Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
A few hours later, Zion pulled up to his one-story brick home, surprised to see not only his dad’s truck in the driveway, but also his sister Dorian’s old Jeep. Essence, his oldest sister, was also there, her Honda Accord parked behind Dorian’s vehicle.
What the heck were they all doing there?
Zion had planned to be home hours ago, but one beer had turned into two beers, potato skins, buffalo wings, several games of pool, and a game of darts. It had been awhile since he’d hung out at the bar, and even longer since he had played any bar games. He hadn’t missed the activities over the past year, but he could admit it felt good to blow off steam, talk trash, and have a few laughs with the guys.
Zion lifted his arm and pushed the button in the truck that would open his garage. As he pulled forward, he glanced into his family’s vehicles, noting neither of them were sitting inside. His parents had a key to his house, but it was only for emergencies. So what was up?
He pulled into the garage, closed the overhead door, and then he heard Onyx inside the house barking. When Zion finally entered, his dog was beyond excited to see him.
This never gets old.
He had adopted the boxer when the dog was six weeks old. That had been three years ago.
“What’s up, boy?” Zion said, giving the dog a good rub down. He chuckled at the way Onyx was trembling all over with excitement, his tail wagging a mile a minute. He was definitely worked up. “I have a feeling you’re not just excited to see me. Seems like you have company.”
Just then, Zion’s mother and father strolled into the kitchen.
“Congratulations, baby,” his mother said, a huge smile on her face as she approached him with her arms outstretched. “Even though I already knew you were the father of the twins, I’m glad you received the confirmation you needed.”
Zion held her close, soaking up the love that always came through her hugs. “Thanks, Mom.” He glanced over her head at his father who gave him a head nod. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Your mother insisted,” was all his father said and turned back to the hallway that led to the bedrooms.
“I have a surprise for you.” She slipped her arm through his and dragged him along behind his father. “Just keep an open mind and don’t be mad.”
Zion grumbled under his breath. Those words were never good to hear, especially when they came from her. It was safe to say he was going to be mad at whatever she was up to.
“What have you done?” he asked, trying to keep an open mind like she requested. Whatever was going on, Onyx was thrilled. The pooch trotted ahead, but kept stopping every few inches to glance back and make sure Zion was following.
Before they made it to the middle of the hallway, Zion noticed the smell of fresh paint. He was surprised he hadn’t smelled it the moment he entered the house. Probably because seeing his parents had distracted him. Now he was really curious about what his mother had done, and where were his sisters?
His dad disappeared into the third bedroom, the one Zion used as a home gym. A few minutes later, he heard his sister, Essence, tell Onyx to get out.
Before they reached the room, the dog returned to the hallway and sat on his hind legs. He glanced at Zion, panting with his tongue hanging out, his body still trembling as he barely controlled his excitement.
“This is our gift to you,” Zion’s mom said as they approached the room.
He pulled up short in the doorway, shocked by the transformation of his space. He barely recognized the room but didn’t miss the anxiety on his sisters, Dorian, Essence, and even his sister Nyla’s face. All of them stood near the windows on the far wall. Not only had his family painted one of the walls a sea-foam green color, but the space was fully furnished.
A nursery.
“Whoa,” was all Zion could say as his gaze slowly took in every detail.
The room looked like something out of a magazine. It was beyond amazing, and his family had clearly thought of everything. No expenses were spared from what he could see.
“Peanut, don’t just stand there like a big lug. Come in and check out our handy work,” Nyla said, using the nickname she’d given him when he was a kid.
Though he was probably closest to Dorian since they were only a couple of years apart, Nyla was the one he typically confided in since they had similar personalities. For people looking in from the outside of the family, she and he would probably be considered the problem children. The ones who had a penchant for trying anything once, which sometimes led to them getting into trouble with their parents.
Even Nyla’s style of dress, the grunge look, had been an area of contention between her and their parents. Dark eye makeup, black lipstick, piercings, and black nail polish along with baggy and sometimes raggedy clothes didn’t go over well with them. Though she had evolved over the years, especially the last few months of dating her tech geek boyfriend, she still looked like she should be in a rock band. Her short, curly hair was slicked back, small earrings lined her outer ears, and tons of bangles jingled on her wrists. An oversized flannel shirt, holy jeans, and black combat boots, added to the look.
