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“Would you like a drink?” I asked him as we sat in the comfortable chairs surrounding the small table in the center.
“I don’t drink; however, I’ll take a double shot of bourbon if you have it.” I chuckled lightly as I stood and walked over to the bar. “So what do you do besides take jobs to kidnap people, Ahmad? Surely you make a lot of money just by looking at this fancy home you have. Or is that your profession? If so, then I can never bring myself to feel comfortable with you having my daughter and granddaughter around that.”
I poured us two glasses of bourbon then reclaimed my seat after handing him his glass.
“I don’t live that life anymore. I haven’t had to kill anybody until recently, and I only did that for your daughter. Clearly I proved myself worthy, no?”
“That’s not what I asked you.”
I nodded as I sighed. “I made investments once I left the streets alone. They have brought me a lot of profit which is how I was able to obtain a home such as this one, and a few other properties and land.”
“Hm,” he replied. “What is your relationship with your family?”
“It’s getting better.”
“Getting better?”
“Yeah.”
“Why did the relationship end?”
“It never ended, it just stopped. Look, I’m only allowing you in my personal space because I love your daughter and Makari. I would really like for us to remove the malice and start over for the sake of them. I respect your feelings and I understand them, but I really want us to move on from this narrative that you portray me as.”
“I’m really trying. I just need to know more about you. Yeah, you got rid of the bad guy, but are you really the good guy?”
“I’m better than I was, and I have your daughter to thank for that. She’s opened me up in ways that now I’m questioning if I’m good enough for her. My parents and I fell out when I was eighteen. They didn’t approve of my lifestyle, but I felt like the streets loved me more than my own family.
“They liked to judge me because I have a slight case of OCD and I never brought women around them. They even went as far as questioning my sexuality because of it. So I left home. I stayed in contact with my brother, Ashton, and sporadically popped up to my parents’ crib for functions, but I kept my distance. I don’t look at Nala and I’s situation as me abducting them… I now look at it as God sent me on a mission to save two of
His angels and take care of them while they are here.”
I could see Lionel’s stiff shoulders begin to relax. I wasn’t sure if he was scared of me or intimidated by me—either way, he didn’t need to be. Albeit I owed his old ass a fade, I was going to let that go so I could move forward with my Bunny.
“I appreciate you opening up about your past. Although you were being vague, I got that you weren’t really shown love. It takes a real man to admit that, so if this is what you and Nala want, I have to let her go and pray that she’s making the right choice this time.”
He held out his palm to me and I gladly accepted. Now to the hard part. I sipped my drink then cleared my throat before I spoke.
“I appreciate that… and I also would like to ask you something.”
“Sure.”
I scratched my head trying to figure out how to ask what I needed to. Lionel’s stare was intense, but I didn’t want to be a coward. No matter what his answer would be, I was still going to move forward with my plan.
“It ain’t rocket science, son.” He chuckled. “Spit it out.”
“I really love your daughter and Makari dearly. I want to ask you for your blessing to marry her.” We sat in silence as I watched his face display three different emotions. Confusion, surprise, and a hint of a smile. Just a hint.
“I don’t understand this… You both just met only three months ago. How can you love her enough to marry her?”
“Does the length of time matter?”
“It does when you don’t know the person you’re vowing your life to.”
“It may be three months to you and other people, but it feels like a lifetime to me. Bun—Nala completes me, and I know for a fact that I make her feel safe and secure. There’s no timeframe on love. If you love someone, you will always love them no matter if it works out or not. If Nala and I get married and we happen to not make it, she will always be taken care of. That’s how much I love her and want to see her win… even if it’s not with me.”
Lionel sighed as he shook his head. “Well, it’s her life and her choice. The only thing I ask is that you take care of her and my granddaughter’s hearts. I see how you and Makari interact. My sweet pea is enamored by you because she gets a chance to have a father figure in her life… something she’s never had in her almost seven years of life.
“If you want some advice about how to maintain a good marriage, it’s to always communicate, stay faithful because those outside women will tempt you, and whenever she’s having a bad day, don’t match her energy, overpower it with love.”
