Chapter 13 Alex
ALEX
ONE WEEK LATER
“How much dill do you need for the sauce?”
“That one bunch should be enough.” I replied to Judah’s question as I grabbed some fresh fennel from the stand.
We were grocery shopping and preparing a dinner for ourselves and a couple of our friends, Kelli and Gabe.
Tonight would be the first time that we appeared officially as a couple with anyone.
I was excited about it, and I knew that tonight was only a test run.
Kelli was deeply bought into the idea of us, or Judex, as she called us, which I hated.
“I’m still on the fence about dessert, babe. You think we should try to make the cheesecake, or should we just go ahead and buy a dessert?”
“I don’t know, baby. What do you think?” I asked, tapping my chin and pondering the question.
“Well, I was thinking about saving time. It’s already a little after one now.
We still have to get home, unpack the groceries, prep and cook, and then shower and get dressed.
They’ll be at my place at five. I don’t want us to be pressed for time.
This should be easy and smooth flowing so that we can be relaxed when they get there.
I don’t want this to be stressful. We’re supposed to be enjoying ourselves. ”
I pushed up on my tiptoes and kissed him. “See, that right there is why I love you.”
He wrapped his hands around my waist and stared into my eyes. He lifted one thick, bushy eyebrow and asked, “You love me?”
I bit my bottom lip and nodded.
“Since when?”
“I think I kind of always did. I’ve had a crush on you since I was a pre-teen, and over the years, I just fell a little bit more each time I saw you.
Once I started dating Issachar, I convinced myself that it was just a childhood crush, and everyone has one, right?
I’ve been thinking about what you told me about your conversation with him, and I must take some of the responsibility too.
“I was always comparing you and him. I put you on a pedestal so many times over the years, but I never thought it mattered. After all, you were his big brother, and in time, you were married. My crush wasn’t hurting anyone, or so I thought. It clearly hurt your brother.”
“He’s gonna be okay. He just told me yesterday that he’s getting therapy for some of his issues. You’re gonna be okay, too, beautiful. I’m gonna make sure of it because I love you even more.”
Judah squeezed my waist and brushed his lips against mine once more. I pulled back and asked, “Wait. When did you discover you loved me?”
“The day of Zack’s wedding when you stepped out the bathroom with that tear rolling down your face.
I knew then that I loved you, and I never wanted to see you hurting, crying, or pressed for another nigga again in your life.
I knew that I wanted to be the one who wiped away your tears, always made you laugh, and always made you smile. ”
He pressed a kiss to my lips again, and I laughed. “You’re about to make me cry now because you’re so sweet.”
“Baby, don’t.” He kissed my forehead just as I heard someone clearing their throat behind us.
I slowly spun around after seeing the blank, but hardened expression on Judah’s face and in his eyes. My heart sank just a little when I saw that it was my mother, father, and brother. I planned to visit her tomorrow after church and tell her about Judah and me.
“Hi, Mama. Hi, Daddy. Hi, Jon,” I greeted, clearing my throat and pulling the hem of my tank top down just a little.
My father leaned in and pulled me close. He kissed the top of my head and replied, “Hey, baby girl. Hi, Judah.”
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Sheridan. Jon.”
Judah’s hand rested on my shoulder, and he did not move. He stood firmly behind me like a guardian angel, to keep me strong. I appreciated him more than he knew.
“This doesn’t look anything like an anniversary planning session to me. When was the last time a client kissed you? I was just telling your brother, isn’t that Alex and Judah over in produce? I didn’t want to believe it, but, Alexandria, you’ve been lying to me.”
“And I apologize for that, but Mama, you don’t make it easy to talk to you.”
“You can talk to me anytime about anything. I’ve always held an open door, and I’ve told you and your brother that through the years.”
“You have, but your open door comes with a tornado full of judgment blowing through it.”
“And you wonder why? If it weren’t for me watching over you guys, I don’t know what sort of foolish decisions you would have made throughout the years. I mean, look at you now. It’s not a good look being passed through a family like this; it’s whorish behavior.”
