Page 36 of Until the Ink Dries

I followed suit, chasing her and making growling noises. Her little giggles rang out through the hall. The sound always soothed any worries I held when it came to wondering if I was doing right by her.

I unlocked the door, and Charlie rushed to her room. I went to mine to get cleaned up before we made our way over to my mother’s for dinner. Every Sunday, we tried to make sure we got together to eat and catch up on our week. It was one of the things I appreciated about my parents. They made sure Charlie and I felt loved.

After I grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge, Charlie and I made our way to my mom’s. The moment we pulled up in front of the house, I noticed Jordan’s truck was parked outside. I shook my head because I knew he wouldn’t leave without getting a taste of my mother’s cooking.

As soon as we walked up the stairs, the front door opened, and Jordan walked out eating a piece of fried chicken. I don’t know how he convinced my mom to eat before everyone sat down, but he did.

“We were getting ready to eat without y’all! You know what time Sunday dinner starts,” he said, then laughed.

I waved him off and dapped him up. Charlie pulled at his pants leg, so he reached down to pick her up.

“What’s up, lil’ bit?”

She crossed her arms against her chest, then poked her bottom lip out.

“You didn’t say hi to me,” she whined.

This little girl was spoiled as hell, and I knew I was part of the problem. I shook my head and walked around them. Jordan had some explaining to do, and I didn’t need to be present to hear it. The moment I stepped inside, I followed the aroma wafting through the house. My mother stood in front of the stove, maneuvering between the two pots in front of her and then checking the oven.

“You just gone stare? Come, give your mother some love,” she called out.

I smiled and closed the distance between us. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, swallowing her small frame. She wrapped her arms around my waist and held on tightly. I pulled back a little bit then placed a kiss against her cheek.

“Where is pops?” I asked.

She walked back over to the stove to continue stirring and then she glanced back over her shoulder, pointing toward the living room.

“You know where that man is. Every Sunday, he plants himself right there on that couch to watch the game – any game, if you ask me. He doesn’t care if it’s not football season or basketball season.”

I couldn’t help but laugh because she was right. He had been doing the same thing since I was a kid. It was our thing; every Sunday, we watched the game and talked shit. I followed the sound of the TV and the now elevated voices. Clearly, Jordan had given Charlie a good enough excuse to be able to come into the house.

The TV was loud, but it did nothing to cover the bickering between Jordan and my pops. They couldn’t just sit there and watch the damn game; they had to debate, too. Jordan was like the son my dad wanted when it came to sports. I was happy the day they connected over it because he stopped forcing me to be part of different shit.

I walked over and took the open spot on the couch opposite of my pops. Charlie was sitting on his lap, eating a butterscotch that I was certain my dad had given her because he was eating one, too.

“Charlie, what I tell you about eating candy before you eat dinner?” I asked.

She had the nerve to look somber, then glance over at my pops, who turned to face me the moment she looked at him.

“This is my house. If I give my baby some candy, she gone have it at papa’s house. She only had one piece. Now, sit back and watch the game.”

I held back my smirk and leaned back. I closed my eyes, intent on getting in at least a twenty-minute nap before my mom came in to tell us we could come eat.

“Papa, Daddy got a friend. Her name is Willow, and she is so pretty.” Charlie said.

My eyes popped open so fast, already knowing where this conversation was getting ready to go. Jordan was smirking and slouching against the couch with a lift of his brow.

“Is that right? Where did you meet her at, lil’ bit?” Jordan asked, antagonizing the situation.

“She watched a movie with us at the park!” she exclaimed.

No later than she said that, was my mother now in the room with us, her head cocked to the side. I held my hands up in mock surrender.

“It wasn’t like that. You remember I picked up Charlie, and we went to Movies in the Square. Well, when we walked through to find a spot, we noticed Willow, I spoke, the end.”

“Uh huh, daddy. Then we watched two movies!” Charlie added.

I stood from the couch and stretched.

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