Chapter 15
Andrès
TWO WEEKS LATER
“This place is so beautiful, Drè!” Kalliope exclaimed, clapping her hands over her mouth.
I wrapped my arms around her from behind and dropped a kiss on her shoulder. “Thank you, baby. I knew you would love it.”
“You even had the water fountain installed that I spoke about all those years ago. How could you possibly remember all the details?”
“Because you mattered to me, Kalli. Everything that you ever said, I took to heart. When I hired these people to build the home, I always knew that I would have it designed with you in mind. Every little detail that you talked about when we were young, I wanted it captured here in this house, including some of my own wishes like the basketball court, gym, and pool, of course.”
She shook her head, and tears were still streaming down her face. “But you didn’t know that I would accept your marriage proposal.”
“Yes, I did. A brother like me is confident. Told you that I wasn’t letting up off you unless you had a ring on your finger.”
She giggled and turned around and kissed me.
Since my return to Cherokee Springs, I had been staying at Ridgeland, but over the last several weeks, I had been staying at her place more.
She invited me to stay after accepting my proposal.
Kalli wanted to get adjusted to living with me, and she said it would allow her to pick up on any subtle changes I had made through the years that she needed to be aware of and vice versa.
The house was completed yesterday, they gave me the keys yesterday evening, and this morning, we drove over first thing to see it. I hadn’t even told her the area of town it was in or anything about the details of what it looked like.
The way that Kalliope invested complete trust in me about matters like this did something to a nigga’s heart.
I hadn’t earned a lot of trust from my family in earlier years, because of my behavior.
The one person I needed to trust, honor, and respect me the most always gave it to me unconditionally.
Kalli was the source of my confidence and strength, and she didn’t even realize it.
I had her dream home built for the two of us to live in. Even if she didn’t want me, it was hers to have. If she told me tomorrow that things wouldn’t work out between us, I would go back to the hotel and start building a new home all over again.
Every detail she talked about during our youth and teens, I had it installed in this home.
The six-bedroom, six-and-a-half bathrooms were my idea, along with the pool, gym, and basketball court.
Kalliope was in the details: high ceilings, crown molding, spa-like bathrooms with separate tubs and showers, custom walk-in closets, customized shelves and organizers and chandelier in the master bedroom closet, high-end kitchen appliances, cabinetry that reached the ceilings, and floor-to-ceiling windows in every room.
She had always talked about wanting a circular driveway with a fountain in the center, as well as a beautiful flower garden out back. The road leading up to our home was well-lit and lined with palm trees, and in our backyard was the most beautiful flower garden I had ever seen.
I led her up from the wine cellar that I decided to have installed, past her home office space, to the backyard.
“Drè!” She squealed.
Tears flew down her face as she covered her mouth with her hands and stared in awe at the masterpiece landscaping. She turned to me and then back to the garden again.
“Do you like it?” I asked, laughing.
“Drè!” She squealed again and turned to throw her arms around my neck. She kissed me all over my face and cried. “I love it, baby. I love it so much.”
She released me, and I watched as she walked away from me and took in the daffodils, daisies, hyacinths, and tulips.
“They are so beautiful, baby,” she declared as she kneeled to sniff several of the flowers.
My heart thundered in my chest at her approval.
I walked up behind her and pulled my fingers through her beautiful red hair.
“I wasn’t lying when I told you that I would be a thoughtful and generous provider, baby.
You deserve nothing but the best. I will never stop rewarding you for saving your heart for me and not taking another man’s last name but mine. That shit is fiya, baby.”
She extended her hand, and I pulled her to her feet. I wrapped my arms around her waist and slowly kissed my woman. My dick instantly reacted, and she pulled back and laughed.
“Mm. Garden sex, that’s a new one.”
“We’ll def’ try that one out.”
“No, sir. Not with all these bugs and butterflies and bees hanging around. I don’t want anything wiggly inside me that isn’t you, and I don’t want anything fluttering that’s not caused by my reaction to you. God forbid that I should get stung.”
“I’m the only one who’ll be doing a little stinging,” I replied, smacking her on the ass.
“Oww. That stung.”
“See what I mean?” I smirked as I pulled out my ringing phone. “It’s Silas. I gotta take this call, baby.”
“Okay. I’ll just be out here enjoying my garden.”
“You do that. Oh, the furniture should be delivered in an hour. If the men pull up and I’m not out front, just call me.”
