With a grunt, I walk over to my closet and toss on a pair of basketball shorts and a wife beater tank.
Alyssa stands at the door and appears nervous for a moment, but I take her hand in mine and we walk out together.
I'm glad I told her to get dressed. Not that I care what other people think about who I spend my time with...but Momma's opinion has always mattered to me and I don't want her to get the wrong impression of Alyssa.
Lord knows there are enough people in the world who have the wrong impression of her already.
The smell of homemade pancakes, grits, eggs, and bacon make me salivate. There is nothing in the world that beats Momma's cooking.
Alyssa and I are the last to arrive in the kitchen, and when we do...the stares we receive are interesting...to say the least.
Tyrone looks up from his plate and grins at Alyssa before devouring the rest of his biscuit.
Ricardo looks uneasy and a bit angry, until I lift my chin and give him a look. It's a look that lets him know that I'm not ashamed of Alyssa and he should get used to seeing her around. He gives a small nod in my direction before smiling at Alyssa.
And that's when I notice Lou-Lou's expression. She obviously feels threatened by Alyssa's presence. The snarl on her face reminds me of a chihuahua. It's sad because she would be pretty if she wasn't so fucking bitter and miserable all the time.
I guide Alyssa to a stool over at the large oval counter where everyone is gathered.
I hear Momma's throat clear and I look up. Her normally bright ebony eyes are squinted. Her normally smooth, dark and flawless skin wrinkles between her eyebrows and her full lips are in a tight line. She looks like a lion protecting her baby cub, who's about to strike any minute. The spatula in her hand shakes when she glares at Alyssa.
Oh, shit.
Momma's the type who only respects certain people. She's a strong, sassy, Southern woman who takes no crap and expects none to be given. She's also fiercely protective when it comes to her boys...me included. She can be overwhelming at first, but once you get to know her, you end up falling head over heels in love with her.
I make my way to Momma and open my arms wide to give her a hug, but am shocked when I'm lightly pushed to the side instead.
Alyssa raises her chin, holds out her hand and looks Momma right in the eyes. “Hello, Mrs. Davis. I'm Alyssa Tanner and it's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am.”
Lou-Lou lets out a small gasp. I look over at her and there's practically smoke coming out of her ears. To this day, I still don't think Lou-Lou's ever greeted Momma properly or looked her in the eye.
The first time she met Momma she cowered behind Ricardo while Momma proceeded to tell her to stop acting like the town cow and givin' the milk away for free. She eased up a little after Ricardo explained that they weren't serious.
The fact that Alyssa just womaned up and didn't let fear hold her back sends a surge of pride through me.
I don't think she realizes how strong she really is.
Momma purses her lips for a moment and looks Alyssa up and down, finally stopping to study her face. Then I see the twinkle in those beautiful ebony eyes of hers. Momma approves, she passed the first test.
She wipes her hand on her apron before shaking Alyssa's hand. “It's nice to meet you too, and please; call me Momma.”
I hear the sound of Lou-Lou's glass falling to the floor in the background.
This is fucking great.
Alyssa gives her a smile before stepping to the side. I immediately wrap Momma up in a tight hug. “Hey, Momma. Thanks for making breakfast.” She squeezes me tighter. “Nonsense. You know I like to keep my boys fed. How you doin', sugar?” She nods her head in Alyssa's direction. “By the looks of things, I'd say you might have found yourself a keeper over there.”
Alyssa returns to her seat, but I don't miss the fact that she smiles at that statement.
I lean into Momma's ear and whisper, “She's definitely a keeper.”
“Does that mean you'll settle down and give me some grand babies soon? Because we all know my son, the dip-shit, obviously can't keep it in his pants lately.”
I start coughing and Alyssa spits out her drink.
Momma ignores us and continues, “You don't even want to know what I just caught him in bed with. The woman had half her head shaved and tattoo's on her face for crying out loud! Not to mention, she was carrying some kind of riding crop when she moseyed on out of the bedroom. And I know she ain't been riding no horse.”
Tyrone opens his mouth to say something, but she points a finger at him and shakes her head. “I swear, my boy ain't got the good sense God gave em' sometimes.”
I look at Tyrone. I'm not judging, but this is different from his usual modus operandi when it comes to women. But I know he's out screwing anything and everything lately in order to forget the fact that Shelby's wedding is this weekend.
Shelby was his high school sweetheart. Her father was the sheriff in their small town in Alabama, and after Tyrone was hauled off to jail for something that falsely got pinned on him; she was forbidden from ever talking to him again.
He'll always carry a torch for that girl.
He gives me a small shrug and I sit down on the stool next to Alyssa. “Alright Momma, enough,” he says.
“Go easy on him, Momma,” I say. “He's going through a lot right now.”
She flips a pancake and points the spatula at me. “Which is exactly why I'm here right now.”
Tyrone shoves another bite of food in his mouth. “I told you, Momma. I'm fine.”
She gives him a pensive look. “So, you're saying that you're completely over Shelby, then?”
Ricardo and I groan in unison. Here we go.
“I'm happy for her,” he starts before he takes another bite of food. “I wish her all the best with her rich, stuck up, stupid—” He takes a drink. “Ugly, no fun, small dick, stupid—”
“You said stupid already,” Ricardo reminds him.
Tyrone tips his drink at him. “Lousy, good for nothing, wanna be cowboy, lying, cheating, mullet haircut, dumb ass, man-boy, soon to be husband.” He grips his fork and knife. “Really, guys...I'm fine. I hope they have a happy life and have a million mullet-haircut wearing babies.”
That went better than expected.
Momma looks at him. “And nothings gonna change your mind about that, buttercup?”
He stabs his eggs. “You got that right.”
Momma daintily wipes her mouth with her napkin. “I guess it won't matter then.”
Tyrone takes the bait. “What won't matter?”
She smiles from ear to ear. “The fact that last night, our very own Shelby ran right out of her wedding rehearsal in tears. Screaming up a storm about how it should be you who should be standing up at that altar waiting for her.”
“Fucking shit, man,” Ricardo says.
“Well, I'll be damned. Girl's finally come to her senses,” I say.
Tyrone shakes his head. “No. There's too much water under the bridge. Too much devastation in our wake.”
“Don't be stupid. You better go after her,” Alyssa says, much to everyone's surprise.
We all look at her while she looks at Tyrone and continues, “I'm just saying that when you love someone. You don't give up on them. You fight for them. It doesn't matter what obstacles are standing in the way.” She takes a breath. “When you love someone, you hold their hand when they're too scared to move forward because all they've ever known is a past that's full of despair and emptiness. When you love someone, you realize that every bit of pain you ever endured is worth it because you found the person who's the very best part of your life.” She shrugs. “Or at least, that's how I imagine love is supposed to be. Despite whatever bullshit might have happened between you two.”