Page 110 of Jaeda

I’d never asked for permission to marry a man’s daughter, let alone two men. I didn’t think either would say no, but I wouldn’t put all my money on a yes. Picking up the lone shot on the table, I tossed it back before placing the empty glass down.

“Well, as you know, I love your daughter, very much,” I started.

“We know,” they said in unison.

“I um, . . . I’ve never had what I have with Jaeda. I’ve dated women, and none of them give me what your daughter gives me. With her, I’m free to be myself. I’m free to indulge in things that make me unapologetically happy, and there is no judgment. I’ve never been happier than I am right now in life.”

I paused, taking a moment to gather my words and my thoughts. There was no doubt that they knew what I was going to ask, but I needed them to understand just how deep my love for their child went.

“Have you ever had a moment where you saw someone, and you just couldn’t get them out of your head?” I asked.

They both nodded.

“That’s what it was like when I saw her for the first time. I spent months trying to work up the nerve to send her a message, but every time my finger hovered over that button, I chickened out. When Titan came to me about helping with Maceo, I had no clue that the woman I was lusting after was the sister of the girl he’d been complaining to me about for so long.”

Mr. Dillinger chuckled. “Complaining but still around.”

“Right. Anyway, he offered to set me up with her, and I declined because I knew if I wanted to meet her, I had to come correct. I had to come to her with intention, and I think over the last couple of months, I’ve made my intentions very clear to her. Now I want to make them clear to you.”

I leaned forward on my elbows and locked my fingers together, giving both of them my full attention.

“I want to marry your daughter. I want to give her a beautiful life filled with love, happiness, and whatever her heart desires. I want her to bear my last name and my children, and I want to spend the rest of my life loving her with everything in me.”

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the ring box. I picked it up from my jeweler this morning, and it was absolutely perfect. Flipping the top open, I showed them the ring. Both of their eyes dropped to it, and their faces held an expression I couldn’t read.

Mr. Dillinger picked up the box and examined the ring closely before handing it to Mr. Hershel, who did the same.

Mr. Hershel nodded. “What do you think?”

“He did good. Is this custom?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You spent a good grip on this?”

“A great grip,” I confirmed. “Jaeda is worth every penny.”

“That she is.” He looked down at the ring once more before closing the box and sliding it back across the table to me. “So you want me, . . . us, to trust you with our daughter’s heart for the rest of her life?”

“Yes.”

“Where are you going to live?”

“I know how important being with you all is, so if I have to move to the compound, I will. If that means moving into her home or building us a home of our own on the compound, I’ll do it.”

“Are you expecting her to give up her family obligations once you marry?”

I shook my head. “No, sir. Never. I’d even help out where I can.”

Mr. Dillinger nodded. “Now, I’m these kids Pop Pop. Sometimes I pop up and gather all of my grandchildren out of the blue. You got a problem with that?”

I sighed. “I would appreciate if you checked with us first to see if we have anything planned for the kids. If not, you’re free to take them whenever you want. While we’re on the subject of popping up, I’m gonna need y’all to respect our privacy more. Sometimes y’all have a habit of just barging in, and I’m not apologizing if you see something you don’t wanna see.”

Mr. Hershel chuckled. “I think that’s fair, Stanley. I know I’d never wanna see my kids in compromising positions.”

Mr. Dillinger smirked. “I’ll give you that one, lil nigga. Anything else?”

“Nope. That’s about it.”

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