23. Chapter 22 #2
For the first time after everything that happened, things actually felt good around him again.
Heaven’s Door was still temporarily shut down while the city dragged their feet with inspections and investigations, but Marcus had already started throwing money in the right pockets to speed things along.
He swore the club would be back open before New Year’s Eve no matter what strings he had to pull.
And honestly after the disaster Halloween turned into, he needed that win badly.
Snow covered the quiet streets outside Marcus’s gated neighborhood while Christmas lights wrapped around nearby homes glowing against the dark sky.
Inside his house, old-school R&B Christmas music played while the smell of food filled every corner downstairs.
June stood in the kitchen pulling a tray of homemade honey butter biscuits from the oven while steam rose from half the food spread across the counters already.
The whole kitchen looked like somebody grandmom and somebody Korean auntie did a collaboration for the holidays.
Jerk Rasta pasta and baked macaroni and cheese sat beside turkey wings covered in gravy.
Next to that was a ceramic porcelain bowl of collard greens with smoked turkey meat, seafood salad and glazed turkey ham topped with pineapples and cherries.
Off to the side was Korean short ribs, Japchae, and kimchi fried rice.
And on a side table sat dessert which consisted of sweet potato pie and peach cobbler.
For beverages they had southern sweet tea, chai spiced eggnog, Soju with fresh crushed strawberries topped with a splash of ginger ale, hot spiced apple cider, Dusse', and Casamigos.
Marcus walked into the kitchen wearing gray sweats and a black thermal watching her move around while Boyz II Men’s Let It Snow played in the background.
“Damn girl, you been cookin' since this mornin,” he said while stealing a biscuit off the tray.
June smacked his hand immediately. “Marcus!”
He laughed while taking a bite anyway. “Damn. You act like you made em from scratch.”
“I did make them from scratch.” June replied back while proudly sticking out her chest.
Marcus paused mid-chew. “Oh, my fault babe.”
“Exactly. Put it back.” June said reaching for the biscuit.
“How the fuck I’m supposed to put back a biscuit I already bit?” He laughed as he took another quick bite.
June yawned and rolled her eyes. “Boy shut up.”
The doorbell rang a few seconds later.
Marcus walked over pressing the intercom. “Yeah.”
“Nigga, open the damn door before Mercedes freeze to death,” Steelo’s voice came through the speaker.
Marcus smirked before buzzing them upstairs. A few minutes later Mercedes came bursting through the front door in a long cream coat with snowflakes melting into her braids.
“Oh my GOD it smell good up in here!”
Steelo walked in behind her carrying gifts while snow clung to the shoulders of his black peacoat. “Damn. Y’all cooked for the whole city?”
Mercedes walked straight toward the kitchen island already reaching for food. “I know one thing, if this macaroni and cheese nasty I’m slapping everybody up in here.”
June looked as if Mercedes disrespected her. “Bitch don’t play with me.”
“I’m serious!” Mercedes laughed. “People be ruining the holidays with they dry ass mac.”
Marcus pointed toward June dramatically. “See? I told her Black people take macaroni and cheese personal.”
“Cause we DO,” Mercedes said while grabbing a spoon. “This shit determine whether you respected or not.”
Steelo shook his head laughing while helping Marcus pour drinks. “Y’all extra.”
The whole house felt alive tonight. They were enjoying the music, laughing their asses off, and clinking glasses filled with liquor while the snow fell gently outside.
For once nobody talked about shootings, clubs, lawsuits, or city fines.
Nobody mentioned Allure or Miss Loretta either.
Not after the acid attack landed the both of them under the jail with charges serious enough to make the news for weeks.
June still couldn’t fully process the fact that Miss Loretta had really sat in that car helping plan to burn her face.
That day stayed in the back of her mind and bothered the hell out of her.
Dinner finally started almost an hour later after Mercedes insisted on taking pictures of everybody plates first.
“Can we PLEASE eat now?” Marcus groaned. “Damn.”
Steelo threw his head back laughing. “She gon have us starving for aesthetics.”
“Exactly,” Marcus said. “The mac and cheese getting cold cause she tryna become a food blogger.”
Mercedes ignored both of them completely. “Shut up and hold your fork cute, Steelo.”
“That sentence just pissed me off,” he muttered.
June nearly spit out her drink laughing.
By the second round of drinks everybody relaxed deeper into the night while Donny Hathaway played softly through the house.
Marcus looked more like himself these days.
The dark circles under his eyes faded some, and he laughed easier now instead of looking over his shoulder every five seconds like somebody was after him.