Nyla’s hands were on her slim hips as she studied him. “Well? What do you think?” she said with attitude.
“We didn’t have time to paint the whole room, but if you want the other three walls painted, you can do that yourself,” Essence said. She was his oldest sibling and like a second mother to him. Considering she was the one who had paint on the baseball cap she was wearing, as well as her T-shirt, it was safe to say she’d done the painting.
Zion entered the space slowly, taking it all in. He ran his hand over one of the baby beds that looked familiar but different. It was the one that he’d had as a baby, but it had been painted white. The other one looked similar, but there were a few small differences. He was impressed they could find one that looked similar since it had been thirty years since they’d bought his.
“This is incredible,” he said, more to himself than to the others in the room.
When Zion felt something against his leg, he realized Onyx had followed him and was staying close. He rubbed the dog’s head and kept his hand there to make sure the mutt didn’t get into anything.
As Zion continued glancing around, he was in awe of how they’d thought of everything. All three bedrooms were a great size, but this one suddenly appeared larger than it was. The carpet tiles that he’d had in the room weren’t old, but they’d covered it with a huge rug that almost went from wall to wall. It had colorful numbers, letters and objects all over it and blended perfectly with the decor.
Everywhere he looked, they’d put their touches on it. The kids’ names and a bouquet of balloons were stenciled on one of the white walls. There were also crib mobiles attached to each baby bed, and it was clear his dad had been busy putting furniture together. Besides the small beds, the room included two comfortable-looking rocking chairs, a short bookshelf, a cabinet, and a changing table.
“Wow, you guys outdid yourselves. How’d you even get it all done? I just found out the results today.”
“For the record, this was not my idea, and I told them they should talk to you first,” his father said as he leaned against the wall near the door. “But you know how strong-willed they all are.”
“Yeah, I know.” Zion had stopped next to Dorian and Nyla and pulled them both in for a bear hug, ignoring their protests. Then he turned the hug into a headlock, holding each one of them hostage with both his arms.
“I can’t stand you. Let me go! Dad!”
“Mom! Tell him to stop!”
Dorian and Nyla said at the same time while swinging at him, trying to get him to let go. Onyx barked and jumped around them, wanting to get in on the fun.
His sisters might’ve been older than him, but by the time Zion had been ten, he’d been taller than both. He used his height to his advantage back then and now. They hated when he playfully manhandled them, and no doubt, they’d get even at some point.
“And you,” he said to Essence after he released the other two, “I can’t believe you let them pull you into this. I’m surprised you were able to get time off work.”
He hugged her and placed a kiss on her cheek. Essence was a nurse, and since her son was seventeen and practically grown, she often picked up extra shifts. She claimed it was because most of the nurses had small kids and sometimes needed time off. Zion thought otherwise. She took on tons of extra shifts to keep herself busy, but she loved her job, especially now that she worked in the pediatric ward.
“I have a baby niece and a nephew. Of course I wanted to help get their room together. I met them yesterday when I stopped by the B & B, and Zion they are too cute. Hard to believe they are yours,” she cracked as she eased out of his hold.
“Ha! I see you have jokes.” He gave the room another glance. “The space is beautiful. Thank you, guys.”
“So you like it, huh?” his mother asked.
She was standing near the white changing table that had two shelves, which were loaded with pampers, baby wipes and a few other items. On the side of the changing table was a short white cabinet that stood open, revealing a ton more baby products. If that weren’t enough, there were two car seats, a double stroller, and stuffed animals and baby toys strategically placed around the room.
Zion shook his head, suddenly feeling overwhelmed at this incredible gift. No way he could’ve pulled something like this together by himself.
He approached his mother and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re always doing too much,” he said against her hair. She might’ve gotten on his nerves more often than not, but he didn’t know what he would do without her. She loved hard, and there was nothing she wouldn’t do for her family, especially for her kids.
“You’re the best, Mom, and finally you’ve done something that doesn’t drive me nuts. I love it.”
She laughed and swatted at him before he released her. “Good, and I’m glad you came home tonight. A few minutes ago, Nyla had me thinking it was possible that you might not.”
Zion didn’t bother looking at his sister because she was right. There’d been a time when he might’ve gone home with a hookup from the bar or called his friends with benefits to spend some time together. But his behavior toward hookups had changed over the past year, and he was glad he had not only come home, but came home alone.
