Chapter 25
FOUR MONTHS LATER
I stepped into the bar downtown, my eyes scanning the crowd for the people I was meeting. I found Mr. Dillinger and Mr. Hershel at a table, taking shots. It was still weird how friendly they were with each other, but I had mad respect for their relationship.
When I asked both of them to meet me here, they had a lot of questions.
Mr. Dillinger came straight out and asked me if I was doing what he thought I was about to do.
I told him he’d just have to wait and see.
It was important to me to meet with both of Jaeda’s fathers.
Sure, Mr. Dillinger’s blessing was the only one needed, traditionally, but I knew what her stepfather meant to her.
She was his baby, too, so it was only right that I included him. I made my way through the bar and over to where they were. When they saw me, both stood and slapped my hand before motioning for me to sit down.
“A’ight, what’s this about?” Mr. Dillinger asked, jumping right into it.
Mr. Hershel laughed. “Give the boy a second, Stanley. He already looks nervous.”
I was nervous as a muthafucka.
I’d never asked for permission to marry a man’s daughter, let alone two men. I didn’t think either would say no, but I wouldn’t put all my money on a yes. Picking up the lone shot on the table, I tossed it back before placing the empty glass down.
“Well, as you know, I love your daughter, very much,” I started.
“We know,” they said in unison.
“I um, . . . I’ve never had what I have with Jaeda.
I’ve dated women, and none of them give me what your daughter gives me.
With her, I’m free to be myself. I’m free to indulge in things that make me unapologetically happy, and there is no judgment.
I’ve never been happier than I am right now in life. ”
I paused, taking a moment to gather my words and my thoughts. There was no doubt that they knew what I was going to ask, but I needed them to understand just how deep my love for their child went.
“Have you ever had a moment where you saw someone, and you just couldn’t get them out of your head?” I asked.
They both nodded.
“That’s what it was like when I saw her for the first time.
I spent months trying to work up the nerve to send her a message, but every time my finger hovered over that button, I chickened out.
When Titan came to me about helping with Maceo, I had no clue that the woman I was lusting after was the sister of the girl he’d been complaining to me about for so long. ”
Mr. Dillinger chuckled. “Complaining but still around.”
“Right. Anyway, he offered to set me up with her, and I declined because I knew if I wanted to meet her, I had to come correct. I had to come to her with intention, and I think over the last couple of months, I’ve made my intentions very clear to her. Now I want to make them clear to you.”
I leaned forward on my elbows and locked my fingers together, giving both of them my full attention.
“I want to marry your daughter. I want to give her a beautiful life filled with love, happiness, and whatever her heart desires. I want her to bear my last name and my children, and I want to spend the rest of my life loving her with everything in me.”
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the ring box. I picked it up from my jeweler this morning, and it was absolutely perfect. Flipping the top open, I showed them the ring. Both of their eyes dropped to it, and their faces held an expression I couldn’t read.
Mr. Dillinger picked up the box and examined the ring closely before handing it to Mr. Hershel, who did the same.
Mr. Hershel nodded. “What do you think?”
“He did good. Is this custom?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You spent a good grip on this?”
“A great grip,” I confirmed. “Jaeda is worth every penny.”
“That she is.” He looked down at the ring once more before closing the box and sliding it back across the table to me. “So you want me, . . . us, to trust you with our daughter’s heart for the rest of her life?”
“Yes.”
“Where are you going to live?”
“I know how important being with you all is, so if I have to move to the compound, I will. If that means moving into her home or building us a home of our own on the compound, I’ll do it.”
“Are you expecting her to give up her family obligations once you marry?”
I shook my head. “No, sir. Never. I’d even help out where I can.”
Mr. Dillinger nodded. “Now, I’m these kids Pop Pop. Sometimes I pop up and gather all of my grandchildren out of the blue. You got a problem with that?”
I sighed. “I would appreciate if you checked with us first to see if we have anything planned for the kids. If not, you’re free to take them whenever you want.
While we’re on the subject of popping up, I’m gonna need y’all to respect our privacy more.
Sometimes y’all have a habit of just barging in, and I’m not apologizing if you see something you don’t wanna see. ”
Mr. Hershel chuckled. “I think that’s fair, Stanley. I know I’d never wanna see my kids in compromising positions.”
Mr. Dillinger smirked. “I’ll give you that one, lil nigga. Anything else?”
“Nope. That’s about it.”
“Go get you a drink and give us a moment to talk this over.”
“You’re really gonna make me sweat, huh?”
He grinned. “Absolutely.”
I shook my head as I stood from the seat and headed for the bar. After ordering myself a drink, I sat back and watched them as they spoke lowly. I couldn’t imagine a reason they would say no. They’d seen Jaeda and I together. They knew how happy we were.
I mean, it didn’t matter if they said no, I was still going to ask, but I’d rather have their blessing because it meant a lot to my baby.
After about five painstakingly slow minutes, they motioned for me to come back over.
I grabbed the drink I’d been nursing and went to take a seat.
The dramatic effect of them just staring at me was becoming increasingly annoying until both of them smirked.
“You have our blessing,” Mr. Hershel said.
