Chapter 7 #2
“Girl, of course, and welcome to the family,” Tiki said.
“Thank you,” Glimmer repeated, not really sure what to say. It had been a while since she felt like she belonged anywhere. The feeling was so overwhelming. Too much was happening all at once, but she kept reminding herself that it was for the safety of her and her family.
“Open your gift,” Tiki urged.
Glimmer looked down at the box in her hands.
She had almost forgotten about it. She tore the paper and revealed a medium-sized jewelry box.
When she lifted the lid, she gasped. Inside was a full set of jewelry.
Glimmer knew expensive diamonds when she saw them, and these were definitely very expensive diamonds.
The necklace sparkled and looked timeless with a nice teardrop diamond at the center.
The necklace had teardrop diamonds around the entire thing with a dainty design, and the earrings were teardrop and would look perfect with her updo.
But the thing that brought new tears to her eyes was the ring. It was clearly an engagement right, and ironically, her first one. Trick had never thought to get her one, and though this one wasn’t given to her in the traditional way, it meant a great deal to her.
It had the same teardrop design as the rest of the set.
There were diamond clusters around the main stone, and the shine on them damn near blinded her.
It was classy and timeless, but there wasn’t a chance anyone would ever miss it sitting on her finger.
She grinned through her tears. She sensed that was on purpose.
Gideon seemed like the type that didn’t mind letting everyone know she was his.
His.
The thought was insane to her, but what felt even more out there was the fact that she really didn’t mind the idea of it all.
“Glimmy, wow, look at all those damn diamonds.” Kyomi squealed as she looked over Glimmer’s shoulders.
“If I didn’t know any better, I would say that man loves you, Glimmer. Wow,” Ivy said.
While the women fawned over her new jewels, Glimmer stared at them in awe. There wasn’t much time for her to admire them though. Deja and Kyomi put the jewelry on her while she watched in the mirror.
Ivy and Tiki watched, and they all smiled widely when everything was in place.
“You are glowing, girl,” Deja whispered.
They admired her for a moment longer before they remembered they were on a time crunch.
“Do you need anything? The ceremony is about to start, but I can get you a drink, a shot, or some food real quick,” Ivy offered.
“I think I’m okay,” Glimmer replied. A shot actually sounded good to calm her nerves, but she didn’t think it would be a good idea. She’d barely eaten because she was still so full from the night before, but the last thing she needed was feeling sick while saying I do.
“Okay, we’ll see you downstairs,” Tiki said. She and Ivy left the room.
Kyomi ran her hands down Glimmer’s arms in excitement. “We have just one more thing for you. From Haze and Gideon.”
Kyomi handed her a cell phone, and Deja spoke next. “Dial the number programmed in there. We’ll give you some space.”
With her brows drawn in, Glimmer watched as the two women left the room. She unlocked the phone and found the number programmed. It was saved under Tea Party Man. Glimmer was even more confused as she pressed on the contact and put it on speakerphone.
After only half a ring, a deep voice answered, and the wind was knocked completely out of her. She stumbled back and sat on the ottoman at the foot of the bed.
“Daddy?”
There was a slight pause, and she could imagine her father trying to get his emotions together, just like she was doing at that very moment.
“Hey, baby.” His voice came out in a rough rasp.
When she heard his voice again, she laughed.
She laughed for so long and so hard that tears spilled from her eyes.
The night before, she had told Gideon about how her father used to host the most extravagant tea parties for her, and it was all his doing.
One thing about Juke, he loved his baby girl.
Since her mama refused to do that kind of shit with her, he did it happily.
The name Tea Party Man had her so tickled, and hearing his voice had her filled with so much joy.
“What’s so funny?” he asked with amusement dancing in his voice.
“I’m just so happy to hear from you, Daddy. How are you?” she managed to say once she calmed down.
“Aw, baby. I’m fine. Haze and Gideon set me up real nice. I’m lovin’ my new setup. They even got me a phone. We can talk anytime you want.”
“I’m so happy to hear that. I’ve been so worried about you.”
“You know you could have taken some of my calls, baby.” His voice sounded wounded.
Glimmer frowned. “I haven’t gotten any calls. Trick didn’t allow me to have a phone. Mama said she was keeping you up on everything going on.” There was a long pause, and Glimmer’s heart sank. “That bitch. She didn’t, did she? Have you even talked to her?”
Anger seared her heart as she thought about Camille.
“Watch your mouth, Glimmer,” her father warned.
“How can you even defend her? Have you talked to her?” she asked again.
“Yeah,” he admitted. “She told me you didn’t want to talk to me.”
“She’s a fuckin’ liar. She was the main one pushing for me to marry Trick so he would take care of her financially. You know money is her only motivation.”
