Page 24 of Verse Two
“Parents! Y’all shoulda been at the door, ready to greet me,” I said as we walked in, fully activating my spoiled, only child persona that I was sure would never leave me. Seconds later, I heard my mother’s voice, and it made my heart melt as I smiled.
“Is that my baby?”
She came whisking into the foyer moments later, looking more like my sister than my mom. At fifty-five, my mother could pass for thirty, and I loved that for her.
“It is,” I said, grinning. Releasing Brick’s hand, I hurried into my mother’s open arms. We hugged for quite some time, and I felt myself getting a little emotional. I hadn’t seen her in months, and after this week, it would be a while before I’d see her again. My mother and I were close, and talked almost every day, but I missedthis. There was nothing like being up under your momma.
“Wait a minute,” my mother said, prompting me to open my eyes as she slowly pulled away from me. Of course, her eyes were looking past me and at Brick.
“Oh my goodness,” she said, placing her hand on her cheek dramatically. “Is thatBrixton Ellis?
His smile made me blush as he made his way to my mother.
“How you doin’, Miss Dana? It’s good to see you again.” He extended a hand toward her, but she swatted it away and brought him in for a hug.
When she released him, she said, “It’s good to see you, too, son. My goodness, you done grew up! Now, how in the world did you end up walkin’ in here with my baby girl?”
“We ran into each other in New York, Momma. We flew back in together,” I said.
Brick nodded. “I wanted to make sure she got home safe, so I drove her here.”
My mother took a few moments to look between the two of us. With a knowing smirk, she said, “Mm-hmm. Come on in here and have a seat. Reggie was just takin’ a shower, so he’ll be out in a minute.”
We followed her into the living room and sat on the sofa adjacent to the television. Not long after we sat, my stepfather, Reggie, entered the room wearing an all-grayGlidetracksuit. He was a couple of years older than my mother but also looked amazing for his age.
“Baby girl,” he said, smiling. He was clearly talking to me, but his eyes were on Brick as we both stood.
Grinning, I hugged him tightly. “Hey, Pops.”
My stepfather and I had a tight bond, and I missed him just as much as I did my mother. “Who’s this?” he asked once we released each other.
“This is Brixton Ellis. He’s?—”
Pops cut me off. “Your friend from Terry.”
I blushed. There was a period—shortly after we moved to Jai City—where I was committed to treating my mom and Reggie like shit for “ruining my life.” There wasn’t much I talked about at that time other than Brick, so even though he had never met him, I wasn’t surprised that Reggie remembered the name.
“Yes, sir. It’s good to meet you,” Brick said, extending a hand to him, which Reggie accepted and shook firmly.
I observed their exchange nervously. There was no one on Earth who could tell Reggie—or me—that I wasn’t his daughter.He had treated me like the princess I always considered myself to be from the first day we met.ButI knew there had to be a part of Brick that didn’t feel the need to gain Reggie’s approval for our union. When I finally broke the news to him that I was moving all those years ago, he had nothing but harsh words for Reggie. This was the first time Brick was face-to-face with the man who, in his words, was responsible for taking me away. Neither of the men lacked confidence, and neither of them played about me. I just hoped they got along.
“Good to meet you, too,” Reggie said slowly. “You need help getting her bags outta the car?”
Damn. Straight to it, huh?
“Uh, actually . . .” I began, dragging my words. “I’m not going to be staying here tonight. I’m, um, staying with Brixton.”
Reggie’s expression gave no insight into his feelings about my admission. In an even tone, he asked, “Is that right?” before sliding his hands in his pockets.
“Oh really?” my mother asked, folding her arms. “Y’all just got back from a snowstorm—together—and now you’re stayin’ at his house, too? What does all that mean?”
I took a deep breath, feeling every bit of the teenager who lived under their roof and by their rules. “It means, uh . . .”
“I love your daughter, Miss Dana,” Brick said, cutting me off. I exhaled a breath of relief that he took over the conversation, but anxiety about how the conversation would end had me holding in my next one.
He turned to Reggie. “Y’all’s daughter, sir. I’m sure I’ve loved her all my life, and runnin’ into each other at the airport reminded me just how much. I don’t count it as an accident that we connected again, and I don’t take it lightly. I ain’t tryna intrude on y’all’s time together, because I know she’s only here for a week, but,” Brick said before gazing at me and continuing.
“I missed this girl somethin’ serious over the years, and if I’m about to watch her go to Paris for the next three hundred sixty-five days, I do want to secure at least a little of that time for myself. If it’s cool wit’ y’all.” Once he finished his little speech, he focused on my parents once again.
