She giggled and slid her tongue in my mouth. I deepened the kiss and lifted her by her ass. I moved her toward the stairs, and she pulled her face away from mine.
“Wait. Shouldn’t we at least greet the family first?”
“Fuck them, respectfully.”
She giggled, and I took her up the stairs, opening every door and walking until I came upon the master suite. I kicked the door closed, lay her on the bed, and proceeded to give her one of the best orgasms of her life.
It was around seven that evening when we all gathered on the beach, enjoying drinks and laughter. I had brought some weed from my dispensary for Junie since I knew she loved to smoke, and it turned into a whole session with Mr. and Mrs. Wallace, Junie, Jessie, Meeko, Killa, Lauren, and Aniya indulging as well. I was shocked as hell to see the Wallaces hitting the blunt. Even Jordin was shocked to learn they had a secret stash they dabbled in from time to time. The evening made way to the night, and with the drinks, music, and vibe, it had everyone in stitches when Mr. Wallace told us jokes.
“Okay, Daddy, I think you’ve had enough for the night,” Jordin told him, trying to take his drink.
“Let them be great, baby,” I said, pulling her onto my lap.
“Nooo, Zi. He’s drunk and high,” she whined.
“I’m also grown, young lady,” he replied.
“That’s right. Leave my man alone,” Mama Jas said, defending him.
Jordin tossed her hands up in surrender. “Fine. Y’all taking care of them if they start hollering they see purple rabbits,” she directed to Junie and Jessie.
“Girl, this is not our first time seeing them high. They’re actually better when they’re high,” Jessie said, laughing.
“Well, excuse me, heffa,” Mama Jas said, playfully rolling her eyes.
“Listen.” Papa Los sat up in his seat. “We are here, on this beautiful island in the Maldives, to witness what has already been written in the stars. I never said anything all those years ago because I let God handle y’all how He saw fit. But when this man came to me at the age of seventeen with his intentions and a spreadsheet of the plans he had for my baby girl, I already knew that this day was destined to happen.”
“Not a spreadsheet!” Aniya laughed.
“A whole presentation board,” Papa Los confirmed. “It was a small hiccup in the road, and I absolutely didn’t approve of her marrying that bad-acting nigga, but I let her make her own decisions for her life. I never gave up on you, Zion. I never once wrote you off, because somewhere deep in my heart, I knew you’d come back before she made that mistake with that other nigga. I got nothing but love and respect for this man. He was made for you, Dino. I always believed that,” he said, calling her by the nickname he gave her.
A smile lifted on my face as I placed a hand on my chest and gave him a curt nod. “Appreciate that, Papa Los.”
He nodded. “I know ya people gone, but like I told you before, me and Jas will always be here for you. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to come to us. You were my son before then, and you’ll officially be that for the rest of my life after Saturday. I don’t need a minister to ask me if I approve; you had that the moment you came to me with a Crayola-written board of the shit you were going to do for her.”
We all laughed, and my mind traveled back to that day in their living room. Even after that, Papa Los never stopped rooting for us. He kept money on my books, wrote me letters, and I called him occasionally while I was locked up. He’d give me words of encouragement and would even tell me jokes to keep my spirits up. We never discussed Jordin, because I didn’t want to imagine what she was going through without me, but hewould always let me know that she was good and safe, and that was all I needed to know.
“That’s right, baby. You’re the son we never got to have and the brother the girls never got to have either. You’re family, Zion. All of you ladies and gentlemen are. We watched all of you grow up, and being here to witness this reunion is an amazing feeling.”
“We love y’all,” Junie said, and everyone agreed, telling the Wallaces and us the same. Tears streamed down Dinny’s face as she looked at me. I wiped her tears away and kissed her lips. She dropped her forehead to mine, and I wrapped my arms around her waist.
“Why you crying, baby?” I asked her.
She sniffled. “Because I love you so much, and I don’t want to wait until Saturday. I want to marry you tonight. We’ve waited long enough for this moment.”
“Dang, girl. The glam squad ain’t here tonight. Surely you can hold out until Saturday,” Lauren said.
Dinny shook her head. “I don’t want to.”
“How about tomorrow morning? I’ll get on the line and move some things around,” I told her.
“You will?”
“Absolutely, baby. Who am I to deny you of becoming Mrs. Sullivan?” I asked, pecking her lips a few times.
“That’s terrible. With her spoiled ass,” Jessie said, shaking her head and smiling. Her eyes then came to me. “And you just be giving her what she wants.”
“I can’t help it. Whatever the lady wants, she gets. It’s my job to spoil her and make sure she’s happy.”