Chapter 14
Chapter fourteen
Gator
“You don’t have to come,” Julius said for the third time.
“Mon petit, do you not want me to meet your family? If you don’t, I can drop you off and stay outside, but I’m not leaving you unprotected.”
“It’s not that. It’s just that my family can be a lot.”
“I’ve heard you talk to your grandmother on the phone, and she seems really nice, and it sounds like you and your sister are close,” I pointed out.
“My yaya is the best. Well, or maybe she’s tied with your mee-maw. It was so cute hearing you talk to her on the phone last night. Your Cajun accent totally comes out when you talk to her.”
“Yeah, indeed, my mee-maw is a gem, but that wasn’t what we were talking about.”
“It’s my mother, Daddy. She’s… well, she isn’t very nice. I have no idea how she’s my yaya’s daughter. You know that old saying the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree? Well, in this case, the apple is in a whole ‘nother state, or country even.”
“Mon petit, I’m not scared of your mother.”
“Yeah, well, tell me that after today.”
I reached over and took his hand. “Look, I was going to meet her eventually, so why not now? We can get it over with, so you don’t have to be dreading the day it happens.”
He shrugged. “I guess I was hoping it wouldn’t happen until I had you totally hooked. That way, I don’t have to worry about her scaring you off.”
“Oh, baby boy, that ship sailed a long time ago. I’ve been hooked since our first dance. Nothing anyone is going to do that’s going to scare me off.”
“I’m gonna hold you to that.”
He didn’t need to know that I’d already run a full background check on his mother and his stepfather. Some might consider that invasive, but these people had the power to hurt him, and that meant I needed to know everything there was to know about them.
When we pulled up, Julius pasted on one of his trademark cheerful smiles. The one I’d seen him use with difficult clients, then he took a deep breath. “Okay, ready?”
“Born ready, mon petit.”
The venue was a small, brightly decorated event hall with colorful tablecloths and a banner that read Happy 80th, Yaya!
strung across the back wall. The smell of brisket, beans, and mac and cheese filled the air, and an older woman in a bedazzled Birthday Queen sash held court at one of the tables like she owned the place. I had to assume that was Yaya.
He led me straight over to a short, curvy woman with curls like his who seemed to be the one in charge of this whole party.
She pulled him into a hug and then said, “It looks good, right?”
“It looks fabulous. You did a great job.” He turned to me. “Gator, this is my sister, Miranda.”
She looked me up and down, then grinned. “Well, damn.”
“Pleasure,” I said, reaching for a handshake.
She ignored my hand and wrapped her arms around me instead. “We’re huggers,” she said.
I looked at Julius over her shoulder and raised one eyebrow, but before he could respond, a small but regal voice rang out from behind us. “Julius Petros, you better get over here and give your yaya a birthday kiss before I come get it myself.”
Julius turned, grinning. “And that would be my yaya.”
She was tiny and ancient and absolutely radiant in a lavender pantsuit with a floral scarf. She wrapped Julius in a fierce hug. Then she pulled back and gave me a quick once-over. “And this must be the man. Took you long enough to bring him by.”
Julius rolled his eyes playfully and kissed her on the cheek. “Happy Birthday, Yaya.”
We barely had time to settle into the warmth of Yaya’s orbit when the temperature in the room dropped by about twenty degrees.
A woman with sharp cheekbones and sharper eyes walked in, dressed in a sleek beige dress and a pearl necklace.
She looked expensive and formal, the complete opposite of Yaya and everyone here.
“Oh great,” Miranda mumbled as the woman headed straight for us.
The woman leaned down and gave Yaya one of those impersonal air kisses society women liked to give.
“Happy Birthday, Mother.” Her voice dripped with fake sincerity, the kind that said she knew people would be watching, so she was putting on a show. “This is such a quaint little birthday party.”
“It’s perfect. Miranda did such a marvelous job, I couldn’t have planned it better if I did it all myself.”
“Mother,” Julius said with a cold, guarded tone that sounded nothing like him. I’d known they weren’t close, but I’d never seen him like that. It was almost like he’d pulled on a suit of armor and was ready for an attack.
“Julius,” she replied with a tight smile, scanning the room like she was checking to see if anyone was watching her. When she realized people were, she gave Julius another of her annoying air kisses. Then her gaze landed on me. “And you are?”
“Harlan Thibodeaux, ma’am.” I offered my hand. “But most folks call me Gator.”
Her eyebrows rose slightly. “And what exactly do you do, Mr. Thibodeaux?”
“Security work,” I said, keeping my tone easy. “Bodyguard, mostly.”
“Ah.” That one syllable was packed with a ton of judgment. “Well. I suppose everyone has to make a living.”
I could feel Julius tense beside me, but I stayed loose. “Yes, ma’am. I do alright.”
“I’m sure,” she said, her gaze flicking to Julius’s outfit. “You’re looking very… colorful.”
That was enough.
“With respect, ma’am,” I said, stepping just slightly forward, “He looks amazing. That’s one of the many things I admire about him. He shows up exactly as he is. That kind of courage isn’t easy to come by.”
Julius’s mom blinked like she hadn’t expected anyone to stand up for her son. “Well…” She sniffed. “I hope you’re prepared for what that entails. His… personality has never made life particularly easy.”
“I’m from the swamps, ma’am,” I said smoothly. “We’re not exactly known for doing things the easy way. But we take care of our own. Always.”
She didn’t say anything else—just gave a tight nod and wandered off toward the drink table like she hadn’t just tried to insult her son in front of his yaya.
