Page 35 of His Secure Embrace
“Uncle James!” The cutest little girl shouted as we entered the modern style brick home. The home was warm and welcoming. The soft voice of Anita Baker filled the air while the scent of food hugged me.
“Hey, Roro.” James bent down and scooped the young child into his arms. He stood up, and she kissed his cheek before her eyes landed on me. I smiled nicely at her curious face.
“Uncle James, who is this?”
“This is my girlfriend, Brielle. Brielle, this is my baby girl, Rose.”
I extended my hand for a shake. “Nice to meet you, Rose. You have a beautiful name.”
“Thank you! You’re pretty!” Rose replied animatedly.
“Thank you. So are you.”
“One down, two to go.” James smirked as he put his niece back on her feet. I watched as she ran in the opposite direction of us.
James led me into the dining room where his mother and sister were. When their eyes met mine, they grinned.
“Ahhhh! She’s really here!” his sister exclaimed.
“I told you not to fangirl, Jas.” James shook his head.
“My bad. She’s just even prettier in person. My goodness.” Jasmine stood up and pulled me into a hug.
I hugged her back. When she let me go, I spoke. “Girl, I’m just a regular girl from Cade’s Cove. I appreciate the love you show on my page though. I followed your lash page and your personal page.”
“Thank you, sister-in-law. I’m gonna start taking my lash business serious.”
“I’m usually a strip girl because I don’t want people playing near my eyes. However, I don’t mind checking you out when you’ve gotten a couple reviews.”
“Eeek! Thank you,” she replied.
“No problem.”
James pushed her out of the way, and they play fought for a few moments before their mom cut in. “Hey, y’all cut that out and let me meet the girl who has softened up my baby’s heart.”
“Hi, Mrs. Hill. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Girl, you gon’ be calling me Mama soon enough. You do not have to keep up with the formalities.”
“Yes, ma’am. My mama raised me in a somewhat strict home. She drilled Southern hospitality into my core. It’s going to take me a while to get comfortable calling you anything other than Mrs. somebody.”
Mrs. Hill smiled. “Okay, I can respect that. Have a seat and let’s get acquainted.”
“Mama, can we get acquainted after we eat?” James asked as he lifted a lid to a pot in the kitchen. I hadn’t even noticed he’d disappeared out of the room until I looked over the island to see him examining whatever was on the stove.
“Boy, get out of my pots with your dirty, unwashed hands!”
“That’s cold, Mama. I washed my hands.” James shook his head but listened. He rubbed his hands together.
“I hope you’re ready to deal with his appetite.” Mrs. Hill tossed the statement over her shoulder as she met James in the kitchen.
My first response would have been inappropriate to say to his mother, so instead, I nodded and joined them in the kitchen.
“You get your impatience from your daddy, boy.”
“Now if I said Jasmine gets her annoy?—”
“You’re on thin ice, buddy. Finish that sentence and see where you end up.” She tilted her head to test his gangster.
