Chapter 20
Glimmer couldn’t possibly think of what more Gideon would have to show her.
All her dreams had come true the day she married him, but they really came true today with their new home.
It was no secret she had been hesitant at first to move from the compound.
Even now, she missed the chaos of the place, but this home felt like such a new beginning for her. One that she was excited to dive into.
She cocked her head to the side when they reached the front door, and Gideon gestured for her to walk ahead of him.
“Where are we going? We just got here.” The pout she had been rocking for the past month and a half since they closed on this house was about to reappear.
“Don’t start,” Gideon warned with a grin.
They walked out into the summer heat. The fresh air tasted almost salty, a perk to living so close to the ocean. Glimmer knew she would love it here. She felt it the first time they pulled up to the property.
Glimmer kept her mouth shut as he grabbed her hand and led her toward a path she hadn’t noticed before. It connected their property to the one next door. Her brows furrowed. She knew if she asked Gideon again where they were going, he wouldn’t tell her, so she kept quiet.
Shock spread through her when Gideon opened their neighbor’s door.
She was thinking she might try her hand at baking some cookies and bring them to her neighbors once she got settled.
She wasn’t much of a baker, but her back-up idea was to buy some gift baskets.
It felt like the right thing to do after moving into such a nice neighborhood.
But here her husband was walking right into their houses.
“Gideon, you can’t just walk into someone’s house.” Her words came out in a hiss through clenched teeth. She was mortified and prayed they didn’t get caught.
His chuckle unnerved her.
“You think I don’t know that, baby?” He grinned down at her before pulling her further into the house.
Glimmer opened her mouth to argue, but the words got caught in her throat when her eyes landed on someone she wasn’t sure she would ever see again. A sob tore through her, and before she knew it, she was in the arms of James ‘Juke’ Delacroix, her father.
Her mind couldn’t comprehend how this was even possible. He was supposed to be in prison . . . for life. But he was there, holding her and smoothing her hair back. His voice grounded her in the moment and allowed her to focus.
“Don’t cry, baby girl. I’m home now. I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”
It was then she realized she had a death grip on him as if he was about to disappear. Or worse, the police would come and haul him away again.
“H-how?” she asked as she looked up at him. Her eyes traveled to Gideon who stood just behind her father with a grin still on his face. Her tears started again and blurred her vision.
“It seems like Haze and Gideon really ain’t just lil niggas anymore. They proved an old man wrong. They been workin’ wit’ lawyers and the Feds for months, to get me released.”
Her eyes widened. It was at that moment she realized she really didn’t understand how much pull her husband had.
“And this house?” She still felt so confused and desperately wanted to wrap her mind around what was going on.
“All mine. Haze put me on, so I work with him now. Gideon bought me this house. On loan, of course. Soon as the money starts comin’ in, I’m payin’ him back, with interest.”
Gideon shook his head. Glimmer knew there would be a struggle with that payback situation.
Not because her dad wouldn’t be able to pay, but because Gideon wasn’t the type to accept it.
That somehow becoming the most drama in her life at the moment felt like a full circle moment.
Being in her dad’s arms reminded her of how easy life had been before Trick.
Hope bloomed within her that the rest of her life would be easygoing just like that.
“I can’t believe you’re here. That you live here. This is . . .” Another cry pulled out of her small body, but the tears were of pure joy.
She felt like she had been through so much, and her emotions went rampant as she realized it was all over now.
“Overwhelming, I know. Imagine how I feel. I went from eating Ramen in a jail cell to living in this beautiful home right next door to my daughter and son-in-law with money in my pocket. It’s a lot to take in.”
“Wait, when did you get out?” Glimmer asked.
Juke looked back at Gideon. “Big guy just came and got me this morning.”
Glimmer narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s where you disappeared to this morning?”
He grinned again before he focused on his phone. He tapped out a text before he stepped over to them. “I’ma leave y’all alone for a bit. Haze is here so we can set up for the party.”
“What party?” Glimmer and Juke asked at the same time.
Gideon kissed Glimmer’s head. “You ain’t think OG was gonna come home, and we wasn’t gonna celebrate?”
Juke clapped his hands together. “I welcome all the shenanigans.”
It was Glimmer’s turn to smile as she wiped her tears. She couldn’t think of a better way to spend the rest of the day other than to celebrate her father.
Gideon and her dad shook hands before her husband left the house. Juke turned to her again, and they stared at each other for a moment before he reached his hand out to her. “Come on. Let me show you around.”
She happily followed her dad around the home. It had a similar layout to theirs but only had three bedrooms. Theirs had six. It was perfect for her dad. They ended in the kitchen, and she sat on one of the barstools that sat at the kitchen island.
“This place is great, Dad.”
Juke went to the refrigerator and grabbed two water bottles.
He slid one over to her and leaned on the island with his elbows.
She watched as he looked down at the water bottle in deep contemplation.
Despite just getting out of prison, her daddy looked good.
His dark skin matched hers, and his hair was cut short and lined perfectly.
She appreciated that she looked so much like her daddy.