Instead of commenting, he said, “Where’s Cree?” he said of his second oldest sister. “She wouldn’t normally miss out on an opportunity to be a part of something where she can boss folks around.”
Nyla laughed. “Right? Not sure we could’ve dealt with both her and mom on this project.”
“Hush,” their mother said on a laugh. “Cree was planning to be here, but one of her clients called her in a panic. He got arrested for something, and she had to go get him out of jail.”
As an entertainment lawyer, Cree had a high-profile client’s list, and they kept her busy. Considering she wasn’t the most patient person in the world, he didn’t know how she dealt with some of her high-maintenance clientele without strangling them.
Zion glanced around the room again. “How’d you get all this done so fast? I just found out the results a few hours ago.”
“Mom’s been planning this since the night Raven showed up,” Dorian said. “I’m pretty sure she started ordering stuff right after Raven told you the babies were yours.”
He glanced at his mother, not surprised she pushed forward without knowing for sure about the babies.
She lifted her chin. “I knew,” she said as if reading his mind. “You’re the one who needed confirmation. Not me.”
“Did you say anything about the results of the test to Raven?” he asked, hoping she hadn’t. The two of them needed to talk, and Zion didn’t need his mother or the rest of his family butting in.
“No, I didn’t. Your dad told me to keep my mouth shut and to stay out of it.”
Zion snorted while his sisters chuckled. That was so like his dad, and Zion was glad his mother listened. Yet, that got him thinking. Did Raven check her email for the results? Did she know and was waiting for him to make the next move? Probably.
He hadn’t seen or talked to her since the night they had dinner together. He figured he’d pissed her off enough for a while with his snide remarks about not being the kids’ father. Yeah, it was up to him to make the next move.
“Thanks for not saying anything. I’ll reach out to her in the morning because we need to talk and figure out where we go from here,” Zion said, then lifted his hand when his mother started to speak. “Mom, thanks for all you’ve done, but going forward, this situation is between me and Raven. Understand?”
“Fine. I’ll butt out, but I want the three of them to stay in town. Make that happen, and you won’t have any trouble out of me.” With that, she turned on her heels and strolled out of the room.
Zion growled under his breath and looked at his father. “Dad, can’t you—”
“Your mother has spoken,” Israel said and pounded Zion on the shoulder on his way out of the room. “Figure it out. Oh, and congratulations. I’m enjoying getting to know my grandkids.”
Another low growl slipped from Zion after his parents were out of earshot. “Sometimes Mom can be… I just can’t with her.”
Dorian snorted. “It’s hard to feel sorry for you when she’s usually on our case to get married and have kids.”
“Agreed. I’m pretty sure she’s already planned me and Harrison’s wedding, and mind you, we’re not even engaged,” Nyla said of her boyfriend.
They weren’t engaged, but Zion had no doubt that the day was coming. She and Harrison had only been dating for a few months, but to see them, one would think they’d been together forever. Their backgrounds and their past lives were opposites in every way, but they somehow manage to make their relationship work.
Nyla tugged on the front of Zion’s shirt, forcing him down to her level. Then she kissed him on the cheek. “As long as Mom is picking on you, she’s leaving the rest of us alone. So, thanks for that.”
Zion sighed. “Come on, y’all. Can’t you just talk to her, and tell her to back off? I can’t make Raven do anything. Besides, I don’t know what I want us to do.”
Dorian gave him a quick hug. “Sounds like a personal problem to me,” she said with no sympathy. “But I’m with Mom on this one. It might be good if you can convince Raven to stay in Chicago, at least for a while. I think someone might be harassing her.”
“What?” Zion snapped, wondering if it had anything to do with her ex-boyfriend.
Dorian lifted her hands. “I don’t know that for sure, but she’s been getting phone calls. Calls she’s been ignoring.”
“I think she’s right,” Nyla added. “I witnessed her getting a call earlier today. She looked at the phone screen frowning and then ended the call without answering. She’s avoiding someone. That doesn’t mean she’s being harassed, but maybe you can figure out a way to ask if everything is okay.”
Zion nodded. Oh yeah, he was definitely getting to the bottom of whatever was going on with her ex. If she was really done with the guy, Zion planned on shooting his shot. The twins would no doubt be in his life, but he wanted their mother too.