“That’s enough, Leona,” Daddy declared as Judah barked, “Aye, come on now.”
“Clearly, it’s not enough, Princeton. Look at how she’s acting,” Mama argued.
“She’s an adult who is allowed to make her own decisions,” Daddy countered.
“Talk to your sister,” Mama fussed at Jonathan, shoving his shoulder a little.
“It is embarrassing, Alex, knowing that my little sister is sleeping with both of my friends, and it just looks bad.”
“Right, and you’re not even trying to be discreet. What’s going on here, Alex?” Mama demanded.
“I lied. I’m not planning any event for Judah; I’m dating him, and I love him.”
My mother made a choking sound, and Jonathan added to her dramatics by patting her on the back and asking if she was okay.
“I’ll be fine, I guess,” she muttered, shaking her head. “Alex, what has gotten into you? Your father and I didn’t raise you this way. You should be embarrassed and ashamed of yourself.”
Anger filled me, and I was struggling not to disrespect my mother, but enough was enough.
“Listen, I’m not embarrassed about it, and I’m no longer going to hide it.
I always looked for you and Daddy’s approval for everything, but if I can’t have it, then that’s fine too.
I could really care less what anyone thinks, including y’all.
I love this man a lot, and y’all can either accept it or don’t. ”
“You have my approval, sweetheart. It’s clear that he makes you happy, and that’s all I have ever wanted for you,” Daddy declared.
“This is ludicrous. And what about you? How are you okay with coming behind your brother like this? He is a good man,” Mama stated, scolding Judah.
I tried to ignore the passing glances of other customers who witnessed our family debacle. Judah stepped from behind me and moved beside me. I could feel the energy coming off him in waves, but when he spoke, it was with a cool authority.
“I’ve tried to stay out of this argument between you and your daughter, Mrs. Sheridan, and allow her to handle her family.
The only reason I’ve remained silent for so long is because she has to make a stand for us.
Now that she has, I’ll fight every one of her battles.
I’m a respectful man, but I don’t play about mine.
This woman right here, . . . she’s mine, in every way that you can imagine.
As soon as she agrees, she’ll be mine in name too.
“Mr. and Mrs. Sheridan, I have your daughter’s best interest at heart.
The relationship she had with my brother has nothing to do with me; it’s in the past. The only thing that I can promise you is that I will take care of her heart and treat it with care.
I understand all three of you may have concerns, but that has nothing to do with us.
This is our lives, and we’ll live it the way we want to.
You can accept it or don’t, but I swear to the Almighty God who I serve, if one of you speak out of pocket to her again, disrespect her, or make any type of insinuations about her character, it’s about to get ugly in here, family or not. ”
Judah had taken my hand when he first started speaking. I gave him a reassuring squeeze to thank him.
“I’m appalled that you would speak to us that way,” Mama stated.
“Feel how you feel, Mrs. Sheridan. I said what I said. You ready, baby?”
I looked at him through the sheen in my eyes, and my heart exploded in my chest. No one had ever taken up for me that way in my life, not even my own father. As much as my daddy loved me, he would only go so far when it came down to taking a stance against Mama.
Jonathan often agreed with me through the years, but he didn’t know how to stand up to Mama, and Issachar had always been too busy trying to kiss her ass to see any wrong that she did.
“Yeah, I’m ready,” I agreed.
“You did good,” Daddy stated quietly.
I smiled at him, and he kissed my cheek and then turned to Judah and shook his hand. “Thank you for taking care of my baby.”
“Take care, Mr. Sheridan,” Judah replied before turning me and the cart in the other direction.
I leaned against him as we walked to the next aisle. “Thank you for that, baby. I know that took a lot, but Mama probably won’t speak to you for at least a year.”
“I’m good with that. You need to understand who I am to you, Alex. I’m your protector and your strength now. I will put it all on the line and sacrifice everything for you, each and every time.”