Page 41 of This: Blake & Emon

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Later at ViceAnne’s, watching Blake show off her new Bronco, Emon thought about how naturally she fit into his family. His mom had already filled a stocking for her, had her own special chair at the table next to her, and treated her like the daughter she never had. Now they were gathered around the large table like a family. She’d even asked that Blake invite her friends over to spend the holiday with them. Emon was full. All he wanted to do was love and care for his family for the rest of his days.

“Y’all thinking about giving me some grandbabies?” ViceAnne asked over dinner, making Blake almost choke on the turnip greens she’d just slurped into her mouth.

“Mama—” Emon sighed, frustrated.

“What? I’m just saying, y’all got the room in that big ole house. Jarvis, I ain’t getting no younger, finer but not younger.” She laughed.

Blake caught Emon’s eye across the table, both of them thinking about those late-night conversations about filling their home with love. They’d always been on the same page about wanting kids, lots of them.

“After I finish school, we gon’ fill the house up. Ain’t that right, baby?” She could tell that the question had frustrated him. He never wanted her to be put on the spot, and he damn sure respected that completing school was a priority for her.

For the rest of dinner, Emon was quiet. He didn’t disagree with having kids and didn’t really mind his mom asking, but this wasn’t the right way. He wanted Blake to be his wife. He wanted her dreams to be a reality before he gave her something orsomeone else to worry about. That shit could wait and he didn’t want her pressured into anything.

“Ma, you gotta stop with them baby questions,” Emon said, drying dishes as his mother washed. “She got enough pressure with school and me.”

ViceAnne glanced at him sideways, just knowing her son wasn’t tryna check her. “I see the way you look at her, so I was just asking. You ready to be a dad?”

“Course I am, but I also wanna see my baby finish what she started. She worked too hard to get where she is for me to mess it up. That’s selfish to me, and I ain’t never been selfish with her. Kids take work and time.”

“Proud of you, boy.” His mother admitted, handing him another plate. “You know, a woman who puts her dreams first makes the best mother later. She got goals and values herself. That’s the type you want raising your kids.”

“Ma who says that? I ain’t never heard that shit.”

“I’m just saying.” She turned off the water, facing him fully. “You found yourself a good one, baby. The kind that’s worth waiting for, worth building with. Your daddy wouldn’t have known what to do with a woman like that.”

Emon’s jaw tightened at the mention of his father. He didn’t know why his mother had even brought him up. That man was nothing but a ghost, a mystery, and a muhfucka that didn’t deserve to take up space in any conversation involving him, especially not today. Not when talking about the family he planned to build the right way.

“That nigga was a bum. Of course he wouldn’t have, but to your point, she makes me want to be better. Do better.”

“That’s because she sees who you really are.” ViceAnne patted his cheek. “Now when you gonna make it official?”

“Soon.” He leaned against the counter, lowering his voice. “I already got the ring.”

ViceAnne’s eyes lit up. “Let me see it!”

“Nah, absolutely not. The way y’all talk all the time, you’ll tell her, but just know it’s perfect for her. Simple but special, just how she likes.”

“You nervous?”

“About asking? Nah. I know she gon’ say yes.” He smiled, hearing Blake’s laugh carry from the dining room. “About being the man she deserves though? Yeah, every single day.”

“Boy, stop that.” ViceAnne smacked him with the dish towel. “That girl look at you like you hung the moon. I ain’t never seen you love nothing or nobody the way you love her. Y’all are both in good hands with each other.”

“She makes it easy.”

“Love ain’t supposed to be hard, baby. That’s how you know it’s right.” She started putting dishes away, watching her son watch Blake. This was what every mother prayed for, to see their child find someone who didn’t just love them, but made them want to be better. Someone who challenged them, supported them, and loved them completely. In Blake, her son had found his mirror, his match, and his motivation. ViceAnne couldn’t have handpicked someone better for her baby if she’d tried.

“Yeah, she the one,” he said, watching her clear the table, commanding attention, his attention. Everything about her was intentional, from the way she stacked the plates to how she was building her future. That was what he loved most. His woman had plans, had purpose, and watching her chase her dreams made him want to give her new ones to chase. Yeah, he couldn’t wait to see her barefoot and pregnant in their kitchen one day, but right now, he was counting down the days until he could watch her walk across that stage, diploma in hand, another goal conquered. Because that was what his woman deserved, thechance to be everything she ever dreamed of being, and then some.

Chapter 19

4Months Later

Today was going to be different for Emon and Blake. Different in the best way possible. The couple had been blossoming, and there was no denying it. Anyone who saw them together knew it. These past few months had shown Emon what real love looked like: waking up to her every morning, celebrating birthdays and holidays together, building their life piece by piece. What really got him was how natural it all felt, like every moment since that first night had been leading to this one.

Watching her sleep this morning, he’d been sure of two things: she was it for him, and today was the day he was going to make sure she knew it.

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