearty breakfast my mother made while my parents and Karla got to know each other. Before we left for court, my parents had a trip to Chicago planned and would confirm the dates once they knew Emmet and Aliana’s availability.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” I asked, just as she had after I met her parents.
“Your parents are lovely, and I can tell you’re a mama’s boy.”
“And I can admit to that. You’re the first woman I’ve ever loved as much as I love my mama . . . maybe even a little bit more.
“What happens now, since she didn’t show up for court?” Karla asked.
“They’ll put out a bench warrant for her arrest, she’ll lose the bail money she posted, and they’ll probably add a few more charges. If they find her or she turns herself in, she’ll likely be held in custody until the next court date.”
“I still find it hard to believe one woman is capable of all that.”
“Oh, she had help, but she’s the ringleader.”
“At least this trip hasn’t been a complete waste of time. I enjoyed meeting your parents, and I’ll meet your brother, sister-in-law, and nieces on Sunday.”
“Nah, it hasn’t been a waste. I called the hotel when you went to the bathroom, and they said we can check in early.”
“That’s great, because I’m exhausted.”
The hotel was a twenty-minute ride from the courthouse. Karla was indeed tired, because she was asleep within the first five minutes of our ride. Although it was still early in the afternoon, it had been a long day, and I could use a nap too.
As soon as we entered our room, Karla stripped down to her panties and bra before crawling into bed, and I wasn’t too far behind her. When I opened my eyes again, the sliver of light on the sides of the blinds told me it was still light out.
“I’m hungry,” I heard on my right.
“How long have you been up?”
“About an hour. Can we go eat?”
“You want to order room service?”
“Maybe for breakfast. I found this restaurant on Flikstagram. They serve soul food and have R&B Karaoke on Thursday nights. The menu sounds amazing, and the pictures of the food look delicious. Let’s go have some fun.”
I knew the restaurant Karla was talking about. It had been open for almost two years and had become a popular spot fairly quickly.
“Let’s do it. I owe you several date nights, and I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
The few date nights we’d planned, Cairo ruined, and the others had been at home. It wasn’t entirely my fault because Karla was very much a homebody and preferred game or movie night at home over going out, but I still needed to do better.
An hour later, we were seated at the restaurant and had placed our order. We probably ordered enough for a small army, and while we waited for our food, we were entertained by the brave souls who took the stage. Some of them could sing, others, not so much.
“Are you gonna go up there when we finish eating?” she asked.
“Hell nah.”
“Please, baby. Don’t be a party pooper.”
“I didn’t come here to participate. I came here to be entertained.”
“We can do a duet.”
“Baby, you got my support, but I’m not going up there.”
She pouted and folded her arms across her chest. “Fine!”
Our food arrived, and her pouty lips turned into a smile. She had to take pictures of everything before we ate, but once we dug in, it was on and popping.
“This macaroni and cheese is to die for. I need this recipe,” she said.
“The chicken is fried to perfection. What the hell did they use?”
“Have you tried the yams? Oh God. I can’t stuff myself or I won’t be able to sing.”
We went on like that for the next twenty minutes, but Karla put her fork down before I did.
“You’ve had enough?”
“I don’t think it’s possible to have enough of this food, but I want to save some for later.”
“We have plenty, baby. If you’re still hungry, eat up.”
“No, I’m good. I have an idea.” The smile on her face told me her idea included me. “What if I sing and you rap?”
“Rapping is more my speed. What song?”
“How about ‘All I Need’ by Meth and Mary?”
I nodded. “I can do that. Go sign us up.”
She was giddy as hell while we waited for our names to be called.
When it was our turn, we introduced ourselves and the crowd gave us a warm welcome.
By the time we finished the song, every single person in the place was on their feet.
They cheered, ‘encore, encore,’ for at least three minutes, and we did the song again.
Before we went back to our table, we performed “Dilemma” by Nelly and Kelly Rowland and “Like You” by Bow Wow and Ciara. Had it been up to the audience, we would’ve been the sole source of entertainment until the restaurant closed.
On our way back to our table, people stopped us to thank us and tell us we had great chemistry. The manager on duty even comped our meal because she enjoyed us so much. We left the restaurant on a high.
“I told you it would be fun,” she said as we left the parking lot.
“I wouldn’t have given you such a hard time if I knew we could rap. I used to want to be a rapper back in the day.”
“Are you serious?”
“What? You don’t think I could’ve made it as a rapper?”
“I don’t see it, but I guess.”
“You know what? Just for that, I’m gon’ have your ass running tonight.”
“Is that supposed to be a threat because who’s scared?”
“Oh, you’re a tough girl, huh? Keep that energy.”