Chapter 9
Nine
Dy
“ Y ou look nervous, Doll.”
I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth as I hopped out of Brick’s car. He closed the door and immediately grasped my hand. With my free hand, I pulled my keyring out of my cross-body bag and shuffled through the keys until I found the one that opened the front door.
“I am, a little,” I said honestly.
“Why? I was always cool with your moms.”
I glanced at Brick. He looked cool, calm, and collected.
Meanwhile, I was a ball of nerves. My mother always thought Brixton was a nice guy, but only as my friend.
My mother wasn’t okay with me having a boyfriend until I was a junior in high school, so there was never a time when she would have approved of more with Brick while we were still in Terry.
I honestly wasn’t nervous about what either of my parents would say about us dating. Brick was a nice guy, and he was extremely successful. They would surely approve, but I wasn’t looking forward to telling them that I was going to be staying at his house instead of ours.
I knew they had big plans for us to spend all my time in town together, but Brick’s reappearance in my life made that an impossibility. I just hoped they didn’t make a big deal out of it.
Instead of voicing any of those concerns to Brick, I smiled at him and said, “You’re right,” before I unlocked the door and opened it.
“Parents! Y’all shoulda been at the door, ready to greet me,” I said as we walked in, fully activating my spoiled, only child persona that I was sure would never leave me. Seconds later, I heard my mother’s voice, and it made my heart melt as I smiled.
“Is that my baby?”
She came whisking into the foyer moments later, looking more like my sister than my mom. At fifty-five, my mother could pass for thirty, and I loved that for her.
“It is,” I said, grinning. Releasing Brick’s hand, I hurried into my mother’s open arms. We hugged for quite some time, and I felt myself getting a little emotional.
I hadn’t seen her in months, and after this week, it would be a while before I’d see her again.
My mother and I were close, and talked almost every day, but I missed this .
There was nothing like being up under your momma.
“Wait a minute,” my mother said, prompting me to open my eyes as she slowly pulled away from me. Of course, her eyes were looking past me and at Brick.
“Oh my goodness,” she said, placing her hand on her cheek dramatically. “Is that Brixton Ellis ?
His smile made me blush as he made his way to my mother.
“How you doin’, Miss Dana? It’s good to see you again.” He extended a hand toward her, but she swatted it away and brought him in for a hug.
When she released him, she said, “It’s good to see you, too, son. My goodness, you done grew up! Now, how in the world did you end up walkin’ in here with my baby girl?”
“We ran into each other in New York, Momma. We flew back in together,” I said.
Brick nodded. “I wanted to make sure she got home safe, so I drove her here.”
My mother took a few moments to look between the two of us. With a knowing smirk, she said, “Mm-hmm. Come on in here and have a seat. Reggie was just takin’ a shower, so he’ll be out in a minute.”
We followed her into the living room and sat on the sofa adjacent to the television. Not long after we sat, my stepfather, Reggie, entered the room wearing an all-gray Glide tracksuit. He was a couple of years older than my mother but also looked amazing for his age.
“Baby girl,” he said, smiling. He was clearly talking to me, but his eyes were on Brick as we both stood.
Grinning, I hugged him tightly. “Hey, Pops.”
My stepfather and I had a tight bond, and I missed him just as much as I did my mother. “Who’s this?” he asked once we released each other.
“This is Brixton Ellis. He’s?—”
Pops cut me off. “Your friend from Terry.”
I blushed. There was a period—shortly after we moved to Jai City—where I was committed to treating my mom and Reggie like shit for “ruining my life.” There wasn’t much I talked about at that time other than Brick, so even though he had never met him, I wasn’t surprised that Reggie remembered the name.
“Yes, sir. It’s good to meet you,” Brick said, extending a hand to him, which Reggie accepted and shook firmly.
I observed their exchange nervously. There was no one on Earth who could tell Reggie—or me—that I wasn’t his daughter.
He had treated me like the princess I always considered myself to be from the first day we met.
But I knew there had to be a part of Brick that didn’t feel the need to gain Reggie’s approval for our union.
When I finally broke the news to him that I was moving all those years ago, he had nothing but harsh words for Reggie.
This was the first time Brick was face-to-face with the man who, in his words, was responsible for taking me away.
Neither of the men lacked confidence, and neither of them played about me. I just hoped they got along.
“Good to meet you, too,” Reggie said slowly. “You need help getting her bags outta the car?”
