Page 10 of Made to Love Ya

Tahj and I both looked down sheepishly at our plates.

“What are you doing about living arrangements?” Daddy asked Izael.

“I haven’t found anything suitable for me to move into short-term while I search for a new house. I could move into a hotel’s penthouse suite, but I don’t want to.”

“I know your dad’s got that new baby, and your mom’s on the move again, right?” Daddy asked.

“Yeah.”

“What about Rashad?” Tahj asked about Izael’s older brother.

“Nah. You know I don’t get along with Shad’s wife like that. Celina be on some other stuff.”

“Well, you could come stay with me if I hadn’t just moved out of my crib and into my girl’s. You know Dahlia has that one bedroom.”

“You could always come stay here with us,” my mother suggested, and my father bobbed his head in agreement.

Izael visibly cringed at the suggestion.

“No offense. Y’all know I love y’all, right?” They were still bobbing their heads and smiling like they couldn’t fathom he might say anything that would offend them. “But moving in with y’all is like moving in with my parents. I can’t even do it. But I love y’all.”

“We’ll respect your privacy.”

“Yeah. It’s gonna be a no for me,” Izael stated.

I snickered because I knew what he was thinking. My parents had an open-door policy when it came to our home. They seldom locked the front door. Last year, Izael had come over to return something to my father and walked in without knocking, and he walked in on my parents getting busy in the kitchen.

No one wanted a repeat of that. My brother had been messed up in the head after hearing about it. As much as I loved black love and how they loved each other, I don’t want to see them having sex—ever!

Everyone must have remembered the same thing I did because my mother cleared her throat and excused herself from the table to get the other pan of lasagna. My father tried talking about basketball stats, and then my brother spoke up.

“Yo! I got the perfect solution,” Tahj stated.

“What?” Izael, my daddy, and Mama, who had just returned, asked at the same time.

“You can stay with Chè.”

I choked on a piece of salad, and my daddy, who sat closest to me, moved closer and patted me on the back.

“It’s a great idea,” my mother chimed in happily.

“I mean, think about it. Ole boy has started coming around again. I don’t know what he up to, and I don’t trust that nigga as far as I can see him. This way, Chè is protected, Zae has a place to stay until he finds a new spot, and that nigga gets the message to stop fuc?—”

“Language!” my mother shouted.

“My bad. But you see what I’m saying?” Tahj asked.

I grabbed my glass of lemonade and took several swigs to clear my throat. My eyes were stinging, and tears ran down my face. Despite all that, my heart raced wildly in my chest.

The idea of Izael in my apartment was overwhelming on so many levels. I couldn’t fathom living with a man who might not be as neat as I was. The thought of him bringing in his harem of women through my place burned my cheeks with anger and tortured my poor heart. And finally, being that close to him on a personal and intimate level was too much to consider.

My thighs squeezed at the thought of seeing, smelling, and talking to him that much. I thought about the tattoos I had seen on his upper body when he’d gone around shirtless. The thought of seeing any other parts of his body set my body aflame.

“I like it,” Daddy commented as though that finalized it.

“Wait. I hear y’all, and while I don’t mind, we need to consider Chè,” Izael stated.

“Chè?” Daddy and Tahj called my name at the same time. Four sets of eyes turned expectantly my way.

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