“It’s gonna be weird living here alone. I may have spent some time in prison and to myself, but I’m used to you and ya mama being around.”
The mention of her mother caused Glimmer to stiffen. It was her turn to stare down at her own water bottle. There was a lump in her throat. She hadn’t heard from her mother and knew she wouldn’t. Gideon had put the fear of God into her. But the deal wasn’t for Camille to stay away from Juke.
“Have you heard from her?” Glimmer whispered as she avoided eye contact.
Juke moved to sit next to her, and he wrapped his arm around his baby girl and kissed her cheek. “I haven’t, and if I ever do, she’ll wish Gideon had handled her. I promise you that.”
Glimmer didn’t really like the sound of that. One parent killing the other. She shivered before she leaned her head on her dad’s shoulder. “You know none of that was your fault, right?”
Juke stayed quiet for a long time, but he finally responded.
“I enabled your mother for a long time because all I saw was the woman I fell in love with. In a way, it was my fault. She got so greedy and money hungry right under my eyes, and I did nothing about it until I divorced her. By then, it was too late. Because of my inability to get her under control sooner, she hurt you. I can’t forgive myself for that. ”
Glimmer leaned into him and allowed his words to settle. She knew there was nothing she could say to change his mind, so she wouldn’t even bother.
They sat in comfortable silence for a long time. Glimmer felt a great deal of peace sitting with her dad like this. Finally, she said, “It’s so good to have you home, Daddy.”
Juke rubbed her arm. His beard scratched her forehead, and it didn’t bother her one bit. She relished in it as he responded.
“It don’t seem real, honestly. You know, Gideon grew into a great man. Haze, too, but I want to talk about the man who married my daughter.”
The corners of Glimmer’s lips turned up automatically. She couldn’t help it. Gideon had definitely grown into a great man, but he was an even better husband. “He’s honestly the best thing that’s happened to me.”
Juke pulled away and peered down at her. “You really love him, huh?”
“Our marriage was of convenience, and I didn’t want to get married off to one man after running from another, but it turned out to be the exact thing I needed. I really do love him, Daddy.”
“And he loves you too. I didn’t think I would ever find a man who didn’t play about you more than me, but he has me beat, I think. That’s hard for your old man to say, but the way he handled Trick when I couldn’t . . .”
Juke fell silent, and Glimmer felt like she could read his mind.
“Hey, none of that was your fault either. Trick had your back against a wall. You kept me safe for as long as you could. I’m forever thankful to you for that.”
“You always had a way with words, kid. All I’m tryin’ to say is Gideon is good for you. He’s the kind of man I would want for you. The way he questioned me about the shit ya mama did told me everything I needed to know.”
“Which was?”
“He’ll do whatever he could to keep you happy and safe, even go up against his OG.”
“That he will.” Glimmer smiled as she thought about Gideon.
Juke stood. “Come on. I think we should get to that house of yours and see what these guys have planned.”
Glimmer could only imagine. Her daddy was home. Haze and Gideon looked at him as an OG. A second father. The party was bound to be wild.
With Juke’s arm around Glimmer, they walked back through the house and outside. On the path between the houses, Glimmer spotted Charlene bossing people around as they carried pans of food into the house.
Juke whistled. “I know that ain’t my sister from another mister.”
Charlene stopped shouting mid-sentence, and her eyes turned on Juke. “James Delacroix, you get ya ass over here right now.”
Love filled Charlene’s voice as she regarded her father. Glimmer knew there was some pain to mend between the two, but she also knew how tight they used to be before everything went to hell. It wouldn’t take them long to get back to that.
Glimmer made it to Charlene first.
“Beautiful house, baby. You doin’ okay?” Charlene asked as she took Glimmer’s cheeks in her hands and planted a kiss on each of them.
“Thank you, Mama C. And yes. I’m perfect.”
Charlene patted her cheek before her eyes traveled to Juke. Glimmer slipped out of her embrace and walked toward the house, knowing there was about to be a huge fuss session between the two, and she wanted no parts.
She spotted Haze just inside the door of her new home, on the phone. When he spotted her, he nodded and kissed her forehead. “’Sup, sis? Deja and Kyomi are on the way. You good?”
Glimmer nodded and squeezed his middle before she walked further into the house and found Gideon in the living room, looking out the window with his hands in his pockets.
She walked up behind him and put her arms around his middle with her head rested on his back.
Gideon’s hands immediately found hers. He pulled her around to his front and kissed her lips.
“There’s my baby.”
“And there’s mine.” She smiled up at him with pure adoration.
“Scale of one to ten, how happy are you right now?”
“Nine hundred,” Glimmer said without hesitation.
Gideon chuckled. When he did that, she had no choice but to smile. His laugh was filled with so much joy. She loved that about him.
“That makes me happy.”
“Seriously, Gideon, you have made this day one that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Thank you.”
“No thanks needed. If I can make every day like this, then I’m winning. I love you, Glimmer.”
“And I love you, Gideon.”
They kissed again, and Glimmer felt her entire future in that exchange. And boy, what a good future it would be.