Chapter 7
I woke up to the sounds of my son giggling. I cracked my sleepy eyes open to see him sitting cross-legged on my bed as he watched re-runs of Arthur. That was one of our comfort shows to watch together. I grew up with it, and now my son would too.
It was a weekend habit for my son to wake up early as hell on the weekends and settle in my bed until I woke up. And like clockwork it was usually his giggles or squirming that woke me up. Sometimes if I took too long, he’d lift my eyelid.
"Morning, buddy," I smiled, voice husky with sleep.
Melo crawled on my chest. "Morning, Daddy,"
I wrapped my arms around him and kissed the top of his head. We laid like that for a moment, just breathing. This was peace.
He lifted his head after a second, looking up at me with curious eyes. "Did you have good dreams?"
I smiled down at him, brushing my hand down his back. "The best dreams, buddy. Me and you were flying though the solar system and collecting stars. We had a blast."
His face lit up instantly, eyes wide. "I like that dream," he giggled.
“Yeah? We might have to go back tonight,” I teased.
He nodded. "We gotta grab the sun next time. And the moon!"
I chuckled. "The whole solar system, son." Melo kicked his little feet. "How about you? Good dreams?" I asked.
He nodded, slower. "I saw Mommy."
My heart skipped as it always did when he dreamed of Kendrix. She had been visiting him for some time now. Now that he was older, he could describe it better to me. "That's wonderful, buddy. What did Mommy say?"
Melo smiled, dimples sinking in his cheeks. “She said I was getting big,” he said proudly. "And han—" he paused trying to recollect. "I don’t remember that word."
"Handsome?" I filled in gently.
Melo nodded, grinning. "Yeah! What is handsome, Daddy? Is that like pretty?"
My throat tightened a little. "It's pretty for boys, buddy. And mommy was right, you're super handsome. Got that from your old man." I tapped his nose with a smile.
He giggled, scrunching his face.
“That sounds like your mommy. She always used to gush over you,” I murmured more to myself than anything.
He nodded like that confirmed it. “And she said you should make chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate syrup.”
I blinked. Then laughed. “That definitely doesn’t sound like your mommy. Sounds like you.”
Melo grinned and buried his face into my chest again.
For a second, I just held him there, my hand moving slowly up and down his back.
Moments like this always came with a strange mix of warmth and ache.
Kendrix used to love lazy mornings like this.
She’d make coffee while dancing around the kitchen and complain about how I never followed her pancake recipe.
“Daddy?”
“Yeah buddy?”
“Can we make pancakes?”
"Sure, son. But no chocolate. We can do strawberry banana."
He cheered and scrambled off the bed.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, running a hand through my beard while he ran ahead toward the kitchen. I used the bathroom and washed my face quickly. By the time I made it to the kitchen, Melo had already dragged his little stool over to the counter.
“Apron,” he requested.
“Yes, Chef,” I said, grabbing the small apron Kendrix bought him before he was even born.
I tied it around his waist while he watched me seriously.
“Chef Melo’s ready,” he announced.
“Alright, Chef Melo.” I reached for the mixing bowl and started pulling ingredients from the cabinet. Flour. Eggs. Milk. He watched closely like he always did.
“Daddy?”
“Yeah?”
“You gonna cook today?”
“I always cook, buddy.”
“But like at the restaurant.”
“Yeah,” I said, cracking an egg into the bowl. “Later, after I drop you off at Mee-Mee and Pop-Pop's house.”
He nodded in satisfaction as we prepared the batter. It didn't take long for me to whip up the pancakes and for us to be sitting down to eat. I heard my phone ringing in my room.
"I'll get it!" Melo offered, jumping out of his seat running towards my room. He already had the phone to his ear when he walked back in. "It's Mee-Mee, Daddy. Hi, Mee-Mee!"
I chuckled because I could hear my mother's warm voice on the phone.
"Hi, my love!" she gushed.
"Put it on speaker, son," I asked.
Melo did it and sat back in his seat. "We eating pancakes, Mee-Mee," he said, shoving a big bite in his mouth. "Want some?" he asked, mouth full.
I smirked and took the phone from his hand. "Don't talk with your mouth full, Melo. Remember you could choke." He nodded. "Hey, Ma. How's my favorite girl?" I spoke into the phone.
"Wonderful. How is my baby boy on this beautiful morning?" she cooed.
"I'm pretty good. Gonna take Melo to grab some new shoes before I drop him off to you guys."
"No. Don't worry about that. Me and Pop-Pop can take him. Then we're gonna go to lunch and to the park. We're gonna have a whole day of fun."
