Page 79 of Steel
“You-you’re welcome, baby girl,” he said, clearly choked up. “I love you, Nayelli.”
“I love you too.”
That did it. Both of them started crying. My heart swelled with both love and pain. Love because they deserved this. Pain because they deserved this, . . . and I’d kept this from them.
Once the waterworks stopped,it was time to head up to the big house, as Kerrion called it. My nerves were on ten, while my baby was giddy with excitement. Kerrion told me he’d given them all the heads up that he was bringing someone special to dinner. When the golf cart made it up the small hill,and we saw the huge mansion sitting there, my, Dinah’s, and Nayelli’s mouths dropped.
“This is where my great grandparents live?” Nayelli asked.
“Yes. This is where it all started.”
He came to a stop in front of the house with a bunch of other golf carts. I loved that this was how they got around the compound. The minute we got on Kerrion’s, Nayelli was asking him to teach her how to drive it.
We climbed off, and he grabbed KJ from me before grabbing Nayelli’s hand. I swallowed hard as we made our way up to the front door. He pushed it open and led us inside. This place was the epitome of luxury. I almost didn’t want to look at anything too hard for fear that it might break.
Those thoughts went out the window when I smelled the heavenly scent coming from the kitchen. I knew somebody’s grandmother was in there tearing that food up. When we stepped into the kitchen, there was an older woman and a few other women moving around the space with ease. When they noticed Kerrion, they smiled.
“Hey, suga,” the older woman said, coming to hug him.
“Hey, Grams. How you doing, lady?”
“Better now that I’ve seen your face and my great grandbaby.” She kissed KJ’s cheeks then looked down at Nayelli and up at me and Dinah. “Well, who are these beauties?”
“Grams, this is Nayelli, Dinah, and Neha. Ladies, this is my grams, Rebecca Dillinger. Those are my aunts Denise, April, and Jeanie.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, offering a warm smile.
“It’s nice to meet you . . .” his grandmother said skeptically. “Neha, you said?” she asked him.
“Yes.”
She stared at me with the same look his mother and sister had given me.
“That. . . Neha?”
I was beginning to feel like that was how everyone was going to view me, . . .thatNeha. The bitch that broke his heart.
“Yes, Grams.”
She looked down at Nayelli. “And this is . . . her daughter?”
“This isourdaughter.”
“Oh. Shit.” Jeanie said, eyes wide.
“This is your granddaughter,” Kerrion said.
Nayelli smiled. “Hi, Grandma.” She wrapped her arms around the older woman. “I’m so happy to finally meet you.”
Her grandmother didn’t hesitate to hug her back after the shock wore off.
“Oh my Lord!” she exclaimed. “Oh, you’re such a sweet, pretty little thing! You like cookies?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Her grandmother smiled. “She has manners. You just come over here and get all the cookies you want.”
She ushered Nayelli over to the cookie display. His aunts were looking at us, waiting for answers.