“Okay.”
“Silas, what’s up?”
“Just checking in on you, man. Has she seen the garden yet?”
“Yeah, we were just out there checking it out when you called. The hell you doing up this early on a Saturday morning? It’s ten over here, so I know it’s only seven in L.A.”
“We had a leak at the new facility that happened overnight. Got a call this morning around four, and I’ve been here with the contractors since. We’ve just about got it wrapped up now. I’ll be taking my black ass back home and getting straight in bed after this.”
“You sure everything’s good? You need anything from me?”
“Yeah. We’ve got it handled, but thanks, as always. How did she like the garden?”
“It’s perfect, man. She’s still out there.”
“So what are we looking at?”
“Two weeks from today is still a go. Make sure that you have everything out there handled so you don’t have any reason not to be standing by my side.”
“You already know I’ve got you. What about that other shit?”
“Nigga, I’m not on that bullshit. I was very clear about where I stood. My mother is my world, and there ain’t a damn thing that I won’t do for her, but I won’t force her to make decisions that she doesn’t want to make. I’m so on the edge about fucking that nigga up.”
“I know, but you and I both know that he ain’t worth it. Give her some time. She’ll come around. In the meantime, hold it down.”
“Always. Take it easy, my nigga.”
I ended the call with Silas and stared at my phone a minute longer.
A part of me wanted to call my mama, and the other part of me told me that it would be a waste of time.
She had married that man years ago, and he had always been the same nigga he was now.
Besides, I was moving ahead with my life and living it.
At the end of the day, she still had to go home to that man.
That was who she spoke her vows to, but still, she was my mama.
I inhaled deeply and sighed loudly before I made the call.
“Hey, Mama,” I greeted after she answered on the fourth ring. “You busy?”
“Hey, baby. No, not really. I was just cleaning my collards.”
“Oh, you’re about to throw down, huh?”
She chuckled. “Just preparing my Sunday dinner now so that when I get home from church tomorrow, all I have to do is warm it up and eat. You know how I do.”
“Yeah. I do.”
“You and Kalli should drop by tomorrow and pick up a plate.”
I rolled my eyes and sucked my teeth. This was her peace offering, but she knew I wasn’t doing shit unless that nigga extended an olive branch first, and I knew that wasn’t about to happen. It would be a cold day in hell before Leon Porter admitted that he was on some bullshit.
“Nah, we’re good on that. I just wanted to check on you and see how you were doing.”
“I’m doing as good as can be expected, especially knowing that my child is in town, and I’ve only seen him once.”
I sighed and dragged my hand over my head. “Mama, you and me both know that it’s best that I keep my distance. If I come over there and your husband disrespect me or my father one more time, I’ll be saying my vows from behind bars.”
“I wish the two of you wouldn’t act this way.”
“Come on, Ma. Don’t throw me in that. I did everything possible to keep my temper around that nigga.”
“Drè, he still raised you, and you owe him respect.”
“I don’t owe him anything, and he didn’t raise me. You and my dad raised me. By the time he came around, I was almost grown. He doesn’t get respect until he learns how to give it.”
She sighed softly, and I immediately felt bad. “I’m sorry that you feel that way, Son, especially with your wedding coming up. How is that coming along?”
“It’s right around the corner. You know that. Everything is going perfectly fine, but I meant what I said, Ma; if he can’t respect me, he’s got no place in my life.”
“I respect how you feel. I just wish that you would try a little harder.”
“I’ve tried for sixteen years. If my best ain’t good enough, then I’m not good enough. Are you coming to the wedding or not?”
“Why do you have to make it sound like that? Like a demand?”
“Because I’ve been asking for a while, and you haven’t answered. We need to finalize our guest list.”
“I just needed more time to convince him—”
“Damn, Ma. It’s not about him!” I breathed out and pinched my brow. “My bad. I shouldn’t be shouting at you.”
“You’re damn right about that.”
“It’s just that, this is Kalli’s and my day, and your presence shouldn’t be contingent on whether he’s there or not.”
“You’re right. You’re my only child, and I love you, Drè. I will try to be there. I love you.”
“Thank you, and I love you too. I have to go now. My furniture delivery drivers just arrived,” I lied.
I ended the call and stared up at the sky. Before I walked back into that house with my woman, I needed to gather my emotions. She had no idea how this shit was crippling me, and if I had anything to do with it, she never would.