Page 92 of Until the Ink Dries

She had switched out of the sundress she wore earlier into a pair of jeans and a simple shirt that showed off her midsection. Her eyes brightened the moment they latched onto Charlie, who was wiggling like crazy to get to her.

“Ms. Willow, I missed you!” she exclaimed.

I shook my head, then leaned forward to kiss Willow.

“I missed you, too, buttercup, even though I just saw you yesterday.”

Charlie leaned her head onto her shoulder and hugged her tightly. “Ugh, such a long time.”

Before they could continue their back and forth, Mr. and Mrs. Dawson came to the door with bright smiles.

“Son, come on in here. Y’all letting my good air out,” Mr. Dawson said, ushering us inside.

“Sorry about that and it’s nice to see y’all again.” I told him before reaching a hand out to Mrs. Dawson to speak.

She bypassed my outreached hand and wrapped me up in a tight embrace.

“I think as many times as you’ve been over here to pick Willow up, we’ve passed all the formalities, wouldn’t you think?” she asked.

I smiled and nodded. “I agree.”

“Now, this cutie pie must be Charlie. I’ve heard so many good things about you. Do you like donuts?” she asked.

Charlie nodded enthusiastically. Mrs. Dawson turned to look in my direction for permission. I nodded to let her know it was fine but only because this was a special occasion. I wanted Charlie to feel comfortable, so if a donut was the breaking bread point, I was all for it.

“My mother sent over a few slices of sweet potato poundcake. She taught me to never come empty-handed. Do you have somewhere I could place them?” I asked.

“I got that,” her mother responded, taking the bag from me.

Charlie slipped from Willow’s arms and reached out for her mother’s free hand as they headed for the kitchen. Her father stuffed his hands into his pockets and faced me.

“You drink? If so, I have a bottle of aged bourbon that you have to try,” he mentioned.

I knew this was his way of getting me alone so he could figure out what my intentions were. I was all for it because I would do the same thing if it were Charlie.

“I can drink,” I responded.

Willow looked up at me with a worried expression but released her hold on my arm. I leaned in and kissed her cheek before following her father toward what I assumed would be his office. I closed the door behind myself and followed him to the bar against the back wall. It was all cherry wood and sports memorabilia. I could tell he was a big time Eagles fan; he had jerseys and helmets displayed, with a large flat screen TV mounted on the wall. My dad would be in heaven in here.

The thought of our fathers getting along made me smile, but I quickly recovered before he glanced up at me. He had just finished pouring bourbon into the two glasses in front of him, then dropped a few ice cubes inside. He slid my drink over to me before taking a tentative sip of his.

“So, let’s get it out of the way. What exactly are you doing with my daughter? I’m not crazy enough to believe y’all aren’t having a good time – which I don’t need details of – but I want to make sure this isn’t just some temporary moment for you.”

I never brought the glass to my lips because I wanted to make sure he understood my stance clearly.

“I understand, sir. I’m interested in forever with your daughter, not to put it lightly. I’ve expressed those same things to her as well. One thing I don’t play about is my child and the fact that I’ve brought her here is a big step for me. She doesn’t meet many people outside of my family unless it’s at school. I’m all she has, and I would never want to excite her with a woman who I don’t plan to keep around. So, to answer your question, as soon as she will have me, I plan to marry her one day.”

“Well damn, I’ll drink to that. Welcome to the family, son.”

Her father lifted his glass, and I followed suit before taking a drink. We talked about business and sports before his wife knocked at the door to let us know dinner was ready. We finished our drinks and went into the dining room with the ladies. Charlie was seated beside Willow with a spot for me on the other side of her. Before I made it to my seat, I stopped beside Willow and kissed her forehead, then did the same to Charlie, who giggled.

“Thank you so much for humoring us and coming to dinner. I’ve heard so many good things about your sweet baby and I’m glad to say they’re all true. You’re doing such a good job,” her mother said.

“It’s all my pleasure and thank you, Mrs. Dawson.”

“Please call me Anna. Mrs. Dawson is so formal,” she responded.

She reached her hand out for mine as everyone clasped hands to say grace before we started filling our plates with macaroni and cheese, baked chicken breast with gravy, honey cornbread, and collard greens with smoked ham. My stomach was growling from the aroma alone.

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