Julius let out a long breath. “Well. That went better than expected.”
“I told you,” I said, sliding my arm around his waist. “Your mama’s just a woman with opinions. I’ve wrestled gators. I’ll be fine.”
“You have not wrestled gators.”
“Are you sure about that?”
He shook his head, but a little smile twitched at his lips. “With you, I’m not sure about anything.”
Over the next little bit, I watched while Yaya opened gifts and talked with her friends and family. Julius never left her side, handing her presents and taking the trash from her when she was done. When the last gift had been opened, Miranda announced that it was time to eat.
Julius and I filled our plates and took our seats.
He’d mentioned that the food had been cooked by a family friend, and it smelled amazing.
His yaya was sitting at the head of the table with Julius next to her, and his sister and his niece were busy making sure everyone had what they needed.
I looked around and didn’t see his mother anywhere.
I asked Julius about it, and he let out a wry laugh and rolled his eyes.
“She made her appearance and showed everyone up in her fancy clothes and with her expensive gift. In her mind, she did her part, and people saw what a good daughter she was. I’m sure she snuck out so she wouldn’t have to eat this peasant food.”
“Well, her loss, because I can’t wait to dig in.”
“Yeah, Jimmy Don makes some really good BBQ. His mother and Yaya were best friends most of their lives, so he insisted on cooking for her.”
“If you need to go help your sister, I’m okay here.”
“Miranda loves doing this part. I’ll jump in when it’s time to clean up. She gets that from Yaya. She used to have the hardest time sitting down and eating when we had family dinners because she just always had to be up making sure everyone was taken care of.”
We spent the next half hour or so eating and talking with the people around us. Julius and I had just finished our food when Miranda plopped herself down in the empty chair beside me with a plate of her own.
“So, Harlan,” she said, dragging out my name with a grin. “Or do you prefer Gator?”
“Either one’s fine,” I said, sipping my sweet tea. “Gator’s what most folks call me.”
“Alright then, Gator.” She leaned her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand like she was getting cozy.
She didn’t look like she had any intentions of eating the food on her plate.
Like maybe she’d come over here just to interrogate me, something I found insanely endearing.
“How long have you been seeing my baby brother?”
Julius, who was sitting on my other side, groaned. “Miranda, please don’t start.”
“I’m just being friendly!” she said innocently, then turned back to me. “You don’t mind, right?”
I shrugged. “I have a sister. You’re gonna have to try harder than that to rattle me.”
“Oh, I like him.” Miranda pointed at me like she was awarding me a medal. “So, how’d you meet? Let me guess, it was at one of those Daddy/boy things.”
I choked on my tea, and Julius turned roughly the color of a ripe tomato. “Miranda!”
She waved him off. “What?”
“I told you he was the one who’d been protecting me since I saw that guy get grabbed at the club.”
I didn’t mention that it had been at one of those Daddy/boy things she’d asked about, but I had to fight hard to keep from laughing.
“That’s kind of romantic. Big strong bodyguard falls for the pretty boy he’s supposed to be protecting.”
“Well, I am pretty.” Julius grinned.
I leaned over and kissed him on the temple. “Yes, you are, mon petit.”
“Aww, that’s sweet.” She locked gazes with me. “But you should know that if you hurt him, I will one-hundred percent slash your tires. And not even feel bad about it.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” I said sincerely. “But you don’t have to worry about that. He’s safe with me.”
Julius reached over and laced his fingers with mine under the table. Miranda clocked it and gave me a softer smile than before.
“Good,” she said. “Because he deserves someone who’ll treat him right.”
“I’ll do my best.”
I stood and picked up mine and Julius’s empty plates and carried them to the trash where Yaya found me.
Her smile was as warm as the summer sun, but her eyes were sharp, and I could tell she had something to say.
First his sister, now his yaya. Julius’s mother might not have been what he deserved, but he had some seriously strong women in his corner, and I loved that for him.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said, reaching for the stack in my hands. “You’re a guest.”
I shook my head. “It’s your birthday party, so you’re the guest of honor. Besides, I don’t mind. I like keepin’ my hands busy.”
She gave me a knowing look. “You’re the kind that needs to keep movin’ when your mind’s churnin’, aren’t you?”
I chuckled softly. “Maybe a little.”
“He told me about you, you know. My Julius. He said you made him feel safe. Said you saw him. Not just the glitter and sass, though I quite like that part, too, but the boy under all that sparkle.”
My throat tightened a little at that. He was right, but it was nice to hear that he knew it. “He’s special,” I said simply.
“He is,” she agreed. “Always been. Sensitive, too. He felt everything more deeply than the others. His mama never knew what to do with that. Still don’t, far as I can tell.”
I glanced toward the table where Julius was sitting with his sister and his niece. “I don’t mean to speak ill of her, but I don’t get it. He’s…” I stopped, not quite sure how to put it into words.
“A joy?” Yaya supplied. “A firework? A damn treasure?”
I barked out a laugh. “Exactly.”
She nodded. “She always worried about what her so-called friends would think. I always worried about what Julius would feel. We saw the same child with our eyes, but not with our hearts.”
“Can’t imagine that was easy,” I said.
“It wasn’t,” she admitted. “Still isn’t. But I made peace with the fact that I can’t fix her. Only thing I can do is love him harder. Make sure he knows there’s not a damn thing wrong with the way he shines.”
I felt something shift in my chest—like something sacred being passed to me. “You don’t gotta worry about that,” I said. “Not on my watch.”
She smiled at me then, proud and just a little teary. “I didn’t think I had to. But it sure is nice to hear.”