Chapter 12 #3
“Before we go back to the city, we need to stop by and see what Jason is talking about.” Reminisce spoke into my ear then kissed it.
“Okay.”
“Now that’s over, and Karim you have peas on your hand. Let’s talk about the family vacation…. Well, the family holiday trip.” Jade’s voice cut through the room, grabbing everybody’s attention.
“How you tryna take a vacation and you’re pregnant, Jade? Make that shit make sense,” G responded.
“Good question, because I know for a fac—”
“We’re going to Michigan. I found a massive beachfront estate. It happens to be available for New Year's Eve and Christmas, so it’s up to you all to pick which holiday.”
I listened to them talking back and forth for a while before they agreed on New Year’s Eve.
Though I didn’t give much input, I was glad because that worked for me.
The last thing I needed to be doing was telling my mother I wouldn’t be spending Christmas with her.
That lady would probably decapitate me. Hell, Aroyal was married with four kids and he didn’t even test her on that.
Holidays with my mother were non-negotiable, but New Year’s Eve I could finagle because I never spent New Year’s Eve anywhere but in my own house.
“You’ve been quiet as fuck. You good?” Reminisce asked after we had been in the car for about ten minutes.
“Yeah, I’m just tired. I have been since I woke up earlier.” I turned my head, glancing back at lil mama in the back. Romance had played her heart out with her cousins so now she was tired as hell too. She was knocked out like I wished I could be.
“We’ll be back in a minute. On some other shit though, I don’t want you fighting bitches over me, Rim. Motherfuckers ain’t worth it.”
I chuckled, my hand finding its way to the side of his head like always when we were in the car. “Good, because I wasn’t fighting over you. I did that shit for Ro.”
I continued to look ahead, in my peripheral vision seeing him cut his head in my direction before back on the road.
“Oh, for real?” His tone had me looking in his direction.
“What am I fighting over you for when I already got you? You ain’t going nowhere.”
“And Ro ain’t going nowhere either. So, you didn—”
“Nah, it’s different. Ro is my lil baby. I know she ain’t going nowhere but she tried to use her like a pawn in a sick ass game. Not to mention, I had some tension I needed to get off.”
“From what?” His eyes were on me again.
“I saw my sister at my mother’s house today. Hoe got outta there before I could lay hands.”
He laughed. “Lil angry ass.”
“Not angry at all. Certain bitches just grind my gears.” I shook my head.
For the duration of the ride, he listened to me vent about my frustrations with my sister and my mother babying her grown ass.
Though he acted as a soundboard wonderfully, he also helped me see that in my mother’s babying of Ariya she blamed herself.
Though Ariya was a grown ass woman like all of us, my mother internalized Ariya’s issues as though they were her own.
I got what he was saying, but I still wanted to beat her ass.
I just needed one good time. I was convinced I could knock some sort of sense into her.
When we got out of the car, Jason was waiting in the door. I’d met him the last time Reminisce brought me with him to check on the house. I had also successfully helped him talk Reminisce out of the black quartz counters. This man was obsessed with the color black.
I stood near Reminisce as he got Romance out of the car. I closed the door behind him, then followed him up the stoned pathway to the two steps. Once there he stopped and allowed me to enter first. He stepped in behind me.
“What’s up, Jason?” he greeted, shaking the old man’s hand before looking around the emerald living room. Though I didn’t think it was much of a front room color, it fit, only if the accents and furniture were white.
Jason smiled, then looked at Reminisce holding Romance. “I’m letting you know everything here is finished. Within the coming days, my crew and I will be moving the supplies and tools to your other property to start the rehab for that.”
“So, it’s all the way finished.” Rem responded as more of a statement than a question.
I gave him one more look before I left him to talk to Jason while I gave the house a look.
A lot had changed since he first showed it to me…
since he first told me it was my endgame with him if I stuck with him.
The walls were painted, floors were finished, and there were even updated steps.
It was beautiful in here, a true indication of how time and TLC had the ability to change things.
Months ago, Reminisce and I were nowhere near the place we were in now.
We were at the stage where neither of us said what was on our minds to one another but instead allowed the space between us to fill up with all of those things.
“He said we’re good to move in any time after Christmas. When are you ready?” Reminisce’s voice made me turn around. There he stood, still holding Romance, and something different in his eyes though.
My eyes glossed the room. “I thought you said you wouldn’t ask me to move in yet. If I remember correctly, you said not this month, next month, and maybe not even next year.”
He grinned, but the grin on his lips never reached his eyes.
“That’s null and void. You married me, Karim.
You let me take you to City Hall not once but twice.
Shorty, you stuck with me and you got the paperwork to prove it.
Only thing missing is this.” He dug his hand into his pocket, pulling out a ring.
Then he moved closer to me, gripping the ring between his index and thumb.
Watching him move closer to me, I fought tears. I was no bitch, but this moment right here had me cuffing the tears with my lids. “Reminisce, what are you doing?”
“Making sure you see this shit and realize who you belong to every fucking time.”
Yep, there were the tears. “Reminisce, you know I’m not a jewelry girlie.”
“Karim, stop fucking playing with me and put this ring on before I cuss your ass out in here.” That fast he had gone from being sweet to talking shit.
I wiped my tears with one hand as he slid the ring onto my finger. “You’re so damn rude.”
“Nah, you fucked it up with your mouth. Now let’s get outta here. We got plans when we get to the house.” He turned to walk toward the front.
“I still haven’t said yes to moving in with you,” I called out after him.
He chuckled. “Fuck outta here, all that crying you were just about to do. Yeah aight, your answer is yeah. Now when all that shit happens is on you.”
I laughed. “Don’t be talking like you tell me what to do, Reminisce. You don’t.”
“Aight, spit that shit when we get back to the city.”