Chapter 6 #3
They all climbed into Loyal’s Porsche and rode in silence all the way to her parents’ home. He gripped her thigh the entire way. She wondered if he knew he was setting her ablaze or if he was just naturally dominant. When they arrived, he exited the car and pulled Tessa from the backseat.
“Oh, no, I’ve got her. Trust me, you are not ready to meet my daddy,” Ellie said.
They all turned to the house as the porch light flickered on, and Brooklyn said, “Looks like he ain’t got no choice.”
Ellie bit her bottom lip. “You want to come in?” she asked.
Her daddy stepped out on the porch with a shotgun resting at his side.
“Daddy, put the gun down,” Ellie said. “I’m a grown woman.” She was so embarrassed. She turned to Loyal with an apologetic grimace on her face. “I’m so sorry.”
“He just protecting what’s his, E. I respect it,” Loyal said. He stepped up on the porch carrying Tessa. “I’m Loyal Brier, sir. It’s nice to meet you.” Loyal extended his hand while balancing her child with his other arm.
“Bishop Whitlock,” her father returned. “Come on in and get my grandbaby down to bed,” he ordered.
“He was just leaving, Papa,” Ellie said, trying to intervene.
“Nah, he dropping my daughter off after midnight, he gon’ come in here and have a nightcap,” Papa replied.
“Oh my god,” Ellie mumbled, mortified. “Come on, I’ll show you where to put her.”
Loyal followed her up the stairs and into the bedroom, where her girls were sleeping. He laid Tessa down on the bed. “I’ll be down. I just need to get her ready for bed. I’m so sorry about this in advance. He’s never not grilled a boy I’ve brought home.”
Loyal licked his lips and then bit his bottom lip as he nodded. “Don’t worry about it,” Loyal stated. “I can handle it.”
As he walked out, Brooklyn entered the room.
“Good meeting you, Brooklyn,” Loyal said, holding his fist out for a pound. She giggled. “Oh my god, you’re so old,” she critiqued, but she offered her fist for a pound.
“They don’t do that no more?” Loyal asked.
“Not at all,” Brooklyn smiled. “But you’re still pretty cool. Thanks for the tickets.”
“Anytime,” Loyal said, leaving the room.
“Papa just might shoot him,” Brooklyn giggled.
Ellie laughed as she began to undress Tessa.
“Is he your boyfriend?” Brooklyn asked.
“No, baby. He’s just a friend. I barely know him. He’s your uncle’s business partner,” Ellie stated.
“But he likes you, Mom. Like a lot,” Brooklyn stated.
Ellie didn’t know why that made her blush, and Brooklyn got hyped at her mother’s response. “You like him too, don’t you?!” she squealed loudly in excitement.
“Shh! Shh!” Ellie hushed.
“I mean, he is fine for an old head,” Brooklyn mumbled.
Ellie turned on Brooklyn so quick, Brooklyn caught whiplash. “Girl, get your ass in that shower and get to bed. Talking about he fine.”
Ellie put Tessa in the bath, waking her up briefly so that she could get her clean and changed, then she said her prayers with her daughters before returning down to the living room.
She was anticipating a full-on grill session, but instead, she found Loyal sitting at the kitchen table with a drink in his hand as they sat over a domino game.
“Well, what do we have here?” she asked, amused.
“I’m tapping this young boy’s ass, is what we have here,” Papa gloated. One thing about her daddy, he was going to talk shit while he won. Hell, when he was losing, too. Spades, dominos, and tunk were like Olympic games in this house, and there was always money on the floor.
Ellie couldn’t help but grin. She walked over to her dad and stood over his shoulders, massaging them as she stared at Loyal.
This was as lighthearted as she had seen him all day.
The laughs, banter, and smiles the men exchanged were reminiscent of a father and son.
Loyal was comfortable with her father, and more importantly, her father was comfortable with Loyal.
It was the relationship she had hoped her husband would have with her dad, but it had fallen flat.
“Thank you,” she mouthed at Loyal.
He simply nodded and kept his attention on her dad.
She loved when a man showed interest in the people she loved.
Cairo had never made the effort to get to know her father or any of her friends.
He only wanted to isolate her, which is why he had moved her away from Michigan in the first place.
Her own relationship with her loved ones had suffered because of the distance.
“Well, I’m going to head to bed,” she announced.
They barely heard her as they continued their conversation. She thought she was in the clear until Loyal called her name. She secretly loved that he noticed when her presence was diminished in the room.
“Yo, E,” he said.
She turned back to him and waited.
“Hey, Bishop, I don’t mean no disrespect in your house, but I’d very much like to kiss your daughter good night if that’s okay with you,” Loyal said.
Papa huffed and waved his hand. “Go’n about it then, li’l nigga,” Papa stated.
Ellie melted when Loyal crossed the room and commanded her chin and kissed her softly on the lips. No tongue for the sake of her daddy’s watchful eyes. The forehead kiss that followed made her heart flutter.
It felt undone, like an “I love you” was supposed to come after affection like this, but she wasn’t delusional. They barely knew one another.
They stood there, forehead to forehead, for a full thirty seconds. Thank God for her daddy being there because Ellie would have fucked this man on the first night.
Papa cleared his throat, and Ellie couldn’t contain her grin as she said, “Goodnight, Loyal.”
“That ain’t what you wanted to say, but I’m a patient man. I can wait for it,” he said.
“I have no idea what you talking about. You got something you want to say?” she asked.
“Yo, Bishop, you ever heard of meeting somebody and knowing right away that they belong to you?” Loyal asked.
Ellie’s eyes bugged in astonishment. This man was pulling her daddy into his antics.
“Mmm hmm; I felt that way about her mother. Told her she was going to be my wife the day I met her,” Papa said.
“Sound like history repeating itself to me,” Loyal stated.
“Papa, don’t hype him up,” Ellie grinned.
“Ain’t nothing wrong with a man knowing what he wants. She got a husband, though. Got to get rid of that one first,” Bishop chastised.
“Yeah, I’m on top of that too. We gon’ hold a funeral before the wedding. How that sound?” Loyal asked, amused at the horror on Ellie’s face.
“Baby girl, I like this nigga here. He about his business. That’s what I’m talking about,” Papa championed.
“Oh my god. You’re fucking horrible,” Ellie whispered. “Don’t listen to him, Papa,” she said aloud.
“Enough of that, now. Quit delaying this ass-whooping, young man. Go’n upstairs, baby girl, and let the men handle business.”
Loyal returned to the table, and she made her way slowly up to her old room.
She rushed inside and put her back against the door as she heaved breathlessly.
“That nigga is a problem,” she whispered. She liked him too much. The intensity of him almost scared her. She pulled out her phone and hit her group chat.
Bitches, I got a 911. Wake the fuck up!