Page 53 of Reckless Forever
“Come over here, Ivy, let the men do whatever it is they do while we cook. I want to get to know you.” She said, patting the seat of the chair with a smile on her face.
I shook my head and let them rock and went back into the sitting room with my brothers and father. I looked around the room and shook my head. Not in disapproval but a little in disbelief. Before I met Ivy, I couldn’t see any of this shit for myself. Not being a family man, not settling down, no children. Now I saw it all, and it happened damn near overnight.
I sat back against the couch and watched the scene unfold around me. Pops is holding Cupcake. Trouble just took Jax’s own daughter from him and gave her some candy because he told her no. I realized that this was the shit that I wanted. The family that I created. My kids would have the dopest uncles and aunties, and the best grandparents.
The hours rolled through the day, but not quickly enough. We watched some football, talked shit, made some bets, and I kept sneaking in the kitchen so Rainstorm could give me some greens. Ivy hadn’t even given me a second thought; my moms kept her busy with chores in the kitchen and with talking to her and embarrassing a nigga with all those stories from my childhood.
“Dinner is ready, come eat,” Remy said as she peeked around the corner into the room where all of us were seated.
I was glad because I was ready to run through two or three plates. When my mind detaches, and I’m ready to take it there, I don’t really have an appetite. Now that this shit was over, I was ready to dig in.
We walked into the kitchen, including Zo and Sanchez, and sat in our chairs beside the women. I was seated between Trouble and Ivy.
I leaned over to her and kissed her forehead.
“You okay, baby?” I asked. Wanting to make sure she was comfortable. She smiled and nodded.
“Let’s all hold hands and bow our heads so I can bless the food,” Moms said. Me and Trouble looked at each other.
“I’m not holding your fucking hand. We can bump fists,” I whispered to him, and his nostrils flared. I know that nigga gets tired of me, but what can he do?
“Fuck you,” He chuckled lowly, so moms didn’t hear us cursing at the table.
When she was done blessing the food, I probably started eating before the prayer left the room. I was hungry, and moms always made sure that she fed us well.
“Kenn, you might be lazy, but the banana pudding is going to hit every time. Same time next week.” I said as I fell back in my seat and put my arms behind my head.
“You lucky Mama at this table,” Kennedy warned.
“So, fuck me, huh?” My Pops said as the table laughed.
I stood from my chair and pushed it in.
“Everybody, I have an announcement that I want to make.” The room groaned like I was about to crack a joke.
“Judah, we are full and sleepy. We are not in the mood for your games,” Remy said, tossing her napkin on her plate.
“I’m not playing games.” My voice came out more serious than I expected.
“Today, I just wanted everybody to know that Ivy is moving here permanently. You’ll be seeing her around a lot.”
Ivy’s eyes went wide, and I could see the smile already creeping up her lips. My pops whistled low. Trouble smirked, and moms just sat there smiling like she’d been waiting on me to say out loud what she already knew.
But her just moving to the States wasn’t enough for me. Not after leaving Bolivia with that letter.
I turned until all I saw was Ivy. She looked nervous, but she didn’t look away. My hand reached into my pocket before my brain even caught up. My heart was beating out of my chest.
“Ivy,” I cleared my throat, my voice rough.
“Before you, I didn’t even think this life was for me. Family. A home with kids running wild through the house. None of it. But now I can’t picture anything without you in it.”
Everybody went still, making me more nervous. Even Cupcake stopped tapping her spoon against the table.
I dropped down on one knee, right there beside the table, with my whole family watching. Ivy gasped like she really didn’t know where my speech was going. She covered her mouth, eyes already watering.
“Baby, I’ll spend every breath I got making sure I never fail you. Making sure I never fail us.”
I pulled the ring from my pocket and held it up to her. “So, Ivy… will you marry me?”