“That I do know,” he muttered. “Look, baby, this call ain’t about your mother. I’ll deal with her. I hear you’re gettin’ married today. Are you okay?”
She sighed loudly. “It’s a lot, Daddy.”
“If you don’t want to go through with this . . .” He let his sentence trail off. She knew what that meant. He would do everything in his power to find another way.
“No, Daddy. It’s okay. Really. Gideon seems like a good man. Haze vouches for him, which means a lot, and doing this will secure both of our safety.”
“You marrying that man needs to be for you and you alone. I’m gonna be aight no matter what.”
Glimmer shook her head as if he could see her. “That ain’t how this works, old man. I’m doing this for both of us.”
He stayed silent for a moment. “Gideon is a good man. He’s always been a gentle giant. I wouldn’t be okay with this if I didn’t trust him.”
“You vouch for him too. That solidifies it. Plus, I think I can tell that he’s a good man. He’s been really good to me since I got here.”
Silence stretched between them. Juke finally spoke, and there was a lot of emotion in his voice. “I wish like hell I was there.”
“I do too, Daddy,” she whispered.
“Look, I know you gotta go, but call me later, okay? Tell me how everything went. We can talk whenever you want. All you gotta do is call.”
That made her smile. Relief flooded her. She felt like she had a huge piece of her heart back in its place. That was irreplaceable to her.
“I will. I love you.”
“I love you, too, baby.”
She hung up the phone and took a moment to relish in the sound of her father’s voice before she moved to the mirror to check her face.
There was a knock on the door just as she finished touching up her makeup. Haze poked his head in and grinned. “Damn, sis. You look gorgeous.”
Glimmer had to swallow the lump in her throat. Everything about this day had her emotional. It was a mix of good and sad emotions. If only her dad could be physically here, she would feel so much better. She was, however, thankful that she had Haze, Deja, and Kyomi.
And Gideon.
She ignored the small voice in her head and focused on Haze. “Thank you. This is all so crazy, isn’t it?”
Haze gave her an awkward smile. “I ain’t gon’ lie. If this was any other situation, I probably would beat G up for tryna marry someone I consider my little sister.”
Haze walked further into the room and wrapped Glimmer up in a hug.
She sank into his embrace. Haze had always felt safe to her.
She remembered in elementary school when he beat up a little boy who bullied her, and then again in junior high when she experienced her first heartbreak.
He beat that little boy up so badly she found it hard to get another boyfriend until she went to high school with a whole new batch of students who didn’t know how crazy Haze was.
She giggled. “You’ve beat up boys on my behalf before, but I don’t know if you could take Gideon.”
Haze pulled back and looked down at her with a mean mug. “That nigga? Ah, whatever. He’s just big for no reason. I ain’t scared of his soft ass.”
Glimmer slapped his shoulder. “Hey, not too much on my husband.”
Haze’s brows lifted, and he stared at her in wonder. “You like him, don’t you?”
Glimmer blushed. “He’s nice, Haze, but this is still all so crazy. I mean, after you guys do whatever you’re going to do to Trick, then what? Do we get a divorce?”
Haze adjusted his suit and sat on the small couch in the corner of the room.
“I think y’all will figure it out when it gets to that point.
G is a good dude though. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with this.
With you. It’s been a long ass time since we been locked in, Glimm, but you know me.
I never change up. Loyal to a damn fault.
You’re safe here. You’re safe with him. And you know I ain’t ever gonna let anything happen to you.
“Ya pops, as pissed as I was for so long at him for abandoning us, is a good dude, and he’s family.
Last thing I want to do is disappoint him.
It would feel too much like disappointing my own pops.
You back in the family now. Never really left, for real.
Get used to the princess treatment. You know how I’m comin’, and Gideon is worse.
When he’s locked in with someone, he spoils the hell out of them, and you ’bout to be that nigga’s wife. ”
He chuckled. His words made her mind travel to her father and the phone call.
“I talked to my dad.”
Haze grinned. “Ah, you got your phone? How’d that go?”
“It was the best. Thank you.”
He waved her off. “Ain’t nothin’. I told you we was gonna make sure he was straight. He wouldn’t be aight unless he had access to you. You know how he’s comin’ ’bout his baby girl.”
She smiled sadly. “I just wish he was here. I always envisioned him walking me down the aisle, you know?”
Haze stood and extended his arm. “I know I ain’t ya pops, but I planned on takin’ that walk with you, if you’ll have me.”
Glimmer looked at him with excitement in her eyes. Here she thought she would have to walk down the aisle by herself, but Haze was there to save her from that anxiety.
She stood and accepted his arm. “Thank you, Haze.”
“Stop thanking me.”
“No.”
He chuckled. “Come on. Let’s go get you married.”
Glimmer’s heart thumped in anticipation of this next chapter in her life.