Do Overs #2
“Come now, Ori, you know you wouldn’t have come if you didn’t want to. No matter how important I made any of this seem. Trust me, I’m not making light of your presence, I’m pleased that you’re here. I just want you to know that I understand that you’ve made a sacrifice coming and I appreciate it.”
I nodded at her words and opened the buttons on my blazer and waited on her to say something else. Before I could our cousin walked over and gave my mother a one-armed hug. She nodded at me and I didn’t feel slighted by the cooler greeting.
“What is it that you guys are having today?”
“I haven’t eaten here in a while, you can surprise me.
” I handed her the menu not wanting to be a burden, as I was sure it was uncomfortable for her to have me here.
She knew there was tension between my mother and me, and I knew she was probably on my mother’s side and not mine.
The last thing I wanted was to cause friction between the two of them so I kept my head down as they shared a glance.
The table was tense and I hated that we were having such a public stalemate because eyes could be everywhere but it was unavoidable.
Despite the way things were within our family I didn’t want Faith to come back and have a contentious situation because I was unsure if she’d had any type of tribe while she was on gone so I wasn’t about to mess up what she might come back to.
Being considerate of someone you swore you hated?
Matty nodded and pulled out the small tablet to keep our orders straight. “We have a great filet—”
“Steak is always good.” My response wasn’t enthusiastic and for a second I wondered if she’d heard me. I was ready for her to move away so that I could deal with Faith and then move on to my next appointment.
“He wants the ribeye add extra onions and bring him out extra compound butter for his potato. The vegetable medley here doesn’t have any corn in it and it’s fire-roasted fresh. Is that still the only vegetable you don’t like?” She turned to look at me as if the question were completely natural.
Obediently, I answered not wanting to prolong this portion of our meeting. “Yes.”
Faith turned back to Matty to check in. “Is that okay with you?”
She nodded almost relieved that I wasn’t going to fuss. “Sounds good.”
“I’ll have the same but over a salad no other vegetables and could you bring out two loaves of bread? I know he’s going to have one just for himself.” Her smile was no longer cautious spreading from one side of her fawn-colored face to the other.
Matty nodded at both of us before taking the menus that were on the table. “Sure thing, Faith. I’ll have it ready shortly.”
She walked away and Faith turned her big hazel eyes toward me. “So—”
“Are you trying to make me feel some type of way by showing that you know I like what to eat?”
She froze like a wounded bird and I felt bad for how I was speaking to her. Being here was emotional for both of us and now I wondered if we were going to make our situation worse by agreeing to meet.
“No. In the smallest of ways, I’m glad that I can remember things about you so easily since it’s been so long.
But I’m not trying to play on your emotions by ordering a meal for you.
I can tell you’re uncomfortable and I’m the reason for that.
I’m hoping that we can be less awkward around each other as we try to work through all that is going on.
” Her voice was lowered having lost some of the levity that it previously had.
I tried to harden my feelings and conduct this like the interview it was supposed to be. “Is it that easy for you?”
She shook her head keeping her eyes down on the table. “No. I understand that there are so many levels to what could happen.”
“Levels?”
She looked up then; her face void of emotion. “The easiest is I end up dead.”
“That’s the easiest? I would think that would be the worst.”
She actually smiled then but it was one of devastation. “No. Death is quick. Suffering is far more terrible. Forcing someone to live with that suffering is a fate worse than death.”
“So, what is the top level? Or the bottom, depending on how you see it?” I’d come all this way and I wanted to know the answers to the questions I’d been forced to carry for twenty years.
“Rejection. You deciding that you don’t want to work through any of this and we continue on as we have for so long.” Her tone was gentle but her voice was unwavering. I could tell it cost her a lot to be honest and I appreciated it.
“Then that’s simply the status quo. How would it be any different or more painful?”
“One day you’ll understand.”
“I doubt it. I won’t have to make the same type of decision that you did especially when I don’t know why it was made.”
She smiled softly and nodded her understanding. “Fair enough. But if you ever want those answers I’ll be happy to reveal them to you.”
