Chapter 16
The rest of the afternoon and early evening dragged, and on top of that, I didn’t leave until six thirty. The good thing about leaving later was that I missed the traffic. My ride home was quicker than it would’ve been had I left at five.
I enjoyed my home and my family, but I’d never been more excited to get home than I was today, because Malyah would be there. I was annoyed by her dismissiveness about our relationship, but we’d made an agreement, and she was clearly serious about sticking to it . . . no feelings involved.
I let myself into my apartment and immediately heard laughter. I followed the voices to the kitchen and was surprised to see my grandfather and Malyah sitting at the kitchen table. They were so engrossed in their conversation, neither of them noticed my presence.
“Hey. What’s going on here?” I asked.
“Oh, hey, Kenzo. Gramps and I were just talking about different ways to make truffles. These are chocolate-covered peanut butter pretzels. You wanna try?”
“Hell yeah. What’s up, Gramps?”
I leaned down to embrace him and kissed the top of his head. Malyah smiled as she watched our interaction.
“Just enjoying my new granddaughter. You’re a little late today. Something going on at the office I should know about?”
“Nah. I just lost track of time.”
I reached for one of the chocolate desserts, and they both swatted my hand away from the plate.
“Wash your hands,” Malyah fussed.
“Kiss your wife!” Gramps demanded.
I looked back and forth between them, then pressed a kiss on Malyah’s forehead before going to the kitchen sink to wash my hands. When I returned, I said, “Are you two satisfied?”
“You’re married now, Grandson, and I know there’s a learning curve, but never greet anyone before greeting your wife.”
“My bad, but I got it now.”
Malyah lifted the plate full of truffles and held it in front of me. The aroma of peanut butter and chocolate filled my nostrils. I chose one and slowly bit into it, closing my eyes when the flavor hit my tongue.
“Mmm. Three for three,” I said with my mouth full.
“What does that mean, or is that an inside joke?” Gramps asked, his voice filled with skepticism.
“This is the third dessert she’s made that tastes like the best thing I’ve ever had . . . Well, almost.”
My eyes grazed over Malyah’s body as I licked my lips. When they made it back up to her eyes, she blushed and looked away.
“Ahem!” My grandfather cleared his throat.
“Can’t a man admire his wife?”
“Of course, but I didn’t want you to forget I was in the room and devour her in front of me,” he teased.
“Oh my God,” Malyah commented, shaking her head and covering her face in embarrassment.
“What were you saying about her desserts?” Gramps questioned.
“Remember that cheesecake?” He nodded. “Malyah is the culprit.”
“You don’t say? Why the secrecy?” he asked her.
“I bring desserts I make to the staff all the time because I want honest opinions, but I didn’t know if I was overstepping.”
“I need to know your secret to the cheesecake. I only had a small piece, and it was delicious, but I didn’t have enough to pinpoint the ingredient that tickled my taste buds the most,” he continued.
She smiled. “You seem to be a nice guy, Gramps, but I don’t know you like that.”
We laughed at her comment.
“That’s fair, but I have a few secrets of my own I’m willing to trade with you.”
Her eyes brightened as she responded with, “If that’s the case, I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
“You should ask her what she puts in her oatmeal cookies. I left a few on the counter last week,” I added.
“You made those?” he asked Malyah.
“I did.”
“She makes this icing to go with them, and it takes the cookies to the next level,” I said.
Gramps looked at Malyah with a broad smile, and the pride in his eyes almost made me jealous. He’d told me many times how proud he was of me, but he’d never looked at me the way he looked at Malyah.
“Young lady, where have you been all my life?” Gramps asked flirtatiously.
“Old man, are you trying to push up on my woman? I think it’s time for you to go.”
I helped him to his feet, put my arm over his shoulders, and walked him to the stairs.
“It’s okay, namesake. I’ve been kicked out of better places. Granddaughter, I’ll see you tomorrow. Think about what I said.”
“I promise, I’ll think about it.”
I watched my grandfather go up the stairs, and once he was on the other side of the door, I returned to the kitchen and sat in the seat he no longer occupied.
“I didn’t expect to come home and find my grandfather down here.”
“His visit was unexpected for me too. I hope it was okay that he was here.”
“My family has always been welcome to come down, but I can count on one hand how many times each of them has visited altogether. That’s why I was so surprised when I heard Gramps’ voice coming from the kitchen.”
“His voice came over the intercom as I was about to make the truffles and scared the mess out of me. He asked if he could come down and talk for a bit, and who am I to deny the original Kenzo Goode? We ended up making the truffles together, and it was the best cooking experience I’ve ever had.”
“Even better than when I helped you with the oatmeal cookies?”
“Umm, you didn’t help, so it was much better. I learned so much from him. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think something like that was possible.”
“Destiny.”
“Destiny?” she repeated.
“Destiny has a way of working itself out.”
“Kenzo, what are you talking about?”
“You were meant to do and be something great, and now that the stars have aligned, I’m excited to be a witness.”
“You’re the first person who’s ever said something like that to me. I used to think my future was bright, even after I moved out, and had to figure out how to support myself, which I’m still doing. I never gave up hope until this last time.”
“You’d given up hope?”
She looked down at her hands on the table as she fidgeted with them.
“For a few minutes. After I caught Cole and Janie together and packed my car with as many of my things as I could, I drove around the block, pulled over, and had a mini meltdown. I’m a good person, and I do right by people, but so many negative things have happened to me, I thought I’d be better dead. ”
“Baby.”
I leaned forward and took her hands in mine.
“The thought only lingered for a minute, then I put my bad bitch hat back on and got it together.”