"Yayyyy!" Melo cheered raising his arms in the air. "Can we get ice cream too, Mee-Mee?"
"No," I said.
"Yes, we can grandson," my father's deep voice came on.
I smirked and looked over at my son who was grinning because he knew his Pop-Pop would tussle with me.
"Morning, Pops," I greeted him.
"Good morning, son. My grandson wants a sweet treat, and he's gonna have one."
"He's already eating pancakes," I explained.
"That's nice. Melo…Pop-Pop will make sure you get a nice big scoop, but no toppings," he continued completely ignoring me. "We don’t want your father to have a heart attack. He's not as cool as us unfortunately."
Melo burst into giggles and I heard my mama snickering on the line.
I sucked my teeth, biting back a laugh. "You do too much, Pops."
"I do enough," he said, voice warm and teasing. "We'll see y'all soon. Enjoy your breakfast."
"Bye, Mee-Mee and Pop-Pop." Melo waved.
"Bye, precious," my mama replied.
"Bye, parental figures," I responded.
They both laughed, said their good-byes and we hung up.
I looked over at my son who was looking at me all innocent like he hadn't ambushed me. I shook my head, smiling despite myself. “You and Pop-Pop always teaming up against me.”
He giggled and took another bite of his pancake, kicking his legs under the chair. “Pop-Pop is cool.”
I grabbed a napkin and wiped his face. “Oh really?”
“Yeah.” He nodded confidently.
“And I’m not?”
He thought about it for a second while chewing. “You’re a little cool.”
I clutched my chest dramatically. “A little cool? After I made these pancakes?”
He looked down at his plate, tilting his head. "Okay. Very cool."
"Thank you," I let out a fake sigh of relief. "Give me some credit, geez."
Melo laughed. We finished our breakfast and he helped me in washing the dishes and cleaning off the counters. Afterwards, I sent him to his room to pick up his toys before it was time for us to head out.
I made my way back into my room phone in my hand. I had a bunch of notifications including one from an unsaved number. I clicked the message:
So… do all the women you meet get desserts named after them?
I froze for a second, then slowly smiled.
It was Gianna. She must've seen the video.
When I made it, I wasn't sure if she would be curious enough to dig into my social media.
But just in case she did, I wanted her to see that I was serious in wanting to get to know her.
It was a shot in the dark, but damnit…it worked.
I quickly typed back:
Good morning, beautiful. Only the ones who inspire them.
I sat on the bed, staring at my phone and waiting for those text bubbles to appear.
It was only mid-morning. Depending on what she did for work, she was probably sleeping in.
I wondered what a woman as beautiful as her did for a living.
She had a nurturing energy about her but a directness. Maybe healthcare or social work.
My mind got away from me as I envisioned me picking her up from work. Cooking dinner for her and Melo. Movie nights. Trips. My heart twisted in my chest because although my son was surrounded by women who loved him, he had never had a mother figure.
Whoever entered our lives would need to have the desire to fill that role. It wasn't to be taken lightly, and I would never want to make any woman I pursued feel obligated. I would want her to be there because she wanted to be. Because she loved my son as much as I did.
That’s the only way it would work.
There could be no hesitation.
Gianna seemed excited when I told her about Melo. But he was a cute kid. He pulled on most woman's heartstrings. That didn’t mean she would want to be his stepmother.
Just then I heard Kendrix's voice in my head.
"Relax my love. Take it slow."
I exhaled slowly closing my eyes. I was always a full speed ahead kind of man. Always thinking ten steps ahead and weighing all the variables in any situation. It was Dri who taught me how to slow down and appreciate the present. To savor the moment and let the future come when it came.
It was one of the many things that drew me to her. Her ease—the way she was able to just quiet my mind with a touch, a look, or a smile. I missed her so much.
The phone chimed in my hand and my heart skipped when I saw her message.
Possible contact name Gianna Taylor:
Good morning. So I inspire you? I'm flattered.
Smiling I replied:
You inspire and intrigue me, Gianna. Does this mean you're reconsidering this whole not dating thing?
I saved her number as Beautiful and waited for her reply—
Beautiful: Maybe. I'm not sure yet.
I was about to respond until the text bubbles appeared. The seconds stretched as I watched them appear and disappear. She was hesitant about something.
Finally—
Beautiful: Are you free this afternoon? Around noon?
I checked the time already mentally rearranging my schedule to accommodate whatever she needed.
It was a little after ten a.m. I was dropping Melo off to my parents at noon and then heading to the restaurant.
Weekends were usually all hands on deck, but I could trust my staff to make sure things ran smoothly for a few hours.
I responded:
I have to drop my son off at noon, but I can be available after that, beautiful.