Page 60 of Can I?

When I signed my receipt, I noticed he only charged me five hundred dollars. A slow smile graced my face. “Thank you, Uncle Mayor.”

“Uh-huh. Get yo’ ass outta here. You acting just like Tiffany’s spoiled ass.”

“Storm, shut the fuck up and quit harassing my baby. You need to be bowing in her presence. She the queen of this rodeo shit now,” my mama said, walking up behind me.

I should have known she had come in the shop just from his last line and how loud he said it. When I turned to her, she smiled and hugged me as she held Jacob’s seven-month-old son in her arms. Mekayla had accepted a last-minute physical therapy session, and my mama volunteered to watch him for her and to pick LaTee up from school.

Mekayla had Jacob Wesley the day after Ryder J’s graduation party. He was six pounds and seven ounces. She said LaTee was small as a baby as well. However, little JW was still twenty-one inches long. He looked like a lil stick. Not an ounce of fat on him. I chuckled at the thought.

Everyone was emotional when they announced what they’d named him. Grandpa’s memory would live on through all of us, but he and Uncle WJ were his namesakes. Roselynn was almost eight months old, and K-3 was eight and half months. These babies were attention getters every time the family was together.The craziest thing was that they all resembled. It looked like they were siblings.

“Who the fuck I look like, Tiff? A weak ass nigga? You better tell Ferris wheel to bow to her ass.”

“Oh, I do all the time. I plan to bow?—”

“Hell naw. Y’all get the fuck outta here with that shit.”

I laughed loudly as we walked out to head to the diner. Ferris had met me here to drop my truck off.

“I’ll meet y’all at the diner,” my mama said.

I nodded and continued to Ferris’s SUV. I was still feeling amazing after winning the NFR for barrel racing last week. That shit still hadn’t sank in. When I went to Tractor Supply to get horse feed, those people recognized me and had me autographing shit. That was a feeling I would always remember.

I had to meet with Karima and the rest of our rodeo team later today to practice. Karima was back to barrel racing and cleaning that shit up, just like she’d originally planned, and was teaching barrel racing lessons. Uncle Marcus’s daughter, Syneda, and Mekayla’s daughter LaTee were two of her students. I believed Jess’s daughter would be starting in the summer. She’d also started going to school to get a degree in family counseling.

Rhodes had been a significant help to help her balance it all, especially since his schedule was flexible. He was working with the family by making sure the animals were straight and was still working with Watchful Eyes from time to time.

When we got to the diner, and I saw Ace helping a woman out of his car, I rolled my eyes. He was up to his old ways, and I hated that. Janiya had fucked my cousin’s head up, had that nigga about to crash out. He’d finished his community service and only had about four months of probation left. I was glad he was almost done with that shit.

Things had been quiet around here, and they seemed to have gone back to normal. Uncle Marcus had fixed his shop, my mama had repaired the washateria’s door and window, and Aunt Jen and Aunt Chrissy had replaced windows in the diner. It looked like nothing had ever happened.

There was only one loose end. Ms. Nita. She was Julius’s messy ass mama. I was hoping she’d been a casualty in the massacre months ago. I saw her the other day when I had stopped at the hair supply store. She didn’t say a word to me, but she gave me a smirk that let me know to watch her ass. I didn’t cower though.Because fuck her.

When we walked inside the diner, it was filled with family. The music was loud, and people were dancing and shit like they did for the zydeco breakfast on Saturdays. Uncle Storm had come in through the back entrance and had lowered the music. When everyone saw me, they started cheering. My eyebrows lifted as I realized they were celebrating me.

The pasta was made, and there was a huge cake that Mrs. Harper and her daughters were standing next to. The decorations were beautiful, and there were highlights of me barebacking on the TV screens. I could feel the tears building. I hadn’t had a celebration of this magnitude since I graduated from high school, and I was feeling emotionally overwhelmed.

My emotions went stupid, though, when Ferris went down on his knee next to me. I could hear my girls screaming in excitement while everyone else applauded and laughed at their antics. My mama was crying, something she’d been doing a lot of lately, thanks to perimenopause, and my dad was smiling, showing his approval.

“I was supposed to wait until I was saying nice words about you and your accomplishments, but to hell with that. It was hell waitingthislong to do this. You my baby, my all. I love you so much, and I admire the woman you are and are becoming. Iwould be a fool not to lock you down and give you my last name if you’re willing to accept it. Milana Anise Semien, will you make me even happier than I already am and say you’ll be my wife?”

I looked at the ring he pulled from his pocket and knew he took his time to find the perfect one. It was a beautiful, green, oval shaped sapphire with diamonds surrounding it on a gold band. I closed my eyes briefly, thinking about how far I’d come, and I allowed the tears to fall. “I love you too, Ferris. I will gladly be your wife, baby.”

“Whew!” he said and fake swiped sweat from his head as everyone laughed.

I laughed as he slid the ring on my finger then kissed me deeply as everyone applauded, and the music cranked back up. When we separated, I saw his family off to the side with smiles on their faces. Asad was here as well, and he was in Ashanni’s space, like he’d been for the past seven months. My girl had to give in eventually, because that man wasn’t going to let up.

My parents were on the other side with Ryder J next to them. He was home from college on winter break. The twins were home as well, and Bali was caked up with Carter Legend, and Noni and Red Squared seemed to be getting along.

Everyone rushed me to see the ring as Ferris stared at me with fire in his eyes. I couldn’t focus on everyone, because all I saw was him. My appetite had changed just that quickly. Cajun pasta was no longer on the menu. They quickly caught the hint and pushed Ferris back in my space. He chuckled then lowered his head and kissed me.

“I know you wanna celebrate in other ways. I can see that shit in your eyes, Lani. You wanna leave so you can mount up, baby? I don’t have a problem letting you fuck me until you pass out.”

My eyes rolled slightly as my clit pulsed, and my mouth watered. “Can I?”

The End

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