Then Mercedes suddenly sat up on the couch cheesin' hard as hell. “Oh wait.” She looked toward June excitedly. “I forgot we was supposed to tell y’all something.”
Steelo sighed. “You was supposed to wait till dessert babe.”
“Nope. I can't gold it no more babe.” Mercedes said shifted from one foot to the other excitedly.
Marcus grimaced. “What the hell y’all talkin about?”
Mercedes looked over at Steelo before lifting her left hand.
The diamond caught the Christmas lights and June screamed first. “Oh my GODDDDD!”
Marcus sat up laughing. “Ain’t no fuckin way.”
Steelo laughed at Marcus while Mercedes bounced excitedly on the couch. “He proposed in Seoul yall!”
June jumped up hugging her while Marcus pointed at Steelo. “You sneaky ass nigga.”
“I been planning it for a little minute now.” Steelo added.
“Okay my nigga, I'm happy for you.” Marcus laughed while dapping him up. “Congratulations.”
Mercedes looked so happy she damn near glowed sitting there.
Then she got quiet for a second before smiling again.
“And…”
Steelo covered his face already laughing. “Awww man.”
Mercedes looked over at June with tears forming in her eyes. “I’m pregnant.”
Marcus and June's mouth dropped open in pure shock. June screamed again and Marcus yelled “OH SHIT.” Steelo laughed so hard he almost spilled his drink.
Mercedes covered her face crying and laughing at the same time while June hugged her again tightly. “You serious?!”
Mercedes nodded while laughing through tears. “Three months.”
“Oh my Godddd, I'm so happy for you boo. Congrats!!!!!" June said.
Steelo wrapped his arm around Mercedes pulling her against him while Marcus looked over smiling.
Marcus shook his head smiling while lifting his drink. “Damn. Everybody really out here grown now.”
For once, everybody in the room had something worth celebrating…
Later that night while Mercedes and June cleaned the kitchen together arguing over baby names, Marcus and Steelo stood near the back windows drinking quietly while looking out at the snow-covered yard.
“You good?” Steelo asked after a while.
Marcus looked around his house before he answered.
He heard the Christmas music playing in the background.
The laughter from the kitchen. The tree glowing in the corner.
He appreciated his surroundings and felt like a lucky man.
Then he nodded happily. “Yeah,” he answered honestly.
“I think shit finally startin to calm down.”
Just as he said that, June and Mercedes walked out with the biggest smiles on their faces.
"Okay everybody, time to open some presents!!!" June yelled excitedly.
Everybody moved into the living room and sat down while June went back and forth passing out presents.
Wrapping paper covered damn near the entire living room floor.
Mercedes sat cross-legged near the fireplace already opening stuff too fast while Steelo kept telling her she was acting like a five-year-old.
“Stop Stee, don't ruin this for me!” she argued while ripping open another bag.
“You opening shit like it's money inside.” Steelo replied back.
Marcus laughed from the couch while June reached under the tree handing him another box.
“I know this not no damn socks,” he said immediately.
“Just open it.” Mercedes shot back.
June leaned down reaching farther beneath the tree for another gift when her hand suddenly brushed against a small pink bag shoved toward the back corner.
Her brows pulled together. That bag wasn’t there earlier. She knew because she wrapped every single gift in this house herself.
June picked it up slowly looking toward Marcus. “Who brought this?”
Marcus glanced over from the couch before he responded. “Me.”
June looked down at the cartoon tissue paper sticking out the top. “For who?”
The room quieted slightly after that. It got quiet enough for Mercedes to stop shaking her gift box for a second.
Marcus rubbed the side of his beard before answering. “Anisa.”
June shot daggers at Marcus with her eyes. “Who the fuck is Anisa?”
Marcus hesitated briefly. “My daughter.”
June blinked hard as she stared at Marcus like he had two heads. “Wait, what? You got a daughter?”
Steelo looked down at his drink immediately while Mercedes suddenly got real interested in fixing ribbon scraps on the floor.
June twisted her tongue ring around inside her mouth as she stared directly at Marcus. “Marcus… we been together for months and you ain't said shit to me about having no damn daughter.”
Marcus purposely avoided eye contact with June, “I know babe.”
“And you never thought to mention you had a whole child?”
Marcus sighed already knowing how crazy it sounded. “The situation messy.”
June crossed her arms in a protective stance. “How messy can a child be?”
Marcus cleared his throat to try to buy some time explaining. “Me and Armani was toxic as hell.”