Page 34 of Meet Me at the Altar

“This was my first time, Drè.”

“You sure about that? Because nothing about the way you sucked my dick felt like the first time. You felt like a professional if you ask me.”

“Well, I didn’t ask you, and eeww. Don’t make me sound like a whore.”

I chuckled. “Not even, baby girl. You’re just good about your shit. How’d you learn to suck a dick like that?”

“Plenty of porn, bananas, and imagining what felt good to you.”

“Gaahhhdamn! Girl, you did your shit.”

She rolled onto her side and faced me with a smile. “Well, what did you expect? I have to learn how to please my future husband.”

I winked at her and kissed her. Those words saturated my heart with love.

Chapter 12

Kalliope

We had been back in town for a week, and I learned that Andrès hadn’t been back to see his mother since his return. He had flown her out to California to visit him several times through the years, but he had been back for a while now, and he hadn’t gone to see her one time. His mother and stepdad no longer lived next door to my parents. They moved across town four years ago and sold their home to a younger couple with two kids.

“Baby, I know that it’s not easy, but trust me, you’re doing the right thing. Leon needs to see this version of you.”

“He doesn’t need to see shit. I don’t owe him a damn thing, Kalli.”

“You don’t owe him, but I think he needs that peace of mind—to know that you did amazing things with your life.”

“That nigga’s peace of mind ain’t my concern. He had it the minute that I pulled out of their driveway. He doesn’t give a shit about me one way or the other.”

I reached out and gripped his chin and turned him to face me. “Do you really believe that? If he earnestly loves yourmother the way you say he does, he cares about you. I don’t give a shit if he acts like he doesn’t care; he does care because he loves her, and you and her are one.”

“I’m sure that she’s told him all about what’s going on with me.”

“If we’re going to have a wedding, I want them both there. I want all your parents there, Drè. They all had a part in raising you and making you the man you are today.”

He shook his head. With a sneer on his face, he replied, “Nah, you’re not about to give that nigga credit for shit I did, baby.”

I reached over the console and grabbed his hand. “Baby, I know that you mapped out the plan, you put in the work, and you brought it to fruition, but it was their impacts on your life that made you this man. Their decisions, whether good or bad, and their actions gave you what you needed to become the man you are. Your dad invited you to California on numerous occasions, and you declined. When you and Leon fell out that last time, that pushed you to go out there. Going to California is what opened the doors for change in your life, baby.”

He mumbled something before he replied, “For you and my mama, I’ll do this, but I’m not staying long. That nigga has one time to get out of pocket with me, and I’ll?—”

“Do nothing but leave with a peaceful heart. Promise me. If things get uncomfortable, we can just walk out and leave this all behind, okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool.” I pushed my door open, but he reached over me and slammed it shut. “Did you forget whose woman you are?”

I giggled and watched as he climbed out of the car and made his way around to my door. My man looked good in a pair of Fear of God black distressed jeans, a white Fear of God T-shirt, and a pair of all-black Nike Air Max Plus Supreme.

Around his neck was a twenty millimeter white-gold Moissanite Cuban link chain. He had pulled his hair up in a bun, and the white-gold hoops in his ears sparkled in the midday sun.

When he pulled my door open and extended his hand to me, I easily took it, but I stopped him before he could take another step.

“What’s wrong, babe?”

“Your energy is off, Drè. You cannot go in there all worked up like this. Honey, it’s in your shoulders, your jaw, and your eyes.”

“What do you want me to do, Kalli? I’m not changing how I feel. If I go in there today, tomorrow, or next week, he’s getting this same energy.”