“Tell me now.”
“That’s not so easy to do, Ori.”
Matty interrupted and set the baskets of bread along with the drinks that I hadn’t remembered to order. My drink was a glass bottle of water and Faith’s was sweet tea.
“I remembered that you serve this in your office during meetings and I assumed this would be okay. Is there anything else that you would like to drink? I’m happy to get it for you.
” When Matty smiled I could see the resemblance between her and Faith.
Same diamond-shaped face and skin tone and dimples in their cheeks.
“No, this is fine for right now, thank you.” I cracked open the bottle taking a deep sip appreciating that she’d remembered a detail like this. Her keeping the lid on was her way of showing me nothing had been tampered with.
Matty walked away after assuring us our food would be out soon and Faith sat back against the black velvet seats of our booth. We sat in uncomfortable silence. Her silent and me eating the bread because I was hungry as fuck and it was good.
“I know you don’t want to hear this but I need you to trust me on this.”
I stopped mid chew swallowing the bite of bread whole unbothered by the way the crust of the bread scratched my throat.
“Trust?”
My tone was hard irritated by the way she easily requested something she hadn’t earned.
She lifted her head again undaunted by how I sounded. “I promise that I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for your good. No matter what you think you’re my son and I only want the best for you. In time you’ll see that.”
I scoffed and drank a few gulps of water before I spoke again.
“Time will tell. But I have to say that if I find out you’re not being honest not even being my mother will save your life.”
“Thank you for having me over.”
I stepped back from the door and opened it wider to let in my guest. I looked over his head to ensure he was alone and his chuckle grabbed my attention.
“No one is with me.”
I shut the door to my old condo knowing his security was somewhere close by.
No matter how much he might trust me, he wasn’t a man who was going to play about his safety and I couldn’t blame him.
Shit, I needed him to be even more cautious moving forward because he was the only decent parent that my future bride had in her corner.
I’d asked William to meet me here not wanting to explain to Asha why her father was still in town.
The family dinner had been over but he hadn’t left the country.
We had eyes on him of course not because we thought he wasn’t on the up and up but he was now part of the family and was protected as such.
“I can never be too sure. People like to press issues especially when they’re familial.
Father or not, a boundary has been set about who can and can’t cross into our homes.
Upholding that boundary means that I get to keep my head.
It’s my honor to ensure that her safe space isn’t violated.
We might not live here yet but this will eventually be our family home and I won’t have her negativity permeate any space she’ll ever live. ”
William Avery was dressed like a man of his stature: custom heather gray suit, hair tapered to perfection and an air of confidence that came from not having the stress that plagued regular men.
I was glad my home had specific security measures in place.
Instead of the flimsy standard American-style doors, there were custom doors that were almost two inches thick with locking mechanisms that were embedded inside the wood.
It would take a literal army with explosives and battering rams to get through the door providing us more than enough time to get to a safe room or through a secondary exit to escape.
The same measures were on all the doors to this property and I would need to do the same for the penthouse.
Convincing Asha of that was going to be hell.
“Drink?”
He nodded as he slipped his shoes off and I made my way to the bar. “Whatever’s open.”
“You like whiskey?”
He smirked as he unbuttoned his suit jacket and joined me at the bar. “Are you going to give me some of the American Tennessee version of whiskey?”
“I was thinking more of the Scottish kind.” I held up a bottle of whiskey from Liam’s distillery and he nodded his head in approval.
“That’s one of the best.”
“I’ll have to tell my brother that you approve of his product.”
I didn’t miss the way his brows rose slightly.
He might have done his research, but there was only so much information that he would’ve been able to provide.
If he were looking for a marriage solution, he would’ve known that most of my brothers were taken, but not so much who they were specifically since they weren’t available.
The elders had already agreed to work with him so I was sure that Deuce and Safi had done more than a thorough investigation of him and all of his people.
They never relied on someone else’s information even if it was from one of us.
Trust but verify was the best way to live.