Chapter 20
TWENTY
Learah
“It smells good out here.” I stood next to my father who was over the grill, his sacred space.
He looked good too considering he had picked up a little weight.
It had been a slow process of recovery but he was doing a lot better physically.
Even more than that, we had a better relationship.
As much as I tried to pretend like the distance didn’t matter, I felt whole being back in my parents’ lives.
Amir and I joined them at least once a month for dinner, and truthfully, it was something I looked forward to.
“Don has wings for you. I made sure he added them to the list.” I rolled my eyes at my mother’s voice as she and Amir approached us from behind.
It never failed, the second we stepped foot in their house, all of her attention was focused on him.
Like now, she had her arm hooked with his and remained that way even after they stopped next to us.
“Word, that’s what’s up. You know that’s my favorite.”
“I know, sweetheart.”
I groaned under my breath and my father chuckled, leaning down and kissing my cheek.
If nothing else, Amir was a charmer, and true to his character, in no time at all, he had my mother wrapped around his finger.
He did no wrong in her eyes and that irked my entire soul but it was also cute at the same time.
“Don even made a batch of that spicy sauce just the way you like it.” She was pouring it on thick and he was all in. Both of them needed to go play in traffic.
“Seriously?” I groaned, cutting my eyes at my mother who pretended to be clueless while Amir flashed me a smile I wanted to slap off his handsome face.
“What? You wanted this. Don’t get upset because he’s my favorite.”
“Yeah, Lear, don’t be upset because I’m her favorite.” Amir smirked at me then kissed my mother’s cheek before she left us to head to the kitchen.
“I’m going to make sure everything else is ready. We can eat in a few,” she tossed over her shoulder on the way back to the house while my father shook his head, closing the lid to the grill after removing the last of Amir’s wings.
“Y’all come on before she moves dinner out here,” my father mumbled, carrying the oversized pan of meat that had my stomach growling.
“We’re coming,” Amir was quick to speak out.
He not only liked my father, he respected him.
From their bond, I could tell the feeling was mutual.
The two had grown close to the point where Amir would stop by to hang out even if I wasn’t with him.
When his focus was on me again, he was quick to work me into his personal space, locking his arms behind my back. “You mad because I’m her favorite?”
“Shouldn’t I be? It wasn’t that long ago when she was cursing your name and begging me to find a respectable man to waste my time with.” I lifted my brow and he threw his head back laughing.
“Damn that’s what we’re doing? I’m not respectable?”
“I’m just saying.”
“You’re so damn spoiled, bruh.”
“How am I spoiled because my mother is fake?” I cocked my head to the side and he laughed harder.
“Why she gotta be fake because she has love for the kid?”
“You ain’t all that.”
“Word? Because I’m pretty sure you were singing a different tune right before we came here. In fact?—”
“Amir, you guys need to come eat, your food is gonna get cold.”
He smirked and pecked my lips before talking over his shoulder. “We’re coming, Ma.”
“Okay, sweetheart.”
My brows damn near touched and he laughed harder. “What, man?”
“Ma? That’s where we are with this?”
“Hell yeah, I told you I was gonna marry you, Lear. I might as well get comfortable with that title because that’s what she’s gonna be.
Now bring your jealous ass on.” He gripped the back of my neck and shoved his tongue into my mouth before I could respond.
Once my lips were my own again, I rolled my eyes hard but couldn’t hide the smile that surfaced.
This man had the power to control everything about me and he knew it.
A few hours later, we were all full and I was finishing the dishes with my mother while Amir and my father were out on the back porch smoking, which my mother hated but my father made clear she couldn’t do anything about.
I was sure Amir was the culprit behind my father’s new hobby but I thought it was cute that they used it as another form of bonding.
After I was done and my mother was stuck on a call with one of her Bible study members, I decided to go get my man, so we could head home.
As much as I enjoyed having my parents in my life again, it was a little much sometimes and I had to take both of them in small doses, my mother more than anything.
When I reached the sliding door, I placed my hand on the handle to open the screen but stopped when I heard my father’s question to Amir. It threw me a little because it was the last thing I expected the two of them to be talking about but apparently they were a lot closer than I even imagined.
