Page 81 of Spending Forever With You

“Hmm… it ain’t been no six months. What you doing here, Holli?”

I kissed my teeth.

“Oh I didn’t know I was banned from the house for six months. Damn, Gran, that’s extreme don’t you think.” She huffed then rolled her eyes but ignored me.

“Well, I can leave if you want. I just figured you would be happy to know Luke and I have decided to give our relationship a second chance.”

That had her attention as she peered over at me from her side, gauging if I was telling the truth or not. I flashed my ring, hoping it sold the truth.

It all happened so fast, with her tossing her arms around me and pulling me in, to Lacy praising Jesus for the blessing.

“Oh thank goodness y’all two came to your senses. Now God can forgive y’all for the lies and the shacking you two been doing over in that house.”

I laughed hard as I patted her back.

“Gran, shacking with my husband isn’t against His wishes.” I unhooked her arms, placing them back on the table as I tapped both two times.

“No, but false pretenses of being a real married couple and playing house is. Any lie will keep you out of the gates, especially when the married couple who vowed before Him ain’t moving as one with the title He blessed you with. But I’m glad you got your shit together and stopped pretending as if you didn’t love your husband anymore. Now we just need to work on your job and everything will be the way it’s supposed to be.”

I hung my head to the side wearing a smirk before I licked my lips as my eyes drew low and my brows dipped in.

“Wow, Gran, continue to lay it on. Now something’s wrong with my job. I thought you said you were proud of me for working at Caught Live.”

“I am, but it’s not what you went to school for nor wanted. I don’t know, sue me for still wanting my grandbaby to get everything she wanted out of life. Ya know, the Lord is a promise keeper. It’s us who go astray from the path of those promises.”

I shook my head, thinking back to Jimmy’s letter.

I snapped my fingers a few times as something came to me.

“You and Jimmy were working together with all this and the letters, huh?”

“Chile, this is between me and God. Whatever Jimmy did or left for y’all, that’s his doing. But take this as your second…hell, who am I kidding? This is probably your fifth or sixth confirmation. It’s time. I remember you saying something before that you were chasing your dreams so he could live his. Well fate, time, and one crazy ass old man brought y’all back together. Get everything, Hollis, you can have it. I don’t know why you feel the need to punish yourself, as if you don’t deserve happiness and love in your relationships and career.”

“I’m scared, Gran. And now we have this baby coming soon. Can we afford for me to quit and start something?” I blurted out as I choked on my words. Hearing her gasp and seeing her big bright eyes now welling with tears let me know my slip. I wanted Luke to be the next person I told, yet here I was talking too much.

“Oh my, yes, my God is good. Another sweet grandbaby, and before He called me home.”

I kissed my teeth. “Okay, Gran you doing the most. You got plenty of time left. You act like you don’t have a bunch of grandchildren already. Between Hef’s three and Cami, and now Ali, you ain’t missing out on the experience.”

“Seeing you as a mother, I am. Oh how I wish Andrea could see her girls. How far along are you?” I shrugged as my mind went to my mother. She had been gone since we were kids. I hardly thought about her.

“I don’t know yet. I made my appointment with the midwife and doula for when Luke comes home. He still doesn’t know. I have a plan to tell him when he comes home soon, so hold your water, Lacy Walker.” She waved me off as she got up, headed for the kitchen.

“Chile, don’t tell me what to do. Now are you hungry? I can make something for y’all. Oh and I got some leftover lasagna too.” I grinned as I sat back, preparing myself to eat again because Lacy wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

“Nas, I need a backup for my anniversary gift. Can I do this without hurting the ongoing process with this house?” I had stopped by Nas’s office to ask about taking on the last name Deacon. When Skyla first said no name changes, I had to be sure since I was now about to start the process to do that very thing.

“Technically speaking, no. Since on this document Jimmy wrote you up as a Deacon by marriage anyway, taking it now won’t hurt at all because it’s yours. And anniversary gifts? I clearly work too damn much. How did I miss that shit with you two had gotten this deep?”

I blew out an exasperated breath. “Honey, you have no idea how deep. Me taking his name is a gift for him and me. I can’t be the only Walker running around the house while he and his baby share Deacon,” I said, rubbing my nonexistent baby bump.

“Oh damn. Down goes my rider.” Nas pointed her pen as she squinted one eye. “No lie, I should’ve seen this coming. I told you that you weren’t getting away from this man a second time around.”

“Heffa, it seems as if everyone knew how my life would play out but me.”

“So, no divorce papers after this? I’m just double checking to be sure?”

I shook my head. “No papers, especially not after I take this nigga’s last name. Shit, it’s until death ,and even then it betta be on my tombstone right above devoted wife and mother.” Nas laughed but I was serious.