Page 116 of Save Room for Us

“It went fine?” She fidgeted as I let Sophie to the floor to hug her mama just before I kissed her.

“As fine as it could go.” Farrah huffed. “Wish you could’ve seen Cedric’s face when Asif walked in and the little comments he was making to Cedric.” She laughed, making her daughter glance at me with a half-smile.

“So you didn’t punch him?” she asked me.

“Nah, I wanted to, though.”

“Then, Asif took us to lunch and?—”

“Brunch!” Sophie yelled, now on the floor with her toys.

“Brunch, yes,” Farrah corrected. “Some nice little French place. It was too good, Stazi. Maybe he’ll takeyouone day.”

We all guffawed as Anastazia playfully rolled her eyes as her mother switched off.

“He’s taken, Ma, just so you know,” she called to her mother’s back who simply waved her off in response. Turning to face me fully, she hugged my torso and said, “Thank you, baby.”

“Of course.” I leaned down to kiss her, cupping her ass in my hands since Sophie’s back was to us.

“I’ll thank you later,” she whispered. “I got a gift for you.”

“Let me see.”

“Later.” She pulled back from me and went to sit on the couch.

Later couldn’t come fucking fast enough.

Putting my shit in park, I said yet another prayer before climbing out of the car. This talking to God shit that Anastazia put me on to was becoming my thing. For some reason, I thought you could only communicate through prayers. Never did I think about doing the shit randomly, just openly talking to him for reason or no reason at all. Made me think of when my father used to tell me and my brothers ‘Get you a woman that can show you some shit, and not just in the bedroom.’

Climbing out, I made my way up to the door before using my key to gain entry. I could smell Lisara’s cooking, so I ventured to the kitchen to find her.

“Hi, handsome.” She beamed, waving me over so I could hug her.

“What’s good, Ma? What you cooking?” I used my hand that wasn’t holding her in a hug to peer down into the pot.

“Are your hands clean?” She pushed the top back down.

“Always clean,” I said, laughing as she pursed her lips in disbelief. “Where Pop? I wanna talk to y’all real quick.”

“He’s in his office. Should I follow?”

“Nah, you busy, so we’ll come to you.” I left out in effort to fetch my father.

I knocked a few times before he told me to come in.

“What you doing here?” He frowned, searching through some thick ass file. No telling what this nigga was doing.

“You ain’t even got a job, fuck is you doing?” I joked.

Chuckling, he said, “You don’t know what the fuck I got going on, boy.”

“Yeah, aight.” I lifted my brows. “Come to the kitchen right quick for a conversation.” I nodded behind me in the direction of the kitchen.

He nodded, so I let him be as I made my way back.

Soon as I entered, Lisara had a plate for me made of smothered chicken, a loaded baked potato, and green beans. Suddenly, a nigga was starving. She made another for my father, just as he entered the room whispering some shit he had no business, I was sure, before gracing her lips briefly. I turned away, not wanting to lose my fucking appetite.

“Sit down, Chianti.” She giggled.

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