“And you’re sure you can leave it all behind and be totally legal?”
Amir brushed his hand over his head, gripping the back of his neck, nodding before he spoke.
“Yeah, I’m gonna be straight. I already have a lot of other shit working for me. It’s just time to focus on that.”
“Is it really what you want though?”
“Whether it’s what I want or not, it’s what I need. I’m gonna marry your daughter. I want a family and I don’t want her to face the same shit my mother faced; you know?”
I was sure my expression was tight as my father nodded. What the hell did he know about Amir’s life?
“I’m sure she never recovered from seeing your father that way.”
My face tightened even more.
“Nah, she never really did and I’m not trying to repeat history. It’s time and I owe Lear the type of life where she’s not constantly worried about me. It’s part of the reason she holds back sometimes.”
My father nodded and placed his hand on Amir’s shoulder.
“I appreciate you loving Learah enough to want her to be at peace.”
“Shit, I love that girl more than I love myself. I’ll do whatever I gotta do.” Amir laughed, shaking his head, and the smile it placed on my father’s face had my chest tight.
I couldn’t take much more, so I decided to interrupt their little moment. When I stepped onto the porch, they both turned and smiled at me.
“Hey, it’s getting late. You ready to head out?”
“Yeah, we can roll. I’m sure your pops is ’bout high as shit and ready to enjoy it without having to entertain me.”
My dad laughed, nodding lightly. “After your mother curses me out.”
“You’re grown OG.” Amir chuckled and my father narrowed his eyes at him.
“Indeed I am, but she’s still running things around here. Well, most of them.”
I was now at Amir’s side, so he draped his arm around my shoulder, grinning. “I feel you. I can’t really argue the point on my end either. This one runs a tight ship.” He kissed my temple and my father laughed again before he patted Amir’s shoulder.
“Smart man. Come give your old man a hug, baby.”
I dipped away from Amir and hugged my father tightly.
He kissed my forehead and whispered he loved me before we all headed inside where my mother was waiting.
After saying our goodbyes, Amir and I were in the car and on our way to his townhouse with me processing just how lucky I really was to have both my father and Amir in my life.
“You talk to my father about what you do?”
His eyes shot over to me and he brushed his hand over his head and nodded. “Yeah, we talk about a lot of stuff, why?”
I shrugged, staring at him. “I don’t know. I just didn’t know you were close in that kind of way.”
Amir smiled and my stomach fluttered. “Yeah, we’re cool. You know I kick it with him sometimes. He made it clear that I could holla at him about whatever was on my mind, so we talk.”
“I like that you’re close.”
Amir’s eyes traveled over to me briefly before he focused on the road again. “You sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
He offered a nod before his hand found mine and our fingers intertwined. “You heard what we were talking about?”
“No.”
His eyes shot over to me quickly and I laughed. “Maybe.”
“Yeah aight, maybe, with your nosy ass.”
“I wasn’t being nosy.”
“Yes the hell you were, but it’s cool. You already know what’s up anyway.”
“I do but is it really about me? I don’t want you changing who you are for me.” I was serious. I chose to love Amir for who he was, and even if I didn’t love everything about his life, I had to accept it.
“I love you, Lear. If I’m not willing to change for you then I’m not being the man I need to be.
It’s not like you’re forcing my hand or no shit like that, so it’s not an issue.
Me loving you makes me want you to always have what you need.
You need me and that means I have to do my best to be here for you.
I can’t promise to be here if I’m still on the same shit I’ve been on in the past.”
My cheeks warmed when I looked at him. “What makes you think I need you?”
His eyes were back on me in a matter of seconds. “I don’t think a damn thing. I know and so do you. I feel it right here, baby girl,” his eyes lowered to his chest before he continued, “and that isn’t anything I choose to play around with.”
I rolled my eyes playfully when he brought my hand to his lips and kissed the back.
“Do you need me?”
“Like I need air to breathe, baby. You’re all I need.
Long as I have you, the kid is gonna be straight for life.
” He winked at me and my entire soul felt the depths of his words.
There was no way in the world I could deny him or how much I loved him and that was a feeling I could hold onto for life.