Page 24 of Widow Mayker

I looked at my pops like he was crazy. This shit was serious.

“She wears hats to conceal her eyes. You know why,” I stated again.

“I don’t know why. What I do know is that you’re my son, and I love you. However, I won’t tolerate you fuckin’ around on that young lady. She’ll be the first reason you and I are ever at odds.”

Shit.

“So, like I was saying, you better not pry. Give her the space to either share her story or keep it to herself. Don’t you dare force her hand, either. Her revelations should come naturally,” he finished before leaving me to stare after him.

He caught up with my mama and Maja, who were talking to my brothers. They were all in Maja’s face like they didn’t have their own significant others. Scowling a little, I went to meet up with them. All the while my mind was on what the hell could’ve possibly happened in Maja’s past to have my girl so dead on the inside.

***

The Gunner family reunion opened with a prayer, then commenced into the activities. This was a staple in my family and a time I always looked forward to. With a family as large as mine, I tended to take this shit for granted sometimes. Whether it was forgetting to call and check on my cousins or missing out on birthdays, weddings, and holidays, I had dropped the ball one too many times in the last few years for my liking.

I bent over, laughing at Maja beating Amaré’s ass in a game of three-point shoot around. My girl was natural with the ball and didn’t talk any shit, unlike Amaré. Every time Maja sank a three-pointer, Amaré playfully lost his shit. His woman along with, Wes, his woman, and several of our older cousins stood around watching him get tore up. This was the championship round, and the winner would receive a hand-made quilt my grandmother made. Amaré won the last three years in a row. He was going for a four-peat, but Maja was giving him a run for his money.

If Maja was having a good time, I wasn’t concerned about anything else. I wanted her to be comfortable with me. So far, I couldn’t have been happier. Even after beating Amaré and accepting her handmade quilt, I hyped my lady up. Although it didn’t reach her eyes, the smile on her face was a good sign. With no time, I’d have her wall buckling under my pressure.

MAJA

Infectious. Effortlessly, Von’s family was infectious. Then again, his father was Wesley Gunner. Night was within reach, and the festivities were still in full swing. In fact, things seemed to liven as nightfall approached. The younger children were ushered into one of the cabins with a few of the younger adults. That was when the music was ramped up, and the liquor came out.

Von and his brothers were acting complete fools…but I was fond of every minute of it. I fought a smile watching Von show off his dancing skills. Truthfully, I blushed at the way he moved his body, stuck his tongue out, and gyrated like he was in front of a thousand women throwing cash at him—

“You know he used to be a stripper, right?” Carmen said loud enough for Von to hear and loud enough to crash into my thoughts.

Quickly, I determined that Carmen was one of the reasons Von would likely get that second date, which I hated to admit. This was just a handful of hours with him and his family, and already, they’d ensnared me in a web that I wasn’t sure I wanted to be free from.

Meeting his cousins, who were also law enforcement, didn’t even deter me from thinking about giving Von a second date. Everyone just seemed so normal, and I couldn’t help but line them up against my own family.

Everyone rumbled with laughter, including Von, jolting me back to reality. After the second of surprise I felt at learning Von used to be a stripper, I burst out laughing too.

Von kept dancing and said, “You don’t care. Do you, baby?”

Shaking my head no, I laughed harder at the look of relief on his face.

Carmen shook her head and glared at her son. “Mind you, he was strippin’ just to be strippin’.”

Von came over to the table and joined us. He straddled the bench, then wrapped his arms around me. It surprised me that I didn’t stiffen in his embrace. Throughout the day, we’d been joined at the hip. Whether we teamed up in volleyball or a card game, he and I had been a duo. Jesting with him became so natural that we were already finishing each other’s statements.

Bringing me to his family’s reunion was clever. It wasn’t just the two of us, and although I was unsure in the beginning, now I understood why he wanted me there. He wanted me to see him and not his title. Here with his family, he was carefree, playful, and down-to-earth. This wasn’t a stuffy dinner where a conversation had to be forced to keep the night going.

Inwardly, I chuckled. Von was surely a man who would bring me to meet his family on our first date. Abruptly, my inward chuckling ceased. I wondered if he’d ever brought another woman to meet his family in this manner.

“Why you tense up?” he questioned close to my ear.

Relaxing, I mumbled, “Nothing.” The day had gone great. Introducing negative thoughts was a good way for me to ruin the experience of it all. Since there was hardly a cellular signal, I spent most of my time interacting with everyone. I didn’t want made-up thoughts to shift the energy.

“I wish I could stay up with y’all all night, but I’m worn out,” Carmen stated. She stood from the bench and waved her husband over. “Tomorrow is rowing day, so I better get my rest. Y’all ain’t gon’ beat me and my man this time,” she added.

Amaré cracked up. “Yeah, aight. I gotta make up for Maja winning Granny’s quilt.”

Everyone died laughing. Amaré could keep whining about the quilt. Not only was it handmade by the family’s matriarch, but it was beautifully made. The different colors of purple fabric and purple patterns that were woven together to create the stunning large quilt was easily an heirloom. It deserved to stay in the family forever.

Do you plan on staying in the family forever?

“You stiffened again, baby,” Von drawled, then kissed the area below my ear. His lips made my skin tingle. His arms wrapped around me even tighter to bring me closer. Although one of his thick arms nearly had me in a headlock, I secured my hand on his wrist and leaned back to rest my body against his. Wes grabbed his attention, and whatever he said caused the brothers to absolve in a fit of laughter. I just smiled, closed my eyes, and listened to the three men carry on some more.