Damn. Straight to it, huh?
“Uh, actually . . .” I began, dragging my words. “I’m not going to be staying here tonight. I’m, um, staying with Brixton.”
Reggie’s expression gave no insight into his feelings about my admission. In an even tone, he asked, “Is that right?” before sliding his hands in his pockets.
“Oh really?” my mother asked, folding her arms. “Y’all just got back from a snowstorm—together—and now you’re stayin’ at his house, too? What does all that mean?”
I took a deep breath, feeling every bit of the teenager who lived under their roof and by their rules. “It means, uh . . .”
“I love your daughter, Miss Dana,” Brick said, cutting me off. I exhaled a breath of relief that he took over the conversation, but anxiety about how the conversation would end had me holding in my next one.
He turned to Reggie. “Y’all’s daughter, sir.
I’m sure I’ve loved her all my life, and runnin’ into each other at the airport reminded me just how much.
I don’t count it as an accident that we connected again, and I don’t take it lightly.
I ain’t tryna intrude on y’all’s time together, because I know she’s only here for a week, but,” Brick said before gazing at me and continuing.
“I missed this girl somethin’ serious over the years, and if I’m about to watch her go to Paris for the next three hundred sixty-five days, I do want to secure at least a little of that time for myself.
If it’s cool wit’ y’all.” Once he finished his little speech, he focused on my parents once again.
I glanced at my mother. Her eyes were no longer narrowed, and there was a barely there smile on her lips. Reggie was still unreadable, but his next words gave me relief.
“Aight then. Long as you know who’s in charge if anything happens to baby girl, we’re straight,” he said, holding his hand out to Brixton again.
Brick shook it and smirked. “Yes, sir.” He then said, “I’ma get out of y’all’s way. I’ll see you soon, Doll.”
I couldn’t help the blush forming. “Okay.”
I walked him out and stole a quick kiss before rejoining my parents in the living room. Both their eyes were on me, and my mother patted the spot next to her on the sofa. As soon as I sat down, she got straight into it.
“All right, girl. Spill it.”
“What you wanna know, Ma?” I asked with a chuckle.
My mother scoffed. “ Everything . So get to it.”
I laughed and proceeded to tell her all about the snowstorm that brought Brixton and me back together. Well, I didn’t tell her everything , but by the time I was finished, she and Reggie understood that I was head over heels for Brixton Ellis.
The entire time I spoke, my mother listened attentively, and a smile spread slowly across her face.
“Girl, I ain’t ever seen you this gone over one of these nappy-headed ass boys. But this one is just as messed up over you, so it’s all good,” Reggie said with a smirk.
I looked at him with hopeful eyes.
“You think so?”
If someone other than myself felt that Brick was in this with me—someone I trusted implicitly—I was inclined to believe it with more surety than I currently possessed.
Pops nodded. “I know so, baby girl. I saw how he was lookin’ at ya, and I respect how he came and laid his cards on the table for your momma and me. He’s good in my book, . . . for now.”
“Mine too,” my momma said, grasping my hand and squeezing gently.
“He better come all the way correct, though. When I met the love of my life, I married her, and I ain’t waste no time with it. If that’s who he says you are to him, he needs to do the same. Ain’t gon’ be no lil shackin’ up,” Reggie said, making me burst out laughing. I knew he meant it, though.
“I hear you, Pops.”
“Well, that’s settled.” My mother slapped the sofa and stood before extending a hand to me. I clasped her and stood also.
“Now, come into this kitchen and help me with dinner.”
I followed her with a smile. “As long as it’s beef stew.”
My mother kissed her teeth. “Girl, I wasn’t makin’ your spoiled butt nothin’ else on your first night home. Come on here.”
I opened my eyes and rolled them immediately. I had been having the best dream ever about Brick’s and my wedding, and consciousness kept me from getting to kiss my groom.
As my eyes adjusted to the bright light coming from the large window in front of me, though, I found my smile. I may not have been marrying him today, but I was still in his bed, waking up to the best view in Jai City.
What had started as a trip home to spend time with my parents quickly turned into an extended reunion with my guy.
I had been in the city for three days, and most of that time had been spent with Brixton Ellis.
I didn’t regret it at all, but I did need to spend time with my mom and Reggie.
Although I still planned to be cuddled up next to him by the end of tonight, I was going to get dressed for the day and head to my mother’s house.