Chapter 5
Trigga
Maliah had given me the invitation, and behind those big doors to the mansion, her father waited.
She spoke highly of her dad. In her eyes, he was Superman, so I felt like I had to make a good first impression.
I would be a damn liar if I said I wasn’t nervous for this moment.
This isn’t what I did. I wasn’t the family meeting kind of guy.
If anything, I strayed away from it. Girls I dated before Maliah did not have good upbringings, so there was never the opportunity to meet anyone from their families.
This was different. She was different. I sighed slightly to attempt to relieve some of the nerves that were pent up in my body.
I parked behind a Bentley Bentayga that was in the driveway.
That alone let me know that her family was more than well off because the ticket for that car was the price of a damn house.
Not to mention that various luxury cars crowded the space.
Even Maliah’s white Benz was clean and parked.
Damn, I thought inwardly as I looked at the shiny blue paint on the Bentayga.
That shit was so clean. Once the engine to my car was off, I then reached over to grab the small bouquet that was sitting on the passenger side seat.
I had picked it up earlier from this local floral shop near my house.
Some flowers for her mother, I figured, would show a bit of effort.
Something small to present that, although I had a tad bit of a rugged appearance, I knew how to be a gentleman.
My father groomed me correctly. I knew what to say to a woman, and I also knew how to listen.
I needed to show a little charm. Especially since Maliah had told me that her parents had been married all her life.
Now that isn’t the kind of shit I was used to seeing. Not in my family, at least.
After looking up at the massive doors once more, I stepped out of the car and straightened this damn cardigan again while taking a deep breath.
Even my outfit for the night wasn’t my speed, and I had to run to the mall for it, but it was all worth it.
She was worth it. The driveway looked long as hell from this angle, and it made me chuckle.
On the countless number of times I had dropped Maliah off, she had hopped the gate like a professional burglar, not to mention that she ran across the land like she ran track.
She had to love the shit out of me to do all of that just to see a nigga.
When I started to climb the six concrete stairs that led to the front door, it opened.
There stood Maliah. My heart beat intensified instantly.
In her presence, it always would. She unknowingly had that effect on me.
She looked like happiness had taken a human form.
Nobody can tell me that the man above did not take his time when he made her.
Her smile lit up the whole driveway, and her majestic brown eyes sparkled in the night’s light.
Without thinking, she ran forward and threw her arms around me.
“Tahari!” she said with her voice full of excitement.
I froze for a beat, then stepped back just enough to glance over her shoulder.
I scanned for her dad or mom to make sure we weren’t being watched.
The coast was clear, so for a second, I enjoyed the moment.
I loved how her small frame always fit perfectly in my stature, like she was made just for me.
I placed a quick kiss on the top of her head before breaking our embrace to hand her the flowers.
“For your mom,” I said, keeping my tone casual and respectful.
Her eyes softened as she took them.
“She’s going to love these!”
“Good. I want to make a good impression,” I said with a grin.
I made sure to take my gold teeth out for this moment.
Maliah always complimented me on my regular teeth every chance she got.
They were naturally straight and bright white, just like my father’s teeth were.
Maliah’s grin widened as she looked me up and down.
I could tell that she was taking in my clean-cut appearance.
Tonight I made sure to look perfect for her.
“You look good.”
There was a hint of lust in her glare, and I had to look away from her. We hadn’t taken things there yet, but I would be a liar if I said that the thought wasn’t constantly on my mind.
“Thanks, baby girl,” I said as I stared into her eyes.
She bashfully looked away before grabbing my hand and tugging me toward the front door.
My heart was racing because excitement and nerves tangled up together.
Behind the doors to this house, this family, her family, was going to be like a whole new world for me.
I shook my nervousness off because I had to step into it like I belonged.
I followed Maliah through the house, keeping my eyes open but trying not to stare too much and look like I was drooling.
The house was damn huge. It had big, polished hardwood flooring, high ceilings, and elegant furniture.
Everything looked like it had been curated to perfection.
I took a deep breath as I was hit by the harsh reality that Maliah and I lived two different lives.
What did Esquire from ATL say? You got a Picasso in your house!
Her family was that kind of rich, and here I was living in the slums of the city, stepping over piss and blunt clips to make it to the front door.
Walking through her house had me wondering what she was even doing with a nigga like me.
She interrupted my thoughts when she squeezed my hand and led me down the hall to the dining room.
Every little detail caught my attention.
There was subtle artwork on the walls, warm lighting throughout, and there was a faint scent of vanilla in the air.
I wanted to soak it all in, but I kept my focus on the task: surviving dinner with her family.
I knew who everyone was from the pictures that Maliah would share with me.
Maylee was bouncing slightly on the edge of her chair with excitement written all over her face.
MJ sat stiff with his arms crossed and his eyes sharp.
He was sizing me up like a pro. Which I didn’t blame him for because he was indeed Maliah’s big brother.
And then I saw Eternity, her mom. She was literally the spitting image of Mali, just about two shades lighter.
Her face lit up when she saw me.
“Tahari,” she said warmly as she took a step forward in my direction.
I offered a small nod, and before I could respond, Maliah had handed her the flowers.
“He got these for you, Ma,” she said before rushing over to the seat beside MJ.
Eternity dipped her nose into the assorted floral bouquet and then took a sniff. I didn’t know what her favorite flower was, so I just got what I thought was the prettiest.
“These are beautiful,” she complimented.
Maylee giggled and leaned up in her chair before jumping into the conversation.
“Hi! You’re Tahari?”
“Yeah, that’s me,” I said, smiling while trying to keep calm.
Her excitement was infectious. I took the seat beside her since that was the only free one left besides the chairs at each head of the long glass table.
I looked across the table and then locked eyes with Maliah before letting my sight roll over to MJ. He didn’t move. He just shifted his weight slightly and narrowed his eyes. He had the classic big-brother vibe radiating off him. I offered a small nod in his direction.
“Good to meet you, MJ.”
He didn’t even offer me a response. Instead, the muthafucka grunted.
I had to smirk the disrespect off because I had to remember again that he was just a big brother.
Although we did not know each other when I attended their school, I’m sure that he had heard about me.
I was kind of a big deal when I attended there.
It was an awkward silence after our encounter that I just had to let go.
This wasn’t the time or the place to want to stand on being a man and being respected.
I just knew that eventually he and I would share words, and I promise I was secretly looking forward to the day.
Eternity gave me another small smile and squeezed my shoulder as she walked past to take her seat at one end of the table.
She placed the flowers I had gotten for her on the surface before gently taking her seat.
She opened a napkin and then laid it across her lap.
She was such a damn lady, and I swear I saw where Mali had gotten it from.
She looked over at me before opening her mouth.
“You’re in the right place, Tahari. We’re glad to have you here. Welcome to the family.”
That one sentence hit me harder than I expected.
Family. That word carried weight, responsibility, and something…
sacred. It was something that I no longer had.
I loved Maliah so deeply that I didn’t have intentions of going anywhere.
If they would have me, I wouldn’t mind joining. I nodded while keeping my voice steady.
“Thank you, ma’am. I really appreciate it.”
I felt my chest tighten with a mix of nerves and excitement. When Maliah gave me a reassuring look from across the table, I thought maybe I could survive this.