“One condition,” Mr. Dillinger interjected.
“What’s that?”
“We both want to give her away.” He placed a hand on Mr. Hershel’s shoulder. “I respect this man. He’s been a great bonus dad to my kids, and they love him. He should share the moment with me.”
I smiled and nodded. “I think that’s perfect.” I extended my hand to shake both of theirs. “I guess I can call you both dad now, huh?”
Mr. Dillinger laughed. “Why the hell not? I have all these kids already. One more won’t hurt.”
We shared a laugh, then ordered a round of shots to celebrate. They picked my brain about when I was going to propose and how I was going to do it. I already had a plan. I just needed to execute it. After saying our goodbyes, I climbed in my car and called Kerrion.
“Yo,” he answered. “What up, my boy?”
“Ain’t shit. I need a favor.”
“What kind of favor, nigga? I don’t know if I like you like that.”
“Can you get your sisters together for me? I’m planning something for Jaeda, and I need their help.”
“What are you planning?”
“You nosy as fuck.”
“And you know this. Answer the question.”
I sighed. “I’m proposing.”
“Nigga, what!”
“I’m—”
“I heard what you said. You didn’t talk to us about this?”
“Nigga, I spoke to both of your fathers, and they gave me their blessing.”
“Calm down, killa. I’m just fucking with you. Pops peeped game when you asked him to meet up. We knew it was coming.”
“So you’ll do it?”
“Yeah, man. Let me shoot them a group text, and you can head over to Smoke’s. They are all congregating over there with the kids. I’m gonna hit you back in a few.”
“Okay. Thanks, man.”
“I got you. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
We disconnected the call, and I backed out of my parking space, then headed toward the compound.
Not even five minutes later, Kerrion let me know that the girls were indeed at Smoke’s house and were expecting me.
Since Jaeda was spending the day with her mom and little sister, I didn’t have to worry about her catching me there.
Twenty minutes later, I was pulling into the driveway and hopping out of the car. As soon as I knocked on the door, it opened, and Romi stood there with a smile and one of the twins in her arms. Juri stood at her side, grinning up at me.
“Hey, Quaid,” she said, giving me a hug.
“Hey, Romi.” I looked down at the baby. “Which one is this?”
She giggled. “Serena. One of these days, you’ll be able to tell them apart.”
“I hope so.” I stooped to pick up Juri who was already reaching for me. “Hey, pretty girl.”
She rested her head against mine and fiddled with my ears like she did every time.
“Come on in.”
Romi stepped aside and allowed Juri and me to slide past her. Shar, Salima, Mia, and Renay were seated in the huge living room that was covered with toys.
“Excuse the mess,” Romi said. “It’s a regular daycare over here today.”
“You’re fine. I promise. Hey, ladies.”
They all spoke as I made my rounds, giving them each a hug and kiss on the cheek.
With the way they were seated, the only chair left was one that had me facing all of them.
I felt like I was on trial as Juri and I copped a seat.
Darlyn made her way over and squeezed into the limited space beside us.
“Hi, Quay!”
I chuckled. She couldn’t say my name, but I knew to answer.
“Hey, princess.”
When she rested her head against my arm, Juri tried to grab her hair, but I stopped her. She hated sharing the attention when someone was holding her.
“You gotta be nice, Ju,” I said softly.
“She’s mean like her bigheaded ass daddy,” Shar said, picking Marino up.
“What do you need help with?” Mia asked, jumping right in.
“This.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring box. As soon as I flipped it open, all four of them screamed, scaring the kids. Three babies started crying, and they rushed to calm them down.
“You’re proposing?” Shar asked, tears swelling in her eyes.
“I am, and I need y’all to help me get her ready. I was thinking a full pamper day. You could call it a girls’ day or something. Hair, nails, shopping. Maybe tell her you’re going to a nice dinner later. Of course, I’d pay for it all.”
“Whatever you need,” Mia said, dabbing her eyes. “I hate you for making me cry!”
I chuckled. “I really appreciate this. I’ve just got to get the venue locked in, and I can get you a date.”
“Right now, I just want to see this ring,” Renay said, reaching for it.
I handed it over and watched as they all gasped over how beautiful it was.
“Is that custom?” Salima asked.
I nodded. “I designed it.”
She kissed her teeth. “See, now I’m gonna have to tell my husband I want a new custom ring because that is flawlessly beautiful.”
“How much did that run you?” Renay asked.
“Renay!” Romi scolded. “That’s too nosy, sis.”
“What! He can’t come in here flaunting that beauty and not expect that question.” She looked to me for confirmation of her question.
“It was a pretty penny,” I said. “Worth the hefty price tag.”
Shar fanned her face. “I know my girl is going to be a mess. I can’t believe she’s getting married!”
I chuckled. “I need her to say yes first.”
“Oh, she’ll say yes. I guarantee that. Don’t worry. We are going to make her even more beautiful for this. Just wait!”
I smiled. Jaeda once told me that her brothers gave her, her best friends. She referred to them as her sisters, and from being around them, I could see why. They were the perfect people to help me pull this off. Now that I had the ring, the blessing, and a team, it was time to get to work.