“Damn. I’m so sorry you ever felt that way, even if it was for only a minute. I haven’t known you for two full weeks, and I already can’t imagine my life without you. Thank you for not succumbing to that thought.”
Her eyes darted around the room as she avoided my eyes.
“Malyah, look at me, baby. Look in my eyes because they don’t lie.” I waited for her to do as I asked. “From the moment we met, I was drawn to you. Even with what you were going through, your light remained bright. I’ll do whatever I can to make sure you continue to shine.”
She smiled.
“You’ve already done so much. I paid off all my debt today, and for the first time in my adult life, I don’t feel like I’m carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. This is a new beginning for me, and it’s all because of you.”
“Your life has been hard for a long time, and I’m glad I could help. It’s a blessing that your journey hasn’t hardened you. A weaker person would’ve given up.”
She looked down at her hands again as she spoke.
“It’s hard being strong all the time, but I don’t know another way to be. I hear women on TV talking about their soft girl era, and I can’t relate, but I imagine how I feel right now is close.”
“C’mere.”
“Kenzo—”
“I said, c’mere.”
She stood and came over to the other side of the table. I took her hand and gently pulled her onto my lap.
“I don’t know how long you’ll let this last, but as long as you’re with me, you can live in your soft girl era.”
“Oh, really?”
“Hell yeah. You don’t have to wait until school starts to quit your job. Do it now and enjoy a few months of carefree living until the fall. You deserve it.”
“I wouldn’t say I’ve done anything to deserve five months off, but it’s funny you say that.”
“Why?”
“Gramps wants me to quit and spend my days working with him until school starts. He wants to teach me everything he knows before he goes on to be with the Lord. Those were his words, not mine.”
“Oh, I’m sure that’s exactly what he said. He’s always talking about dying, but I suppose that comes with age. Is that what he was talking about when he told you to think about what he said?”
She nodded. “I’m not sure I want to do that, though. I don’t want your parents to think I’m—”
“First of all, you’re my wife. I have enough money to take care of you. Secondly, you now have enough money to take care of yourself, and lastly, stop worrying about what my parents think.”
“I’ve had a job since I was fourteen. I can’t imagine not working.”
“As I told you, Gramps has been waiting his whole life to take someone under his wing. What you learn from him will be invaluable, and by the time you start school, you’ll be able to teach the classes.”
“I don’t know about that, but I believe I’ll be prepared.”
“You should give it some serious thought,” I told her.
“Who would replace me as the head cook?”
I shrugged. “That’s not for you to worry about.”
“Can you promote Anika?”
“Does she have experience?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. If you decide to take my grandfather up on his offer, I’ll promote Anika.”
“Really?”
“If you vouch for her, I sure will. Now, enough about other people. How was your day?”
“It was good. The best part was having a place to come home to. Gramps coming down was an added bonus.”
“I’m sure. Did you eat dinner?”
“No. I haven’t thought about dinner. Do you want to order—”
“Kenny, are you home?” my mother asked over the intercom.
I tapped Malyah’s leg, and she stood. Before I made it to the intercom, my mother’s voice filled the room again.
“Kenny?”
“Yeah, Ma.”
“I made a plate for you and Malyah if you’re hungry.”
“You must have read our minds. We’ll be up in a minute. Thanks, Ma.”
“Dinner with your mother?” Malyah questioned.
“I’m sure she’s already eaten, but she’s harmless.”
“The jury is still deliberating on that one.” She rolled her eyes.
We went upstairs and to the kitchen. My mother was taking a plate out of the microwave and placing it next to the one already on the counter.
“Kenny, Malyah, I hope you both had a nice day,” she said.
“I worked a little later than usual, but it was cool,” I told her before kissing her cheek.
“Good. What about you, Malyah?” she asked as she retrieved two forks from the drawer.
I took our plates to the table, got two bottles of water from the refrigerator, and returned to the table.
“It was fine. Thanks for asking, and thank you for dinner.”
My mother had made smothered chicken breast, green beans, and mashed potatoes.
“Where’s Pops?”
“Out getting a few miles on the treadmill. He should be in soon.”
“What did you do today, Ma?”
“A few errands and a meeting with one of the charities. I’ve been thinking about your birthday.”
“Normally, I wouldn’t be alarmed by that last statement. Do I need to remind you that I’m already married?”
She leaned against the counter, which was several feet away from the table.
“I don’t need a reminder, Son, and I think since I was robbed of the chance to witness you get married, we should have a grand reception birthday celebration.”
I was sipping my water and almost choked.
“A what?” I questioned.
“A grand—”
“Ma, I heard you, and I’m not interested.”
“Why not?”
My mother actually pouted and folded her arms across her chest.
“Because that’s not what we want.”
“But it’s the perfect way to celebrate your birthday, introduce everyone to your new bride, and announce your new role as CEO. Don’t you agree, Malyah?”
She’d been hyper-focused on her plate, so when she heard her name, she was mid-bite and not prepared to be pulled into the conversation.
“Umm, sure,” she answered uneasily.
“I knew you’d agree. We can start planning tomorrow because we’re months behind. July 9th will be here before we know it.”
“Wait! What? Planning?”
“I have a meeting scheduled for Wednesday to view a possible location. I shared my vision with a decorator this morning, but if you two have other ideas—”
“Ma, hold up. You started planning before talking to us.”
“I didn’t think it’d be a problem. Malyah, what’s your availability for tomorrow? I can probably schedule a few meetings with event planners.”
“I usually leave work at around two thirty.”
“I’m sure Kenny wouldn’t mind if you took some time off to plan your celebration, right, Son?”